so after the initial guess of 5.4 “they” decided it was actually a 5.2.

still.

well, after a brief moment of terror came a period of fascination

it’s all the world (at least in the midwest) was talking about

“did you feel it?!” “my dog woke me up” “it felt like someone was shaking my bed violently” “my starch fell right off my ironing board” “does my insurance cover earthquakes!?”

yes, quite the talk of the town.

we all love a small natural disaster to gossip about.

on sunday night i was once again jolted from my sleep by a rattling earth.

this time, however, i wasn’t fully convinced. i actually thought i had imagined it. my ceiling fan is shaking. but perhaps it’s the old folks who live above me. they do move about at strange hours.

so i called a friend. no, i’m crazy. back to bed.

megan, however, informed me in the early morning that it was, indeed, another earthquake. 4.5. not nearly as strong, but enough to be felt. enough to make you wonder.

these 2 earthquakes and all of the tremors came from the same area by west salem, il (close to evansville, in)

not right on the new madrid, but there is speculation, could this smaller earthquakes possibly trigger something in the earth’s plates that could cause the new madrid to react? could the midwest see another disaster like that of 1811/1812?

or maybe the earth is just letting go of some frustration. it does that every 20 years or so.

1968…..1987…..2008

these are the ones we’ve felt. (well not me, i wasn’t alive in 1968)

i guess i’m fairly confident that it’s not time for the “big one” yet.

i suppose only time will show us when this prophesized earthquake will finally hit, but for now, let’s hope the earth is just letting off a little steam.
-jessica

she had an earthquake on her mind
apparently the kind that would bury us alive
by putting all this weight on us forever

the used ~ earthquake

 

woooooooooooooahhhhh

so a few minutes ago (like 30)

i woke up to my bed shaking

my walls trembling

my pictures rattling.

and i was terrified.

only a few seconds, but enough to scare the crap out of my roommate and i.

i called my mom, to see if i was crazy…

i’m not, at least not about this.

but anyway, i’m wide awake, and watching the news.

checking out the 5.4. waiting for the aftershock?

they just said people felt it in Chicago.

i guess we’re just not accustomed this this sorta thing here in the midwest…

crazy earthquakes.

goodnight.

-jessica

i look like a zombie. it seems i have acquired some type of allergic reaction which has caused my undereyes to glow red. it’s really awful.

and my eyes just hurt because the area around them is so swollen.

i’m not sure what has caused this, but it makes me very unhappy.

i’ve tired cucumbers, various lotions/gels, ice water, and a wet rag. luckily, the swelling went down, but the redness stays.

i feel very self-conscious.

oh well. i bought some pretty heavy concealer, and it seems to do the trick.

i just wish it would go away. i look like a creeper. a drug addict, maybe. or someone that never ever sleeps.

in other news– some exciting things have been happening, that i don’t want to talk about yet, as to not jinx them. but as soon as i know, i’ll let you know.

L.A. was nice. it was good to get away. it was great to see Micah. it was wonderful to feel like a kid again at Disneyland. it was perfect to get lost in the rides. it was exciting to feel weightless. it was peaceful on huntington beach.

it was good to get out of the suits and into a sundress (plus a sweatshirt, it was cold)

it was beautiful there.

i experienced the best frozen yogurt ever.

yogurtland.

it was amazing. so many flavors and toppings. the best part was, you just walk in, get a cup, fill it with whatever of 10 different kinds of frozen yogurt you would like, then you pile on toppings YOURSELF, so if you want a cup full of cookie dough and oreos (or strawberries and kiwi), you just pile away.

then they weigh it. it’s a pretty sweet deal.

long beach is great.

i recommend going there if you’re in so cal.
i guess i shall post some pictures for you. just don’t steal them and pretend they are you at a gaming website. that’s dumb.

-jessica

 

Soon all the clouds will disappear,
And leave just you and me.
‘Cause a little bit of sunlight is all that I want from you,
A little bit of sunlight,
Is all that I want

the kinks ~ a little bit of sunlight

So, L.A. I’m here! We got in late on Saturday night. We’re staying close to the airport. It’s not exactly the glamorous part of Los Angeles, but it’s not a bad area.

We rented a car. It wasn’t expensive as we thought it would be, in fact, we decided to go with the GPS (because we all know how MY directional skills can sometimes be :)), and they didn’t even charge us for it. I’m pretty much a fan of Enterprise now. They have my loyalty. Plus they were super nice and he let us pick whatever car we wanted.

I highly recommend them.

So….it’s cold here. It’s like….60 degrees. Even colder by the water. Ugh. No tan for me. It’s ALMOST record lows. We did hit the beach yesterday, though. We went to Santa Monica Pier, walked around, played in the water a little. Then we headed over to Beverly Hills to get lunch and shop a little. I bought some new flats. They’re nice.

Beverly Hills was okay. It’s mostly just a lot of expensive stores that I can’t even begin to afford at this point in my life.

The area was beautiful, though. Just amazing houses, palm trees, shiny cars. Good stuff.

I don’t think I would ever want to live here, though. While L.A. certainly has some nice parts, it’s too big. Too much activity. Too commercialized. I’d rather live somewhere more laid back….

Plus it’s expensive here!

We also went to Hollywood yesterday. We probably didn’t spend enough time there, though. I think we might be going back on Wednesday morning. Hollywood had a lot of weird stuff. Weird shops. Hooker boots. People dressed up. It was interesting! We went to the Wax Museum, had dinner at a pretty nifty restaurant, did a little shopping (I bought a VERY cute black dress).

I haven’t seen any movie stars yet….frankly, I’m not sure if I care to. I don’t know what I’d do….watch them walk by? Maybe I’d tap into my inner paparazzi and snap a few shots.

Today I’m meeting up with an old friend from grade school. We used to date in 2nd grade, haha. His name is Micah Rush–I haven’t seen him in about 8 years or something excessive like that…I’m pretty excited!

Anyway–my initial response to L.A. is still sort of iffy. We still have a few more days though…and Disneyland!

-Jessica

California…knows how to party
In the citaaay of L.A.

tupac ~ california love

 

 

…guess who will be in L.A. in just one week…

 

 

 

 

Los Angeles, I’m yours.

~the decemberists

• Meiko ~ How Lucky We Are

• Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova ~ All The Way Down

• Joe Purdy ~ I Love the Rain Most

• Page France ~ Junkyard

• Schuyler Fisk & Josh Radin ~ Paperweight

• The Almost ~ Amazing, Because It Is

• Amiina ~ Rugla

• Belle and Sebastian ~ Sleep the Clock Around

• The Blow ~ True Affection

• Feist ~ I Feel It All

• Ingrid Michaelson ~ The Way I Am

• Landon Pigg ~ Falling In Love At a Coffee Shop

• Maria Taylor ~ Clean Getaway

• New Buffalo ~ I’ve Got You and You’ve Got Me

• Sea Wolf ~ Middle Distance Runner

• Vega 4 ~ Life is Beautiful

• Yael Naim ~ New Soul

 

 

I think you will like these. Go Listen :)

 

So won’t you run to me tonight?
Tonight let’s not talk about next summer
Cause I’ll only ever be a middle distance runner

sea wolf ~ middle distance runner

 

i’ve become quite stir crazy lately.

just ready to get outta here, take a vacation, lay on a beach, shop in a new mall, play at a park i’ve never been to before, eat ice cream without guilt far away from home.

i’m so sick of the ordinary day in day out. the weather has been increasingly more beautiful and it kills me to see it only through windows.

i love the smell of the air early in the morning on one of those “perfect spring days”

no matter what awful thing may have happened that morning-woke up late, cold shower, no milk, etc. doesn’t matter. the beauty of the day wipes it away.

that’s a good day.

it’s hard to stay mad on those days, too.

how could you possibly.

and the best part? the evening. just after dark, when it’s still warm, but there is a cool breeze coming in. wearing a jacket (NOT a coat).

walking the dog, looking at houses i could never afford, talking–maybe just spending time with someone else.

i love those evenings.

sometimes i even forget that i have to work the next day. it’s just so peaceful.

i like to take a drive to nowhere with the windows down listening to some awesome cd. personally i prefer to pop in a death cab cd. or maybe a mix cd. as long as it’s a good one.

i can’t wait until i can do that almost every day.

and then i can’t wait for summer rain. there is something so wonderful about being soaking wet, but not being cold. warm rain is perfect rain.

and jumping in puddles is even better.

snow is ok. but i’m done with it.

i’m ready for new life.

i’m taking tomorrow off. i need a break. today i was filling out a form and before i realized it, i had put my work phone number, my work email address, and my work zip code.

obviously i have been typing it far too much lately. i can’t figure out what i’ve been doing with my time lately aside from work. and when that happens, i just need to take a day off.

it’s okay, i have lots of vacation to use, anyway.

salessalessales.

i’ve sold more credit cards than i ever would have imagined.

i’m not sure how i feel about that.

did you know there are 8 gagillion self-help ezines available on the internet?

i mean, i figured there were a lot, but there are truly an insane amount.

no, i didn’t read any of them.

but maybe i should:)

-jessica

Give me a reason to fall in love
Take my hand and let’s dance
Give me a reason to make me smile
Cause I think I forgot how

 

I wanna fall asleep with you tonight
I wanna know that I am safe when you hold me tight
I wanna feel like I wanna feel forever

meiko ~ reasons to love you