i’m disappointed in my lack of postings as of late.  between work, moving, a spastic puppy, and just attempting to keep a social life, i’ve been a touch busy.

i want to show you pictures of my fabulous new stuff (fabulous may be an overstatement, but i really enjoy it), but i haven’t taken them quite yet. soon.  i purchased my first new couch.  pieced together a desk, a tv stand and an elliptical.  i bartered for a vintage coffee table on craigs list, which i’m in the process of painting.  (orange and green, if you were wondering).

i’m finally feeling comfortable in that place.  it feels more like home.  i made friends w/ a few of the neighbors, and i’m really excited to live so close to fun people (in maplewood i never saw my neighbors, and in belleville most of my neighbors were older than my grandparents).  in fact, i planned a little shin-dig to celebrate my birthday this friday.  having a luau in december.  i see no issue with this.

i turned 25 yesterday.  woah. 25.  it feels weird.   i was feeling old, and to combat that, my friends from work surprised me with a night at Chuck e Cheese’s.  it was magical.  i had such a fun time…and who knew they sold beer there? i had the blow up hat, the “i partied with chuck e” balloon and a small, sparkly, chuck e w/ top hat temporary tattoo on my left hand.

the high-point of my birthday (besides watching Mark hit the jack-pot on the bounce ball drop game), was getting a wii.  i’ve wanted one for so very long, and now i am the proud owner.  addiction will soon follow.

even got a little tennis action in before bed last night.

on a completely different note, i’m doing some exciting things at work.  i moved to a new desk.  i have THREE walls instead of two (moving on up!). i also have more time to devote to Switch’s marketing efforts (the real excitement).  we’re getting ready to launch our 2nd edition of the Switch Hits electronic newsletter, our holiday promotion/card is nearly up and ready, and we’re making plans for next year.  organization!

i have high hopes for 2010…just in general.  so bring it on.

oh yes, and per my older sister’s suggestion, i picked up and nearly finished the Alchemist this week.  adoring it so far.  recommending it strongly to you.

i hope to soon return to you with photos of my evolving apartment, my sweet pup, and maybe some warm/fuzzy holiday moments.  stay tuned!

jessica

And you can’t sustain anything
Everything must change
So be thankful for everything
And I am

maria taylor ~ two of those too

i never thought that not having a place to live would be so stressful.  okay, that’s a lie.  i knew it would be stressful, but perhaps i did not anticipate that it would leave me exhausted and sick with worry/stress.

i suppose i thought i would find something more quickly.  or maybe i thought the time would fly by (it has not).

i’m headed home to spend some time with my parents and my lovely puppy, Stella, this weekend.  i’m ready to have some control back, at least for a weekend.  to sleep in a bed/room/place that is “mine” not borrowed.

i’m helping my parents get a yard sale together this weekend.  i used to loveee helping w/ the yardsales when i was little.  my sisters and i, being entrepreneurs at heart, always made lemonade and brownies to sell to the (hopefully) hungry/thirsty shoppers.  we usually made bank (for 10 year olds).

i misssss that.  after the yard sale my dad would give us each a share of the pot for us to spend, or in my case hoard.  i was a true money hoarder as a child.  i saved nearly every penny, usually with some big purchase in mind.  this was the direct opposite of my sister who spent money before she even had it in her hand.

i once even saved up my cash from chores and the decent sum i managed to win at a talent show (i was quite the little performer back in the day) and bought a trampoline.  best purchase ever, btw.  ever.

we had it for years until we moved across town to a house with a much smaller yard.  no room for trampoline.  we sold it, even though it had a small, but noticable hole from an incident involving trampoline sparklers.  (not a good idea.)

i loved that thing, though.  i remember one night when it was actually quite cold, my dad woke us up in the middle of the night and we grabbed a ton of blankets and headed out to the trampoline to watch the meteor shower.  it was quite amazing.  also, my sisters and i used to drag the hose on top of the trampoline and turn it into a giant slippery circle of dangerousness.  great fun, but someone always managed to get hurt…especially our super-lame neighbors.

i suppose i should stick to the present, though.  the present, where i am a nomad.  but this will soon be over, i am hoping.  i think i have found the place.

it’s a 4 family.  1/2 block from a giant park.  it has a nice enclosed backyard.  2nd floor.  sunroom. big modern kitchen. stained glass windows. original fireplace.  little balcony.  lots of space.  walgreens/schnucks close by. allows dogs!

the downsides: street parking.  pricey-ish.  borders the “shady” part of town. not as close to restaurants/bars as i would like.  i might get lonely (this is where Stella comes in).

if you don’t know Stella, she’s my awesome pug/terrier pup.  she’s about 6 months old, and  she’s living w/ my parents at the moment.  i’m so incredibly excited to take her home with me.  i know she’s going to be a pain for awhile, but i imagine we’ll get along just fine once we get into the groove.

if i can manage to hold out for 2 more weeks, everything will be okay.

-jessica

 

now here’s the sun, it’s alright

the arcade fire ~ rebellion (lies)

does anyone still read this?  why don’t you say hello? comment to let me know you’re alive.

still homeless.

sometime during the late 90s, my taste in music began to suck considerably less.  this simply means i stopped listening to n’sync and the backstreet boys, and began listening to well, anything else.

one of my favorite sources of new music back in those days was from movie soundtracks.   i was reminded of my practice of trolling amazon’s soundtrack listings, listening to 30-second snippets to decide if a song was worth a download, while i was watching “can’t hardly wait” this morning (just happened to be on, it wasn’t on purpose or anything).  I remembered how much i used to love some of the songs on that movie,  and then i began thinking about all those other “teen” movies that struck me back at that time, and how they had some great music too.

and it led me here.  re-listening, re-evaluating.  because it’s sunday.  and because it’s easier than going to the gym, yet i still feel somewhat productive.

these are my top 3 songs from my favorite 90s soundtracks:

dazed & confused (1993)

foghat ~ slow ride
war ~ low rider
lynyrd skynyrd~ tuesday’s gone

reality bites (1994)

the juliana hatfield 3 ~ spin the bottle
lisa loeb ~ stay
squeeze ~ tempted

clueless (1995)

world party ~ all the young dudes

radiohead ~ fake plastic trees (favorite)
jill sobule ~ supermodel

can’t hardly wait (1998)

feeder ~ high
matthew sweet ~ farther down
dog’s eye view ~ umbrella

american pie (1999)

blink 182 ~ mutt
dishwalla ~ find your way back home
bic runga ~ sway

drive me crazy (1999)

barenaked ladies ~ it’s all been done
plumb ~ stranded
phantom planet~ is this really happening to me

cruel intentions (1999)

counting crows ~ colorblind (other favorite)
aimee mann ~ you could make a killing
the verve ~ bitter sweet symphony

 

 

 

 

 

-jess

 

And if I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted
All the time, all the time.

radiohead ~ fake plastic trees

so, a few fridays ago, my little sister and i decided to do a little pre-wedding celebrating at the jive and wail (it’s just down the street).  since my roommate works there, we grabbed some VIP passes off the fridge and headed out.

vip @ jive n wail = free cover + one drink (better than nothing, i suppose)

all was well until my sister ditched me to visit the restroom.  immediately after she left my side, the men approached.  i guess lone girl at the bar means attack.  two guys “danced” up to me, requesting that i join them.  before i can even turn them down, a random voice behind me says, “sorry guys, she’s w/ me” and an arm settles around my shoulders. their response was truly fantastic, i must admit, “YOU WIN, SHE LOSES”

i turn around to see who is claiming me.  No, not an ex-boyfriend, not an old friend, not a cousin, but a bald man with a plain face sporting a mustache.

well, when i was little i used to watch a sweet cartoon called “rugrats”.  I specifically remember George from Fishyokia, and i must admit, i was a bit surprised to see him out.

here is a picture, in case you are curious about what he looks like:

same guy, i swear! we left shortly after that…

-jess

i have failed you all.  i apologize for the 20 lapse in activity on rockjessie.com, i assure you i will not let that happen again.

assuming i am forgiven, i’m going to carry on with the regularly scheduled blogging.

what has changed:

• my little sister is a married lady.
• i have blonde hair
• my wisdom teeth are officially counting down their days
• the grand levee is no longer?
• st louis has gone from comfortably warm to unGodly humid and hot
• the days are longer (my favorite)
• i went fishing for the first time this year

 things that are the same:

• i still haven’t caught any fish 
• i still haven’t made it to the Ozarks 
• i still don’t have a tan
• i still haven’t seen The Hangover
• i still haven’t purchased a protective case for my blackberry

other than the fact that my little sister is now a Bradshaw, most of those things are pretty uneventful.

so what i’m saying is, my life has been pretty boring other than all this wedding planning.  being the maid of honor is a lot of work!  but totally worth it.  i didn’t get much sleep this last week.  friday night i found it impossible to sleep soundly for more than about 45 minutes as i was terrified of over sleeping and missing my hair appointment and then, in turn, missing the wedding.  but none of that happened.

i must say, though, many things did go wrong.  nothing terribly big, but i would be lying if i said the whole thing went exactly as planned.  to give you an idea of some of the things that attempted to break the confidence of the bride:  2 left shoes not realized until the rehearsal dinner, non-functional aisle runner, tornado warnings, broken down car, unresponsive honeymoon resort, crying flower girl, lost necklace, bridal bug bites, wrong piano keys, lost cake deposits and a nearly missed 6am flight.

but despite the fact that every small thing went wrong, the most important thing was unshaken.  and that is the fact that no matter what happened, abby and josh were still madly in love with each other and never once even questioned what they were doing.

no cold feet.  except maybe emma because she didn’t have shoes until a few hours before the wedding.

here are a few photos so that you can see how beautiful it was.  the party was awesome.  the dj was the best i’ve ever experienced (let me know if you want his info, i strongly recommend!) everyone had so much fun and the party was raging until the lights came on.  even my grandparents danced the night away. 

-jessica

i’m gonna be honest.  most of the pictures from the bachelorette party are completely inappropriate for my blog.  assuming i don’t want an 18+ rating slapped on here.

so, no, you won’t get to see the hundreds (literally hundreds) of man-part photos. 

nooo not real ones, silly.  except for the playing cards (yipes!).  those are fun to pull out while you’re waiting for a pizza at 1am.  pizza which, by the way, wasn’t so good the next morning (though i tried it).  we went all out.  blow-up man with built in ring-toss (i’ll let you use your imagination on that one), 48 inch mr. willy, pin the macho on the man, phallic necklace, and more…good stuff, really.

our hotel room turned out to be entirely too small to accomodate us.  which was kind of a downer…but what’r you gonna do?  squeeze in and bear it.  the bathroom was massive.  pretty much the size of the room.  which is maybe why abby slept there on Saturday night.  or perhaps it was due to the close proximity to the toilet…but what happens in Chicago…!

we did a little shopping in downtown.  went to the biggest forever 21 i’ve ever seen. love that.  ran into a friend from college who just happened to also be visiting Chicago.  small world!

we praced about the town, danced on a piano, took a million cab rides, ending ultimately at the annoyance theater where Abby really got to let loose.  she got her long awaited lap-dance (well, sort of–nice guys, but definitely not professional dancers).  the show was called “skinprov”.  basically it went something like this:

{the place: museum} 

dude 1: (staring intently at imaginary photograph) I’m having trouble getting what the artist was really trying to say in this painting

dude 2: perhaps if you take off your shirt!

{shirts come off and fly across the room}

followed by 5 more similar shirt removals, then pants, then 3 layers of man-undies/boxers/etc.

the idea behind it was silly, but quite entertaining.

we didn’t get to see the beach, but i figured out, even though it’s about 80 degrees here, people in Chicago are still wearing trench coats & scarves.  because it’s friggin cold.  it’s just collllld there.  i don’t think i could live there.  i’m a creature that thrives under a warm sun. 

anyway, as promised, here are a few shots of the excitement.  i’ll keep them tame, but if you’re going to get all offended, you should go away now and come back in a few days.

now a few from the bridal shower.  theme = lovebirds.  everything was very nice, if i do say so myself.

-jess

you likie?

too many social media outlets.  just when i get good at facebook again, i forgot about my beloved blog.

sorry bloggie.  sorry readers.

i have much on my mind. 

such as:

1.) my sister’s bridal shower which was last weekend…pictures soon

2.) my sister’s bachelorette party which is next weekend (should be a smashing good time)  i will post SOME of the pictures, i am sure.

3.) my home in a few short months.  lease is up sept 1.  not sure where i’ll be living.  i have  new set of dishes, though.  it’s really the only thing i’ll own when i move out…

4.) where is my MO state tax return?? it’s been 2 months…

5.) is my posterior growing larger?  i’m positive that it is, due to my lack of gym time.

6.) i spent multiple hours washing my car last night, and a bird pooped on it this morning.  green poop.  right on my window.

7.) chuzzle.

ultimately, these things do not matter that much, but they are floating around my head today…

-jessica

So something happened the other day that made me lose faith in people a little bit…just, in general. And I know that it’s not a good response to have, I mean, why should the actions of one man affect how I feel about many people, but for some reason, it did, and I’m having a bit of difficult forgetting it.

It basically goes like this…

I’ve just left my apartment on a warm sunny day…the kind that seems to make people happy. And I am happy. I am off to buy supplies to make my sister’s bridal shower invitations (which turned out quite nicely, by the way).

I am still just steps away from my apartment when I pull up to the corner. It’s a quiet little corner with stop signs all 4 ways. Not much traffic here. I see a man walking diagonally across the road. He’s already halfway there, so I figure, I’ll wait.

It’s not as if I almost hit him. I did not speed to the sign then slam on my breaks disdainfully…I was in a melancholy mood and was driving the same. I never lurched forward from my stop. I gave him the “walk on across” nod. I honestly didn’t mind that he was crossing at that point in time…pedestrians have the right of way….right?

I wait for approximately 3 seconds and the man, a tall, skinny, bald, sweaty man, stops dead in the middle of the road just a foot or so from my car.

At this point, with a snarling face, he yells “gaw’ on, gaw’ head across, ya f*cking ugly f*cking woman”.

This really bothered me. My jaw actually dropped. I did not know how to respond. What have I done to deserve such harsh words and insult? The worst part was simply the look on his face…it was one of absolute hatred and disgust. The scary kind. I mean, I was actually terrified of this man that I had never seen before. And the intensity and anger in his voice…yelling as loud as his lungs would permit. Nearly growling at me as the words left his mouth.

I felt scared. The most scared I have felt living in Maplewood so far.

And then I felt confused. Because it doesn’t seem right that someone could exert that much anger onto another person that they have never encountered before.

I called my dad for some words of wisdom (he typically offers those quite well). He reminded me that this is why we have wars. That this is why people kill other people that they don’t even know. We can make excuses for the man…perhaps he was having a bad day, perhaps he was overheated from the sun, perhaps he was tired, etc. But does that make it okay for him to unleash what were probably the most hurtful words he could think of in the moment, at me? Well, I really don’t think so.

I struggled with it, though. I have only lived in this city for a few months, and this is really the first time I have experienced such unbridled and unjustified anger in person.

Perhaps I am overreacting…but I can’t help it. That’s just how it made me feel.

Why are people so angry?

-jess

this is where i’m going tomorrow:

it’s on the panhandle…santa rosa beach…close by seaside where the truman show was filmed (i’ll definitely be stopping by!)

it’s quaint.  bicycling, kayaking, walking on the beach.  no parties.  just relaxing.  there is a hot tub, too.  yay!

i absolutely cannot wait to get there.  i can’t tell you how much i need a little relaxation!

be back on Monday night!

-jess