allllllllllright, folks. i’m prettttttttty excited to be typing to you from my brand new laptop. a computer that functions efficiently and is reliable. this is big news!

so as difficult of a decision as it was, i ultimately purchased an hp. sure there are things about it that i don’t like as much, but that is with any computer. when i weighed the pros and cons, this is where i ended up, and i’m pretty happy with it.

so now i can update more frequently. and not be so incredibly lame.

okay guess what else is exciting?!

new episode of the office tonight

YESSSSSSSSSSSS

in 5 minutes.

in the mean time

i have a few pictures i thought i would put up for your viewing pleasure

it has been QUITE some time since i have updated, and therefore, i have many pictures to share.

so this is my ginger. she’s a sweet little pup.

this is me with the flag of our ship. it represents all that we stand for in the kreinheder pontoon.

i have the cutest cousin

the older sister and her boyfriend, mark

this is my kizz. she is precious.

abby’s halloween costume

my feet.

our workhourse

our feet.

i just won $27. that’s why i look so happy.

this guy guards our garbage.

some people i really miss.

jakob

totally normal.

my old roomies

i wanted to buy one, but the trunk wasn’t big enough

that’s my grandie in the red

the amish

happpppppy birthday este

everyone loves a party hat

you are jealous of our finger goblins

bahhhhhhh!

 

alright, well, i hope you have enjoyed these fotos. they are quite entertaining if i do say so myself.

i have to be up rather early tomorrow so i’m going to get to sleep, but i promise i’ll tell you all about my new computer in the very near future. and then i’ll tell you other exciting things.

so come back.

and read.

-jess

 

I will live a simple life
In a place i understand
You are always welcome here

denison witmer~simple life

my roommate and i decided that in order to take advantage of the beautiful weather we’ve been experiencing here in the midwest lately, we should take a quick walk through belleville suburbia.

we always talk about the beautiful houses and how we will most likely never obtain enough funds to actually own one so expensive.

we discuss our careers and our futures and talk about our days at work.

these are always fun times.

tonight megan grabbed her extra key instead of taking the one off her keychain. it was the one her ex-boyfriend had given back to her recently and since it wasn’t connected to her keys, it was easier to grab.

we didn’t think much of it until we returned from our journey. the key..it just didn’t work. we pushed and pulled but it wouldn’t budge. so it’s 8:30 pm, and we’re locked out, standing in the dark, considering what we should.

we are relatively convinced that jarrett gave back the wrong key. but he is in alton and very much working. so he couldn’t exactly bring it to us. plus, we didn’t have a phone.

after a few moments of decision making, we decided to visit the nice elderly woman next door. she always smiled, though i had never spoken a word to her.

as she opened her door in her nighty, she peered out cautiously. apparently no one ever told her not to answer her door at night, but at least we are not rapists. i suppose we look non-threatening enough.

nancy was very kind to us. she let us use her phone, and she let me wish my hands–the frog i found on the way home, todo the frog..or frodo, as we lovingly called him..(we can’t afford to keep a dog here) had peed on my hand during our walk home.

she was kind. and obviously very angry with the management around this place, but still kind. as it drew closer to 9pm we had to say goodbye to nancy as I felt we were keeping her awake. so we sat outside of the apartment and waited. megan had gotten ahold of her sister at McKendree who had agreed to drive from there to pick us up and then drive us to Alton (she is also very kind)

so we’re just waiting outside. chatting. sitting on my car. we meet another neighbor, his name was drew. he was probably 30 or so, he seemed completely harmless and actually came back out to “get something out of his car” but i’m relatively sure he was checking on us. making sure we didn’t get shot or stabbed. good fellow.

at some point I decided we should look into the prospect of climbing up the balcony. this is not advisable. it’s like 12 feet up. and probably covered with spiders. and even then, the door was locked so, it probably would have been all for not.

finally after what seemed like an hour ashley showed up with some good news.

the key actually works.

what?! how.

no way.

so we head back over to the door, apparently you have to jiggle it.

we we jiggled, and pushed. nothing. so finally i give the stupid thing a try and if you do it JUST right, it slides right open. yep.

so we had the key the whole time.

right there.

oh, and when i went to the balcony door—it was unlocked.

i’m prettttty sure i could have stolen the neighbors lawn chair and MAYBE shimmied up there.

but i guess it’s alright. we met some neighbors. and chilled out without the tv drowning out the conversation.

these things do happen for a reason!

and then i scared the living daylights out of megan. i snuck around the corner–just like i used to do to my sisters when we were little–they always hated me for that.

then i remembered this game my sisters used to play when we were little and at home during the days in the summer

it was called mommy monster.
basically my mom would sneak around the house like a t-rex or some other creepy animal and scare the crap out of us. high-pitch screaming always filled the house. it was always so fun to be so terrified.

i had totally forgotten that game until tonight!

i miss when mommy monster was the most exciting part of my day.

cards/cubs game this saturday. i’m pretty excited!

-jess

Oh beautiful smiles, won’t you stay awhile
We could close the door and sleep all day
It’s a September sky with pretty pictures in my mind
That’s lost its feeling of so afraid

Everything is beautiful here
It’s spinning circles around my ears
I’m finally breaking free from fear
And it’s fading

neutral milk hotel~everything is

today i worked for 11 hours

it was a long day

but it was okay, because even though i’m a terrible saleslady, i somehow managed to pull through, and do well.

and then i bought a bottle of wine (i didn’t drink all of it). and played guitar. until now. when i decided to do something semi-productive.

so i did a little photoshopping the other day, i made this picture. this may make me appear narcissistic. i’m okay with that. i’m not, really. narcissistic, i mean. probably the opposite.

yep. that’s me. i always look dreamy like that. every day.

so i’m really disappointed because i apparently don’t read commercials carefully enough. the office fooled me. here is how.

i was under the impression that the new season started today. i mean, i thought it was later, but then i kept seeing these commercials that said “tuesday, sept 11, series premiere 9/8c”

and i was soooo excited. then i turned it on, and realized, it truly was the SERIES premiere. the word series and season–very close. in fact, i didn’t even notice that they switched them on me.

so really, the SEASON premiere isn’t until the 27th. and it’s a thursday. which is normal.

but YEAH. i was pumped. now i have to wait another 16 days. that’s a long time.

i feel really lame and boring lately.

i live so far away from everyone (considering i once lived moments from nearly everyone)

now it’s a 30 minute drive. which can be taxing on a work night. and–this is belleville. it’s not the same as edwardsville. i can’t really just go to the coffeeshop and hang out. or go to the uc. or target. we don’t even have a target right now. and the only coffee shop close by closes at 6pm. and i don’t really feel safe wandering around past dark, so i can’t even walk or bike in the eve.

people get shot here, i think.

i missssss edwardsville.

so i don’t do many fun things on weeknights though. i wish i could get back into the habit of reading, but my eyes are so tired by the end of the day that i don’t.

i watch tv.

and play guitar–which is great. i’ve gotten a lot better.

i want to play more shows.

to show off my sweet guitar skills that i’ve developed.

so here’s something fun..
i think i need to go to the dentist.
and by fun, i mean, not fun at all.
i’m terrified too, because i’m afraid they’ll tell me it’s time to get these wisdom teeth out. (i’ve been putting that off)

but that will most likely deplete my guitar/laptop/emergency funds.

which is incredibly lame.
and awful.

wow i’m sorry, i’m so boring.

saturday night i watched Ghostbusters at the Tivoli.
i guess i haven’t seen that in like…12 years.
i didn’t realize how many sexual innuendos existed in that movie. i guess those escaped me as a child.

i really enjoyed it though. brought me back to my childhood!

i’m definitely a fan of the midnight showings at the Tivoli though. it’s a pretty sweet time to watch a movie. however, i always sleep in really late the next day and then i don’t get anything done at all.

i probably would have slept in anyway.

well, i need to be getting to bed. tomorrow will be another long day of loan sales. call me, if you need one. or a credit card. or insurance. or a checking account. or a savings account. or some investments.
we do everything.

-jess

And I’m leaning on this broken fence between Past and Present tense.And I’m losing all those stupid games that I swore I’d never play. But it almost feels okay.

the weakerthans~aside

…when i have to work early in the morning.
additionally, i feel pretty crappy. probably from lack of sleep.

i do love taking the weekend shifts.
it is nice, though, having a day off in the middle of the week. after work tomorrow i’m heading home to the good ol’ town of Vandalia.

you’re jealous….aren’t you?

i feel like i haven’t visited home in forever–probably because i really haven’t.

so today i kicked off a new promotional program at work. it’s a referral program I put together for our branch. i hope it works. if not, it’s possible that i’ll look bad. so probably I’ll need to push this.

and if you don’t bank with Regions already….you should maybe start :)

and you can win an ipod.

yep!

so i haven’t really been overly busy, at least I don’t think that I have. i’ve been doing a lot of fun things lately. last weekend in particular I spent a ton of time in stl.

friday i was lucky enough to get to go to the melting pot.
in case you haven’t been–it’s absolutely fantastic. after an amazing dinner, we hit up a movie at the Tivoli called Troll 2.
oddly enough, it had nothing to do with trolls….just goblins and was so awfully bad that it was good, maybe even…great.

are you cuuurrrrrrrrriouuuuus?

It was hilarious.So on Saturday my friend Jackson and I met my friend John and his girlfriend, Katie, for lunch/dinner at Joe Boccardi’s, which was pretty tasty, and then went paddle boating at Forest Park.It reminded me that I love summer.I was also reminded this past week how much I really miss college and all the people at SIUE. I had a day off Tuesday so I had some time to visit some of the people I have missed the most. After a few minutes of hanging out, and answering the phone, it felt like I had never left. Those people are so amazing.I guess I should include a few pictures.

-jess

This feels the same
complications in different situations

between the trees~words

 

 

 

it’s pretty gross outside today. lots of rain. very humid. luckily not 105 degrees as it has been the past few weeks. survivable, but not preferable.

something about the dreariness makes the day go even slower, and just makes me that much more tired.

now, however, i have had enough caffeine to keep me up until tomorrow. somehow it seemed like a good idea to down a medium white chocolate mocha with a shot of raspberry then follow it with a diet coke and a cup of tea. now as i find it difficult to sit still i am beginning to rethink the idea.

the coffee was deliiiicious though. after work i met a friend of a friend for coffee at Cafe Avanti. i wasn’t sure what to expect when i ordered my drink of choice, because typically everyone but starbuck’s makes it taste awful, but i must say i was quite pleased.

perfect amount of whipped cream and raspberry.

so this is weird, until just now, i never realized that raspberry is spelled with a p. somehow i always just thought it was rasberry.

i mean, that doesn’t even really look right, and spell check confirmed my suspicions, but really, a p?? who knew?!

i’m not really sure how i’ve missed that for all these years…

surely i’m not the only one.

today i was watching my super sweet 16 (i know, i know, i’m ashamed for myself as well), but anyway, i was watching it, and the girl on the show had my EXACT bedding, and matching sheets. it was rather creepy. but kind of neat, because she has a lot of money, and presumably with money comes style. thus, i must have style–despite my lack of money.

i’m so logical, i know.

so on a whim my little sister and i did some shopping on saturday. i made out like a bandit.

listen–i am now the proud owner of red, polka-dotted flats.

and i got them for TEN dollars at Baker’s. now i haven’t quite found anything to wear them with yet, but i know that the time will come when these shoes will make the outfit.

i’m not typically one to match outfits to my shoes, but these are probably worth it due to their extremely high cuteness factor. perhaps when my laziness subsides i will show you what they look like. until that point, you will have to imagine their awesomeness.
okay, and finally, i need opinions.
i’m looking to purchase a laptop. nothing over the top, but more than just the basics. it will become my primary machine, so it needs to be of decent quality and speed.

i don’t want to spend more than $1000.

what should i get…?

i keep hearing, “get an apple, get an apple,” but i’m just not sure i’m convinced yet. please offer your argument here. or not.

but really though, i do need help in this decision. i want to feel as if i am not the only deciding factor here. thank you :)
-jess

but I guess i’ll have to settle for a few brief moments
and watch it all dissolve into a single second
try to write it down into a perfect sonnet
or one foolish line

bright eyes–a perfect sonnet

my mother has informed me that i need to update this here website. and so, in my saturday boredom, i have decided to do so.

i can’t think of much to do today, i already slept until 2 which took care of a good portion of the day. i’m not sure how i feel about that, but i suppose it’s too late now.

last night we celebrated my friend justin’s 21st birthday. it was pretty darn exciting to see him again, and to see him in this altered state of mind for the first time. we spent a few hours watching an amazing folkish group at a bar in Soulard called McGurks. in the past i haven’t enjoyed the place very much but last night we had a ton of fun. the banjo playing, the good friends, the atmosphere–it was a good time! we stayed a little too long though because by the time we left, every other bar in the universe (aside from the terrible Buka) was closing. we spent a few good minutes at the Venice Cafe, also in Soulard, before heading to a diner to get some middleofthenight snacks.

that’s me hugging the birthday boy–he’s been in cali for the summer so i haven’t seen him in quiiiitte some time

i am a big fan of the Venice Cafe–last night was actually only my 2nd time going there. it has a really really laid back feel to it–it’s very..hippieish. i like that about it, though. there are tons of random things nailed to the walls and they have a palm reader on staff in case you need a little advice or just want to see the future. (she read my palm a few weeks ago, but i’m not sure how much i actually learned from the exp.)

it was really cool though.

practically everyone i know is getting ready to start school back up..i, however, am old. and i am getting ready for another week at the bank.

nothing new.

i really really miss college. hanging out with my college friends last night only reminded me of that fact more. don’t get me wrong, my job, it’s alright, i just miss staying up late and seeing a million people i know each day. i even miss classes and homework. i don’t learn as much now and i really like learning (because i am a total nerd.)

i will probably go back at some point, but it’s just not the same in grad school.

i am old now.

i must deal with that.

and watch the cardinals game–which, by the way is going horribly. 0-5 against the cubbies. yep.

i’ll be sure and try to update more frequently now.

-jess

My city’s still breathing (but barely it’s true)
through buildings gone missing like teeth.
The sidewalks are watching me think about you,
sparkled with broken glass.
I’m back with scars to show.
Back with the streets I know.
Will never take me anywhere but here.

the weakerthans–left and leaving