Archive for October 2008

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21 October 2008

Blogworthy

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: family, Random
How do you decide what’s “blogworthy?”
When I first started little little gem, I said that everything was game for blog fodder. I think this freaked a few friends out, causing one or two to ask for photo approval if they were involved. 
But along the way, following my “everything’s game” vision, I seriously pissed off some family members. So now I’ve amended my blog vision a bit, even if it kills me not to write about certain things I encounter. It’s like the ultimate test of my self-control. I think of my blog as a journal of things that happen to me on a daily basis, but sometimes, I have to know when to keep my mouth shut – something I haven’t totally figured out yet in my late-20s.
But just because some family things have to stay off-blog, that doesn’t mean I can’t find other amusing things, right?
So to avoid pissing off anyone else I’m related to and who buys me a Christmas gift, I opt to share embarrassing things that happens to me and taking random pictures so that I have something dumb/entertaining to share. I know I’m easily amused by this.
Examples:
Beginning of a Wisconsin fish boil (oh boy does that flame get big!)

Yes, this is tiger wallpaper
Nowadays, my dad sighs when he sees me taking out my camera to take “geez, another” picture. 
Here’s a snippet of our standard conversation:

“Why do you need to take a picture of that?”

“Dad, I might want to blog about it, and if I don’t take a picture of it, I’ll want to write about it and have nothing to share.”

“But is it really necessary?”

“Yes, it is, now hold my purse so I can get a better shot from the ground.”

I’m like a kid playing in the dirt while my dad holds my purse, which I’m sure temporarily emasculates him.

I guess my questions to the group tonight are:
  • How do you decide what to blog about
  • Is there anything that automatically stays off-blog?
Reader Note: Thank you to everyone for your comments on yesterday’s trip down movie memory lane. Oh my gosh the comments were so much fun to read! I do have to say that one movie that came up a few times, “Labyrinth” was definitely a movie I remember, same with “Willow.” And now that I have the Jem song stuck in my head, I’ll have to mix it up with She-Ra, also a great mention, and of course Strawberry Shortcake. Anyone remember Tinkerbell nail polish??
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20 October 2008

Trip down movie memory lane

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Movies, Random, television

This weekend, I watched “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and I’ll be honest, it wasn’t great. Compared to the originals movies, it used way too much CGI and everything had “soft lighting.” I mean, come on. 

Anyhow, this movie and my yearning for a “Raiders of the Lost Ark” DVD got me thinking about movies that had a big impact on me…for more than one reason. Many of them are not recent, but whenever I see them on television, I am compelled to watch because it reminds me of being a kid.
  • Raider’s of the Lost Ark - Harrison Ford when he was younger = smoking hot. Let’s just say this movie was released during formative years and I thought tall men were as dashing and looked as good in a fedora with a whip, meow!

  • Aliens - Scared me beyond belief and made me scream out loud like, well a little girl in the theater

  • Jaws - Yep this movie has made me scared of the water, including bathtubs
  • The Muppet Movie - I grew up on “The Muppet Show” so I’ll always love Jim Henson, but I used to hide behind my parents big brown chair when Animal got big near the end. There is something about Miss Piggy though that makes me laugh

  • Star Wars - I wasn’t born yet when this came out in theaters, but I do remember watching it in my stepmom’s basement on Christmas Eve as a teenager thinking, whoa this is cool. And again, Harrison Ford = hot (but in need of a better haircut)

  • E.T. - This is the first movie I ever saw in the theaters and of course, I hid behind my hands most of the time
  • Back to the Future - I don’t remember if I saw this in the theater, but it sure made time travel fun, and of course introduced me to the words “flux capacitor,” which I thought was real. And, of course, who doesn’t love Huey Lewis? 
Okay these are probably the cliched choices (minus the Muppet Movie) but I vividly remember a strong emotional reaction to each. But looking back on my list, three or four of these movies scared me in some way, so maybe that just goes to show I’m a sissy, scardey cat.
And while it’s not movie-related, my first real teenage celebrity crush was Luke Perry. I used to have pictures of him from Bop and Teen Beat magazines on my wall. Jason Priestley was a close second. Look how adorable and tortured they look!

Oh and what the heck, I’ll throw this in too to see if anyone remembers her….
I used to LOVE watching her cartoon on Saturday morning, dancing along. Plus her name is similar to mine so I used to call myself “Jem.” It sort of sounds like Jess. I was so misguided. But this video brought back some serious memories.

So what movies hold special memories for you?
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19 October 2008

Key learnings and tailgating

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Random, sports

It’s that time again, the weekend is over and as I sit here with a cup of cocoa and soft lighting, I’ll share with you some of the things I learned this weekend.

Sit back and enjoy the sharing.
Key Learnings:
  • When you put your wallet in your desk drawer and say out loud, “hey I have to remember to put this back in my purse so I don’t leave it at the office tonight,” actually do that. CVS isn’t happy (neither are you) when you realize that you didn’t follow through with that piece of advice
  • It’s okay to break your rule of “not drinking before noon” on college game day (Blood Mary’s at 9 a.m. will do that)
  • Going to a home game and supporting the visiting team in the stands leads to a lot of teasing and taunting
  • Guys that “chew” are automatically unattractive
  • Spending eight hours in the car in one day can make you and your carmates crabby
  • Continuously eating food and walking can keep you awake
  • Shrimp on the grill is delicious
  • French onion dip with potato chips is like a slice of heaven
  • I should not own a dog
  • When you shower on a daily basis and then skip a day, it makes you very heightened to your temporary new smell
  • Port-O-Johns are never enjoyable to use
  • Finding your favorite college, non-Boones, beverage at a bar can totally make your day
  • It’s always good to get out of the city for a day or two and enjoy the country scenery. There’s something soothing about looking out at a farm field with the wide open sky and fall colors
As I mentioned on Friday, I went to Iowa for the Iowa vs. Wisconsin NCAA football game this weekend. And if you follow college sports, you will know how that game turned out. So that was definitely not a high point of my whirlwind 24 hours, but I do have to tell you about some amazing tailgating.
My family members are not big tailgaters. We’re more of the “let’s go pay for someone to cook and wait on us rather than cook it ourselves” kind of people and we don’t like to carry all the stuff to the game and store it. So I was forewarned about the amazing tailgating that I would be a part of before the game on Saturday. And my warning was correct because it was AWESOME (said in a sing-songy voice).
I was reminded how much I love french onion dip with salty potato chips and homemade mac and cheese. This on top of an amazing spread of chips/salsa, cheese squares (also a solid choice), grilled shrimp with butter and garlic salt, homemade trail mix with pretzels, Chex Mix, pecans and corn puffs all mixed with caramel. O-M-G it was amazing.  So I thought that was great but then the pork chops, homemade mac and cheese, baked beans and potato salad came out, of course followed by two dessert trays. Seriously, I did not think it was possible to eat that much and not keel over. That’s what Bloody Mary’s will do for you :)
The food was amazing, which will now become amazing leftovers this week. Even better! We were able to tailgate on someone’s front lawn near the Iowa football stadium, which was perfect to get into the game on time, but our restroom facilities consisted of a Port-O-John in the backyard, which the men used more as a leaning device while urinating in the bushes. Gosh I love college football.
So that is the story of my key learnings for this week and my awesome tailgating story. How was everyone else’s weekend?
Reader Note: Thanks everyone for your comments on my personal. I appreciate the offers to date me too! Very sweet. Believe it or not, I’m not that picky when it comes to guys, but I’m really glad you all enjoyed it!
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16 October 2008

My personal ad

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Friends, Relationships
The latest trend in city dating: going online. Recently, some friends have talked to me about their online dating experiences and recommended that I create a profile on eHarmony or Match to help me meet my two date minimum this year.

Because I’m so awful at regular dating, I’m actually thinking about this. 
My past online dating experiences weren’t great, but in hearing about the success from my friends, I’m considering giving it another shot.
So before I start looking into memberships, I took a stab at writing my own personal ad. Take a look below and let me know your thoughts.
Single lady in Chicago
Single, young professional in Chicago looking to meet a guy with a great sense of humor. I love pop culture, movies, television and sports, especially college football. I also like shopping but I can pay for it so I won’t be stealing money out of your wallet.
Right now, I’m looking for a guy who can make me laugh and treat me like a lady. Similar interests are important and you must not have any of the following:
  • Lice

  • A tendency to lie a lot or cheat

  • Kleptomania

  • A physical attraction to any of my girlfriends

  • Lack of personal hygiene

  • Bad credit or a lot of debt

  • Dislike of strong women

  • Anger management issues

  • A problem with picking up the tab – I can take care of myself, but it’s nice to have someone be the “guy” on the date.
Also, must not mind helping on household chores and going out to dinner and doing fun stuff around the city. I’ve lived here nearly four years, but I still love exploring and seeing new things. I don’t mind sitting home some nights but I’m not a hermit.
I don’t put out on the first date but a kiss is optional depending on how the date goes. Also, I don’t have a problem with appropriate PDA but keep you tongue to yourself if we’re out in public. That’s for private time. Possibly boyfriends might have to submit to an STD screening test.

I’m not crazy, I have a good job and group of friends. I enjoy working out and living a healthy life but I don’t sacrifice food that I want to eat or alcohol. I enjoy working out and lifting weights but I don’t have a big neck. Plus, it is important to me that my dad like you because should he not and we break up, there is a 50/50 chance you’ll disappear in the middle of the night. We’re only violent when prompted.

Call me!

So I think that’s a winning ad. Wouldn’t you want to date me?

In all seriousness, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to look into an online dating membership. Would make for good blog fodder right?
Anyone have big weekend plans? I’m off to Iowa tomorrow night for the Iowa/Wisconsin game, I’m already looking forward to Sunday’s “key learnings” post!
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15 October 2008

Conversations with grandma

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: family

I got my first flu shot yesterday and I feel like total crap. My injection arm is killing me and I feel as though I’ve been hit by a truck. Hmm why don’t I normally get the flu shot?  Hmm, I can’t remember right now, oh that’s right, I don’t like to feel like crap. Got it.

So I’m keeping this kind of short today, I hope you can forgive me. 
I’ve been meaning to blog for a bit about my grandma, god love her. She’s always been kind of quirky with no internal filter on what comes out of her mouth, but as she has gotten older, she’s a little more bold with what she says. I can always count on a rude comment coming out of her mouth toward me at Thanksgiving and a scowl of disapproval toward my city lifestyle. This of course has been capitalized upon since my baby brother got married this summer. Thanks to this, I’m totally in the clear of her worrying because she said – and I quote – “we’re so glad we were able to stay alive to see one more good thing happen.” Yes, I’m dying alone, thanks for the memo.
Because of grandma’s somewhat loose lips, I have become a bad granddaughter and I don’t call her and my grandpa as much as I should. I do love my grandma, but all of my calls to them start with me psyching myself up, saying “they don’t know any better, they mean well.”
Below is a snippet (taking some creative license) of a recent conversation with grandma about her favorite topic, my love life.

Scene: Me working in the kitchen (not cooking) and doing my obligatory bi-weekly touch base call

Grandma: Jessica how is your love life?

Me: *crickets chirping* Non-existent?

Grandma: Oh well you mention this boy all the time

Me: *sigh* He’s just a friend grandma, guys and girls can be friends

Grandma: Oh well you just mention him a lot and I thought maybe it would turn into something more than that

Me: Nope, just friends

Grandma: Well you’re too skinny, guys don’t like girls who are too skinny

Me: I definitely wouldn’t say I’m skinny, let’s not talk about this anymore

Grandma: Well then, you’re definitely not as heavy as you used to be

Me: Thanks

Grandma: Just remember that your job can’t cook you dinner

Me: Yeah well it sure pays for things that reheat well. Okay I have to go, I’ll call you guys again……..soon
Sign me up for an express ticket to h*ll! Fingers crossed for a window seat in the dry heat section!
Hmm I should actually call to check in again this weekend, I wonder what the topic of conversation will be this time. *shudder*
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