Dramatic Monotony

Friday, May 30, 2003

You will be jealous after you finish reading this.

I promise.

Okay, ready?

:: deep breath::

I saw the Italian Job on Thursday. But that's not all! The entire Mini Cooper enthusiast club for Houston was also in attendance at the preview.

You're jealous, I know. I hung out with Mini Cooper fanatics.

When my mom and I walked to the queue area, the man next to us kept looking at us inquisitively. Then he finally blurted out his question - "So, what color is yours?"

My mom and I sorta looked at each other, and I started giggling. The man repeated the question - "What color is your Mini Cooper?" and I explained that we do not own one. "Oh," he says, disappointed, and promptly ignored us.

I must say, I learned all sorts of interesting things about Mini Coopers during the wait for the film. I heard about various colors and available options. I talked about the explosion in popularity of the Mini, especially after the Houston Car Show in February. I watched Mini Cooper owners exchange stories about road trips and funny events that occured in their car.

Things to take away from this night of entertainment:

1. When I buy a Mini Cooper, I'm going to have a big Union Jack painted on the roof, similar to the vehicle in Austin Powers: Goldmember. See following picture.



2. The Mini Cooper Club in Houston is quite diverse. Members include preppy gay 20-somethings, Arabic families, 50 year old construction workers, Indian women, stereotypical WASPs, a few English people, and a number of African American men.

3. Mark Wahlberg cannot act. However, Charlize Theron is a decent actress in addition to being a looker.

4. Napster jokes can never get too old.

5. I love movies set in Los Angeles after going to USC. I can pick out all sorts of familar landmarks that I see all the time. (It's Grauman's! It's that sign on Fig! My gosh, is that McCormick's and Schmick's?)

6. I'm a fan of mindless action movies. They just make me happy. Something about all of the explosions and car chases and gun fights...

Monday, May 26, 2003

Gilbert and Sullivan Mania!

The last week I was in Los Angeles, I went to Sam's musical theater final. The class gave a performance of selected works, and overall, I enjoyed the opportunity to hear my friend sing. She's really talented, but I've really only heard her while blasting the radio. However, one person gave a performance of a song about "the ruler of the queen's navy." This was by far my favorite performance.

Flash forward to tonight:

I'm wondering what the name of this song is... so, I ask my Dad, an avowed Gilbert and Sullivan nut. He's not quite sure, so we listen to parts of Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore before we finally find the song. I was on the floor, I was laughing so much - the lyrics are a spot on parody of the government.

"When I was a Lad"

When I was a lad I served a term
As office boy to an Attorney's firm.
I cleaned the windows and I swept the floor,
And I polished up the handle of the big front door.
I polished up that handle so carefullee
That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!

In serving writs I made such a name
That an articled clerk I soon became;
I wore clean collars and a brand-new suit
For the pass examination at the Institute,
And that pass examination did so well for me,
That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!

Of legal knowledge I acquired such a grip
That they took me into the partnership.
And that junior partnership, I ween,
Was the only ship that I ever had seen.
But that kind of ship so suited me,
That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!

I grew so rich that I was sent
By a pocket borough into Parliament.
I always voted at my party's call,
And I never thought of thinking for myself at all.
I thought so little, they rewarded me
By making me the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!

Now landsmen all, whoever you may be,
If you want to rise to the top of the tree,
If your soul isn't fettered to an office stool,
Be careful to be guided by this golden rule--
Stick close to your desks and never go to sea,
And you all may be rulers of the Queen's Navee!


A bit creepy, eh? "I thought so little, they rewarded me." Very telling of modern politics, as well, I'm thinking.

Attacked by the design bug!

Star Wars: Designer Edition - If your household is as TLC obsessed as mine... you might get a kick out of this site. Plus, anything that involves Star Wars and Betsey Johnson is just priceless.

Today's home improvement assignment? Baseboards for the master bedroom.



Just like anything in the Noble family household, this involves lots of tedious manual labor, hysterics from my mother, and a good amount of guilt-mongering.

Why can't I live in "While You Were Out" territory? I'd prefer not to be involved.

Sunday, May 25, 2003

Wallpaper. Wallpaper. And more wallpaper.

I've been stuck inside the master bathroom stripping wallpaper all day. Right now, I'm disgusting. I'm covered in stick wallpaper paste, wallpaper fragments... it's not pretty.



That's my mom, covered in wallpaper nastiness.

However, one interesting aspect - I feel like an archaologist, digging through layers upons layers of history. In a way, it's satisfying to strip the paper down to the bare paint.



These are the three "lovely" patterns that I've uncovered. There's the disgusting brown shell pattern, the faded green-tone stripes, and the psychadelic brown flowers from the 1960s. Groovy man!

And one final view of the floor, covered in tiny scraps of paper.



You can see my brand new XM jukebox in the corner of the picture. My dad decided that he was tired of awful reception when we drive across the country... and he hates my CD choices. So, XM radio seemed like the logical solution to the problem.

The particular model he chose is pretty cool.. the headpiece can be used in the car, attached to a home stereo, or used in handy boombox form. I like the fact that the display matches the red in my car's interior.

Alright, now I've got to return to the wallpaper dig site.

Wednesday, May 21, 2003

Oh, I forgot to mention...

I talked to Ian tonight, for quite a while. I've missed joking around with him. He's in New York right now, so he won't be visiting me any time soon. Silly boy. I'm still trying to convince him on the New Zealand trip, especially since I'm lacking someone to go with me. Come on, people! It's New Zealand! You need to see sheep... you need to see sheep...

Anyway, he's doing well. He's off teaching a course in New York, making a movie with a bunch of crazy Germans. And he's eating meat. And he ate an ice cream yesterday.

::waits for the world to die of shock::

Yeah, I know, I felt like that too. Even though I'm a firm believer in meat eating (and milk drinking), I'm almost betrayed by his return to carnivore ways. I mean, it's IAN. He's been militantly VEGAN the whole time I've known him... and now he's eating dairy products?

You know what I think? It's a sign of the apocalypse. It has to be. That's the only plausible explanation.

Mexican food with a good friend?

Nothing can be better. I drove out to Cypress (I think? - it was a long way) today to have lunch with Whitney, one of my favorite people from Second Baptist. We had a great time talking and laughing, even though a truck tried to run over my little car while I was driving on Grant. Her family's new house is lovely - even though her mom insists that they haven't finished decorating, I thought it all looked classy and nicely put together. My favorite part of the day? Sitting on Whitney's floor and going through her pictures from her freshmen year of college.

Too bad I forgot my camera. Drats!

Well, hopefully I'll see Whitney soon - she's off for a month, teaching water sports to kids. I'm sure she'll be a success. I swear that girl has gills or something. She's just a natural in the water.

Unfortunately tomorrow is search for a job time... ugh. Stores, here I come.

Tuesday, May 20, 2003

Well...

I've found the most amazing tee-shirts online. They're at Urban Outfitters - too bad they're so expensive, otherwise I'd buy about six million.

Even though this is a guy's tee shirt, I love the colors.



If you can't read that, it says, "Texas is for Lovers"

This one is for Jessica. She's also proud of her home state.



And finally, Sam has never been to Idaho... but I thought this was an appropriate message for her.



Alright, hopefully this will show up on my very, very sad blogger. I promise, my links will return soon.

Sunday, May 18, 2003

It seems to be official.

My blogger has died. If you want to read any of my older posts... head to the archives. If they're working.

I'm so sad.

In other news, I went swimming today for the first time in about a year. That was thrilling, I must say. I still have water stuck in my ear. Yuck.

Testing...

One, two, three.

Are you working?!

Whoops.

Blogger has managed to delete my template. So, even though I linked to a few of my wonderful friends from college, the site has not changed. These technical difficulties will soon pass... I hope.

On a brighter note, I love conversations with Josh. They brighten my day (or night) so much. Observe the following interaction:

FluffyJenn : She's on a home improvement kick. I attribute it to too much TLC and Trading Spaces.
Joshy1226: haha they should've surprised you with a brand new remodeled home it would be like "while you were out"
FluffyJenn : EXACTLY! What were they thinking?
FluffyJenn : I'm tempted to put my mom on "What not to wear," though.
FluffyJenn : ... woowee, she has some bad clothes.
Joshy1226 : hee hee tlc has a show for all our life improvement needs
FluffyJenn : Exactly. And when I get a boob/chin/tummy job, there's even "A Personal Story" to record my trials and travails with plastic surgery!
FluffyJenn : Man, what a great tv channel.

Well...

I've been in Houston for a bit over twenty-four hours.

I still don't have everything completely unpacked, and I feel... stifled. My parents are already asking, "When are you going to find a job? What are you going to do this summer? Why don't you appreciate us?"

Oh, dear. I foresee a long summer ahead of me.

However, there are quite a few good spots.

1. I get to relax. Reading becomes a pleasure. Learning becomes a joy. And I have a huge library to access, without having to compete with the rest of USC for popular pleasure books.

2. There's a pool in the backyard - therefore, I can swim whenever I want, without the restrictions of the Lyons Center. And it's quite a bit cleaner than the Manor pool.

3. I actually enjoy cooking here. I have a fully stocked kitchen with lots of utensils, good pots and pans, and a (fairly) unlimited budget for buying ingredients.

4. My dad has a tendency to go on technology shopping sprees, if he feels that I'm contributing to the welfare of the household. What does that mean? That's a good question - basically, it depends on his mood.

5. I've worked out a deal with my parents to allow me to roadtrip to Austin once or twice this summer to see Anne. I'm looking forward to those trips - hopefully, I can also visit my family and/or a few friends from 'SC.

So, even though I have a VERY limited social calendar and rather restrictive rules, there are good points to being in Houston. Hopefully I can remember this throughout the summer and keep my cool.

USC people, don't forget me! My cell phone still works over here - it's even a Los Angeles number, so you have no excuse not to call once in a while.

Tuesday, May 13, 2003

Dang

It's time to leave. My dad and I are busy packing - we're aiming to have the kitchen completely packed by the end of the night.

I won't blog for a while because I'll be on the road!

Alright. That's all for now. Call me if you're still in LA - I"ll be here tomorrow.

Monday, May 12, 2003

One more final!

Things to do:
Study for final (finish study guides)
Do laundry
Pick up camera from Justin tonight
Exchange hat/sweatshirt with Jess tonight
Pick up Hello Dolly dish with Megan
Watch Sam act stupid at Primal Scream
Have breakfast with Christina
Pack three boxes
Take final tomorrow from 2-4
Finish packing on Wednesday
Go to interview on Wednesday at 5:30
Go to museum with Dad to see Titanic exhibit.
Leave for Houston!

Countdown:

Completed:
1 final
3 papers

To do:
1 final (tomorrow)
1 paper (today)

Sunday, May 11, 2003

Oh, my gosh.

I can't imagine the terror that these people felt.

And now for something completely different:

That last post was WAY too depressing. Today, I woke up and the world was beautiful again - the sky's blue, the sun is shining, the weather's perfect...

I made breakfast with Jay this morning. We had a really nice spread - toast with butter and strawberry jam, English style scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and orange juice. I managed to clean out a good portion of our refrigerator, as well!

Amy moved out today. She just left about twenty minutes ago, and I can't stand looking at her side of the room. It's so empty! When I moved in, I hated being in my apartment. Now, I feel the same way. I miss Amy's clutter and her loud rantings at the TV while watching the Lakers. As soon as I finish my paper that's due tomorrow, I'll work on packing up my stuff. Or maybe I'll just do a load of laundry. I think that'd help me out quite a bit, especially if I began preparing for my move out early. That way my dad doesn't have to do so much lifting - his poor, poor back.

My daddy's coming on Tuesday! I've missed him so much. I'm looking forward to going back home. I want to see Mary Louise, I want to visit Austin and my friends and family there, I want to reminesce with Anna about her trip to Italy, I want to go to the Galleria and spend lots of money in the new Nordstroms... this summer should be a lot of fun.

Back to the CORE 103 paper. I need a stronger thesis, goshdarnit.

Oh, wait! Before I forget... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!



Songs for a sad heart - selections from the current playlist.

I'll be there as soon as I can
But I'm busy mending broken pieces of the life I had before

---

Oh no, I see,
I spun a web, it's tangled up with me,
And I lost my head,
The thought of all the stupid things I said,
Oh no what's this?
A spider web, and I'm caught in the middle,
I turned to run,
The thought of all the stupid things I've done,

I never meant to cause you trouble,
And I never meant to do you wrong,
And I, well if I ever caused you trouble,
O no, I never meant to do you harm

---

Cent choses à faire
Dix mille à entreprendre
Ce choix doit se faire
Quelle direction prendre
Vivre dans cette ville
Ou sur des terres plus grandes
Celles de mes ancêtres
Qui ne cessent de m'attendre

Je cherche le sérum du bonheur
Ma main ne peut le saisir

---

Mark my point of failing. It began where I gave in.
Comfort. Convenience. Placating.
Construed to suck me in, to their trap.
I need a good kick in the ass.
As time passed I realized we don't need rules to survive.
Just common sense and means to subsist.

---

Culpa que me segues sem eu querer
Jura que me deixas decidir

Aceitas ou não que nunca é tarde,
aceitas ou não que voltarei

Se calhar, se calhar
amanhã há-de haver mais, mas eu não se;
Se calhar, devagar
Vou voltar à mágoa que desei

---

I reached for sleep and drew it round me like a blanket muffling pain and thought together in the merciful dark.

---

Good night.

Saturday, May 10, 2003

I woke up this morning...

In Hector's bed. Strange.

It was a long night, but oodles of fun! I love my friend Mary - she had such a great party last night, and my Hello Dollies were a hit! I've been missing APO people recently, so it was nice to chill and talk with them, plus a few nice, new strangers.

Highlights of the night:

Statue of Liberty - wow. Besides the need for first aid, THAT was interesting.

Carne asada and EMPANADAS! - Dang, I'm all about that Mexican food.

Midori Sour Sour - a new drink, named in honor of Samantha.

Russ, the trumpet - Purse Snatcher... or secretly longing to be a girl?

Funkalicious = Brian's apartment. What a GREAT way to end the year! It's amazing how one room can hold so much love.

VILE ASS ... a new nickname for an old foe.

That sums the night up well.

As for today, I'll just give the where and who...

The Grinder (Becky, Nisha, Hector, Sam) to Jiffy Lube (Sam) to Best Buy (Sam) to Sam's apartment (Sam and Drumline) to Jill's apartment (Jill and breaded chicken) to Diddy Riese (Jill, her roommate, and a lot of bRuins) to a house in Westwood (Jill, her roommate, and the "dead" manservant) to my apartment (me).

Friday, May 09, 2003

Oh, dear.

I'm turning red. And I'm shaking.

I wonder if it's the plaster of paris that's all over the apartment. Or emotion after an unsatisfying conversation.

My conclusion? A little bit of both. But now I'm late to Mary's dinner party.

I think Sam summed it up best.

"Jennifer, are you stupid or something?!!"

On another note, I need to make some Hello Dollies.

Thursday, May 08, 2003

Woohoo!

I'm a squad leader!

::ten minutes later::

Oh, shit. I'm a squad leader.

Countdown

A little over three hours until my biology exam from hell. My take-home portion is complete. I've re-read all of the assigned chapters. I've studied my notes... now, it's just a matter of reviewing. And reviewing. And reviewing.

Shit, I'm scared.

Tuesday, May 06, 2003

ivy
15 inches, ivy and dragon blood. Heart of a lion
and love of the limelight. Don't worry, you're
no Gilderoy Lockhart in the making as long as
your ego doesn't get in the way. But remember--
fame isn't everything, Quidditch superstar.


Which wand will yours be?
brought to you by Quizilla

For Hector:

"It was evident that the two men who had travelled and lived together in the last degree of intimacy, had now reached the stage of loathing. Leitner hated Loerke with an injured, writhing, impotent hatred, and Loerke treated Leitner with a fine-quivering contempt and sarcasm. Soon the two would have to go apart."

D.H. Lawrence, Women in Love

I love you, Mary.

I wish I could be there for you now. But you and your family are in my prayers. I'll be home in a week.

Cinco de Mayo

... is over. Oh, well. My mom's a year older, I ate a lot of free Mexican food with Jill, and I wrote a paper on Tex-Mex culture.

To reward myself for my academic triumphs, I went to see X-Men 2 with Samantha at Grauman's Chinese Theater. The move starts at 10:40, so Sam says, "I have plenty of time to perform at Primal Scream at 10! No problem!" So, we race to Leavey, I watch Sam play a few songs with a substantial group of TMB members, we run to the car, and hightail it over to Grauman's. At 10:40, we pull into a parking lot, and they want to charge us $11?!! That's ridiculous - Sam and I turn around the block and find nice garage parking for $2. We race up to the box office, buy our tickets, and find perfect seats in the middle of the theater by 10:45. Damn, we're good. We only missed two previews, too. All of this for a grand total of $12, due to the prowess of my bowling team at the APO Rock'n'Bowl.

X-men 2 sparked a longwinded philosophical argument tonight when I went to Fred 62 afterwards with Hector and Dan. It's amazing how much people like arguing about comics and movies. "What will happen with the Phoenix arc? Has Wolverine been portrayed properly? Should they focus on the Rogue storyline? Isn't the actor who played "Iceman" gay? Did he have to fuck the director to get the part? Was Bryan Singer (the director of X2) really at that party on 29th street on Sunday?" Well, maybe the last few questions don't pertain to comic book canon... but they sure are interesting to discuss.

Alright, I'm going to bed now. I'm entirely too exhausted to be typing this.

Monday, May 05, 2003

Strange thoughts at 4 am.

I had a very ... unusual experience this morning. I think it might be a perfect example of my obsessive desire to be surrounded by beauty.At three o'clock this morning, I found myself conducting internet searches for barware, stemware, and dishes. This was a rather eclectic search - I managed to visit Royal Doulton, Waterford Crystal, Ikea, Crate and Barrel, and other assorted manufacturers and discounters of dining needs. This flurry of interest was brought on by a friend's boasting of his his beautiful new bar, replete with lovely Crate and Barrel glasses. I found myself wishing for a nice set of glasses myself - or at least a matching dining set. It has to be better than our current hodgepodge of chipped green plates, cheap blue plastic plates, and two Crate and Barrel stoneware place settings.

So, I found several interestings things.

I want this to be my first "real set" of casual glasses. It's Marquis by Waterford Vintage Collection. I like the simplicity of the pattern, the relatively low price, and the wide selection of different types of glasses.

For my fine crystal, I like Waterford's Elberon pattern or Waterford's Lucerne pattern. Both are relatively simple, with unusual cuts. Unfortunately, it will take quite a while before I will be able to afford something like this... I suppose I have two options: Marry someone who won't mind registering for lots of crystal or become quite wealthy myself and just buy it.

I haven't quite made up my mind in terms of dishware. My favorite "young" collection is Royal Doulton's "Touch." I like it so much, I decided to go to ebay and see if I could find any fabulous deals on it. I found one auction... with a place setting for $30?! This was a fabulous price - only one problem. It was four o'clock in the morning, and the auction was ending in an hour. I IMed all of my online friends, trying to see if they could help me decide if I wanted to buy it... no one responded. Finally, I just called my parents. 4:15 is really 6:15 in Houston - they're up and about to go to work. Finally, I decided I can't afford it, so I sadly let the auction end.

Goodbye beautiful china. ::sniff::


Anyway, the moral of this story? My friends should start saving their money NOW for my bridal registry.

Sunday, May 04, 2003

Sign that it's time to return to Texas.

FluffyJenn (2:37:50 PM): I really want to visit y'all.
FluffyJenn (2:38:06 PM): My god.
FluffyJenn (2:38:11 PM): I just wrote "y'all"
Joshy1226 (2:38:17 PM): yes. yes you did.

Catching up is hard to do...

Wait, that's not the name of the song. Oh, well.

I haven't posted in a long time. I apologize sincerely. But I don't REALLY feel like talking about everything I've done lately. So, I'll give you an extremely abbreviated synapsis.

Becky visits. Lose USCard. Spago's with Becky and Amy. Party at Hector's with Vogue, Jay, Henry, Becky, and Sam. Lose phone. Reported it stolen. Got a new phone. Work. Class. Work. Write more papers. Work. APO Initiation. Sleepover with Sam. Work. Talk to friends. Write paper. Get storage. Replace USC card. Take Justin to an interview. Scream while going down a hill. See the USC Dance show. See the Midnight Musical. Watch tv. Derby party. CPK with Hector. Cinco de Mayo party.

Whew.