Nov

30

Bake a box of brownies and experience fudgy rapture

Filed Under regular, tout le fromage | 2 Comments

BrownieThat’s what I’ve done. And I recommend it to all.
I hadn’t made home-baked brownies in years.

.

Bliss. Sweet, chocolatey bliss.

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Nov

29

indisputably Tuesday

Filed Under me so g33ky, regular, tout le fromage | 2 Comments

I’m a hot tamale on the CSS tip today, boys and girls. Oh yeah… bow down to my declarations and kiss my selectors.

There is reason for me to indulge in pride: I’m coding a really slick layout that Neil designed and things are coming together beautifully. Naturally, I’ve not tested it in IE yet, so I’m going to feel high on geekery while I can. (Note: I couldn’t resist it… I tested the code as soon as I typed that. ~ drum roll ~ It’s fine. Dare I say identical in behaviour to standards compliant browsers. ~ sigh of relief and butt-shaking dance ensues ~)

Beyond the tasty code, I’ve been told I get to help write a nice fat column for a music related magazine with wide distribution in the UK. No pay, but the experience will be great! I’ll need to come up with about 1500 words. Wheee-hoo! It begins!

As far as my writing course assignment goes, I’m hopeful I’ll have gathered the necessary material for part 2 by the end of this evening in Oxford. I feel certain that I’ll have plenty of notes, both mental and written. I did start up a second blog for posting the assignments online, but the readership will be kept limited in the site’s infancy. I’ll send links to a handful of you or maybe just get brave enough to post one on my sidebar. I just haven’t decided how I want to go about it yet. Stay tuned…

Time to go spruce up for the trip to Oxford! (I’ll tell you about it tomorrow…)

smooches~
jEN

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Nov

28

Today’s iTunes Music Store purchase

Filed Under regular, tout le fromage | 5 Comments

Disclaimer: * blurt * I’m human and have a wide range of musical tastes.

What I really want to say is that I bought some tracks I’m not particularly proud of today, (and got a freebie), and I feel the need to confess my auditory sins. For your amusement, here are today’s purchases. Guess which ones I’m sheepish about… (There are a few in here, but it’s better than stealing them I guess.)

This Is Hardcore “This Is Hardcore” - Pulp
The Great Escape “The Great Escape” - We Are Scientists
Switch It On “Switch It On” - Will Young
Shot You Down “Shot You Down” - Audio Bullys & Nancy Sinatra
Over the Hill “Over the Hill” - Polly Paulusma (this week’s freebie… it’s harmless I guess. I wouldn’t have bought it.)
Monster Hospital “Monster Hospital” - Metric
Hung Up (Radio Version) “Hung Up” (Radio Version) - Madonna
Toxic (Peter Rauhofer Reconstruction Mix) [Edit] “Toxic” (Peter Rauhofer Reconstruction Mix) [Edit] - Britney Spears
Fuckin' In the Bushes “Fuckin’ In the Bushes” - Oasis
Cherry-Coloured Funk (Seefeel Remix) “Cherry-Coloured Funk” (Seefeel Remix) - Cocteau Twins (this was a disappointing remix… oh well. I still like the original version)

You may have noticed all the little iTMS links… I decided to try being an iTunes Affiliate. Clearly, I’m not in it to make a living, but a few pennies here and there would be interesting. Click and buy, my minions. Baby needs a new Powerbook… ;) Actually, it’s a big pain in the tookus to put the links in place, so I doubt I’ll do it often. My time is easily worth the pennies I’d make in click-throughs. I might put a link for a song here or there, but tagging a whole list is just tedious. So, you think you know which ones are the more embarrassing tracks yet?

smooches~
jEN

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Nov

26

Homework

Filed Under creative stuff, regular, tout le fromage | 5 Comments

“Tell us in about 300 words why you want to write, what you hope to gain from this course and your ambitions for the future.”

That’s part one of my writing assignment. Introspective homework. To tell the truth, I’m not sure why I want to write– I just do. (Of course, looking at the responses and email to my last post, perhaps I should reconsider the writing thing in favour of something with less attitude… * grin *)

But seriously, nailing down why I want to write is the most difficult part of the three part first assignment. Is it too general to say that I love the English language and that I desire to become better at utilising it? Is it too predictable to want to earn a few pounds by selling my work here and there? Well, whatever the reasons I come up with, or rather- uncover, I think I’ll post it when I figure it out. This first part of the assignment isn’t going to be looked at for style or construction, it’s just an intro to my tutors. All the same, I’ll give it the attention I would give anything I write, which is to proof read it a couple of times to insure it communicates (silently and out loud) what I need to say both in pace and vocabulary. Sometimes, I even get it right. ;)
Part two of the assignment goes like this: “Visit a local market, fair, place of historical interest or sporting event (even a football match). In fact, anywhere that interests you and might interest your reader. Make notes of what you observe about you. Write up a piece of between 300 - 500 words from your notes describing the event. (You should try to make your tutor feel the atmosphere of excitement of the place. Use your imagination and descriptive powers to the full to produce an interesting piece of writing.)”

This segment of the homework will be significantly easier than the contemplative bit that precedes it. Part three is merely an in-depth questionnaire. It’s done already and took an hour to do, but was easy enough.

Now, to tackle part one… how do I flesh out “I need to.” into 300 words?

smooches~
jEN

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Nov

26

UPDATED: I should post about these, right?

Filed Under expat, regular, tout le fromage | 14 Comments

UPDATE:

This isn’t a rant. I’m not mad or upset and no emotional provocation set these words. I just don’t always post fun stuff. I did receive questions from two people about the following entry as to what might be wrong. Honestly, nothing is. I’m happy, upbeat and genuinely pleased with the things going on around me. I am sorry if it’s not what you wanted to read, but first and foremost I write here for me. Readers are a delicious bonus. I half considered removing the post because of the way it affected those two individuals who contacted me. I won’t because after re-reading my words, I feel the same about it as when I wrote it. It’s honest and I apologise if it worries anyone or causes discomfort. Thank you for understanding.

So Thanksgiving came and went and liver waster George Best (finally*) died. Neither has affected me in the slightest.
But you’re American Jen, don’t you at least miss the glutton’s favourite holiday?
No. I don’t need a silly autumn occasion to avoid more meat, eat mashed potatoes that I can make any old time, and ignore the worthless news coverage about holiday sales targets at every North American retail outlet. I didn’t miss a thing. (Hey, I wonder… did Bird Flu hurt turkey sales? I kinda hope so… Fear your meat. The more you know about your meat America, the more you should fear your meat. Yeah I know, I should fear the fish I eat too, but so far I just like to disillusion myself into believing that the seafood I eat is supplementing a phantom mercury deficiency in my diet. * smirk *)
To be completely honest, I miss family and friends, but I miss them regularly anyway and without a pork-out holiday to remind me. I’m too far removed by generations of ancestors to give a rat’s ass about the true meaning of Thanksgiving. I realise that perhaps sounds unpatriotic to some, but hey, no one is directly affected anymore. Pretty much every holiday is a tradition constructed by dead people several generations back for reasons we don’t actively recognise anymore. Without Googling, tell me the historic reasons for four major holidays in America that everyone celebrates like zombies and I’ll be impressed. One rule: you can’t use Easter or Halloween. It’s my challenge, I make the rules. Of course if you can do it, I don’t guarantee that you’ll single-handedly restore my faith in American traditions, but I’ll at least be made aware that despite the commercial takeover of all that was once sacred to each and every American in our pasts, that some of you still celebrate for all the right reasons. We just have to look beyond the 12′ inflatable Santa in your yard to see it.
Love each other. Celebrate holidays for family, not for the best animatronic manger scene on the block and who can secretly see the therapist the most after the stress of the holiday melee dies down. This applies to all holidays. After all, do you know the real, historical, reason you celebrate or only that you tell yourself it’s for loved ones, freedom or your god.
And yes, I’ve been somewhat cynical and disillusioned about this stuff for many years… ;)
smooches~
jEN

* Sure, It sounds disrespectful to say it that way, but DAMN! the British press has been waiting for him to die for a month now. They’ve all had big tribute articles to the soccer player written for weeks, just waiting for the dude to die. Here’s your quick rundown: He drank too much, needed a liver transplant. He drank when he wasn’t supposed to and wasted the donor liver. He died at 59. My great aunt was an organ recipient and cherished every day with it after 12 years of dialysis. I have no sympathy for George Best. Irresponsible cunt.

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Nov

22

Zoiks! It’s Tuesday already!

Filed Under regular, tout le fromage | 6 Comments

The weekend was really the epitome of uneventful. The downward turn began on Friday when it was clear that the tummy demon possessing Neil was perhaps more sinister than the flu. I’ll spare you the traipse into territory that qualifies as “more than you need to know,” but understand that the weekend was filled with a bland diet, lots of fluids and more Star Trek reruns than you can shake a photon torpedo at.

The highlight had to be the brief outing to a local garden centre to visit their fish and bird section, followed by a stop at the grocery store. Several bottles of isotonic fluid replacement drinks for him, several bottles of wine for me. Hey, someone has to stay focused on upholding the norm…

After a really rough day yesterday, I walked to town to personify Doctor Jen, returning with assorted medications from both the standard pharmacy and the local health food/supplement shop. My blend of science and nature seems to be working as the “Zombie Boy from Planet Loo” appears to be on the mend. We did visit the doctor yesterday and are awaiting test results regarding the specific cause of the gastro-intestinal fiasco, but when telling my mom about it all on a Skype call last night, I think she nailed it as being “fish eye-itis.”
I’ll explain.
In true American reality TV fashion, my Welsh fella put aside better judgement when the nice Portuguese man extracted a well cooked fish eye from the bare-boned Red Snapper carcass we had just stripped of meat, telling us that there are still many “good bits” left in the head. With the precision of a surgeon, he sliced out a hefty chunk of spooky ocular matter from the remains of dinner. He claimed his daughters fight over who gets the eyes because they are so tasty. Uh-huh. Neil took that which I refused and ate all but the hard lump that resembled a tiny olive pit. I now think of my mom’s diagnosis and believe that this hard mass just might have been the secret antidote for “fish eye-itis.” Silly sod. Next time, eat the whole fricking thing. Pansy.

Beyond that somewhat unreasonable explanation, we’re just not sure what’s made him so ill, but signs point to the worst being over. Yay! The day will be sprinkled with intermittent spurts of work and rest as we both have plenty to get done. So, for now, my advice is:
Don’t eat fish eyes, but if you do, don’t pussy out when it comes to the pit– It just might be the best part for you. At the very least, it can’t be any worse. (However, I suggest total avoidance of the icky stuff from a fish head. That’s what I’m practising and all seems well so far…) ;)
smooches~
jEN

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Nov

18

geekin’, workin’, and carin’ for the flu-ridden

Filed Under me so g33ky, regular, tout le fromage | 2 Comments

I’m almost done writing my own style for NetNewsWire, (my preferred RSS feed aggregator/reader). I don’t know why I started it in the first place, but I guess it’s a case of, “Hey, I’m bored with the way I look at this– I’m gonna code me a new skin.” It’s pretty nice I think, so maybe I’ll release it on my site. I dunno. I’m just playing with code…

As for work, I matched up bunches of really poorly lit product shots for one of the sites we work on. It never ceases to amaze me how little importance is paid to presentation. If you had your choice of ordering a product from a company that puts effort into it’s catalogue photography or one that looks like Uncle Ralph came over with his old 110 film camera one day, took some snappys, then developed at his local Walmart, well, I think you’d pick the attractive and thought out representation every time, right? Sorry Uncle Ralph. You suck. Hard. Having a catalogue site is only part of the game, folks… Sell me some products with good lookin’ pics. I’ll buy anything that’s well lit and shiny.

And as for the flu-ridden… It started with body aches. Then he progressed into unpredictable phases of hot and cold. At one point so cold that I dressed him in layers, moved a chair in front of the blasting heat of the oven, and draped him in blankets and a wooly hat until he looked like a poor peasant woman from rural Romania. I took photos of him in this weakened state for my personal amusement. You see, I’ll make endless cups of tea, warm your socks on the radiator, feed you pills, water and vitamins, cook food and understand cancelled Friday night plans– but I reserve the right to giggle, call you ‘bubka’ and make you model your diseased carcass for my entertainment. That’s just how my selfless attention works. * grin *

smooches~
jEN

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Nov

15

It’s getting serious now…

Filed Under creative stuff, regular, tout le fromage | 3 Comments

I’ve got to try something that scares me. I’m about to take a course; I’m making a commitment. It’s something I know I can do and will manage to excel at, yet I’ve got the jitters of an 18 year old realising she has to take on the big, bad world (and that becoming a stripper won’t do the family proud)…

As a 33 year old, the prospect of diving into a potential career change is a scary one. But then, I kind of tackled that monster once already by quitting my job and becoming an expat.

The past year has been a strange one for me, career-wise. I moved to the UK knowing that I’d be doing some web work, (code etc.), nurturing some creative outlets like writing and painting, and learning a new way of life in general. I have had the perfect opportunity and taken advantage of only half of it. I have let myself down due to a lack of initial structure, but I’ve prattled on about that flaw in plenty of past posts.

I do know more code than I knew before, and what I know, I’m pretty fucking good at. I want to continue to grow that way. The geek is still strong in me and I am a mix of proud and embarrassed to say that I was the first to plug in the computers after returning from holiday. I am a sad little monkey. I hadn’t even taken off my shoes…

In the creative category, the writing pours out more steadily now than it has in ages. And it’s of a better quality. I’m so much less ashamed of what I pen, and this blog seems a testimony to at least some of it. I keep an old Powerbook (Pismo 500, for my geek peeps), for writing. You don’t see any of the projects here because they don’t fit here. I have an alternate blog that I may unveil before winter closes and it’s purpose just might be to give these words air.

I guess I could say that I’m taking my love of language a bit more seriously these days. I don’t struggle to write most of the time– not for myself anyway. The hurdle has been going from sharing the blog to sharing the true creative writing. I have read some of my work to my mom. That was the tallest and most intimidating inner barrier to overcome. You see, she reads. She reads like most of us breathe. Without effort, she devours books on complex subjects, oftentimes dealing with futuristic physics and sci-fi of a terrifyingly intense nature. This is her beloved genre and one that I could never write for, but the fact remains that she is the most well-read person I know and also happens to be my worst critic/biggest fan rolled into one. I adore this woman and I am finally getting brave enough to let her read my words. The rest of the world can laugh or sneer at the sentences I string together, but I, like so many kids, just want my mom to truly like what I do. Not in a ‘pat-the-head, there-there’ sort of way. Nope– I want to deserve the spot on the refrigerator door, not be there by default.

It’s for you that I take this course, mom. It’s for you that I will refine the ramblings and unleash powerful words. And it’s for me that I will succeed.

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