being jennifer garrett

My blog has moved

2010-04-23T13:47:00.001-07:00

I'm now at www.jengarrett.net, so please update your feed, your links, what have you.

The time has come

2010-04-16T13:47:00.001-07:00

I've got to move my blog over sometime, and it's almost the deadline, so this weekend is it. If all goes well, you'll notice very little change. If all doesn't go well, there will be lots of swearing. Some of which may end up on my Twitter feed if I can't actually publish my blog anymore.

Wish me luck! (And if all goes according to plan, I'll have a new URL for y'all to update soon. UPDATE!! I'm now at www.jengarrett.net, so please update your feed, your links, what have you.)

Pretty, pretty

2010-04-11T21:47:00.001-07:00

My new bike!

Oh, Wellesley women

2010-04-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the notorious madam on NCIS went to Wellesley. Yes, the student loans were expensive, but I was an English major and I managed to pay them off without resorting to prostitution (not that I didn't consider it a few times, along with selling an organ or two). No way would she have escaped a single women's studies class and stayed a prostitute! Oh, well, at least she's a nice hooker (more or less). But really, Swelles is not getting the most positive portrayals, people -- although I have to admit I like the hooker way better than the annoying Mona Lisa Smile girls.

Now that's what I call a trip to Powell's

2010-04-04T18:37:00.002-07:00

And I just need the time to read them all.

Weekend getaway

2010-04-02T20:45:00.002-07:00

We've jetted off for the weekend to Portland, primarily to go to Powell's, eat at Chili's, and just not be in Seattle. Tragically, the Chili's is closed. This is seriously fucking tragic, people, which means that I will have to go to Powell's every day that we're here to make up for it. I've already gone once, but I spent just under $20, which is unheard of, though if I average that for three days running, I'll just about spend my usual. To make up for the Chili's pain, I will eat at Sonic. And Voodoo Doughnuts.

All good things

2010-03-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

I don't know what the hell the world is coming to -- and there will be no one to save us now that Jack Bauer will no longer grace our airwaves! Okay, so it may be time to let Jack rest. He's saved the world about as many times as Buffy, though with more fun torture scenes. (And cougars!) Dude is tired. I respect that. But I want more! My two favorite Jacks are both saying goodbye this season (even though I'm like 800 episodes behind on Lost, I know it's leaving, too). My life is getting pretty tough right now. And to top it all off, fucking Pepperidge Farm is no longer making the world's best cookie, the Mint Brussels. Bastards! Where am I to turn in this dark, cold world? Where?

Everything I know, I learned from TV

2010-03-26T18:50:00.002-07:00

Not only do I really, really like Parenthood, I really like the music. Now, don't get me wrong, I already had some Josh Ritter before this week's episode, but Change of Time is a great fucking song, and I know about it because it was on the show. And now I've got even more Josh Ritter in my collection, and he is not to be confused with Jason Ritter (John's son), who it seems is going to flirt with Lorelei next week.

Awesome.

Fried chickpeas and chickpea fries, I say!

2010-03-25T16:27:00.001-07:00

We're contemplating "chickpea" as my new nickname. Thoughts?

Things I'm liking right now

2010-03-17T21:42:00.002-07:00

Mass Effect. Parenthood (with Peter Krause! and Lorelei!). Life Unexpected. Paychecks. Mornings when the mountain is out (except for when it fucks up traffic). My Magic Mouse.

Things I'm not liking right now include, but are not limited to: Missing my friends. Missing my friends' babies who crawl and have personalities develop when I'm not around. Tiredness. Seattle's endless love affair with traffic for no discernible reason. Diets.

I have to admit it's getting better

2010-03-03T19:12:00.003-08:00

Okay, so shit's getting better. One tiny bit at a time. First, with the awesome death of the pillars. Then Sunday, J.R. and I went to see Cop Out, which was pretty fucking funny. And I'm not just saying that because I have an irrational love of all things Kevin Smith (though I do, and I have the copy of Catch and Release to prove it). He didn't write this one, but you can still see his hands all over it. It's a pretty light flick, but it's a perfect popcorn movie -- lots of '80s music, funny inside jokes, an homage or two. Good times.

In addition, I recovered from the bad music vibes of last week with two excellent CDs: The XX (which I discovered with the help of the Apolo Ohno commercial and J.R.), and Raising Sand (which I didn't discover, I've just been waiting to buy it since, I don't know, forever). They are two completely different discs, but I love them both, and they make my commute marginally better, except for the part where the giant truck tries to shave off some of my already fucking small vehicle. Then I have to listen to something loud and angry and gesticulate wildly.

Gentlemen, what are the four pillars?

2010-02-28T18:38:00.002-08:00

We had a little home improvement moment this weekend, wherein the hideous pillars that have been darkening my entrance way were destroyed! Okay, really, just taken down and taken away, with minimal destruction. But I'm betting that once the contractor guy carted them away, they were destroyed! Crushed! Humiliated for their hideousness! Bygones. This is just step one in my plan for world domination, er, home improvement. Next, comes hardwood floors throughout! Sure, J.R. says replacing the water heater comes next, but what does he know? He still thinks we're not getting new countertops anytime soon.

If you want a better look at the pillar removal, I've created a handy little photo set.

The winter of my discontent

2010-02-27T13:56:00.005-08:00

In addition to the whole "sick forfuckingever" thing, I have also hit a little patch of "I don't like anything." (Excluding, of course, the Olympics, except for the part where Apolo got DQ'd and I was all "That's bullshit, man!" and then tried to remember to be reasonable, and strange shit goes down in short track all the time, and then I was still all, "Fuck you, short track!" And then I moved on. Sort of.) Bygones. The point is this: I didn't like stuff. And that's kind of rare for me, because I'm pretty picky, and I don't usually buy shit unless I'm in the 85-90% sure I'm going to like it realm.

So, I read Iodine by Haven Kimmel -- didn't like it. Loved, loved, loved her other books, and this one left me cold. It felt contrived, and kind of pretentious, and I checked like three times to make sure it wasn't a first novel published after her other successes. It felt like a first novel -- trying to shove in all that crap we learn in college, over-use of psychology, dreams, journals -- just, I don't know, ick. And then I picked up Mat Kearney's City of Black and White (heard a great song on Friday Night Lights, had to have it, realized I had another song by Mat that I also loved, figured go for the whole album). Boom! I do really enjoy City of Black and White. But! But, I also picked up Nothing Left to Lose (it's only $7.99, I like his other stuff, win/win!). However, Nothing Left to Lose was not good. Don't get me wrong -- there are a few tracks on it I like, but one of them I already had from iTunes. And the rest of the album consists of these weird pseudo-rap songs that I absolutely hate.

March better pick up from here, or the cranky is going to get out of control.

Sickly, but not in the way that's all tragic and beautiful and shit

2010-02-21T11:36:00.003-08:00

So, the exciting news around here is: I'm sick. And I've pretty much been sick since Christmas. Call it the cold that never dies, all I know is that it is sucking my life force. The docs are a little confused, though not overly concerned, but I'm mostly just pissed. I mean, is this what I get for being a relatively healthy person all the time? Is this what I get for gloating over my superior immune system? Apparently. All I know is, I haven't had the energy to do much besides drag my sorry ass to work, come home, and watch the Olympics. And go to the doctor and get new antibiotics to try this week. Good times.

In other news, I still love me some Apolo, and while I was kind of sad to see Bonnie Blair dethroned, I was also happy for him. As for the other American stars, well, I don't know. Lindsey Vonn? Don't like her. There's something shifty about her eyes. I don't trust her. Same with the ice dancing chick who's skating with the moppet of blond hair. Don't like her, either. However, I like both of them more than I like coughing, wheezing, and general misery. It's a spectrum.

Going for the gold

2010-02-14T01:09:00.000-08:00

I love the Olympics. I really do. It's one of the few times that I am blatantly and over-the-top nationalistic, plus I get to watch random sports that I would never see normally. Luge? Love it, though the track this year is scary. Skeleton? Just like luge, but face-first. Curling? Bizarre and fascinating in a slow way. Plus, I am all over Apolo Anton Ohno like you wouldn't believe. Dude has six medals (as of tonight!) and the mirrorball trophy. Also, Apolo was all fist-pumping glory even though he got the silver (of course, he was thisclose to getting nothing, so there is a reasonable cause for celebration there).

My problem is this: I can fricking spit at Canada from here. I can practically see the Olympic torch from my backyard. And yet -- and yet -- fucking NBC is airing shit on time delay. On the West Coast. It's in our time zone! Why am I not watching dramatic speed skating finishes fucking live?!? Why do I have to stay up until 1 a.m. trying to see the medal ceremonies for Apolo and the cutest little mogul skier you've ever seen, Hannah Kearney? And while I'm on that subject, why the hell didn't NBC air the medal ceremonies for Apolo and Hannah?

Hell. I'm already cranky, and it's only the first night of competition, for chrissakes. Just imagine how I'll feel once figure skating gets going.

Sweet, sweet victory

2010-02-08T19:51:00.002-08:00

Super Bowl Sunday was, in fact, super for many reasons. I finally got to the post office and mailed a few items that I purchased, like, forever ago. Then Deonn and Mark hosted an awesome party (with significant food contributions from Kurt and Marie). And the Saints! The Saints were best of all, beating Manning & co., with that especially sweet-ass interception. If it couldn't be the Pats, I'll take the Saints. As for the ads, wow, did they blow. None really stick out -- good or bad. I remember the Google ad because the room full of Microsofties talked about it. And what I remember was this: What a waste of money! A bunch of screen shots -- c'mon, Google, you can do better than that.

Ch-ch-changes

2010-02-06T14:42:00.002-08:00

Okay, so not only did my commenting system change on me, now Blogger is giving up the FTP option. So, I can either: quit Blogger and figure out some other blogging tool to use at my current URL; or allow Google to completely rule my life and do some shenanigans with custom domains. I really don't know what to do. J.R. just decided to call it quits for now, and sure, I've been blogging a lot less lately. But I've had this blog for seven years. Seven years! I can't give up on it now. Can I?

So, in sum, there may be a hinky URL situation coming at you soon, people. Don't say you weren't warned. Also, y'all best follow me if I move, or I'll be wicked pissed.

Bloody fucking hell, Batman

2010-02-01T22:29:00.002-08:00

Oy. Comments may be wonky over the next few days (or lifetimes, hard to tell). I've had to switch over to a new provider to keep all my old comments, but if it doesn't work out, I may have to switch over to Blogger comments. Which means losing all my beloved comments and, possibly, cutting a bitch. Or crying. One of those two.

Double f

2010-02-01T21:36:00.004-08:00

Frickin' February already. Unbelievable. And yet, it's starting just like January: with a cold. Or something evil and vile masking as a cold just to confuse my doctor who is running out of shit to test me for. Also, and I never thought this would happen, I'm running out of veins with which to give forth the blood. Bygones. The point is this: I loved Marisa de los Santos's second novel as much as the first. And the magic mouse is truly, ridiculously magic. Freaking magic, bitches! And once I figure out this whole two-finger swipe business, I'll really be rocking the internets.

Also, I love pumas. But only on my socks.

Is there life on Mars?

2010-01-31T22:43:00.002-08:00

I couldn't help but think of Babs singing about life on Mars when J.R. and I went to the Pacific Science Center's new exhibit, Facing Mars, last week. Of course, J.R. was thinking about rovers, space flight, blah, blah, blah. The movie about the Mars rovers was pretty cool, and I got a little goose-bumpy when they received the first signal back from Spirit (it was very Apollo 13 mixed with a little Wall-E). The exhibit itself was pretty fun, though it seems better suited to kids -- lots of interactive activities, etc. It was my first trip to the science center, and while I didn't get to see the whole joint (it was a special preview of the exhibit), I definitely want to go back again sometime.

One down, many to go

2010-01-26T20:32:00.002-08:00

So, I'm not missing my commute anymore, as I'm hitting the 5 pretty regularly now, what with my new job and all. It's at a top-secret internet start-up in downtown Seattle, where I perform highly classified tasks. (Not really secret, and I mostly edit content, you know, like I do.) The job came just in time, as I received many CDs for Christmas/birthday presents, and really, the best place to listen to music uninterrupted is when you're driving. Or, you know, sitting in traffic on the 5. Bygones. The point is, New Year's resolution number one is down! Checkmark that bitch! Sure, the new downtown location has placed me inconveniently next to a Whole Foods cafe and of course, now I have no time to exercise or cook (no! time!), so the whole "reduce fat ass" thing is not progressing as well. And in case you're wondering, I'm totally going to use the job as an excuse for any lapses in blogging, too. Suckers!

Compare and contrast

2010-01-23T17:41:00.002-08:00

"Congratulations on your new job" roses are so much better than "sorry you got laid off" roses. Though both smell as sweet.

War and peace out

2010-01-20T10:47:00.004-08:00

Eleven weeks ago, I started reading Tolstoy's War and Peace. And I've been reading it, and reading it, and reading it ever since. I've only taken a few breaks with other books, in the vain hope that it would spur my reading of the Russian masterpiece. It did, and it didn't. Anyway, it's over now. And I have to say, I thought I would feel more of a sense of accomplishment. It's a huge freaking book (my copy has 1074 pages), and it's not light reading. There's all the war, and the occasional peace, and all of Tolstoy pontificating on the nature of power and the impetus behind armies and crap. Dude! The second epilogue was really pushing it too far. And even though I hate epilogues, I read both of those bad boys. Not that they added much (except more days to my reading time). On the whole, it was clearly a literary tour de force, but it wasn't fun to read -- I never really loved any of the characters or felt for them. I have to admit, I prefer Anna Karenina. And not just because of the train action.

Bygones. I'm moving on to something easier. Perhaps my new Sue Grafton. Or Haven Kimmel. Or my annual Richard Russo.

In review

2010-01-19T17:22:00.002-08:00

J.R. and I finally did go see Sherlock Holmes (well, to be fair, he'd already seen it once), and it was totally awesome. It's not going to change the face of cinema or anything, but it was fun -- I especially liked the repartee between (Golden Globe winner with a hilarious acceptance speech) Robert Downey, Jr., and Jude Law. And the plot was okay, too. After the Globes, I made a point to see The Blind Side, a) because I love me some Sandy Bullock and b) because I wanted to see it anyway after reading the true story in my Sports Illustrated. I pretty much cried my way through it, but it was a great movie -- exactly what I was expecting, but in a good way. Moving on to television, last night, I caught Life Unexpected, and I really liked that, as well. I'm batting 1.000 here, people.

Who do you think you are?

2010-01-15T15:37:00.003-08:00

Sometimes, what I miss most about a regular job is the driving. I know, who misses their commute? But it always gave me an opportunity to just listen to music, think, chill, etc. It also gave me an excellent place to turn that shit up, really, really loud. So, this afternoon, I'm rocking out on 405 to some Black Label Society, and I realize how utterly ridiculous I must look -- a 30something woman in a fucking Toyota Highlander, blaring hard rock. And occasionally throwing the goat. I mean, it wasn't even the Saturn, people. True, a '97 SC2 isn't exactly cool, but there's something about its beater status that fits in with the angry music. I looked like a soccer mom out there. And I kind of am. But I'm a soccer mom who listens to Em and Black Label Society! And occasionally, Barbra Streisand. Bygones.

Resignation

2010-01-10T18:59:00.003-08:00

I knew we didn't have the greatest team this year. Tommy was still recovering, our defense was porous, and our running game was inconsistent. And we lost Welker last week. However, I did not expect this. And while it was painful to watch (and yes, I sat through the whole thing), I was not surprised. (Okay, after the first quarter, I wasn't surprised.) We didn't have it this year. At least we didn't have to lose to the Colts or the Chargers in the playoffs -- by exiting today, we saved ourselves that misery.

It's time to move on, repair Welker's knee and then encase it in bubble wrap, and kill 'em next year. Until then, I say: Spring training is just around the corner. Now, why the fuck did Epstein sign Beltre for $9M?