Nashvega$

Amo and I enjoying the ride.

I spent thirty glorious minutes in front of the window in the break room, soaking up as much sun as I could. My right arm is now slightly more tan than the left, but I don't care none.  It was as close as I would get to the perfect weather and I was going to have to accept that.  It reminded me of the start of spring in Bloomington.  There was always someone in class who would speak up and ask if we could go outside, and it was always shot down, but the whole class loved that person for trying.   

Now, let me tell you about my weekend.  It was definitely the weekend of promised fun that I had mentioned earlier.  I won't give you a play by play description of our activities, but we did enjoy a carriage ride, a "girl on girl" comedy show, way too many late night calls to Domino's, and a very close attempt at hitting up the outdoor pool at 2 a.m.  So, now that Nashville has been conquered, I have no big plans on the books for March, aside from a few concerts in the area.  Monday I will be seeing The Kooks downtown at the Old National Centre with Alex.  I'm nervous to go out on a Monday night, especially with Al.  I do not handle work hangovers well. Well, in the past I did, but ever since I had my disastrous one at Edelweiss, I have refused to go out on work nights.  Which reminds me of my New Years Resolution for 2011.  I successfully completed it!  I did not go to work hungover one single time in the year of 2011.  What an accomplishment, right?  So, the Kooks on the 5th and then I will be seeing The Black Keys on the 16th.  Kassy's brother is hooking us up with the tickets and I believe we will be in some sort of VIP suite.  That could be wrong, but I'm under that impression from our handy Facebook group he created.  The guys and I also purchased the country mega ticket for Noblesville, so throughout the summer we will go to 6 different country shows.  The lineup looks really good and I can't wait for the fun to begin.

Studs.  Especially the right.

Other BIG news....Amy asked me to be in her wedding.  Even though I never really had a doubt that the question was coming, I was getting very anxious waiting for it.  I am so eager to be a part of their wedding festivities.  With the friend/family combination of Amy and Kurt it will be nothing short of an amazing time.  The date is set for October 13th and I'm already giddy with anticipation. 

I have no big plans for the upcoming weekend.  The boys will both be going to their respective homes for the weekend, so it's a free for all at the townhouse. 
The free for all really just means I will sit around by myself wishing they were home to entertain me.  Although I'll be bored without the guys, I am looking forward to some quiet alone time.  I was giving Bart a laundry list of things I could do with them out of the house and he didn't find it funny that I would be going through his things, eating his food, and not wearing a bra.  Aside from that, I just found a really neat looking German bakery and grocery store in Lawrence that I might venture to on Saturday morning for some serious reminiscing.  A big German breakfast sounds perfect right now. I miss the meal that usually put me right back into my bed.

Ich vermisse dich

Looking south on the kinder path

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/travel/exploring-around-garmisch-partenkirchen-germany.html

A fellow GAPer posted this article on Facebook and I have to share it.  Sometimes I can't believe I spent 13 months in such a gorgeous place.

Did you take my stapler?

I have never had a job that came home with me (minus my short stint as a live in nanny), and although I don’t think about my work after I punch the clock at 5 o’clock, I am seriously worrying about taking Friday off. Someone will be covering my position, which isn’t the hardest job in the world, but I do things in a particular way and Friday is a seriously busy day for medical records requests. I’m terrified I will show up on Monday to mayhem and destruction in Jen’s World (remember to say that in a Wayne’s World voice). So, in my neat Shelley-like way I have made a list of extra things I can do today to lighten the burden of the person covering my desk. I also have made a check list for them to use tomorrow to make sure things get done as they are supposed to throughout the day. I wish there were more lists I could be making. I’m weird.

I know what you are thinking. Jen, you love your job. Why would you take a Friday off? Well, as you might already know, I have my Nashville trip with Kassy, Allyson, Tara, and Amy this weekend, a weekend full of the promise of a good time. To start off my beloved three day weekend Kassy will be trekking north to Carmel for a sleepover. The plan is to make dinner, drink some wine, and go to bed at a decent hour so we can be well rested for the debauchery that will take place in Nashvegas. Friday morning/early afternoon Allyson and Tara will be driving down from Chicago to pick us up. Is it bad that I’m really looking forward to the car ride? A good portion of the fun happens in getting to the destination. For example, note every trip I have ever taken in my life, with the exception of when I visited Lindsey in Kaiserslautern. Well, that wasn’t horrible, I just learned a few things about myself and traveling solo on the deutsche bahn. Like, I can’t fall asleep. Anyway, Amy will be driving in from Memphis and meeting us at the hotel. It has been so long since I have actually spent time with Amy. I think the last time was in June when the Germans and I flew home for the American holiday. Ohhh I can’t wait! 

I don’t like to air my life dramas on here, but everyone knows the story, so I don’t think pretending it’s not going on is worthwhile anymore. If you think I should keep pretending, please let me know because I would hate to upset my loyal following. Well, Marcel and I decided to completely stop all forms of communication. It has been about a month since the initial decision was made and it’s been a difficult process. A necessary process though. As much as I care about him and what is going in his life, I need to distance myself from all of it so that I can move on. I would love more than anything to say that there is a chance for a future for us, but only time can tell, and unfortunately, there is a lot of time fighting against us.

Prepare yourself for a cliché. Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.

Look kids, Big Ben!

Roundabouts are seriously the best thing to happen to roadways since the invention of roadways. I now take a new route through Zionsville to get to work (Thanks for the tip, UB and AK) that saves me about 15 minutes of drive time and cuts the traffic down to being almost nonexistent.  Another perk to this route is the abundance of the roundabout.  I go through about nine intersections during my commute and six of them are fitted with roundabouts.  These aren’t the little cheesy roundabouts of Carmel either, these are the big guys that you can go about 40-50 mph through.  Of course, I stick closer to the 40 area.  The van is a little top heavy and I’d hate to call Mom with the news that I toppled over because I was having too much fun driving in a circle.  Having a boring desk job has really got me excited about the little things.  Along with the roundabout I now am thrilled to tangle with the vending machine.  The other day I won a heated battle with the machine over some M&M’s.  This heated battle really just included me getting an extra bag of regular M&M’s with my intended purchase of the peanut ones.  It’s not every day that you get a 2 for 1 deal from the vending machine!  To thank the vending machine Gods, I left my extra 5 cents in the change drop.  Karma is real, friends.

Only you can prevent kitchen fires

My Facebook mini feed has been annihilated with comments and pictures regarding the Valentine's Day holiday.  These posts can be classified into three categories: the oh, I'm so in love, the bitter which are also categorized as Hallmark Haters, and those who pretend to be indifferent.  We all know it's not exactly a real holiday, but it's another reason to celebrate something and I'm ok with that.  If you're in love, good for you.  If not, good for you.  Now go eat some chocolate and let everyone be happy.

I'm celebrating the occasion with a dinner at my friend's house followed by a Star Wars screening.  I had big intentions of making single serving pies for the guys, but somehow it's already the 14th and I haven't bought the ingredients.  I also don't have time, which is a common theme in my life lately. Although it appears that I'm complaining about this, it's pretty great. Keeping busy keeps my mind off of things and that's always good.

This past weekend I made a last minute trip to Nashville to visit a friend.  It was a good time of exploration and I'm glad I made the trip down.  The weekend went quick and I returned to a messy kitchen and more laundry than I remembered leaving behind. No more weekend adventures for a while.  Well, until the 24th when the girls and I venture down to a Nashville.  I'm eager to get in 48+ hours of non-stop girl time.  When I start saying dude and man at the end of my sentences I know I've been around the boys too much.

Also, while typing this I was reheating some homemade potato wedges in the oven.  Of course I forgot about them and was greeted by billowing smoke from the oven door. Oops.

Moo-moo mosas

I dropped in just as the happy couple embraced.

Shadow puppets are the ultimate entertainment.  That and for lack of a better name, the sentence game. Saturday night Katie, a couple of her friends, and I went out downtown to check out some more of the superbowl festivities and then wandered over to Broadripple to finish off the night.  The night was entertaining and included fake paparazzi moments at monument circle with the unfortunate people who crossed our paths and a quick photo session with Candlebox where I made a complete fool out of myself.  Apparently you shouldn’t button up a musician’s shirt and tell him to leave some mystery.  Although I was slightly embarrassed the next morning, I think the performer found it funny.  I hope.  Chris and Bart were nice enough to pick us up and shuttle us home during the early hours of the morning.  I guess my roommates aren’t so bad after all.  When we got home we feasted on corndogs, put the other girls to sleep on the couches and went into my room to play before we all called it a night.  Somehow we all managed to fit comfortably into my bed (it’s a king) where we settled in for a well put together shadow puppet show by Chris and Bart.  We then followed up that activity with the sentence game.  If you have never played, it is where each person says one word until the group has completed a sentence.  Doesn’t sound so fun to you?  Well, it is.  And it’s hilarious.  The next thing I knew it was 9:00 am and the guys were making us a breakfast suitable for a small army, complete with mimosas.  Again, my roommates aren’t so bad. 

200 N Represent.

This weekend I was also able to get in some quality family time with UB and AK.  They treated me to dinner on Friday night at Mark Pi’s and it was just what I needed.  A little family time is always welcome and it was a good getaway for the evening.  When I made my way back to the house the guys were gone to a concert downtown, so I had the place to myself.  I had a glass of wine, laid in bed, and browsed pinterest until about 11:30 when I eagerly welcomed sleep.  Someone should have told me that working a 9 to 5 job leaves you exhausted by Friday.  I never thought I would actively choose to not do anything on a night off.  I will say that it was amazing and I’m looking forward to future nights spent doing nothing.  My sleep bliss was interrupted by the kids returning around 1 am and demolishing the kitchen.  I didn’t mind being woken up and joined them for some funny conversation at the island. 

I’m happy that the superbowl is over.  I can finally stop talking about it and pretending I care. 

Wonder Woman

The Guys

Tuesday night I was treated to my first NBA basketball game.  I feel kind of bad for bashing the German professional team because the crowd at the Pacers game was similar, if not smaller, than the Germany vs. Macedonia game that we attended back in August.  The Super Bowl atmosphere was evident and there was a lot of buzz about a couple players sitting court side.  Of course I get excited at the thought of meeting a celebrity, but people need to chill out a bit.  Kassy being one of the worst of them.  I'm kidding, but she was staring and I did make fun of her a couple times for it.  I felt a lot of sympathy for the football guys.  They were barraged with pictures and autograph requests about 10 minutes after they took their seats and if anything, the crowds got worse as the game went on.  On a fun note, after half time Kyle, Kassy's brother, upgraded us to 3 rows behind the football guys and we were officially court side (almost).

After the game we had a few drinks at a Mexican restaurant by Kyle's apartment and called it a night.  After we dominated a pizza, of course.  I woke up 30 minutes before my alarm and cruised back to Carmel to get ready for work.  Although I wasn't hungover, my day was rough and I was struggling despite my frequent coffee breaks.  I texted Kassy and told her I didn't understand my energy level and she responded with, "we're old".  We might not be too old, but I will agree, it's hard to stay up late on a work night.  I refused an invitation from Alex to meet her downtown for dinner the next evening because the thought of not sitting on the couch for a second consecutive night seemed too overwhelming.  Being busy is great, but I need some butt to couch time in a real bad way.

In other news, my mother is now the proud owner of a new hip.  I think we should give her about 2 weeks and she'll be fighting to get outside and fire up the chainsaw.  That lady is unstoppable.

More chins than a Chinese buffet

The only thing more depressing than a Chinese buffet is going to a Chinese buffet by yourself. I've done a lot of things on my own, but frequenting a buffet by myself is one that I hope never happens.  The buffet is great though.  How can you pass up rows upon rows of cholesterol loaded “chicken” and “beef” dishes, and of course the sole tray of wilting iceberg lettuce? Alex and I had the pleasure of trying the Super Chinese Buffet on the north side this past Tuesday night. Every day a mere $5.88 will get you a ticket to make all of your buffet dreams come true. And boy did we make those dreams come true. My favorite is the attempt at sushi. Of course a buffet can’t produce high quality sushi, so you get a roll with loads of cucumber, no cream cheese or avocado. That shit is expensive. There is nothing better than rice, seaweed, and cucumber. Needless to say, we will be returning.

I’m still enjoying my new job. Are you ready for my first complaint? All of my favorite time killing sites are blocked. ALL of them. Well, to be fair, allrecipes.com is accessible but the load speed is not impressive and you can only browse recipes for so long before you feel like a horrible house mom. Working front desk allowed me to get accustomed to perusing social networking sites during slow times and now that I don’t have that luxury, I do not know what to do with myself. At this point I’m getting into my Altoids about every 10 minutes. Killing time is hard.

The job is good though. Are you ready for my second complaint? I don’t understand the fine line that many of the women walk on their business casual outfits. I wish someone would explain to me what is going on here. I see the very casual jean skirts, khakis, and cropped type pant, but then on the other end of the spectrum some women wear suits and heels. I have been erring on the side of caution but part of me really wants to test the limits with this. I don’t know with what, but the urge is there.

I Have This Friend....

It’s not a secret that I drunkenly accepted a dare to subscribe to Match.com a couple years ago.  Ok, maybe it was a secret at one point, but now you know.  Just another reason why drunk people should be denied access to a) the internet, b) credit cards.  Anyway, with the impending Valentines holiday I have been noticing an onslaught of online dating commercials and advertising and it’s got me thinking,  why is online dating a taboo?  There appears to be a lot of social stigma associated with it and I’m not quite sure why.  Blind dates are the same concept except they are far less informative, aside from a friend swearing he or she found your soul mate.  But blind dates are the norm and Match.com is not.  Honestly, I think it’s a perfectly acceptable way to put yourself out there and meet new people.  Far easier than planting yourself at a coffee shop and having unwanted conversation with every Tom, Dick, and Harry who happens to sit within earshot.  Although, I’m not on the market to create a new profile, maybe I’ll set one up for Bret.

It's been a mere 24ish hours since Bret packed up shop and left.  I'm not going to lie, parking in the garage has been awesome, but I already miss having him around.  I don't know what I'll eat for dinner now that the taco master has moved on.  I do wish he was still here, but I can understand the temptation to head south.  Good luck to you, turd ferg.

Welcome To My Corner

Enter Goodman Campbell Brand and Spine, head straight back and to the left, and you will find yourself in my itty bitty corner office.  Even though it's a little space, I'm eager to make it my own, or "Jen's World" (think Wayne's World voice), as one of my co-workers called it.  Today I took the time to hang a majority of the postcards that I acquired while traveling.  I thought this would be a much needed escape when work was closing in and I longed for a moment of clarity.  This came true at approximately 4 o'clock.  I found myself staring at the photos and losing myself in the memories of my travels.  My mind was focused on what it would be like to be back in the Abrams, sitting on the balcony with friends, complaining about work, sharing a few drinks and even more laughs.  My trip down memory lane sparked my desire to explore.  There is so much more I want to see.  I have barely put a dent in Europe and my North American travels are a joke.  It's hard to accept that it will take time to see the world.  Time and money.  Lots of money.  Luckily, I have time on my side.  I yearn to see, and see I shall.

Most of the pictures and momentos from my childhood are packed away haphazardly in boxes strewn about the greater Rolling Prairie area.  I was lucky enough to stumble upon a shoebox of old photographs that I brought down to Indy with me.  I got several laughs while shuffling through them and one in particular really had me reeling.  I'm assuming most men reminisce about the time when their dad taught them how to shave and I'm sure they look back on it fondly.  Luckily, my moment was captured for the world to see.  I found a 4x6 of Ed and I all lathered up in the bathroom, shaving our beards at 9 o'clock on a Saturday morning.  Don't worry, my razor had the guard on, so mom tells me. I have a serious bone to pick with her about my haircut though.  I didn't know bowl cuts were in for girls at that time.

Twine Line

It's no secret that I've become addicted to Pinterest, the online pinboard.  To the left you will see my latest creation that was inspired from another user.  I took twine, clothespins, spray paint (to paint the pins), and an assortment of black and white postcards to decorate the empty space above my oh so big bed.  The guys haven't been shy when it comes to making fun of me for my new found crafting spree, but I'm pretty sure they are just jealous.  It takes a hell of a guy to pull off a project like that.


If you haven't guessed, I am retiring the old blog and picking up where I left off with this one.  It seemed only right to give myself a fresh start and new look.  My life has transitioned from adventurous travels to a 9 to 5 stability, so thank you to my loyal readers for continuing on with me.  Yes, all 4 of you, I appreciate your following.