Jabby

Almost time to pack away the warm weather

2009-08-11T13:33:00.001-07:00

a few month’s ago i posted a basic summer to do list and named it “Jenn's Summer of 2009 TO DO WITH YOU LIST” while sitting in a hotel

and now that summer is almost gone, friends are a few extra miles away, college is in sight, and sleep is becoming a valuable luxury i thought that it’s about time to check off my to do list…

~~be truely relaxed~~
~~laugh until the point of ab pain, tears, inablility to breath,~~ and/or wet pants
~~go on a simple free adventure~~
~~walk somewhere far~~
~~have a meaningful conversation at ease with someone that i havent done so with yet~~
~~watch the sunrise alone~~
watch the sunrise with you
~~try something new~~
~~relive an old memory~~
~~sleep outside~~
~~photoshoot~~
dress up and go nowhere fancy
~~take/be part of ALOT of pictures~~
~~establish a tradition~~
~~play in the rain~~
~~lay in the grass in the sun without worrying about the bugs~~
~~have cash free fun~~
~~have a party for no reason at all~~
~~stay up late watching movies~~
~~super massive room clean up~~
~~find a reason to smile anyway~~
~~decide on a positive reason for happenings~~
~~go with the flow, let things happen~~
buy/ ~~use purple and or hot pink hair dye as~~

well looks like i did most of the stuff on the list successfully
good fun, good friends, good memories

naturally there was plenty more that i did, that we did, and naturally it was fun and lovely.

dear summer, i’ll miss you
dear friends, come home soon

Jenn.

This just changed my life

2009-07-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

i got so many goosebumps,
Jenn

I just lied to you

2009-07-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

i DIDNT stay up until 5AM studying, i stayed up until 3AM looking at photography books THINKING about studying and then i studied until 4 43 and then i went to bed

im sorry if you feel deceived

Stella told me that I have nice legs

2009-07-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

too bad a stayed up until 5AM studing for a test i took when i woke up at 12 and got home at 4 because the lighting in my room is best at 1, unless of course i want some good shadows, but thats a whole different story. and plus i get the best shadows in the bathroom with a desk lamp, i dont think i could get a good shadow in my room if i tried, maybe i nice flat showdow that would cause agrivation

anywayyyy
tomorrow, at one
im thinking that if i jump around on my bed or an hour or so i could take about 3 photos with a varied level of shittyness
probally one with a slowwwwwwwww old granny driving on sunday shutter spead

then we can move on to the bathroom lighting

and theres a window i want to sit next to

then i might turn into a hand model
and then i'll eat some left over pasta and take a nap
Jenn

Look Out

2009-07-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

a while ago i had the honor of going to this lady's house

Her house is an old warehouse type of lofty place.

the ground floor contains a few cool and unfinished places with a hall way that leads to her studio and wet dark room.

there isn't much room to stand, but after all the only place that is meant for standing is behind the tripod, walking to and from the dark room, and in the dark room you really only need a small square of space to turn around in.

she made it so she could literally stay in 2 rooms all day- into her studio, into the dark room, into the studio, into the dark room....an artist at work has no kitchen or bathroom needs

the upstairs contains three red painted closed doors against one wall, a small but awesome kitchen, a stellar sitting area, a bookshelf full of photography books and a row of her own books, a lovely neighborhood view from the windows, all of the candy mints that a group of 5 girls could ever want, and a table with a huge collection of 23" X 18.5" prints under it waiting to be shown to us- oh and she was prepared, and somehow more excited than we were

she has 2 major projects that she continuously works on, like most do

one series is called "Lifelines"
this project was the one that she was working with when i visited, there where cords everywhere and rows of desk lamps (all used, all old, some broken, some shinny, some rusted, some small, some huge) covered the floor. one was on the desk.

There really isnt that many photos of it online that i could find, but it's better if you see them in person and have her explain it to you anyway.

but basically, (in a dark room) she takes desk laps and keeps it in one spot as the light source as she takes photographs of it starting at the plug and then the cord and up to the desk and finally works her way up to the source. it's really cool and tells a simple and fragile story.

her second major project is called The Lookout.

this is the one that she is most known for.

she's been working on it for years and takes photographs for it EVERYWHERE- all over the world, some even from her own pad in Baltimore

the key is that she doesn't manipulate ANYTHING in the picture (and the only thing she manipulates in the dark room is exposure time), everything that is there she just goes with. the only thing she does is move around to find the best view of what's outside...and she might open the blinds

"Most of the photographs employ a minimal amount of detail to evoke a sense of place, which may make the identification of place ambiguous. Such ambiguity plays on the perceived similarity or differences between places"

also, if you ask her where any one of these is taken she wont tell you, she says that the actual place is unimportant and if she tells it will taint the overall meaning

like i said, not alot of her work is on the Internet...so if you want to see more i HIGHLY recommend that you go to amazon and buy me a copy so i can show you and tell you all her stories

after she showed us about 2 hours worth of her art she asked us what we thought
i told her that it made me feel nostalgic, and she smiled and agreed- right on!
this of course made me, and ms. volkov, very excited that i knew stuff

all of the photography that she takes, from her MANY collections that we got to see all deal with the theme of orientation and finding familiar ground, knowing where you stand and how standing there is similar to standing somewhere thousands of miles away- finding stability. something that i attempt to do through many "vacations"

her work is very relatable

i couldnt find my favorite Lookout piece online, but it was taken in a hallway- the window being in a front door, with a old rusty pick up truck outside. it was exactly as if i started living another life in which was 4 and looking out the window watching dad leave for work

it was beyond amazing being in this woman's home and listening to her explain all of her photographs and what she was thinking as she took them and how much time she spent with them in the dark room. it was mind blowing and a real treat

when she was explaining her photographs, if she was referencing another photograph of hers that she didnt have out, she would just go over to the book shelf and pluck out one of her books like it was nothing

one of the best parts was when we were coming back from lunch we past by a trash can and someone goes "wait! theres a lamp in here!" and we all stopped in our tracks and ran back and Ms. Lynn Silverman picks it up from the trash and gets so excited to add it to her collection to be photographed...and then we continued picking and taking other odds and ends out of the trash

oh you know, just garbage picking with Lynn Silverman

if you ever get to meet her, tell her she's awesome and ask her if she wants to go out for soup and pie (she works as a college professor- take her class, be enlightened),

Jenn

Moving On and the Brutal Truth

2009-07-17T08:17:00.001-07:00

I am beginning to be at that point in my life where I need to begin to move on from my high school life. All of the drama, its totally not worth it. I am in college now. I am leaving in 2 weeks for gods sake

So here are some moving on and my big fuck you to all of the people in high school who made me angry
and then my big goodbye and I love you to the people who never gave me love back.

To the theater kids who thought they were the shit.
Breaking News: You will not do musicals on Broadway. You went to Catholic High School in Baltimore. Your shot of getting a job is nothing. SO CHEERS TO FAILURE!

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To all of the Sports People who thought they ruled the school. For the people who acted like they were so cool. NO ONE LIKES YOU! CHEERS TO THE NERDS!

Weezer - Undone (The Sweater Song)
by samithemenace

To the Principal and the President of our wonderful high school. You ruined high school for everybody! Seeing our favorite teachers fired, keeping the bad students kicking out the good students. Not paying the teachers, stealing money. CHEERS TO NOT EVER SEEING YOU AGAIN!

Finally to the amazing people who were always themselves. Who I respect without a doubt. CHEERS TO FRIENDSHIP!

Goodbye My friends. So long for now

Lover,

Abby

just like we were never there

2009-07-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

"...these people were like shadows one would meet in the underworld I decided to express that feeling in my work to convey my personal impressions..

...i had to find a visual metaphor which would enable the viewer to share my feelings as acutely as possible...

...because the passage of time seemed to be stopped in the realm of shadows...

...one could surely use a camera to stop the passage of time in the eye of the viewer"

if anyone were to invent a time machine my bet is on Alexey Titarenko

sending love from the realm of shadows- wish you were here,

Jenn

"art is what you can get away with"

2009-07-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

it makes me feel devious,
Jenn

today i realized

2009-07-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

that the National Historical Society has been doing a VERY good job.

so much of a good job in fact that there might actually be TOO MUCH history out there to sort through, careful not to overwhelm the public now

historicaly,
Jenn

lighten up!

2009-07-13T20:11:00.001-07:00

im adopting this as my theme song
actually im going to start claiming that i wrote this song

poppycock,
Jenn

I love

2009-07-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

the part about fun underwear

how she dances the way i do, but not how she nerds down in the end

the origanal stress reliever

laughing

smiling when it feels impossible

happy 11th,
Jenn

im in love

2009-07-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

how could this person not be the coolest person ever!?
i'd date him

seriously,
Jenn

he's actually really cute without the make up too ;)

i went on a trip

2009-07-06T00:26:00.000-07:00

and i got a sun burn and a tan

but then the sun burn started peeling

and then my tan started peeling

now it looks like i have diseases
and it's still peeling

ya know, just snakeing around,
Jenn

2 songs, 1 dedication

2009-07-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

this song could verry litteraly make me throw up
i partly blame my waterish fear on this
it was the FIRST song i remember listening to, i have no idea what i wore

i may have secretly written this song.
it all applies, it's all true, it's all mine
i wish i could look that pretty laying on a roof and walking around a fountain

im begging you to haunt my dreams tonight
i long for the smell of sawdust and the sound of a table saw,
Jenn

When i get home

2009-07-02T14:45:00.001-07:00

i have some SERIOUS work to do

but it's not all that serious
and i wouldnt really call it "work"

let's try again...

When i get home....
i have some relaxing fun to create

eh that still sounds wierd

when i get home im going to dedicate a large amount of time to the creation of master pieces

you get the hint.

when i get home...
Alix, Stella, and I are bonding

Jenn.

If someone could get there hands on a cheep polaroid for me i'll offer you a best friend status AND a self portrait of myself AND a discounted portrait of you ;)

Who gives a damn about a little destruction

2009-07-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

Unless you live under a rock, you know there have been several celebrity deaths. Well I'm not going to write about how much I will miss them, they are humans also...they die like all mortal beings!
So I refuse to listen to the entire Michael Jackson collection merely because he died. How fair is it that most people told MJ off as a pervert and queer while he was alive but the moment he died he became the most moral being that ever lived. Suddenly the presses have stopped just because he died, news about the highly corrupt Iran election for an entire day! People were (and still arex) dieing on the street and Michael Jackson was the prime headline.
I am not saying that it isn't bad that MJ died, I mean Farrah Fawcet suffered for months with rectum cancer and even her death was covered up by MJ. I just personally believe that petople should focus on their own lives before they pay such heavy attention to those of celebrities. Personal note: my doctor who has been my doctor my entire life and the doctor for my older brothers just died. He was 81 and suffered from Lou Gehrigs disease. To me this is ten times more tragic than the deaths of Farrah, MJ, or Billy because this man changed the lives of thousands of children. He was one of the researchers on Attention Deficit Disorder and helped with the development of Adderall.

There was a poem that was always hanging in the examination room that I think is completly fitting for this subject

"One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, how big my house was, or what kind of car I drove. But the world may be a little better, because I was important in the life of a child."–Forest E. Witcraft

I will love you and miss you forever Dr. Srsic. You are my inspiration and so you know you were important to a child.

RIP Dr. Raymond Srsic

Lover,
Abby

use it, abuse it, share it

2009-07-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

cortesy of USA TODAY:

"Stepping up the gratitude
Giving thanks year-round can make you healthier
Your Health By Kim Painter

Thursday, in between the cheese ball appetizers and the pumpkin pie desserts, most of us will indulge in something proven to have powerful health benefits.

No, it's not that extra serving of stuffing. It's the expression of gratitude — the simple act of thanking God, thanking others or just counting your blessings. Saying thanks, it turns out, isn't just pious or polite. It's good for you.

Practicing gratitude is like exercising, says Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California-Davis: Use it, and you won't lose it, even when times are tough, as they are for many folks right now.

Lyubomirsky and Emmons are among researchers who have studied the power of gratitude and learned, for example, that:

•People with high blood pressure not only lower their blood pressure, but they feel less hostile and are more likely to quit smoking and lose weight when they practice gratitude. This was demonstrated by calling a research hotline once a week to report on the things that make them grateful.

•People who care for relatives with Alzheimer's disease feel less stress and depression when they keep daily gratitude journals, listing the positive things in their lives.

•Those who maintain a thankful attitude through life appear to have lower risks of several disorders, including depression, phobias, bulimia and alcoholism.

•Most people can lift their mood simply by writing a letter of thanks to someone. Hand-deliver the letter, and the boost in happiness can last weeks or months.

Practicing gratitude in these systematic ways changes people by changing brains that "are wired for negativity, for noticing gaps and omissions," Emmons says. "When you express a feeling, you amplify it. When you express anger, you get angrier; when you express gratitude, you become more grateful."

And grateful people, he says, don't focus so much on pain and problems. They also are quicker to realize they have friends, families and communities to assist them in times of need. They see how they can help others in distress as well, he says.

After 9/11, many people reported increased feelings of gratitude, says Chris Peterson, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.

It's too soon for studies on the influence of the nation's financial meltdown, but Peterson says he hears a lot of people counting their blessing these days. "There are people who say 'It could be worse, and I'm glad I have my health.' "

Gratitude won't get those people new jobs or replenish their retirement accounts, but it could give them the energy to tackle their challenges, Peterson says:

"It can only help."

Page 6D"

courtesy of some health artical place:

""Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life." -- Christiane Northrup, MD

Hearing these two simple words ‘thank you’ can evoke a sense of acknowledgment and/or appreciation. These two words can be easily forgotten to be said or used without sincerity. I bring this topic up because each day that goes by we tend to do various things for others or help in someway without hearing these two simple words ‘thank you’.

Not feeling valued or feeling unappreciated can negatively impact one’s relationship. Relationships can be improved when one is cognizant of their efforts in displaying gratitude, appreciation, and encouragement. Often, it is easier to focus on negative aspects in a relationship; however, saying ‘thank you’, ‘great dinner’, ‘I love the way…’, etc can bring a greater response . Ongoing gratitude and appreciation can strengthen any relationship which could offset times of arguments and conflicts.
Expressing gratitude and appreciation is a great tool that could improve your relationships. I ask you now to take this time to think of the people who are supportive and appreciated of you. I ask this of you because people can easily go unnoticed for their efforts, support and encouragement. I hope that this insight on the importance of appreciation, gratitude and saying ‘thank you’ inspires or reminds to say ‘thank you’ in the near future..

It does not take much to make someone feel valued.

"If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul." -- Rabbi Harold Kushner

"Gratitude creates the most wonderful feeling. It can resolve disputes. It can strengthen friendships. And it makes us better men and women." -- Gordon B. Hinckley"

because after all, it can only help- so why not?

thank you,
Jenn

rockin like a huricane

2009-06-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

i've never been on two really long trips back to back before- until now- welcome.

so i got back from one and got rid of all or most of all the "need-to-have-my-own-space" engery and locked myself in my room for a dayish

then i got together with all of my dear friends that i've been deprived of and got all of the "where-the-fuck-am-i-?-i-could-be-hanging-out-with-my-friends" feelings out of the way

and by then i was ready to surender myself to the creative side of my brain and let the oddities and "art" run around until i was in the clear

butttttttttttttttttttt

we left again mid projects. so i have a few unfinished business that i would like to attened to that i cant. because im stuck in the most amazing lounge with the free food-which is awesome, but lacks rolls of foil, stacks of newspaper, endless seas of intense liquid cementy paste, rolls of film, piles of cardboard, and who knows what else. a whole lot of nothings. but nontheless my whole lot of nothings.

blah

but today, in an attempt to spring happiness and less sarcasm my way, we found ourselves at an art museam. yeeehaw

art museams can be fab or lame all depending on who you go there with. most of the experience comes from standing in front of a work and staring at it forever and then discussing it's magestic qualities with the person next to you. if you dont have anyone to stand next to you miss out on alot

there was a large Shepard Fairey exibit going on. you know him- i promise. i never got to see any of his stuff in person- so that was neato
pleasing

i have a soft spot for controversal art.

but you'll know him for this if not anything else:
see, i told you know him.

they just put out some food in the lounge, people are swarming like ants on a picnic. i need to be sure to get my piece of this picnic before the red ants come and hog it all.

if it wasnt for the food i would have deleted about half of this and added more commentary about Frank...who is Shepard...but i cant give you the whole story because food is here. but actually i dont know the whole story anyway, i have more digging to do first- but im interested in his little life beyond art...so maybe i'll keep you updated. dont count on it
enjoy the fact that if it wasnt for food you wouldnt have read about half of this because it would have fallen victim to the delete button

yeahyeah,
Jenn

Odd things

2009-06-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

im in the most awesome most ritzy little hotel place ever right now. im in an exclusive little loung on the 9th floor with soooo much free food that i basically just had dinner. i went to the bathroom on the 1st floor and met the biggest cleanest bathroom ever with the best bathroom loung i ever saw. im living in here. theres 2 flat screens just in this room! and this computer screen is so big it's insane- people 1 feet away can clearly read what im typing. HELLO PEOPLE TEN FEET AWAY! so as you can tell, im STOKED. so i just wanted to leave a quick blog to check in and pay my dues before i get back to eating FREE FOOD. nothing stokes me out as much as free food and clean bathrooms.

so a few strange things that i've seen/done/learned in the past few days.

Martha's Vineyard is not a vineyard, nor does it contain a winery of any kind
The two 3 minute boat ride that i previously mentioned was secretly 3 boat rides for about and hour and a half each
I did not cry, panic, or lose control of my breathing during the boat rides
If you undergo alot of torture (going to 100 million places that requires you to stay at 100 millon hotels which results in you being a hotel 'gold member) you will recieve your reward (access to an awesome lounge with free food)

yup. back to eating my weight in free hotel chief made beef buritos and factory made yogurty smoothies.

i'll save you something,

Jenn

The Places I Have Come To Fear The Most

2009-06-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

im in cape cod right now.

sometime during this trip i know that i will be traveling on a boat to get to some island
30 minutes there, 30 minutes back.

thanks to wikipedia, i remembered that it is Martha's Vineyard that we are going to via boat

thank you wiki, bff.

im in this hotel for "a few days", so i could end up on a boat tomorrow, the next day, the day after that or who knows when. how long is "a few days" anyways?

well sometime within 9 days i will find myself to be on a boat and the surprise will hit me like a huge coastal wind blowing right in my face preventing me from taking a breathe.

i thought we were heading for water today while driving and started emergency zening, taking deep full breathes, visualizing myself being in the little stupid boat and being ok, and forcing myself to smile in hopes of finding some sort of joy in the situation

we didnt go on a boat. it was a train place instead- and that's a totally different story

the last time we went on a boat...

*cue flashback audio and blury black and white screen effects*

the last time i was on a boat was the first time in a few years.

it was for whale watching

the things that i hate about the water is when im in/on it, when im on it and in the mercy of someone driving me around and potentialy drowning my poor self, when im in deep enough that i cant touch the bottom, when im in it deep enough that huge ginormous whales and sharks and squids and whoknowswhatelses are swiming under me moments from turning my vessle upsidedown. scary and not fun. mostly scary

i cant swim, but im pretty sure i can swim but just to scared to have at it

im such a complicated little fruit cake

anyways...

we were on the boat whale watching. as soon as we entered the boat i made a bee line to the inside/covered area/cafe section and sat my little butt down in a booth and stared at my sneekers

while all of this was happening and begining my dad though i was being an asshole and kept staring at me like i was being an asshole

so while i was asshole-ing around i was also crying my eyes out (i really dont cry often i feel uber lame doing it)

and then of course with my tear fest came a hypervenation party which all conjoined into a lack of breathing fiesta which all formed into a full on panic attack.

so i was sitting in my booth listening to a cd player with feet on the bench and my head burried in them (so the group of girl scouts wouldnt have to stare at my little episode while eating their little lunches)

and the whole time my dad is staring at me from a few booths back thinking im an asshole and staring at me like im an asshole. and 10 minutes into the hours long trip he made me put my cd player away which only made me have to listen to the watch and whales frolick which made it worse. so sorry dad, next time i'll try harder to breathe and be less ass-like

well, it's next time...soon, and for my sake and for the girl scouts' sake im going to try my absolute best to breath normaly the ENTIRE time! dream big.

but this time i get full permission to use my cd player the whole time, woot, and i think that i get to not be thought of as an asshole for a garenteed 3 minutes, hopefully

and since the last event i have better learned the art of zen-ing out so now i can *crossfingers* hopefully control myself enough to sit there and convince myself that im in a different place and zen it out in my head and just hang out in my head and relax

im not sure if i brought some really good meditation zone out kind of music.... i do have my Jason Mraz stuff though as a fall back plan if i dont.

it's just you and me Jason. the world is ours. we own it. we wont drown.
Jenn

wanna know what i think?

2009-06-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

i think people should laugh more.

how about you beat the system and let yourself win

give yourself a mental health day. take a moment for yourself

your spreading your bad energy all over the place. escape it for a while,reevaluate, adopt new perspectives, set the tone, open your eyes, skip around

take a break

worry not

im going to go wrap a chair in foil,
Jenn

you wont see me tomorrow

2009-06-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

day 0- crunch time
leaving bright and early tomorrow.

it's kinda like a sick joke

i actually only came back home to remind you that i exist and taunt you with thoughts of us hanging out

or maybe i came home to remember that i do in fact have a house and it does not smell like new hotel carpet and has more than one floor and more than one bathroom

must dos before departure:

-empty suitcases and refill with different clothes
-find clean clothes
-get bateries for cd player
-load up a purse with survial gear
-empty cd case and refill with cds that werent over listened to on the last trip
-stuff Criminal Minds seasons 1-3 & Happy Days in with laptop
-find an extra hair tie
-find socks
-find out what car we're taking and clean out the left backseat for maximum stretch room
-pack secret food stash for emergency prevention of starvation
-locate Nylons and Brave New World to finish
-stay up all night to sleep all day in the car
-zen

there has to be something good about these trips, something im missing

everyone has bad family vacation stories, yet the vacations keep coming
there has to be something im missing
if theres a reason to smile i'll find it,
Jenn

The Return of the King

2009-06-23T20:33:00.001-07:00

Hey Kids, Abby here. Due to some unforseen difficulties(that I still cannot figure out) I was not able to navigate to the write post page so yeah I'm BACK!!!!!!!

Dude I have no idea what to write about I am not nearly as creative as Jenn. I could write about music and stuff....
Given that it is summer time I'll write a list of songs that you should listen to

There are many reasons why this song is absolutley perfect for summer. They mention daylight. ha Well obviously there is alot of Daylight during the summer time. They also cut the legs off their pants..why would you do that in the winter huh?
Oh and Kim is a Fucking Bad AsS

I LOVE AVOCADOS

Those damned witches always go and turn the hot preps and turn them into Bullet for My Valentine fans. I'm shaking in my Sperrys

Well this is all I can pull off for the night

Lover,

Abby

a one man revolution

2009-06-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

if you had any doubts:

move mountains,
Jenn

It has its moments

2009-06-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

4:44 on , all smiles

cheers

Bob Shane

dance party

love,
Jenn

i wish...

2009-06-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

that i had a tutu

that i had my very own dark room

that it was 7 so i could go play

that i was 7 so i could play with Glen and Lane every day

love,
Jenn

Once upon a time...

2009-06-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

as a kid i was more interested in meetin the leprecon and hanging out with him learning his leprecon ways and meeting his leprecon family. he would naturally have a four leaf clover hat as a disquise.

theyre out there and you know it

as a kid i also thought that Santa operated the street lights for a summer job.

love,
Jenny

im coming for you!

2009-06-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

i'll be home tomorrow at about 9:30! possibly 10 if i have to call out for a bathroom break

lovee,
Jenn

Let's do it, you in? im IN

2009-06-12T17:57:00.001-07:00

i feel as if i should post this a proof of its existance and mostly so you can help make it happen

I present to you:

Jenn's Summer of 2009 TO DO WITH YOU LIST

be truely relaxed
laugh until the point of ab pain, tears, inablility to breath, and/or wet pants
go on a simple free adventure
walk somewhere far
have a meaningful conversation at ease with someone that i havent done so with yet
watch the sunrise alone
watch the sunrise with you
try something new
relive an old memory
sleep outside
photoshoot
dress up and go nowhere fancy
take/be part of ALOT of pictures
establish a tradition
play in the rain
lay in the grass in the sun without worring about the bugs
have cash free fun
have a party for no reason at all
stay up late watching movies
super massive room clean up
find a reason to smile anyway
decide on a positive reason for happenings
go with the flow, let things happen
buy/ use purple and or hot pink hair dye

Jenn's Summer of 2009 Do NOT do list!

accept a phone number
cry
forget
wait
sit around

im sure this list will grow as i think of more and talk with everyone. let's make it happen, shall we?

this will be a good summer, and this will NOT be out last- dispite the rules and the odds

we can do this. we can be happy. we can be friends forever. we can break the rules and replace them with our own.

love,

Jenn

daily life mystery: the reason this blog is lacking
status: SOLVED
reason: half of me is still absent, abby COME HOME TO ME!

taking a sad song and making it better

2009-06-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

it's day 8 now.
i have 10(?)more days to go

i dont really remember everywhere that i've been on this trip...i dont even think that i could tell you the places that i've been today. which means that im basically not getting anything out of this

im counting down the days until im home.

i turned my phone on today at like 5ish to see if i had any voicemails or anything. i didnt. but i had a text message. it was from erin, it said: "i miss you" and that was more than i needed

i called my abby a moment later because i realized how badly i missed everyone and we got to talk for a good 5 maybe 10 minutes but it was the most refreshing thing. to hear her voice and mike and ariel who happened to also be there. hearing them tell me that they miss me and quickly catching up on what i've missed- abby got chocolate covered gummy bears! AND they went to a book store that apparently had a million photography stuff that i would have melted over. it felt so good to hear them

i called ariel a few days ago- but i didnt need that contact as much as it meant to me today- but it felt good all the same. she was sitting on the couch about to grab a shower. she misses me. i miss her.

they're all on senior week and dont have internet
i got a few notifications from them via cell phone and the simple "i miss you" is so perfect

since everyone is gone not many of my friends are on facebook for the few short hours that i have a chance to get on. i've been surviving courtesy of chris- hiya chris- if only facebook chat wasnt a huge hate machine talking would be easier.

so i sleep all day in the car and get out at a few places. i eat. i try not to make myself sick. i get back to the hotel. i run to the computer. i check my few notifications from my family the few friends of mine that have it now. then i freak out when chris gets on and type super fast excited essays to him, which im sure he loves. and that is all the connection i have back home. it tides me over

so home sick.

you dont know what i would give to be sitting in gran's backyard with everyone. i dont know a better feeling than sitting around with my best friends talking about nothing, drying off from the pool with crazy amounts of chlorine in it, eating marshmellows and chips, and getting eaten by mosquitoes. it's the best. i dont have to think about going on facebook or having my phone near me because everyone i love, everyone i would need to interact with, everything i want is right there.

so today i realized that i am getting something out of this trip. if i lacked in appreciating my friends at all, im not now. if i took a hug or held hands and didnt realize how much i loved it, i do right now. if every memory i have with them wasnt cherished and hung onto so tightly before, it is right now.

when i get home again, when i get back to you all, i PROMISE at least one huge spider monkey tackle hug for everyone. i dont think i could help but do anything other than tackle you to the ground when i get to your arms.

i love you, i love you, i love you, i love you, i love you.
i love you foreverrrr
i miss you for 10 more days

love you,
jenn

posterscripter: when i see you i promise to also be about 90% LESS pathetic

Sassy

2009-06-09T15:15:00.001-07:00

Sassy: (adj.) distinctively smart and stylish; vigorous; lively; alternation of saucy

Senior citizens center, Miami Beach, Florida, USA, 1979

Was anyone else even dancing? If not, that's just extra sassy.

Bull riders Craig Scarmardo and Cheyloh Mather, Boerne Rodeo, Texas, 1991

Cheyloh has got some major sass

Vera Antinoro, Rhoda Camporato, and Murray Goldman, Luigi's Italian American Club, Miami, Florida 1993

Could you have guessed this was Miami? I'll be there when im old dancing with Lucky. (Lucky is the dude there that all the girls want...and have)

Beautiful Emine Posing, Trabzon, Turkey, 1965

Emine, Sassy by nature. Wonder where she learned to pose like that.

"I saw this child and thought she was very beautiful. She took me to her house. We had tea with her mother, and I made the photograph in the back courtyard of her small house. She was extremely seductive for a child so young. At the age of 14, Emine left her home to run off with her boyfriend and get married. Today she is 49, has two grown daughters, and lives with her husband in a town near Istanbul" Mary Ellen Mark

Amanda and Her Cousin Amy, Valdese, North Carolina, USA, 1990

I wonder what she's doing now. Nothing more sassy than a little girl in a bikini on a smoke break whil in a kiddy pool with her cousin.

What do you think her cousin is thinking, in over her head or envious?

Amanda is my favorite but Emine is a CLOSE second

About sassy Amanda:

"IN 1990, Peter Howe at Life magazine sent me to North Carolina to photograph a special school for children with problems. The school was a very strange place because all of the twenty or so children were in the same classroom and their problems ranged from mild behavior instability to severe schizophrenia...One day I followed her home on the school bus. When the bus stopped at her house, she dashed ahead of me and ran into a nearby wooded area. I continued to follow her into the woods and eventually found her sitting in an old stuffed chair having a cigarette. She thought that I would reprimand her since I was an adult. But I said nothing....The following Sunday, I spent the day at home with Amanda and her mother. Amanda totally controlled her mother. She constantly gave her orders and proceeded to put on her mother's nail polish and makeup. Amanda smoked openly in front of her. Her 8-year-old cousin Amy was coming over, and she was very excited. All day long, Amanda and her cousin played like children. Every forty-five minutes or so, Amanda would take a break to have a cigarette. Her mother could say nothing; Amanda was the boss." Mary Ellen Mark

Check out http://www.maryellenmark.com/ for the rest of her photographs and comentary.

Exposure, American Odyssey, and Ward 81 are my favorite collections of hers.

Love her.
I just easily spend 3 hours relooking at all of her photographs on that website for like 100th time
One of the best

Love,
Jenn

orange fantastic

2009-06-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

two things i love, Blur and A Clockwork Orange
Blur loves A Clockwork Orange
if you havent seen clockwork orange you must be MAD. it's the only movie that can make me fall in love with a rapist. love you alex!

welcome to the famous Milk Bar!

gotta love the slang. classics

love
jenn

Dear E. J. Bellocq, i want to be JUST like YOU!

2009-06-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

once upon a time, in 1873, there was this dude named Ernest J. Bellocq who was born into a wealthy family in New Orleans. Ernest made his living by taking mostly advertisement photographs of ships and local landmarks for several companies. He loved photography and was overall an average joe who just happened to have gotten lucky by making an honest living doing something he enjoyed. As he got older he lost interest in keeping friends, lived alone, and became one of those old dudes who frequently would yell: "HEY KIDS! GET OFF MY LAWN DAMN IT!!!". Ernest Bellocq died in 1949.

Ernest, being a photography lover, took many photographs througout his life outside of his work. Most of his art was ruined after his death and will never have the chance to be admired in all it's artful glory. However, a collection of negatives, later named "Storyville Portraits" were found hidden in a drawer or a couch cushion (depending on what you read these days)

So what is so special about these Storyville Portraits? Well Ernest had a secret life of taking photographs of the hidden social life of New Orleans...aka...in his spare time he went down to the opium dens in Chinatown and got to know the prostitutes of Storyville. In 1971, another photographer, Lee Friedlander printed Ernest's photographs from glass to paper and published them for him in a book entitled "Storyville Portraits" (duh). I dont think that Ernest would have been anything but proud that his photographs FINALLY got the praise they deserved (seeing as they were taken in around 1920, if they were published then nothing good would have happened surely)

So Ernest finially gets the appreciation he deserves and goes from being known as an amature photographer to being in the very limited list of being a Master Photographer. Go Ernest!

Ernest is basically the man. He went around by day being the average joe just doing his job. He went around at night taking up the project of getting to know the underclass citezens of New Orleans. He sat down with bunches prostitute and got to know them, have conversations, treat them with respect, and offer to take their portaits like all the "highclass important people" do. He scratched out the faces of most of the women in his photographs, either because he wanted there identity to be unknown or because their faces were not needed to convey his artistic message- unfortunatly he never wrote an artist statement :(

He never slept with any of the prostitutes.

Lee Friedlander:

Storyville Portraits:

note the mask that supports the theory that E.J scratched out the faces himself to limit identification:

my favorite ^ she's drawing a butterfly if you cant tell
love you E.J
Jenn

Richard Avedon

2009-06-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

He was trying to unite human, nature, and fashion. He was really proud of himself for taking a photograph at the exact second the snake licked her ear.

This guy's name is Ronald Fischer. He lives in CA. He is a beekeeper. He must have spent a lot of time with his bees. There must have been a mutual trust.

The one thing he regretted in his art was not having that piece of white fabric flowing off to the left in the wind. I regret this too

Always thought she would have been one to cry often and do so while looking more beautiful than she did at any other time.

Love,
Jenn with a little help from Richard

Lasers Vs. Bunnies in Hats

2009-06-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not a fan of the Los Angeles Lasers. The poor bunnies in hats with wands lost! 75-100, it was a good attempt those stupid Lasers. At least the chicken nuggets beat the Lasers earlier in May. They put a brave fight with boiled carrots and asparagus guns while riding grilled cheese horses....
I digress, I'm not a very big basketball fiend so whenever Colclough tells me about basketball I immediatly make up scenes in my head about the names of the teams.

Yesterday was so crazy with that graduation party and stuff.

So here are some truths about Graduation Parties:

#1 Gifts- there is never a right time to open them
#2 People- You don't get a chance to talk to them
#3 Teachers- make things a little awkward at first, especially when they tell you a story about when they got pulled over and they had a Magazine in their backseat in plain view
#4 Family Friends Whom You haven't Seen in 5 years- You never know what to say to them. Thats what reminiscing is for
#5 Your Friends- Will be begging for you to hangout with them but..
#6 Your Family- Will be doing the same
#7 The Weather - Will in variably be horrible even though you planned a bunch of outdoor activities
#8 The Food- Won't be eaten entirely
#9 The Cake- Will be avoided at all costs
#10 The Money- You get alot!

Lover,

Abby

Para Bailar La Bamba

2009-06-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

Today has been entirely hectic back in Maryland. While Jenn is dying with her father on a long car trip I have been working my ass off for my graduation party tomorrow.

I woke up at 8:30 to man fixing my dishwasher which has been broken for a week. The lame-o totally did not fix it though and now we need a brand new dishwasher. What makes this really uncool is the fact we are having around 30 people over to my house tomorrow for the grad party(that jenn cannot go to: boo) So I was being lazy like you are supposed to do on a summer morning talking to Colclough on chat when I realized "Holy F@*k" I forgot to make cookies. Mike (boyfriend) was coming to pick me up in a half an hour! MAD DASH....chocolate chips, brown sugar, eggs, regular sugar, vanilla, butter,and flour. Mix it alll up and voila I had cookie batter. Meanwhile I also remembered I had to wash all of the dishes in our sink from the past 2 days by hand. (if you are sensing the stress, you should) So as I am cleaning dishes I am also keeping an eye on these cookies. And the phone is ringing and somehow I read a newspaper.

Which reminds me I went outside and got the mail and Paul F Galeone sent me my diploma picture and it is fucking hilarious...it includes me and my mom hugging and Mr Meehan in the background plotting our deaths. I was literally rolling on the floor laughing when I saw this.

Okay so Mike came and picked me up and I went out with his family for a bit...

fast forward a bunch of hours because I would rather forget what happened between these events.

My family went to costco to pick up the cake and I think I found the laptop I am going to get for next year and it is freaking awesome.

My dad is like a little kid, when he is hungry he throws a hissy fit....It was super funny. My parents got into this huge fight over where we should eat dinner. After the panera catastrophe of 09 we went home to clean my basement.

Mike and I pretty much re-did the entire basement and we put lights up and stuffs. It looks sexayyyy and I am taking advantage of my brothers old action figures and my grandfathers stuff from Vietnam/ World War II/ N. Korea.

Have you ever noticed that some songs give you stomach cramps...they maybe good songs but. I'm a freak

lover,

Abby

Greetings from Dollywood

2009-06-04T18:06:00.001-07:00

As Abbers said in her last post- im on a road trip. Welcome to day 1 of my "vacation"

we drove about 8 progressive hours on the highway. i was bored inbetween naps and wrote an outline of the day to blog about....if you want to get the full experience i recomment listening to Jason Mraz: We sing, we dance, we steal things. this is what i was listening to for about 15 hours striaght, and it didnt get old once!

if you dont own this album you NEED to for survival reasons

so anyway. i woke up sometime at like 4.30 and basically rolled out of bed and into the car. we drove away at 4.50. for the first time in my life there are not any chew bars in my house, so i substituted them for captin crunch and brought them with me

in the car the first thing i learned to do was to opperate my CD player and locate we sing we dance we steal in the dark. i turned on the cd and turned it up to drain out my dad's talking about nothing and double checking things as i always do to avoid getting his anxious engery mixed up with my zen self.

the licence plate on our rental car has the word "ARM" in it. lauren and i refer to the car as "ARM"...it also says "clayton" on it somewhere.

it's really hard to adopt sleeping possitions in the car that limits soreness and the possibility of getting numb legs or butt. when your on a long car trip and your butt goes numb...welll...it's all down hill from there

our usual car needs to stop for gas every 3 hours. this car stops every 5 hours. i can only pee in 5 hour intervals. the first pee/gas stop (at 10 am) was in a gas station (as usual) and i got to go first to find a fly chilling out on the toilet seat (eww)

good road trip tip::: if you have to pee, sleep instead- it will by you a few hours

so basically im almost caught up on sleep (finally) from proms and late night "study sessions" aka facebook chats.

lauren and i found a place in out arm rest that was basically designed for our snackage. right now we have half a kitkat, 1 half eaten peanutbutter cracker thing, 1 half eaten cheese cracker thing, and a bag of captin crunch. lauren said i can have her half of the kitkat (yesssss!)

we went on one of those drives on the smokey mountian place and drove for hours and saw bears and mountain views and stuff.....i also saw a tree that looked remarkably like a giraffe

we also drove by an exit sign for ashville

my dad thinks i have tourettes

this is a very scattered post but i was going by this outline in my notes on my cell::
"D1
slam door- work cd in dark jm- tgif glo ta- drain ot dd- alstat- arm pla- no chew- no num butt strat- fly gas st- REM- stor snac- 5 hr car- brok ear- cau slee- aville- gr tre- tret"

and that is an outline of my brain

i have to report back upstairs to our hotel room now- booo

i'll hopefully check in tomorrow

btw: THANK GOD FOR GLOW TAPE!

love, jenn
sorry this was so long :(

Here some Facts Young Ones

2009-06-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

10 Facts

#1 Abby has never written a blog before so yes she did post the first post twice.

#2 The second posting has a picture so you should read that one

#3 There is a thunderstorm going on right now

#4 Jenn is going on a road trip with her family tomorrow morning

#5 Abby has no idea who is going to read this other than our friends

#6 When making our Blogger Profile Jenn copied and pasted from our facebooks

#7 I really have to pee

#8 My house is scary at night

#9 It is alot harder to find pictures for these posts than you think

#10 I am having a party on friday

Interactive

Should we put ads on our blog?

Lover

Abby

Day One, Blog One

2009-06-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

GREETINGS COMRADES!

We aren't really sure where this blog will go...but I am sure Abby and I both agree that we hope to have people read it-we hope some of those people are our friends, we hope that none of those people are creepers, and we hope that everyone finds some form of entertainment reading it.

This blog will have posts that are serious and funny, literal and figurative, long and short, meaningful and meaningless, intelligent and stupid.......it will be an interesting adventure for all of us (especially Abby who is spellchecking this as we type).

Abby and I will post most things individually, but sometimes we might surprise you with a joint post. This is sort of a joint post...it's written by jenn and approved/ spell checked/ subwritten by Abby.*hoorah*

I'm sure it wont take long for you to realize the difference between my writing and Abby's writing.I am sure I will post alot of small entries that are mostly wimsical and spelt wrong. I predict that abby will have longer posts about important things most of which will involve introducing sweet bands to you.But, it might switch every once in a while because Abby gets ADD and things go aury. We'll see where this goes and what happens along the way.

We cordially invite you to our blogging adventure. Watch us try to figure this stuff out and try to figure out the rest of the world. We hope you enjoy it, we hope we enjoy it. We feel free to post whatever we want, so you feel free to comment whatever you want. Feel free to read this or not to- we'll blog either way and love doing it. Moral of the story: Feel Free.

smiles, hearts, and peace (foshizzle peace too, not the kind that 14 year old girls talk about)

Love,

Abby and Jenn