See Hear Speak No Evil

i’ve been thinking about a change for some time now, but on dec. 31, i made it official. in true jess fashion, i have some really crappy photos to show you my new hair.

here’s me on like dec. 30 or something:

here’s me on dec. 31, taken with bridgy’s MUCH BETTER camera:

ignore my really creepy bony fingers. and my double chin. focus on the HAIR, dammit. that game we are playing? it’s called killer bunnies and the journey to jupiter. have you heard of it?? whatchoo think about my hair??

today we were at sam’s club…and i was examining some giant pork tenderloins. they were only $1.97 a pound, and i was trying to decide if i wanted to buy one or not.

jake says, “mom! how do you cook pork lion anyway?” (no, that is NOT a typo.)

me: “pork lion?”

jake: yeah, pork lion. that’s what these are called.

me: no they aren’t. they are PORK LOIN.

jake: oh. well, i like pork lion better. that’s what i call it.

he then proceeded to talk about pork lion for the next ten minutes. how do i cook pork lion??

on new years eve, we were all getting ready to go over to bridge’s house for a night of debauchery food and games. paul had just gotten out of the shower and was singing in the bathroom. he was just being a dork…he knew i could hear him. jenna laughed and said, “mom, you have a good husband.”

jenna told her grandma, her very mormon grandma, on christmas day that “my mom lets me drink coffee ALL THE TIME.”

then jake chimes in, “yeah, she does. we drink it every weekend!!”

that is SOOO not true. thanks, jenna. you have a giant mouth. and jake, you are no help.

jenna: “mom, would you like a mountain dew?”

me: “why yes, yes i would.”

jenna: coming right up.

she brings it in and then stands there and waits for me to open it. when i don’t right away she says, “moooom. i wanted a drink of that!!”

very generous of her, dontcha think??

last year, i made a series of predictions for 2008…

let’s do a quick recap:

1. i predicted an obama presidential win. dude. i was totally right on this one!!

2. i was totally wrong about an earthquake in utah.

3. i still can’t balance a checkbook. and i won’t be learning in 2009.

4. i can’t find info on this, but interest rates dropped. home prices dropped. i’ve seen some houses drop in price by 20-40 percent as they sit on the market for months and months. something i didn’t predict at all: that paul and i would buy a house.

5. the GIANTS won the superbowl. the spurs didn’t win the NBA title. the yankees SUCKED (sorry, ty, but it’s true.) and joe torre’s team (the dodgers) did well, but i don’t think they got a wild card spot. i can’t find (read: i can’t read baseball stats) info on it. beckham is still around.

6. herald journal didn’t get sued.

7. usu football team DID suck and they did win a game early in the season, but i think their two other wins came later in the season. at least coach guy got fired this year. maybe we have a chance to be halfway competitive next year.

8. i did NOT win the march madness bracket.

9. i DO have great friends and family. i’ve been super bitchy to paul lately - he deserves better than that, but i’ve been unable to help it. sorry babe.

10. i didn’t make ten predictions.

i don’t know how al is doing in new mexico, but here in northern utah, we are covered in inches and inches of snow. good if you are a skier or snowboarder, kinda sucky if you are not.

and in the forecast? MORE SNOW. good hell!

last week, it dumped a good 8 inches on us. i left work a bit early, stopped at lowe’s and bought paul a snowblower. when i brought it home, he expressed concern about the cost and how much we would actually use it.

last night, it was absolute blizzard conditions at our house. we were supposed to drive 17 miles to logan to play christmas games at bridge’s house (it’s tradition!) but decided not to mostly because paul has been ill, but the bad weather certainly sealed the deal. the wind was so loud it thundered around the house and i was grateful for our home and the safety it provides. the wind drifted the snow and before we went to bed, you couldn’t tell where the sidewalk or the driveway were. paul went to take our boxer outside and she looked at him like, “are you nuts? you are kidding me, right? she took two steps outside and did her business right there and ran back in. the shih tzu wouldn’t go out at all; she preferred to use her puppy pad. little shiht. ha ha ha.

this morning, paul was completely thrilled to fire up the snowblower and go outside to wage war on the drifts and piles of snow. he said there were 22 inches of new snow in the driveway. the snowplow had already gone by and there were approximately 40 inches of snow at the end of the driveway. complete mayhem.

in true neighborhood fashion, several people in our neighborhood were out with shovels, 4 wheelers fitted with plows and snowblowers. paul did the sidewalk and driveway of our very elderly widowed neighbor. he wanted to do more, but the snowblower was getting hot and needed a break.

the kids are out sledding. paul is playing wow. the dogs have a place to potty. and the christmas mess is almost cleaned up. i’d say it’s a pretty good day despite the snow.

now THIS is something i might be interested in: a storm trooper kick line! wookies and ewoks singing! woot!

from nme.com:

‘Star Wars: A Musical Journey’ has been signed off by the films’ creator George Lucas, with the two-hour show set to be performed at the London O2 Arena on April 10, reports Eonline.com.

i really like episodes 4, 5 and 6. not enough to see them 47 times or to stand in line for tickets for hours… however, i might be interested in watching star wars: the musical. at least in 3 minute segments on youtube, that is.

bwah. ha. ha.

apparently, hiring departments at some companies have been straight up told to avoid hiring people who play world of warcraft.

from kotaku.com:

He replied that employers specifically instruct him not to send them World of Warcraft players. He said there is a belief that WoW players cannot give 100% because their focus is elsewhere, their sleeping patterns are often not great, etc. I mentioned that some people have written about MMOG leadership experience as a career positive or a way to learn project management skills, and he shook his head. He has been specifically asked to avoid WoW players.

i can see why this would be a valid concern for some people. however, i don’t think it’s fair to lump all people who play WoW into one category, either, unless that category is WoW Geeks. there are several of us WoW Geeks who manage to stay up all night, but still get to work on time and have regular jobs.

just don’t look at our dirty houses and piles of unfolded laundry and no one gets hurt.

additional reading here.

this past week, bridge and i went to body worlds at the leonardo in salt lake city. body worlds is one of the most amazing things i’ve ever seen. it is a traveling exhibit; if it’s ever in your neck of the woods, you should plan to attend. created by a doctor, the exhibits are actual organs, bodies and slices of bodies preserved through a process called plastination. in fact, bridge got nauseous and had to keep telling herself the bodies were fake.

the exhibit itself is very clinical, however, there is a high element of creativity as well. the bodies are posed in action so you can see how the muscles are flexed and to get different views of the organs, bones and spine. one body was posed throwing a javelin; another was a trapeze artist hanging upside down over a mirror.

included in the exhibit was a small exhibit on the developmental stages of the fetus. i struggled with this the most…as the babies are totally real…not replicas of babies. i also have officially crossed the line from pro-choice into the realm of nothingness. i still can’t join the pro-life movement, as i think this is something government should stay out of, but i can no longer pretend to be pro-choice, either. the 8 week fetus is tiny - perhaps 1 inch long, if that. but you can see at 8 weeks that it is a human. at nine weeks, there were absolutely visible fingers and toes. that 9 week fetus pushed me over the edge. skip the rest of this if you want - but i can no longer support a woman having an abortion only for convenience. adoption is highly viable solution and should be pursued in every case. the thing is, i have to take the totally chickenshit way out here…and i can’t pick a side. do i have to? a male-dominated government should not be able to tell me what i can do with MY body. but aborting a baby even at 9 weeks…feels wrong. is there a third category? something like pro life choice?

the exhibit also had some pieces that were comprised of ONLY the arteries and the veins. they plastinate the body and then chemically remove the bones, flesh, muscles, etc so that you can see just the blood network of the body. totally disgusting and totally cool at the same time.

things i learned: i had no idea the kidneys were so small. i had no idea what the appendix really looked like. i had no idea the testicles were so separated the way they are attached to the body. (side note: i kept laughing at the testicles like a 10 year old boy. they looked so ridiculous. i don’t know how you guys walk around with those things. guffaw, guffaw…) i knew the small intestine was huge…but you really have no idea until you see it all stretched out. i personally had next to NO concept as to how compact the organs are inside my body. there really is no extra space in there. our bodies truly are a miracle.

tidbits:

1. intervention is coming back on A and E. i love this show.
2. rooster’s in ogden has INCREDIBLE fish tacos.
3. bathrooms in trailers can be classy. (bridge will post pics later…)
4. 7 inches of snow in less than 12 hours really sucks.
5. drinking almost an entire bottle of wine by yourself in one evening is probably never a good idea.
6. dogs don’t like to pee or poop in 7 inches of snow. we have two dogs, so this is a major problem.
7. christmas is in less than two weeks. i’m doomed.
8. i got some new fabulous jeans recently. they have made my entire MONTH.
9. i’m failing at my job. it’s not doing anything for my ego. or my pocketbook.
10. do people really still use the word “pocketbook?”