Happy Smurf Day

My Current Obsession

The CTA should love me. Because today, tomorrow, and however long it takes to finish reading 100 pages of a book, I long for my rides on the el. This is the time I get to step into the once real-life world of Dare Wright, and her eccentric, overbearing mother Edie. The world is glamorous, intriguing, and of course, because both Dare and her mother were artists, attractively tragic, but of course, oh so sad.

Yes I am oozing with an obsession, and it's all about a book. The book is The Secret Life of The Lonely Doll by Jean Nathan. My obsession has obviously something to do with Nathan's strong prose, but more to the point really, this book is about a cherished part of my past: an old favorite childhood book. Simply titled The Lonely Doll, written by artist, model, photographer, and lost soul Dare Wright, The Secret Life of The Lonely Doll is the search for Ms. Wright.

Think back women of the 80's; you too may have read The Lonely Doll. I hadn't thought about it in years until Nathan's book came out a few years back and I saw the image of Edith, AKA The Lonely Doll and a flood of memories came to my existence.

The book is told through a series of black and white photographs, taken by Wright, about Edith the doll, who was quite lonely until she met up with Mr. Bear and Little Bear and began her crazy adventures. The copy I had as a child was read over and over, I was completely enthralled, but I remember always feeling perplexed by it, wondering what drew me to this book—I never knew. There was something very dark, mysterious, and alluring about the book. In fact, it was considered 'dark' by others as well as there are stories of the book being taken off library and book sellers' shelves in the '70s and '80s, because some thought of it as a book not meant for children.

Looking back now I realize it was truly a piece of art, created basically by a woman that just plain never grew up and had her own demons to battle with.

This book, and the follow-up books thereafter, were Dare's legacy, and in short, her story. Dare's past was certainly tragic, but really so interesting. Her relationship with her attention-seeking, and uber glamazon, painter mother, and her relationship with a long lost brother, that was abandoned by her mother when he was only 5-years-old, is tantalizing. For example, for fun, throughout Dare's entire life, her mother and her would play dress up—a lot. They would create backdrops, special costumes, and fantasy worlds—not just when Dare was a child, but even when Dare was 40-years-old!

Even if you didn't read The Lonely Doll as a child, I highly recommend picking up Nathan's book on Ms. Wright as it's a deliciously captivating read! It reminds me a bit of Little Edie and Big Edie, another mother and daughter duo I am as equally enthralled by—check out my post on those two here.

In thinking of mother/daughter duos, I have to wonder, is Mama Turner and I as crazy as these ladies?

Does downing cartons of chocolate marshmallow eggs count?

How about shopping at Herberger's and Savers for wonderfully cheap fashionable duds? Yes I think so! Well mainly because we are usually just shopping for me—a little unfair to Mama, but I do love it!

Thankfully we are much more level-headed than these other crazy mothers and daughters, not to mention much, much cuter! I have to say though, just thinking about mothers and daughters, it's pretty wild how very different my mother and I are! I am loud and boisterous, I guess you could say a little attention-seeking? My mother, on the other hand, is quite reserved, a complete lady! I think I endearingly embarrass her often! I kind of thrive on it. Oh she is so cute when she gets embarrassed!

But....but, back to this lonely little doll.... I have to say, upon reading The Secret Life of The Lonely Doll, I am starting to get some some tribute book ideas in my head about my own little doll...
Little Jolene! Creepy? Yeah, just a little.

What a Country

Today I learned about the great word Jocularity (as a 'writer' that is an embarrassing thing to admit).

Today I learned that Sand dollars found on the beach are already dead, and that starfish are not. And, although starfish don't have nervous systems like ours, they are aware of things like darkness, light, hot and cold, water and not water. So that said, today I also learned that my brother, at the age of 9, psychotically and viciously murdered many poor helpless starfish.

Today I learned that the Precious Moments Wedding Island closed. I am forever sad. Where oh where will I have my wedding now? Must make new plan.

Today I learned that seersucker is coming back into style and Ashley will be wearing her Seersucker suit to work tomorrow. Yay!

And now I leave you with this:
It's Yakov Smirnoff in a Cosby sweater! What a country!

Crazy-busy-crazy-tired

Work has been real busy...lots of deadlines...it seems when I have deadlines I'm vegged out in front of the telly watching such things as The Way We Were and Dancing With the Farts, reading Domino, or my new favorite book Peresoplis by Marjane Satrapi. I highly recommend this gem of a book, then you may see the movie. It's a super fast read! Aside from that I am avoiding bill collectors, artfully living on pennies, and oozing adoration onto a large fat furry being.

But I do wish I had something prolific to tell you, or at least the time to really get into the things I want to say.....for example I have been a vegetarian now for well over a month and I'm really getting into it. Some people have wondered why I'm doing this. And it's really beyond the cruelty, well that is a major point, but there are other things to it as well.

I'm educating myself more about food and the choices we make. I would love to sit here and get into full details about this, but alas time, my friend, time.. basically meat is gross to me. I'm talking about the issues of the nasty hormone injections, the horrible living conditions and treatment of the animals, i.e. animals treated like products, forced to live in feces, being hung upside down, alive while blood drains from their bodies...also gross, is the fact that the people that are suppose to be policing the industry are the same people making the money off of the industry, so more nastiness happens, ie. things like bacterial growth, e coli, salmonella, etc. are conveniently ignored.

Even people's proclamation of their beloved chicken and turkey is nasty! Yeah yeah you are all pretty annoyed with me now, but I find it all so simple, basically do you want to put something healthy and normal in your body, or do you want to be put a rotting carcass in your body?

I would also love to then talk about the nastiness of milk ... yeah I can hear you already and what I have to say to that is "calcium my ass" The dairy industry has taken you for a ride if you actually think milk is a good source of calcium. You want a good source of calcium? Try chewing on a stalk of broccoli. Maybe you just like the taste? Baby cows like it too, which is a good thing since they are the only beings who should be drinking that stuff anyway... But alas I should shut my mouth until I have eliminated dairy from my diet entirely. I am really on my way, but dammit there is this creamy Caesar dressing that has me at my throat it's so damn good!

Okay my rant, for now, is over... aside from food, I could go on about my plight for the perfectly designed apartment, well perfect for me, but that is a headache I am not wanting right now either. It seems no matter what I do, I just can't get things perfect. To learn more about this adventure, along with my love of design, kooky home decor, painting skills, fav designers and more, please do check out my design blog Abode, yeah that gets as updated as J's World.

More later Gators; I promise!
Now go chew on an apple and some legumes.

Chillin like a villain

Actually I'm real busy... more soon from J's World!

OH! My! God! OMG!

Okay I probably shouldn't be writing this, because well in a way it's counting my hens before they are hatched, and also I look like a total dork right now, because my excitement has to do with a guy.......BUT..I'm just too excited! This Friday I have a date with Ross Gellar, I mean of course David Schwimmer! Okay you know a few weeks ago when I blogged about my seeing him at the theatre, well it turns out that that moment of eye-locking, hearts thumping, dreams dreaming, and future Ross babies being fantasized about, well... it wasn't just me getting all giddy.. I mean I was kidding around in that post, but it turns out he really did notice me!
That night he felt something too and sought me out! Okay thank God he doesn't know I have a blog, or I'd totally seem like a loser right now!!! OH MY GOD Ross. ugh this is going to be hard, you know David doesn't like when people call him Ross. But DAMN I can't help but think....I'm going out with Ross! Rachel's Ross! Ross the paleontologist! DOCTOR Ross Gellar!!!!!

A DOCTOR! So I don't have a ton of time, but basically he saw me talking to one of the theatre peeps and he investigated, well that is what he told me when I saw him TODAY at Borders.. I went to the Borders on State and he happened to be there and came up to me and told the story.. anyway, EEEK! We have our first date on Friday. OH MY GOD I REALLY think this is it! Like this is the first date to the rest of my life!!!! Can you imagine my wedding!!!??? Loads of celebs...and no more bills anymore..I'm sure he'll pay off my debt... oh maybe any family debt too... and the babies.. oh we will have so many babies... okay more later.. must work now for a bit, at least until I can quit to be a full-time wife.