The Fabulous Stains

Not Boring

I am loving The Pierces, a set of Alabama singers that will make your heart swoon and feel all syrupy while listening to them... They themselves are a fairytale madness and are as poetic in their words on their MySpace page, as they are in their music. When asked what they wanted in the sound of their music they said, and I quote from their MySpace page, "...they wanted it to sound like a fever induced, gypsy dream that you have after drinking too much red wine while listening to a cabaret singer in a southern speakeasy that is run by witches…"

Check out their song Secret


I also love their song Boring, it has a very James Bond feel mixed with their Speakeasy drunken splendor...

Happy 2009

R.I.P. Bettie

In early December pinup icon, gorgeous woman, kind-hearted soul, and a true believer in 'just being your self,' Ms. Bettie Page, died at the age of 85 in Los Angeles. May she rest in peace.

Gucci by Gucci —by David Lynch

This morning I had breakfast with Andrea at my FAV breakfast spot, Bryant Lake Bowl, mainly because they offer vegan sausage instead of real sausage—I heart that! I was talking to her about her recent adventures in Houston and a Mr. Mystery Man which prompted me to bring up the movie Blue Velvet by David Lynch. Now a good 12 hours later and I am perusing some blogs when I made a discovery on the very cool blog Cat Party that brings my attention back to Mr. Lynch. It's a new Gucci perfume ad by David Lynch. I heart this too.

Take Note!

My dear friend Amy seems to be beginning a photo journal of her and her boyfriend Marshall’s travels and it’s lovely!


Amy and Marshall are avid travelers and Miss. Amy, AKA Mingo, is also a sweet-ass photog! I have added the Amy and Marshall Travel Journal to my section "Good Stuff On the Web" on the right, but you should check it out immediately and you can see more pics like the one from above from their most recent trip to Guatemala. To check out the rest go to Amy and Marshall.

The only sad thing about their travels is that, while they are away, someone else is taking care of my man Watson.

Oh Loyal Fan...s

Hello! I know it's been a while! I promise to write a lengthier post about my recent happenings in little minnie-sota soon! I do get myself involved in the oddest things and my most recent activities are no exception to the rule of "what the hell am I doing now!!??" But alas I am a wee bit busy with this adventure and I am doing some freelancing that I should focus on... I did want to share this though: my aunt Lisa, a very beautiful, funny, witty, and stylish woman, is a great artist, and in memory of my Miss Honey she made me a drawing of Honey.


It's sooo beautiful and looks just like Miss. H.; Lisa is also a cat-lover and was a big fan of Honey's so she completely understands the sadness of this loss... Enjoy the picture, it's very beautiful!!

Walmart Vs. Apache Plaza

The other day I had a traumatic experience at the Walmart. Walmart is HUGE here and this store scares me so... it’s huge, weirdly lit, and full of the oddest characters and oddest merchandise. And yet, I find myself in it often, deliciously enticed by its oddities. However there is so much more to my feelings about this store, than just the store itself. Let me explain:

When I was little, growing up in New Brighton Minnesota, a St. Paul suburb my parents still live in, there was this great little mall just off of Silver Lake Road in the adjacent neighborhood called St. Anthony. The mall was called Apache Plaza and it was fabulous! It was a small mall, not like those huge crazy ones today, there was nothing cookie cutter about this mall. It was all one level and you could literally walk the perimeter of it in say seven minutes, maybe five? That, of course, is without stopping to shop.


Stores that were housed here included my favorite, Marco Polo Imports, a tiny shop in the middle of the mall that had tons of crazy, weird jewelry and gifts; Jolly's Hobby Shop, my bro's fav place; The Beauty Center where Linda cut my Dad's hair; a tiny JC Penny with the Pixie Studio where my aunt worked and took all of our childhood photos; Two Plus Two; Minnesota Fabrics; Braun’s' Fashions; Woolworth’s; The Little Professor Book Store; the secretive Scarpellie’s Restaurant; and, the oh so seedy Apache Wells where those that took to the ‘Devil's Brew’ often could be found...if I wasn’t seven at the time I most frequented the Plaza, you would have found me at the Wells.

In the basement of the mall was Queen's Court dance studio, where I flubbed up taking ballet and tap and my bro successfully took break dancing; a tanning studio; and a weird Weight Watcher's Center. There was also a bowling alley where my parents played in a league every Wednesday night. While my parents competed on the lanes, my brother and I roamed around playing video games with the other kids, chomped on fries and candy at the refreshment counter, and often bought the oddities of the establishment's weirdest vending machine. This machine dispensed anything and everything from tweezers and a mini sewing kit to packs of Beemans and a single serving of Bazooka Joes, but my most favorite thing we ever bought from this machine was the miniature smoking monkey. This special little monkey came with miniature ‘cigarettes’ and real matches. So, there we were, about eight of us 7 to 10 year-old kids lighting the matches up to the monkey’s tiny cigarette resting in his mouth. Once lit we watched in absolute glory as the monkey puffed and puffed his little cigarette away.

Okay, I'm a little off track in reminiscing about this mall, and from the title of this post, I guess we all know that Apache Plaza will win the showdown of St. Anthony consumer stores hands down, and how could it not!!?? The place had smoking monkeys! And let's not forget the mall’s wonderful events and entertainment features. There was a fountain in the middle for penny wishing; an actual huge toy train that took the kiddies around the whole mall for fun, special dress-up days like Pajama day and, of course, Halloween, and on certain nights—usually a weekend—crazy Midnight Madness sales!


Over time though, like all good things, Apache was coming to a sad end… the mall deteriorated and faced challenges, such as being hit hard by a tornado in the late 80s. Soon the only stores left at the mall included a Hallmark shop and Anderson’s Furniture. However the space persevered and became a hot spot for craft fairs and Flea markets, and if only in small spurts, the mall came back to life again.

In 2004 it was the end of the end as the building was demolished to make way for a new, flashier consumer haven, the ever popular fancy suburban strip mall complete with a Cold Stone Creamery (sugary yuk); Caribou/Starbucks, whichever chain that drove a nearby mom & pop coffee shop out of business; of course Chipolte, some Noodle chain, etc. You get the point. And of course, there was the Walmart headlining the demolition. And that brings me full circle to that traumatic experience that just happened a few days ago at the Walmart.

I am perusing the ginormous aisles looking at the craft goods, frozen foods selections, and eyeing the limited edition of the Sex & The City Movie, all the while listening to the wails of a screaming child. In the back of my head I am thinking about Apache, as that ghostly mall haunts my thoughts every time I come home. The screams seem to be getting louder. As I turn the aisle I see the small child that is making these horrific noises, a little boy, about four-years-old and in absolute agony about something that happened upon him in his early life. Just above him I see his mother, standing where I can only guess is where I purchased my first pair of ‘dangly’ earrings—hot pink, lace entwined hearts—and she bends down, looks at her crying child and says, "shut the fuck up."

I left immediately. No one and I mean NO ONE, from the Apache Easter Bunny to the owner of the mall's local, crazy card shop Expressions, would have ever said the "F" word in Apache Plaza.

Hands down, Apache Plaza so wins the St. Anthony consumer hot spots showdown.

----------------

In remembering Apache Plaza Mall I came across this great site that I completely recommend for others wanting to relive the memories of this wonderful mall, the Apache Plaza Tribute Site; http://apacheplaza.com/apachepage1.html

Interestingly, and way off subject, but surely interesting to any fans of Lost, the logo for Apache Plaza so reminds me of the Dharma Initiative.


Namaste

Strangers

My sabbatical stop in MinnieSoooootha is so strange. I haven’t lived here in five years and wow already I see such a difference from Chicago—even though both are based in the Midwest.

In Chicago, if someone is angry or annoyed they are not afraid to let you know it, same goes if they are elated or interested in something—strangers don’t have a problem speaking up and just letting their obnoxious thoughts flow... I guess something should be said for the repressed Minnesotans. Thanks all for shutting up because I guess I don’t really want to hear it. Of course this doesn’t keep me from being quiet. I think I scare these Minnesotans. Like the other day in Target I hear a mother and daughter gabbing about something, literally having a loud blasé conversation one foot from my head and I couldn’t help but pipe in; and as soon as I did they both ran far from me with a look of horror. And I'm thinking 'hey you are the ones dishing your crap right in front of me, what did you expect!?'

I have had similar experiences here, such as on the first night of my new job at a local restaurant downtown. I was doing hosting duties and I was all friendly saying such stuff as “Hi! How can I help!? Thanks for coming in! Have a great night!” I know, scary! Okay, not like I’m all cool or that Chicago is cool, but it became very customary there that you develop a relationship with the workers of a restaurant. One just always said goodbye and thank you on your way out to the waitress, manager, etc, even if you were shouting it across the bar; it was just what happened. It was a courtesy. So when I was being all “byeeeee!!!!” to people leaving this place, I got strange reactions. The men looked at me like I was coming on to them and reciprocated my niceties with looks of horror and disgust; the women merely smiled politely, yet secretly as if not wanting to be caught communicating in anyway with a stranger, and then simply squeaked a quick, quiet ‘thanks.’

It was amusing to see these people run from me as if my saying thank you was the worse thing in the world....maybe it’s just me, but I swear I have noticed a clear difference!

Ava Bava!

Ava Bava's official debut! MEOW! How adorable is she!? Her left eye has a scratched cornea, and yet she is STILL perfect! Honey would be proud.

The telly is gone, so I guess it's official!

I sold my television yesterday! So it looks like I am definitely moving to NYC! Wow, the past few weeks have been a whirlwind of preparation and well, parties! Saying goodbye to friends and goodbye to my things has been intense! Without going into extreme details, I have decided to just show some pictures...

A pre-sale kicked off the selling of my apartment in early September. Here my friend Ashley in her new pink hat exits with her friends, all of which are carrying new goodies from the pre-sale!

For my last day at the magazine, September 19, my immediate supervisor bought me a special pink Barbie cake to wish me "Good Luck" in my adventures!

Here I am celebrating and eating the cake with my former co-workers. Yes, many of you know, this was a very joyous day!

Later, those former co-workers and I further celebrated on the rooftop of Rock Bottom.

And then even later, I held a special goodbye FTC (Finer Things Club) Dinner at my apartment for the members of this exclusive club......here some members were overjoyed in trying on many of the outfits I had ready for my sale the following day. (Above Amy models the hot pink pants and black blazer, Camri is donning the turquoise and black sheath dress, while Jen is wearing the elegant black and leopard trimmed suit!)
Here—reminiscent of the famed Papin sister—Amy and Camri take a moment for the camera in these pretty dresses.

The next day was the Sale Soiree—the most anticipated event of September 2008! Buyers noshed on crackers & cheese, edamame, and hummus; sipped white wine; and bought to their hearts' content!

Tanya picked up a vacuum cleaner and Asian print, among other things; Mandy, a tiara; Barb, an Audrey purse; Abby, Kim, Muffy, Jen, and Sarah each found their own treasures, and Julie scooped up the beautiful pink garden table and vintage turquoise chairs among her many treasures!

And another happy shopper, Mary, left in her favorite find—this classy apron with matching rubber gloves! Oh la la.

Thanks to all who helped me celebrate my leaving by buying my stuff!

My Love

(From Wikipedia)
The Black truffle or Black Périgord Truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is named after the Périgord region in France and grows exclusively with oak. Specimens can be found in late autumn and winter, reaching 7cm in diameter and weighing up to 100g. ^[9] Production is almost exclusively European, with France accounting for 45%, Spain 35%, Italy 20%, and small amounts from Slovenia and Croatia.

bla bla bla

All I know Black Truffle is that I love you.

Uninspired? Maybe

Wow, lately I have had nothing.
My blog has been blasé.

Today I bathed a cat. Today I also heard a man ask the cashier at my local mart if he sold ‘single condoms’. And I thought “Man you need more confidence in your 'skillz.'”

My temple hurts, probably because I attacked a bug bite hoping it would behave like a pimple.
Ava had a BIG day today! Ava, that is my new cat. She’s been with me now since August 7, but since day one has undergone some major stress. Let’s see... I had friends over for a bedazzling party and drinks the day after she was adopted; then, two days later, two girlfriends from Minneapolis roared into town. We listened to loud music, drank wine, and danced in front of mirrors. A man broke into my open window while we were away at dinner. Lame ass C.P.D came over to NOT do their job.

The next day I ripped Ava from her somewhat safe abode into my friend’s home with two other cats and five people. Once home she endured workers tearing out windows and replacing them with sturdier news one with bars. She then developed an upper respiratory infection. She began peeing on my bed. I was distraught!

The problem seemed to go away until this past weekend when I discovered a new urine prezzie on my enzymed-to-death mattress. Today I hauled her ass downtown on the train to see the doc. All day she sat in her crate, waiting for an exam. She got prodded and poked and it was discovered the poor boo has had a bladder infection (peeing out of the box is a huge size of that). She then peed in her crate while waiting for me to pick her up at 5.

We walked to the train, in the rain, waited for 30 minutes for a train that wasn’t completely packed. When she finally got home for safety, before she knew it she was being scooped up for a bath.

Poor kitty.

Now I am enjoying a much needed glass of wine and she’s enjoying a much needed bath of her own version. I am SO happy though. The bad peeing was likely a sign of her feeling sick, so she will be okay and not kicked out to the curb.

Aside from kitty world, I am still in the midst of my major change. No, I'm not turning into a man. At the end of the month I am leaving the city to do what I need to do to leave for New York in January. I am slightly freaking out every five minutes. Leaving my cute little apartment will be sad and selling my ‘Jolenie’ things is upsetting. I know they are just things, but still, it’s sad to me.

My friend E called, after getting an umpteenth email about how I feel sad leaving the apartment and all my ‘things.’ She has been very understanding, but today she said, “it’s funny, while I know it’s important to you, I just don’t understand; it’s only stuff.”

I get that. I guess why it’s been important is because decorating is sort of a fun hobby of mine; I get REALLY into it. While I have lots of ‘things,’ everything is organized—everything is meticulously placed. From the miniature rubber kitties on my TV to the tchotkie pigs in my kitchen… but it is only stuff; it doesn’t move me forward and, as E pointed out, the stuff will never love me as I love the stuff.

Poor Ava. I tried to blow dry her ass. That did NOT go over well. Yes, as I type, I am watching her trying to get comfy with wet fur. She’s a vision nonetheless.

So, from a sick cat to freaking out about freaking stuff, I got nothing. Pretty boring in J’s World…I guess I could talk about politics, but what fun would that be? Um, Palin is pretty, but like pretty models, maybe shouldn't speak? Obama is so young and handsome...his wife is utterly annoying! I wonder if McCain stopped at Cosettas for some killer Mostacollie?

Yeah I got nothing in the world of politics either... is it too late in the game to talk about my boyfriend Phelpsie?

For Foxy

Fortunes

Tonight I decided to grab take-out from a Chinese restaurant in my neighborhood that I had never been to before. Rarely am I head-over-heels happy with take-out food from any Asian restaurant—I guess mainly because I have had a lot of bad Asian cuisine—but since I had never been to this place, I had to give it a try. Well, let me tell you, I was pleasantly delighted!

I devoured crab rangoon and a main dish of black and straw mushrooms with tofu in a brown sauce. Yum! Yum! There was a ton of it and now I even have dinner for tomorrow as well! However, the delish food aside, what sold me on the place was the final treat, that is the fortune cookie

Finally I got cookies filled with actual fortunes, rather than silly mini advertisements or funky phrases. And what is most important, obviously, is that these fortunes spoke to me, confirming my own solid intuition of knowing what I need to do.

Okay, let me explain... LOTS has been going on in J's World. Too much! Too much—too handle! Sadly the events as of late, or rather the events of the whole summer of 2008, have not been the most positive. These events have urged me to make a major, quite terrifying, but seriously exhilarating decision—more on the specifics of that decision later. But, of course, while planning for this new chapter in my life I can't help but stop and think, "Am I totally crazy?"

So when I opened my two fortunes—yes I got two!—I felt plain wonderful. The first fortune was sort of a phrase, rather than a true fortune, but noneless it set the tone.
It said:

The principle business of life is to enjoy it.

The second was my fortune that spoke to me, calming the apprehension within:

Ideas you may believe as absurd ultimately lead to success!

Aaaaah! Big breath, big smile!

Until later,
晚安&做个美梦

Thank You Bill Murray

On Friday Bill Murray parachuted from a plane to kick off the 2008 Chicago Air & Water show.

Thank God Bill Murray brings smiles to my heart during stressful, exhausting times.

I am certain...

"I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affection and the truth of imagination."

-- John Keats

Technical Difficulties

J's World is experiencing some serious technical difficulties; We'll be back once we get our heads together.

I Heart Frida

Last week, my friend and coworker Brett and I started taking some goofy snapshots at work—I guess you could say we needed a "morale booster"—and some were, of course, posted on Facebook. Well, my gorgeous girl Andrea commented that my pic seemed very "Frida Kahlo", a comment I was all too happy to hear. One of the pics can be seen at the right; I'm thinking the office background is not so Frida, but the colors is what probably sparked such a comment.

I love Frida...it may seem easy, or a cliche, but Frida is nothing but an inspiration, a truly raw woman that lived with conviction and passion. She was in constant physical pain, but that didn't stop her from living and creating. And, like the Latin cultures, Frida's paintings and life were surrounded by gobs of sumptuous, saturated color—yum! A lush world that I long to live in, complete with pinks, reds, blues, flowers, vivid gardens, monkeys, ruby stained lips, luxe black braids, and those killer brows!

Last December, at the Minneapolis Walker Art Center, I got to see the world premiere of the Frida Exhibit in celebration of the 100th anniversary of her birth. The exhibit featured 50 paintings from the beginning of Kahlo’s career in 1926 to the year of her death in 1954. Kahlo's eery, and at times heartbreaking, self-portraits were the focal paintings of the exhibit and these pieces made me feel as if I was peering into her soul.

The exhibit is now at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, if you have a chance, definitely go check it out!

Juicy

Princess says I need to get over my animal/bird obsession for a while. My creative juices have certainly not been flowing lately... but I suspect that is changing...aaah but not tonight, I am much too sleepy to be creative tonight.