Something like this. Crumbling city = work crap we leave behind! http://ping.fm/lg6ye

I envision our takeoff to Hawaii as one of those scenes in 2012 where they fly off just as everything falls in on itself.

Me and @MyDeformedElbow better hurry and get to our vacation before the crankiness swallows us whole!

Dear @Target: Those little stick on handles that you put on items too big for a bag? Genius.

Sleeping with the windows open is nice and cool but slightly terrifying. Am convinced every sound is an axe murderer. wuss

VACATION IS SO CLOSE! woo

Mine's the only cat that looks at the red light from a laser, shrugs, and goes "meh."

Looking for beauty in Los Angeles

I have a strange relationship with Los Angeles. When you tell someone that you're from Southern California, they naturally assume you mean LA. Growing up living much closer to Orange County, I never spent much time in or near LA, save the occasional trip to Universal Studios. It always seemed like a long trip to a dirty place. While this is untrue (it's only 40 minutes to a place that does have pretty areas), it didn't make my bias any less real.

The last two days, I've been to LA for a concert, and to go shopping with my mom, and started looking and seeing the beauty of the city.

The Wiltern was a gorgeous inside, I would definitely buy tickets for another show there.










The Jewelry District was a home for some of the crazy stereotypes running around LA, but beauty could be found by looking up. The buildings were old and beautiful, and reminded me a lot of New York City.







- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Valley Blvd,Fontana,United States

My Deformed Elbow: Jenn's Mix

My Deformed Elbow: Jenn's Mix: "I've made my girlfriend a mix-tape. Well, the modern day equivalent. I created a playlist on iTunes and then ripped it. Even this process seems outdated. Enough about that. What follows is a song-by-song explanation of why I chose each song. I'm trying to be John Cusack at the end of "High Fidelity" where he makes a mix-tape, using songs his girlfriend would like rather than what songs he thinks she should like. I'm not completely there yet, but hey, at least I didn't include any Slayer..."

From out of nowhere...

Oh wow, do I have some updating to do! It's so easy to forget about this blog now that I'm living among my friends and family once more. Plus, my life has been in upheaval for about the last 2 and a half years. Now that things are settling down, I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that I'll stop and update more often.

For this post, I'm sticking to one subject: work. After being unemployed for 4 months in 2008/2009, 2 years ago I took a position in a field that, while steady, doesn't hold my interest. Not only that, but the company is run far differently than I've ever experienced. And I've had to be content with that since then. This isn't an economy where you can be picky. Not only am I not getting interviews, I'm lucky if I get an automatic email reply to my application! It's hard to not have a passion for what you do, but I am aware that is how most people live. They do what they have to do to pay the bills and keep their standard of living. I wish I could be content with that, but I need at least the POSSIBILITY of waking up and not dreading going to work. For now, I have no one depending on me, so thankfully, making a change affects no one but me - perfect time to do it. It will likely be a long wait, and I am doing my best to remain positive.

Happy Slapsgiving!

If you don't get my title, please introduce yourself to the awesomeness that is "How I Met Your Mother" (pictured at left). It's worth it. Anyturkey, this is the first Thanksgiving in a decade where I don't have to travel! Would've been last year, but I went to Napa with Arion, where he is headed once more - dropped him off at the airport this morning. I'm Chino Hills-bound and then -- God forbid! -- I actually have to work on Friday! Unfortunate, yes, but most of my lovely (can I have a sarcasm font for Christmas?) coworkers will be gone, so it will be that much more enjoyable. Plus, I have been cured of the insanity that led me to actually enter malls on that most evil of shopping days.

In more painful news, my mother (hi Mom!) has guilted me into joining her at her weekly spin/torture class. (Folks, never accept a free laptop until you read ALL of the terms and conditions.) I have a total love/hate relationship with this class because it just hurts SO good. True, I am cursing the whole time, but feel amazing (if slightly nauseated) afterward! The only drawback is that it makes me HUNGRY like you can't imagine. So my next step is to figure out how to resist the temptation to devour the entire contents of my pantry. Talk about defeating the purpose...

Follow me on Twitter @JennMoser for more random musings/coworker hatred.

Happy Turkey Day!

Blog FAIL

Well as you can see, moving home has obviously been successful! Got here and promptly filled my time with things other than blogging! Actually, that's not entirely true. With the advent of Facebook and Twitter, I'm sure I've been "microblogging" this entire time. But, with all that is new and ongoing in my life, I'm feeling like I need this outlet once more. So, this is my re-entry into journaling... a year and a half later. It will likely be a lot less than before, considering I was all by myself in Vegas! I'm going to attempt to chronicle my adventures in search of the perfect job, getting back on the gym/weight loss wagon, and all of the wonderful memories that come from living among my amazing friends and family.

Being back

Well, I've been home for a month now and if I haven't said it enough before... I LOVE IT! It was truly the right decision at the right time.

I've been making the most of it, too! As most of you know, I recently lost a bunch of weight. And now I know why! In Vegas, especially the last year or so, after work and on weekends I didn't do much besides go to the gym or go shopping. I didn't really have anyone around to go out to eat or anything... let me just tell you, I don't have that problem here! I thank God and Weight Watchers that I've taught my metabolism to work overtime because there's ALWAYS someone to eat with! Whether it's lunches with my mom, dinners with Arion or Amanda or her family or (now that my dad is back) MY family, there's constantly meals to be had! I indulged for about the first two or three weeks and now, I just can't. My willpower has, thankfully, kicked back in and so has my gym routine.

Then there's my new job - the reason that my move was even possible. For those that don't know, I work for the City of Rancho Cucamonga at the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center as a Supervisor in charge of Marketing, Fund Development, Box Office, and the Front of House. Tomorrow will be the start of my fourth week, and I'm loving it. My team is great! I work with smart people who seem to love what they do, which is more than I could ask for. Everyone has been so warm and welcoming and it has made the whole move that much better. It's a very busy workweek and most days are pretty much scheduled from beginning to end, but it makes the day fly by! And the drive isn't bad since I'm going against traffic both ways. At the end of the summer, Jessie (Amanda's sister) and I will be looking for places to rent probably somewhere off of the 210 between Covina and Rancho.

As I could have predicted, I'm running into many familiar faces around here. It seems like very few people have left the area, and if they did, they came back! All I really have to do is go to the gym to have a another high school reunion! The city has changed so much, though... what is with that big mall opening in two weeks? Craziness. Growing up here, there were farms and cows and we had to drive at least 10 miles in either direction for any shopping!

I went to Vegas a couple of weekends ago (no one get mad - I was only there for 7 hours!) to pick up some things I had left at the house. I miss my house, definitely! I wish I could move that thing to California brick-by-brick! But at least it's there for my family and friends and I to use for the next year or so. Most of all, I miss my friends. But I will see you all very soon when I come visit for longer than a day! I'm hoping to come up this month or next.

It's funny - in some ways it feels like I've been given my old life back - I'm in my old room (again, just for the summer!), Amanda's been across the street from me, I even have the same CA driver's license number and when I signed up for my new insurance, I got my old card number. They just re-issued me those! And yet it STILL doesn't feel real. I feel like I'm on an extended vacation and at any moment I'm going to have to leave. Maybe it will finally set in when I move into my own place, who knows?

Either way, life is good. :)

Packing

The first box... and my makeshift dresser for the next 4 months or so...

Casey knows something's up. She does the same thing with suitcases.

Moving home!

I can't believe how long it's been! But I've been away from this with good reason. So much has happened in the last few months. On a whim, I applied for a job with the city of Rancho Cucamonga, and I got it. Really, it was as simple as that! I was SHOCKED. I had planned on LOOKING for jobs to MAYBE move home but instead, fate found me. I've very happy, obviously, but a little sad at the same time. It's bittersweet to leave the place where I've become an adult, really. I've spent all of my twenties here, I've made some great friends, and I've had a lot of fun times. But, the time has come for me to go home. My going-away party is on March 29th so I will be sure to post some pictures here!

Top 5 things I will miss most about Vegas:

1. My Bellagio people - you know who you are and you're why I didn't move home 4 years ago. Nuff said.

2. Cherry Hill - I've been going to see them for almost 6 years.

3. My job. I LOVE my job. Even more specifically, I love my team. If I was staying Vegas, I would never leave.

4. My house... probably my biggest (literally!) sacrifice. There will be no 3 bedroom house in California. I will be lucky to get a 3 bedroom condo with 2 roommates!

4. My very short (10 min) commute to work.

5. Traffic updates - there are (3) freeways in Vegas and after they are done with them, they start listing SIDE STREET accidents. In California, I'm lucky if they even mention the freeway that I'm on.


Things I will NOT miss:

1. The incessant WIND.

2. The construction - as I write this, they are tearing up the street outside my window and their light is shining directly toward my house. It's 11:51 p.m.


And when they are done at 5 a.m., the construction on the shopping center behind my house begins. Good times. Thank God for my iPod. P.S. SCREW YOU Momeni & Associates!!! Whew, had to get that out.

3. My electric bill in July.

4. My gas bill in December.

5. The long drive to California!

Bah humbug.

So aside from having the winter cold from HELL, today was supposed to be a pretty good day. I went Christmas shopping after work (the first shopping I've done all season, I might add) and got a surprising amount done.

Little bit of a backstory... so on Monday, I discovered the gift card I used at Nordstrom was never given back to me by the cashier. I called the store and they confirmed that my card was not given back to me, but they didn't know where the cashier put it. Well, today I called to see if they had found it because the dept. manager assured me it was there. Instead, the cashier herself gets on the phone and tells me, "Oh, I gave it to some lady who said she lost a gift card. There was no name on it." Of course there wasn't a name on it. IT'S A GIFT CARD.

The card should have had about $95 left on it. By the time I'm done messing with the folks at Nordstrom and called American Express to get a replacement, they tell me that the balance is now $24 and that they can send me a check for that amount. Let's just say I will be calling back that department manager at Nordstrom tomorrow. Oh, and this is the same Nordstrom where I worked as a Loss Prevention Agent. How's that for irony?

So after that phone call I decided to check my email and go to bed. Instead, I open my internet browser and have a big error message that says my internet has been disconnected and to call Cox Network Security. I do, and they tell me my email has been hacked and someone has been using it to send out spam. Awesome. Thankfully I don't use that email address for much, but I know that there was at least one email that contained my home address. Makes me thankful I got that home security system.

So yeah, people suck.

I'm really hoping something good happens between now and Saturday to get me back in the holiday spirit...

JM

I cannot believe it's been so long since I've posted. SO much has happened in the last 2 1/2 months.

First, I went to my ten year high school reunion. What a blast that was! Hung out with the girls: Talya, Angie B., Kareen and Amanda Kingsbury. Saw so many people I hadn't seen since graduation. Very glad I went.

Second, I went to Hawaii for 10 days! It was the best vacation I've ever had, hands down. I am truly in love with Kona, snorkeling, and sea turtles! Cannot wait to go back someday.

Third, and what I'm probably most proud of... I've lost 20 lbs! As most of you know, I started going to the gym regularly this year, and I joined Weight Watchers in August. My goal was to lose weight for the reunion and Hawaii, but instead I made a life change. My eating habits were completely unhealthy, and I couldn't stand the way I felt anymore. I've gone from a size 10/12 to a size 4/6. I never thought I would be able to do it, but OMG does it feel good. I have more confidence than I've had in a about 5 years. Going to meetings every week kept me accountable for the way I was eating, and that helped. They also helped me to read my body and stop eating when I was full instead of eating because there was food in front of me.

I have a horrible winter cold right now. I'll finish this post and add pictures when I'm feeling better...

What I've retained in ten years...

So my ten year high school reunion is this weekend. I cannot believe that it's been ten years, but even more than that, I can't believe how little I remember! I loved high school, but so much has happened since then, its become a big blur. I just looked at one of my yearbooks, and I can hardly remember some of the folks who signed it. I remember my close friends, of course. Even the ones I'm not so great at keeping in touch with. The inside jokes have faded, but I'm happy that I'll get to catch up on Saturday!

A few things I do remember....

Freshman year -- Meeting Angie B., meeting Eva and Rebecca and Jill and Kari and Jeff L., Mrs. Lewandowski's class and the long paper I did on the Nile River, my friend Jesse Haid (no idea what happened to her), my first year in choir and that "Rhythm of Life", Collin and the "choir room" joke, riding the bus to school, Sadie Hawkins, and 4 hour phone conversations with Ricky, Josh Miller breaking my foot and feeling horrible when I came to school on crutches, but then becoming one of my best friends.

Sophomore year -- Oh, the drama! French class with Talya, writing notes back and forth with Matt, therapy sessions with Jean, Women's Ensemble, the tennis team, getting rides to school with Jacob and Qyon, then breaking into my house when I would forget my key, hanging out in Kari's German class before I started second period, biology with Mr. Landorf, singing at the c/o '95 graduation in the gym because it was raining.

Junior year -- Honestly, this is year I remember least and I don't know why! I only had 5 classes and then I went to work, so that's really what I remember... I didn't like junior year much. Chemistry sucked, and so did French III. I do remember this is the year I earned my "Buffy" nickname from Asya...

Senior year -- My boys Josh and Jason, how I love you still! Bowling most days after school (when I wasn't working), my best friend Erin (love you lil' mama! Kiss Jaxon for me!), Vocal Ensemble - probably my favorite high school memory of all) with Mike "the leg-rubber", singing Samson with Talya, Mr Mitchell's (R.I.P., you are missed) class who I had to bribe Mr. Moore to put me in, homecoming with Jason Vahle (anyone know where he went?), prom and the fiasco that turned into, psychology class with Jessica and Veronica and some great peeps, dragging my poor friends to Applebees far too much (I'm very sorry for that!) and of course, the movie theater! But that went beyond high school (and is a story all its own)...

That's what I remember. I'm sure there is a lot that I need filled in for me... :P I'm so thankful that I keep in touch with most of the people mentioned above, and I hope to connect with those that I don't!

Here's to us, class of 1997! :) and all my loved ones from '95-'99! MWAH!

In no particular order...

My cat is snoring. Really loud. It's hilarious.

I'd like to tell one of my friends to quit being such a pompous ass. Seriously, get over yourself.

I met a very nice, real-life cowboy today. His name is KC Jones.

Getting a wisdom tooth pulled is not a great way to spend the weekend. More headaches than actual pain, but that just might be worse. And I wouldn't recommend taking painkillers after just a bowl of soup.

My house looks amazing right now. Thanks, mom!

Am loving a local magazine here in Vegas called (that you really wouldn't think I'd like) Racket. You should check it out.

That's it. That's all I got. Maybe I can fall asleep now...

What I'm up to...

I'm reading:




I'm listening to:


The last song on the album, "Gravity" is stunningly beautiful. I'm in love with the lyrics. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to this song.

I just bought:



These shoes. I have them in brown too. Aren't they cute?

Had the abolute best trip to California a couple of weeks ago. It was one of those weekends where I had plans and actually went through with all of them. Got to see everyone I wanted to see, did everything I wanted to do, and didn't stress about when I would make it back to Vegas. I'm officially addicted to the Garment District in L.A., though I think I've had my fill for a while. Went to the Orange County fair for the first time in almost ten years. It was crowded, but fun. Good food. Amanda and I went to the beach for the first time in ages. I think we talked for three hours straight.

Had my first event at work -- the Top Flite "You vs. Vegas" Million Dollar Putt at TI. Even got to stay overnight at TI -- their rooms are great! And the bed... I'd seriously buy one. It was horrible spending the night in such a wonderful bed and then having to get up at 5:30 a.m. to set up the event. We went to dinner at Social House which is a sushi restaurant with a balcony that overlooks the Sirens show. Yes, I even had sushi. I had a tuna roll, and a salmon avocado roll... I think. I also had some Kobe beef sliders... mmmm. Anyway the event went perfectly. I spent the evening making sure the talent -- two showgirls, a magician, a mobster, two Mystere artists, 11 Sirens, 9 pirates, and a "little person" -- didn't miss their cue. I know , only in Vegas, right?

I also cut my hair. I started growing it when Amanda got engaged, which was two years ago! So I've seen it long - well, long for me. And it's not really me. It wasn't bad. I LOVED wearing a long ponytail. But I think I look better with short hair...



The picture above is from my co-worker Andrea's birthday party at Sierra Gold. It was the first time I'd really hung out with the people from work. They're a fun crew!

JDM