stuff jen says: Aug. 20: Good news, eh?

mapleleaf When we went to Vancouver, B.C. last year to celebrate April’s and my 40th birthdays, we looked into taking the train because HELLO, it’d be way nicer to let someone else do all that driving. Unfortunately, the only way to get from Portland to Vancouver via Amtrak is to take two different trains, and the way they’re scheduled means you have to spend the night in Seattle. How much does that suck? I mean, I love Seattle, but the cost of travel gets up there near airfare when you factor in two hotel stays. Never mind, thankyouverymuch. We let Jim drive instead. Lucky Jim.

There have been rumors for a while now that Amtrak was going to add another train to make the travel take just one day, or make a direct route between Portland and Vancouver. And today the announcement was made. Hooray! My Amtrak travel experience is limited—my longest trip was Pendleton-Denver and back—but the trains around here are much cleaner than, say, every European train ever. Except for the Chunnel train; that one was pretty nice. Anyway, this news makes me happy happy happy because this is definitely something from which we will benefit.

The train leaves Vancouver pretty early in the morning, which sucks, but it’s still a better option than before.

Now I can hardly wait to go to Canada again—gotta stock up on caffeine-free Mountain Dew and those yummy Coffee Crisp bars. If I didn’t have a codeine allergy I’d get a bunch of 222’s too, because they sound like something I would otherwise enjoy very, very much.

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facts of jen's life

So, who do you think you are? I think I’m Jen. People who don’t know me sometimes call me Jenny. That’s weird.

Tell me about yourself. I was born a small black child, and am now a grown-up, or at least my kids think I am. I’m in my mid-40s and live in the ‘burbs of Portland, Oregon. My husband is Victor, and my kids are Katie and Jack. Read this if you want the real and very long scoop.

Tell me things people might not know about you. I am an ordained minister and can perform marriages. Why no one has asked me to do this for them yet, I do not know. ● At the request of my Disney-hating friend Ed, I got mouse ears embroidered with the name “Satan” and I didn’t even get kicked out of Disneyland. It’s quite possibly the ballsiest thing I’ve ever done. ● I “helped” write this book, published in 2012: You Take it From Here, by Pamela Ribon. My name is in the back, and I’m still geeking out about it. ● I recorded a song in a studio in 1994 and it got local radio play for a few months. At least two times I turned on the radio in the car and my song was playing at that moment—very cool. ● I nearly died from a zit in 1986. I am not making this up. ● Victor and I once appeared on The Tonight Show. Really. If you can find a VCR, I’ll show you the tape.

I read some of your posts and I think you might be an alcoholic. I drink way less than I write about drinking. If I ever STOP talking about booze, then it’ll be time for an intervention.

What do you love? Books. Coffee. Fonts. Broadway musicals. San Francisco. Bacon. Rum. Law & Order. Naps. Butter. Home. Crack cocaine. iDevices. Words. Disney vacations. You.

If you could punch anything or anyone in the face, what/who would it be? Cancer. I was diagnosed with lymphoma in November 2009. I kicked its big fat ugly ass and am in remission now. ● Comic Sans. ● People who won’t take responsibility for their problems—the “I didn’t do anything to deserve this!” attitude. Look in the mirror. That’s who to blame. ● Celebrities who are famous for no reason. Y’know, if we stop looking, they’ll go away... ● Bad grammar and spelling and the dummies who use it.

You seem bitter. Did someone piss in your Cheerios? I’m not bitter. I think unicorns-and-rainbows stuff isn’t very interesting to read, so I tend not to write that way. But also, now you’re being kind of a jackhole.

It seems like no one ever comments on your blog posts. Why is that? Most people comment on the Facebook links. I don’t know why.

What if I want to tell you something? Two ways to reach me: leave a comment on a post, or e-mail me at jenniferTAKETHISPARTOUTmanullang at gmail-dot-com.

4 comments:

AnonymousAugust 20, 2009 at 12:55:00 PM PDT
I've never been to Canada but always wanted to. Consider me hugely jealous right now. :)
sherileeAugust 22, 2009 at 7:18:00 PM PDT
I'm curious about caffeine-free Dew... why? I thought the whole point of Mt. Dew is the kick... And if I'd known you were a Coffee Crisp fan (again with the caffeine... do they have a free version of those?), I'd have sent you some ages ago... we kind of have a lifetime supply around our house...
JenAugust 22, 2009 at 7:50:00 PM PDT
Sherilee, the caffeine-free Mt. Dew thing is a Health Canada law; non-cola drinks have to be non-caffeinated unless they're classified as energy drinks. As for the Coffee Crisp, I occasionally pick up a bar or six at Cost Plus so I haven't gotten too desperate yet. But thanks! :)
AJAugust 24, 2009 at 9:30:00 PM PDT
Can't believe it's almost been a year since taking off to the great white north! I still feel bad about walking you guys back from Granville Island on that scary street!

Hey, please don’t leave an anonymous comment.
Select “Name/URL” below and you can use whatever name you want. No registration required.
Thanks! –Jen

Aug. 20: Good news, eh?

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