Happy new week.

I am currently:

Listening

…to the relative peace of the house. The kids are in Seattle. The dogs are in separate rooms for now, so they’re not doing that Tasmanian Devil tornado thing all over the place. The Monday landscapers finished the neighborhood early and all their noise is done. I can actually hear birds chirping! The frogs are quiet for now—probably tired after croaking ALL NIGHT LONG OMG I HATE THOSE FROGS SO MUCH.

Eating

…gummy bears. Breakfast of champions.

Drinking

…iced coffee. Makes for a better-balanced breakfast of champions. Yup.

Feeling

…very happy. We had such a nice weekend. The weather was beautiful on Saturday and we spent a lot of time out in it. Early yesterday the kids took off to Seattle with Grandpa & Grandma, so Victor and I had most the day to ourselves. We ran errands, went shopping, had lunch out, watched some Hulu, and thoroughly appreciated a kid-free day.

…eager about coming events. Tonight we’re having dinner with one of my fave sisters-in-law, Sally, who’s visiting from Florida. We’ve got tickets to see Wicked on Thursday night—it’ll be Jack’s first time (my fifth, Vic’s fourth, Katie’s third… we’re fans, obvy). At this time next week, Vic and I will be belatedly celebrating our 15th anniversary in Long Beach, Washington. And a lunch (involving fondue!) with Sherilee next week? Yes, please!

Wanting

…to hang with friends I haven’t seen nearly enough lately. Val, this means you!

Needing

…to do some gardening while the weather’s nice. Will I get outside today? I sure hope so… but reading away the afternoon doesn’t sound terrible either. Pretty sure my laziness will beat my ambition. It usually does.

accomplishing

…some projects that have been on my to-do list for a long time. Last month I bought a rug for our kitchen, and on Friday I finally put it down. This actually turned out to be a pretty time-consuming project, involving moving the other rug out (and cleaning it before storage), thoroughly scrubbing the floors (might as well do all the hardwoods, not just the kitchen, right?), and getting the new rug perfectly situated underneath the table and chairs. Because Lucy loves to chase the broom and mop, I did most of the work while she was at the vet last week. And y’know how one minor task often turns into eleventy more? That’s where I am now: prioritizing the eleventy others. Only a couple of them involve paint. (Can you hear my husband groaning over the mention of “paint”??? He totally is.)

Enjoying

…vicariously, my friends’ spring break vacations. Some are on ships, one is in Texas, several have family visiting… and then there’s me. Staying home. I’m trying not to whine too much, because a big trip is in the works for later this year—I hope I hope I hope. Plus there’s our getaway thing next week.

…way too much TV. I think I actually watch more TV now than I did before we cancelled cable—Hulu makes it so dang easy. GCB is a recent guilty pleasure, and Bent has been amusing. I’m totally obsessed with Smash… happy that Community is back on… 30 Rock is as funny as ever… still waiting to find Suburgatory a waste of time and it’s not happening… Cougar Town is clever, sweet, and underrated… I catch CSI episodes online as often as possible (they’re not on Hulu, just cbs.com)… I can’t believe I’m still watching Alcatraz and Grimm, which are so NOT my usual types of must-see TV… as well as my other old favorites, The Office, Modern Family, The Middle, Parks & Recreation, SVU… See, way, way too much TV.

sharing silly stuff

I’m off to decide how best to waste my day. Smell ya later—

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.

Mar. 26: Currently