fresh new digs

i've always been told that imitation is the best form of flattery, so be flattered, my imitated. yes, i too have decided to make the leap to blogspot. xanga has served me well for over a year now, but it's time to up the ante and experiment with the new and improved. should you not know me, i'm jen. i felt it felicitous to begin this blogging adventure and introduce myself with a random list of 50 jen-isms, if you will. buckle up, here we go.

1. my immediate family all share the initials j. r.

2. when i was little i wanted to be a vet and a radio deejay on the side.

3. i have relatively large irises (eyes) that change color with my outfit (blue/green).

4. i attended texas a&m university and miss those 'good ol college days' quite a bit.

5. i'm a bit obsessive compulsive about some things.

6. i'm not a morning person.

7. i was born a month premature and had to stay at the hospital in an incubator for several days.

8. i used to hate asparagus but now it's one of my favorite veggies. same with guacamole.

9. black jelly beans are my favorites.

10. i often have dreams that my teeth are falling out.

11. i love the beach and going to the lake but large bodies of water freak me out.

12. i usually prefer dark purple rain clouds to sun.

13. i can't fall asleep if i know someone is watching.

14. bargain shopping is the best way to go, but i don't usually deal with coupons.

15. i find myself strangely drawn to ridiculous tv shows.

16. i can't stand the words "nude" "couture" and referring to something really great as "sick."

17. my ears are double pierced. i don't have any tattoos, nor want any.

18. singing and playing keyboard are my musical first-loves, but i own a tornado-red fender squire bass to which i aspire to give more attention.

19. if i didn't live in texas, i would want to live in florida.

20. my only living grandmother suffers from dementia and frequently forgets what she did 5 minutes before, but remembers songs from her childhood.

21. once an avid coke-drinker, i'm now a pepsi girl.

22. my orthopedic surgeon had only seen 5 knees like mine out of the 3,000 he'd treated as of 1994, when he operated on mine for a discoid meniscus (torn cartilage).

23. my sister is my best friend.

24. i got glasses to correct a lazy eye when i was 1 year old.

25. i tend to cry more on movies where animals die than when humans do.

26. my first car was a silvery-green honda accord. it had been my dad's.

27. it bugs me when people interchange the words 'itch' and 'scratch'.

28. i'm a pack rat and tend to collect things. some notable collections in my past: unsharpened pencils, stickers, bath products, CDs.

29. stringed instruments give me chills like no other instrument can. yes, that does include piano.

30. i love going to live shows, but tend to favor studio recordings to live recordings.

31. i've always wanted to pursue photography. one of these days...

32. my 1-year-old jack russell maggie sleeps with me. she hogs my queen-sized bed.

33. i never really use umbrellas. i don't really mind getting wet - unless it's cold.

34. i used to have light blonde hair. now it's dark brown. it's naturally somewhere in between. i like it better dark and don't have plans to go back to blonde anytime soon.

35. the only time i've ever traveled outside of the u.s. was on a cruise to the caribbean right before i graduated from college.

36. my adult beverage of choice is a vodka cherry sour or a nice riesling.

37. my dad's side of the family is german/american indian. my mom's side is welsh.

38. i've never been to a movie by myself.

39. i've never received a speeding ticket (2 warnings).

40. i love rollercoasters.

41. for some reason, the song 'somewhere out there' from the movie "an american tale" always makes me cry.

42. i prefer jewel tones to pastels, and black to brown.

43. i can be very competitive. i can turn if off like a switch though.

44. ping pong is a hidden talent of mine. i absolutely stink at bowling.

45. sometimes i write letters to people that upset me, but never give them to them.

46. chewing sounds make me cringe. prolonged chewing sounds make me irritable.

47. a blonde friend and i used to keep a journal of our blonde moments. that ceased when my hair ceased to be blonde.

48. when i was younger i used to go by jennie because jennifer didn't fit on the christmas stockings my mother made for the family. it changed to jennifer in elementary school and then to jen in college.

49. i make my own jewelry.

50. i like random trivia.