Impeccable taste

All this $10 Banana Republic skirt (I love a deal!) needs is these Ballerina Hepburn flats. I probably need them in every color.

Of course, putting this outfit together would much easier if I lived in Sweden...

Dear Cicadas,

We get it. You own us. Now, finish what you came here to do and have a nice day.

I'll go back to sweeping your little shells and carcasses off the porch. Again.

Love,
Jenny

sappy

scene:
me, in bed, watching bon iver videos on la blogotheque, being overly sentimental and crying....
P, laughing, saying, "are you crying? the only music that makes me cry is sharon, lois and bram"

sensitive, eh?

Weekend Revisited

Spent the weekend in Kansas City attending various sporting events with my husband and friends.

Rock the Parkway
Was up by 3:30 a.m. Saturday to work the half marathon. 6,500 runners and it was all hands on deck. My hands needed a nap the rest of the day.

Oklahoma!
Drove up to Gallatin, Mo. to see some friends perform in the community production of Oklahoma. Such fun to see community produced events and so much love from the audience. 

Brew to Brew
Saw a record 90 degrees in Lawrence, KS on Sunday for the relay race. The race goes from Boulevard Brewery in KC to Free State Brewery in Lawrence. Just about 44 miles. Combined with high winds and high heat, it was a long day (even for me, who didn't run at all!)

I love wandering around Massachusetts Avenue in Lawrence. It's like bizzaro 9th Street, but with way more yarn and fabric stores. Oh, and too much KU paraphernalia for my taste.

Marketplace

I am a voracious reader. Thankfully, I’m not reading Sophie Kinsilla or Janet Evonovich. What am I reading? Anything I can get my hands on about personal finance.

This started shortly after finishing my Masters degree and starting my first “real” job. I took the salary they offered and I didn’t negotiate. I was so awestruck by the fact that it was a proper salary figure and not an hourly wage that I didn’t even think to ask for more. I soon realized this was a mistake. Not because I wasn’t able to pay bills, put some savings away and start hacking away at those pesky graduate school loans, but because everyone should negotiate and advocate for their salary.  I was never taught (through my extensive women’s and gender studies coursework) how or when or why to negotiate salary. The field I’m in historically gets paid poorly (even though it’s some of the hardest and emotionally draining work there is!) so the fact that I would be making more than the federal poverty level was spectacular. Coming up in a predominantly female field, I’ve learned that women are not taught to advocate for themselves financially the same way that men are. I wanted to know more.

First I bought a house. I had no idea what I was doing. I bought a really small house, for a really small price. I didn’t even ask what the maximum I was approved for because, frankly, I didn’t want to be tempted to spend that much. I wanted to do it on my own, not ask for a down-payment from my folks and I wanted to have a mortgage that didn’t make me nauseated.

Then I bought a car. Also, no clue. It’s a Honda. That’s always a good investment, right??

Then I threw a wedding. I read everything I could on planning weddings on a budget – even though my parents were paying and were offering to pay a lot for “my dream day.” I was looking more for “a rather lovely day with good food, good beer and lots of dancing.” They wanted to spend more, I wanted to spend less. Seems like the reverse of what you normally expect. In the end, it was fabulous and we stayed within the compromised budget of more than nothing, less than too much.  

Then I was married. Turns out, dudes don’t know as much about money as I thought they did. We figured out our cumulative credit card and student loan debt (seemed big to us, but minimal by some debt standards). We started trying different budget styles to find one that fit... we’re still trying to find one that fits.

Then we spent our gifted wedding money on renovating/repairing our bathroom.

Then my husband started a business run out of our house.

18 months of crazy money decisions.

My friend gave me Suze Orman’s book “The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke” and I immediately saw the error of some of my ways. Truth be told, we were doing okay. Making fine decisions and not buying too many frivolous things. I like to think we are the right amount of frivolous for a child-free household. My husband loves bikes and I love expensive coffee drinks… we budget accordingly. We were simultaneously saving for an emergency fund and a rainy day fund while trying to delete credit card debt. We’re putting money into retirement funds, we are well-insured and well-benefited. I’m sorry Dave Ramsey, I know you would say we are not doing things correctly, but honestly, you’re a bit to draconian for me. I like a little more flexibility.

So now it’s all I can do not to add another personal finance blog to my Google reader. I turn up Marketplace way too loud on my commute (I love Kai Ryssdal’s soothing voice). I was thrilled with this series, Money Through the Ages. I will most certainly be printing off the Personalize Financial Checklist and heading over to the New York Times to read their corresponding pieces.

Personal finance is a work in progress. But I feel like I need to figure it out quick. I need to invest more! Open an IRA! Put $30k in savings! Save for the down-payment on our next house! Grow our vacation fund! Start a college fund for our un-born children! Give more to charity! Maybe I’ll sort some of it out on this here blog. 

I mean, seriously. I need to up the savings if I’m going to afford Babies AND Botox.

Lovely

Photo by Natalie Jenkins.

Natalie designed our wedding invitations and is an all around kind, beautiful and talented gal.

See more over at The Como Collective

Britney Spears : Damien Hirst

I'm so fascinated by this. And yes, I was watching Britney Spears' "Hold it Against Me" video. What, I work with youth! I have to know what's cool/hip/popular!

Aftermath of Britney Spears' paint gun fingers (2011) : Beautiful revolving sphincter, oops brown painting by Damien Hirst (2003)

27/54

27 days until Vancouver. 54 days until Costa Rica.

I want to make some big statement about perseverance and inner strength as I try to make it through the next 27 days... but all I can think to say is, "i need a nap."

Up.

Rest assured, it's possible.
How hard was it?
"It was pretty hard. It was very difficult, actually."

I guess the only question left is, "How did they get it down?"

Via.

#SXSW

Are you in Austin? Go see this.

#truefalse

every once in a while i get off my self-loathing ass, stay up past 10pm, put on a telletubby head and have an awesome time. throw my birthday, friends in town and a documentary film festival in the mix and we'll call this thing golden.

i'm pleased that someone captured the elegance of a hot-pink apple dress and a tinky winky head. i know what you're saying, not many people can pull of that look. and you're right. most people can't. but i can, i really can. (don't try to go back and look at the tribune link too many times, the pay wall will restrict you from falling in love with me.)

enough about me... if you want to read about more exciting things that happened at the festival, check out Zac's blog. or go read the hashtags #truefalse, #tf11, #tfeats...

oh, yeah. birthday. only 2 more years to wait for botox. P have me a bottle of champagne and an US weekly. that guy really loves me.

The Como Collective

Excited to be working on this collaborative site about Columbia. Check it out at www.thecomocollective.com.

Happy 30th, Joya

There are friends with whom the days pass and the years fly and the states in which you reside get further apart... and the missing each other becomes palpable. But then, there are quiet moments on the couch with Palace on the ears and that friend in the gchat...

me: how does 30 feel?
joy: I feel good. Feel like I'm right in the spot I should be/want to be.
at least right now... things are really good.
me: yay. so so happy to hear that.
joy: 30s are gonna be good!
me: 20s are practice years. 30s are implementation years.
joy: oo, I like that.
me: yep. i'm trying to make a few more mistakes in these last practice years.
joy: just don't let it get too messy
me: naw, more like poor clothing purchases and bad lifestyle choices. you know, too much champagne and such.
joy: that is more than okay!
me: and you? any 30s resolutions>
joy: don't get drunk and drunk-dial/email... as often
joy: mostly just want to continue to follow the bliss, ya know.
be open to the abundance of the universe and all that good stuff

So, on this, (two days after) your 30th birthday, I send my love to you, Joya.

Love,
JB

Social Norms

I'm working on a training and am googling images to illustrate harmful social norms.

Like this one:

male entitlement anyone?

Glee kids on alcohol : Jessie Spano caffeine pills

I'll leave you with this final thought of the evening.. a little SATs for the pop culture junkies.

TheNewPornos

You should be reading whatever Ann Friedman writes. Including, but not limited to, this: Neko Case Can't Get Laid!

Also, how excited are you about The New Pornographers coming to #Como? I love them. I'm not afraid to scream it from the rooftops. But I'll only do so if Neko is present.

I totally had a job first. And a house for that matter.



Isn't it interesting the comments for this video are mostly saying that women are dumb, that this 5 year old is smarter than most women, and that she'll be sleeping with everyone when she turns 16? Of course, the other half of the comments were about wanting this set to autotune, which I wholeheartedly agree with.

Cellphone Use Tied to Changes in Brain Activity

“Unfortunately this particular study does not enlighten us in terms of whether this is detrimental or if it could even be beneficial,” Dr. Volkow said. “It just tells us that even though these are weak signals, the human brain is activated by them.”

I'm going to pretend that the color change on the brain scan is just my ears working harder.

Via New York Times.

sartorialist

i'll be trying my hand at some new things this year... and i may have to learn to spell sartorialist in the process.

these new things include blogging, photographing stuff and talking to strangers. stay tuned.

Blue Valentine

I can already tell I'm going to be destroyed after watching this film.

...or hipsters will kill you

Best of...

I'm not saying we're the best at everything, but we are clearly the best at throwing weddings...

Our photographers, Hawes Photography, were amazing and you can check out their blog here. They are running a Best of 2010 series. Ch-ch-check it out.

#tf11

My tickets are reserved, my naps are scheduled, my snack packs are ready, my outfits are chosen...

let's go true/false.

If this isn't what you are doing to celebrate my birthday, we aren't friends.

T/F

Common Ground

After an afternoon meeting south of the City of Jefferson, I continued on to Warsaw, MO to try a restaurant my co-worker had been raving about. The Common Ground Cafe. I love driving into small towns to explore their shops and restaurants. They have the best stuff. There is something so charming about small-town Missour-ah. I had a tasty salad with the most fabulous fresh bread. And their house tea... oh the house tea. It was as though I'd drank the proverbial kool-aid.

The nice folks who run the cafe and bakery live in community. While I may not agree with some (any) of the proprietors' beliefs, I am fascinated by them. I'd like to lecture them on their treatment of women, and their views of people of color and the LGBT community... but I'll eat their delicious food. And enjoy their fine furniture.

I mean, just read about it:

Having acquired the old “Osage Hotel” downtown, we desired to create a unique social atmosphere for the people of this region. Combining ageless beauty and artisanship with warm hospitality and a place for friends to meet, we opened a “Common Ground Café” on Main Street along the Osage River in mid-2008. We now offer breakfast dishes, wholesome sandwiches made with fresh breads, and lively salads all made from scratch, as well as smoothies, yerba maté and many other tasty drinks. Evenings herald a special dinner. The second floor of the café, where we host meetings for various groups, presents an exhilarating view of the lake and harbor.

We also have a reputable wood shop where we undertake many types of woodworking jobs. We design and fabricate hickory furniture in our business called Ozark Rustic. The other branch, Heartwood Design, builds custom cabinets, countertops, and staircases, just to name a few.

Don't you want to go? You can visit, just don't drink the house tea...

Ride a Bike

It pains me that I work 30 miles from home and cannot ride a bike to work.

Via.

Struggling

I've been struggling with work lately. Trying to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life is not easy. Yes, I know no one has a "forever-job" anymore. My dad worked his way up in a company for 38 years, and I know that won't be my path.

I'm trying to reconcile fun and responsibility. Turning down a fabulous job opportunity out of state because it wasn't financially responsible was a low point, and bullshit.

So, until I figure out my next move, I'll be taking the way of Ghandi and try to be present.

Ugh. I totes can't do this:

Via.

PR

p: you could never be on project runway.
me: why?
p: they work until midnight! you would be asleep on the table at 9:30.
me: that's true. and, i can't sew.

she who holds the netflix...

password holds the power.

"did you bump all of my dexter for 'Machete'?"

marriage lesson #1

don't coax your partner into bed with the promise of watching 30 rock
but then show them this...

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

10 months wed

We did everything backwards:
Start dating.
Move out of state together.
Move back home.
Get grown-up job.
Buy house.
Get dog.
Put a ring on it.
Wed.
Continue to be wed for 10 months.
Neighbor's car explodes (not our fault).