the (special) two.

The last day of November calls for the last 2 "lists of 10." I truly meant to do this over Thanksgiving break, but was enjoying being home and NOT doing homework wayyyy to much to think about being online or doing anything that required a lot of thinking. So! Here we go.

10 websites to check out:
...most of which I don't think I have shared on here yet, and all of which are linked, so just click to enjoy!

1. http://www.lastdaysofgourmet.com/
2. http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/
3. http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/
4. http://www.freerice.com/
5. I am art project on flickr.
6. http://www.etsy.com/
7. http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/
8. http://1000awesomethings.com/
9. http://www.yayeveryday.com/
10. http://ffffound.com/


and 10 quick things:

1. In class tonight, a man literally said "paralleling the hooker with Usher..." I've got some really interesting classes.

2. In the same class, a total Mean Girls moment happened. The professor called on a girl by saying her name, Katie, and the girl snipped back "It's CAD-IE." Lindsey Lohan would be proud.

3. And, same class again, the professor wrongly said that Usher sang "In Da Club" when anyone near my age knows that 50 Cent actually sang that song while Usher sang "Yeah."


4. The only thing I want to drink lately is Chai tea.

5. I saw as many movies this last weekend as I had the whole first part of the semester, combined.

6. Twitter is 2009's top word in the English language. Obama was second, and H1N1 third. (Story here from Maggie Holland of IT Pro, where I interned last year at this time.)

7. We picked out our bridesmaids dresses this past Saturday. I'm even more excited for my brother's wedding now!

8. I'm slightly addicted to etsy.com

9. Number 8 is because I'm trying to do a (mostly) handmade or local (small shop) Christmas.

10. The title of this post is from this beautiful Missy Higgins song. She's one of my favorites:

The Special Two (Album Version) - Missy Higgins

Hope you had a great last day of November! And that you are shaving tomorrow if you participated in No Shave November. :)

Safe travels!

Hope everyone who is on their way home today has good roads, excellent weather and no turbulence if you are flying. Have a wonderful break!

I have to watch an Oprah episode a week for one of my classes and happened to come across this. Please enjoy (the video and the hairstyles):

25 Years of Oprah Screaming Celebrity Names - watch more funny videos

the last 24 hours = d day. without the french.

These last few days have been rough. Just when I caught a glimpse of hope that the day was coming to an end, I reached down into my coat pocket and realized I had lost my phone. Really. I cannot tell you how stressful getting everything finished has been - I'm sure everyone else out there who is a college student is relating. I think these last couple of days have been worse than any finals week I have ever had, though. Whew. I made it!

If you couldn't tell from the last post, my right eyelid has decided it wants to break dance regularly. It has been twitching since Sunday. Yes, this is still happening. I have never had anything like this occur before in my life. Any suggestions on how to make it stop would be greatly appreciated. It really hindered my productivity and made everything that was due twice as hard to complete in the time I allotted for it. But again with the previous sentiment: I made it!

In other news, I'm beginning to get addicted to online shopping. I was always too afraid of it for some reason, so I never even tried it. However, the intense want of a few pretty things from an online vendor led me to take the dive and I have to say, I'm liking the water. This could get really bad, really quickly, especially with Christmas coming up so fast! Yikes. Put the card down, girl...

annnnndddd big news! I'M GOING HOME TOMORROW! I haven't been home since August and I seriously need my big bed, homey home, delicious food, no skyscrapers, and silent, star-filled nights back. I always realize how quiet it is where I grew up whenever I go back. This is the first time K and I will go back together, and I'm excited to see how that changes my view on the commute back and forth. It is probably a good thing she will be with me considering my eye situation. We already talked about it and as long as I get us out of the city, she is ok with driving the rest of the way. This is very good news. Ah! So excited!

So! Wanna listen to some new music?






I'm in love with these soulful voices today.

And just in case you were wondering, I did find my phone, it just took me a couple of hours (I had left it on a shuttle during a work errand.) Silly girl. Tricks are for kids.

dear right eye,

gaga is in my head now, you no longer need to try to keep the beat with your constant spasms. it has officially been 28+ hours since you started twitching. i think you proved your point. i will try to sleep tonight. but, you must STOP twitching. must. stop. twitching. i don't want any permanent eye damage due to stress, fatigue and prolonged staring. i am almost finished with my law paper, law brief, feature story, discussion notes to lead class, quiz, editorial and scholarship appraisal. each one of these is due before 5pm tuesday. it is now 5:30pm monday. let's make a truce. no more spasms for the next 24 hours and i will play gaga once every hour so you don't forget the wicked beat. we will rock the world together, but i need to be able to see in order for this to happen.

sincerely,
janaetime.

oh, hi.

I've never done an "about me" section on this blog, so I thought that through the "10 things" I'm doing this month, I could make that happen, miniature style.

A few things you may not have known:
1. I do not like pickles.

2. I crave chocolate daily and had never craved yogurt until this week. (I have a friend who craves yogurt daily.)

3. I'm in the medical school more every day/week/month than in the journalism school. My major is journalism.

4. I get a new nickname with every new group of people I am with. "Nae" "J" "Ja-nay-nay" "Sha-nae-nae" "Red" "Grandma" and "Nae-nae-poo-poo" are a few examples. I wouldn't have it any other way.

5. My favorite color is yellow. I also really like yellow roses, no matter what they say about you. (Apparently yellow roses are something you give your grandmother. See nickname above and realize I'm okay with that.)

6. If I could hoard anything, it would probably be scarves and rings.

7. I hate walking up stairs and go to great lengths to avoid them. Consequently, I love walking down stairs.

8. I really want to get back into dancing.

9. My favorite part about being a journalism student is that I get the privilege of talking to people I never would have known and asking them all of the questions I can about their life. Hearing and telling people's stories makes it all worth it. There are some REALLY cool people in this world.

10. I woke up with the song below in my head today.


And a few days ago I woke up with "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga playing over and over and over again. It's super catchy.


Yes, I do have an eclectic taste in music.

Ok! Share a quick "you might not have known..." with me in the comments and give me something to do other than my crazy research papers this weekend!

p.s. thanks so much for all of the thoughts on the not quite knowing what I am going to do after college post. many of them were given to me in person/on the phone/on facebook and all of them meant a lot. so thanks, friends. :)

busy today.

Picture a girl running around, trying to get through all of those cars. That's me today. But! I needed to give a BIG shout out to my dear friend JOE for his amazing accomplishment! AND to Joe and Stacy for the exciting news they will be receiving today! Whoo! Congratulations!
And, friends, please remember:

=)
photo cred.

The word of the year.

If you haven't heard this already, the New Oxford American Dictionary's word of the year is:

*drumroll please....

UNFRIEND

Seriously.

If you live under a rock and have no idea what this means, the dictionary's definition is:
unfriend – verb – To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.

Other notable words used were things such as hashtag, tweeps, funemployed, sexting, teabagging, tramp stamp, and Obamamama. See all of them here.

It's an interesting world we live in.

Good day

I've seen some really wonderful people.
I've been productive at work.
I'm excited for an interview.
I'm going to research many things.
I wish it was warm enough to swim.
I've laughed incredibly hard.
I left silly voice messages to people I haven't seen or talked to in awhile.
And all I really want to do, is dance.

(images ffffound and flickr.)

picture story?

I've really been struggling with the answer to the question "So, what are you going to do after you graduate from college?" Yes, I know that my graduation day is approaching. Yes, I know the job climate is ridiculous. Yes, I have seen the statistics saying that the unemployment rate is more than 10% now, the worst in 12 years. (Even though that is a lagging factor, for all of you super serious business/stock broking/economical whizzes out there - I recently learned about the leading and lagging factors, interesting stuff.) The point is, I get it. I should be focusing on getting a job NOW.

But, it is my life. And I have chosen to focus on the things I deem important right now, which means I am putting off tweaking and updating my resume until winter break. I am going to begin looking for jobs then, too. The truth of everything I know is that I have nothing tying me to one particular place, I like to experience new things and meet new people, and even if I do or don't stay in Minneapolis, I will always have a tie here, just like I will always have a tie to where I grew up. Things like that never change, but I always want to be moving and changing and busy with exciting new projects.

To narrow things down, I do know I like to do this:
I love fonts:
I love travel and reflection:I seldom listen to this advice and would like to more:
I want to see:
I want to:and...
...but until that map appears, I will:So please, let's keep calm and carry on together. I will figure it out, you just have to give me time. Oh, and once I do figure it out, I will be sharing stories and adventures along the way. :)

(sources for photos: ffffound. google images.)

10 songs!

Hello! I know I've taken a little break from blogging this past week, but I am back and (hopefully) with a vengeance! I have only done 4 of my 10 lists of 10, so here is another. 10 songs I have been listening to quite a bit lately. I should admit, I have been missing home and when I miss home I revert to songs I would have listened to in high school. You know, the songs that they would play at dances or you would crank up in your car as you were driving around with your friends. Yes, a few of those are included, but feel free to list songs you've been into lately, too.

I'm heading out!

I am heading to Portland, Oregon! The main reason for the trip is for my cousin, A's wedding. I am so excited to see her and be able to share in her and her soon-to-be husband T's special day!
These photos are from the summer of 2006, which was my first and only other trip to Portland.
I drove to Oregon with the 2 boys on the right and the one on the left flew in from Hawaii...so I have been to the Portland airport, but it was to pick him up! This trip I am going to be flying, and get to meet up with Dylan, the one in the orange shirt. He now goes to college in Eugene and is going to come to Portland for a day to hang. I'm very excited! I leave early this (Thursday) morning and get back Sunday night. Hope you all have a great weekend!

10 TV shows (in no particular order)

That I wish I watched:
1. Glee2. Mad Men3. The Sopranos
4. Heroes5. True Blood
6. Weeds7. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
8. Modern Family
9. Fringe10. The Wire

That I currently watch and/or have seen all of the episodes of:
1. Gilmore Girls2. The Office3. 30 Rock4. Arrested Development5. Grey's Anatomy6. Gossip Girl7. The Big Bang Theory8. One Tree Hill9. The O.C.10. Dawson's Creek
I'm currently taking a class entitled "On Television." (It works for both of my minors: Cultural Studies and Cinema and Media Studies.) We talk about so many different aspects of television and TV shows - everything from what happens to genres to the philosophy to mise-en-scene to semiotics. Every time I leave that class, I wish I had more than basic cable and more time to devote to television shows. I think I'm going to have to rent a lot of seasons of the top list of shows over Christmas break to detox from this semester. And now I have something to occupy my time if, come May, I have no where else to go. Any suggestions on shows I should watch are welcomed!

that was rough.

Last night I stayed up much later than normal studying for a big midterm that I just had. Well, okay, let's back up. First I didn't get home until 9:30pm because of my night class. Then, I was so ravenously hungry that I foraged through my odd, eclectic mix of foodstuffs to make something decent but quickly. I won't even go into the odd food combinations I've been working with, but let's just say that last week when I went to the grocery store I really should have come back with something more than soup and orange juice. The pickings are slim and since I'm me, I just throw a bunch of stuff I like into a pan or pot or something and pretend they all go together. This is not the point, though.

So, I get home and my roommate is starting a power hour. By himself. By pouring beer into a shot glass and taking a shot. He already has 2 beers down by the time I get my coat off and start for the kitchen. Let me remind you that yesterday was Monday. By the time I had actually cooked myself something to eat, we were blasting the tunes, dancing around the living room and laughing hysterically. Needless to say, I didn't start cramming for my test until about 11pm, staying up until about 2:30am and then waking up this morning at 6 (with the aid of Lady Gaga's Paparazzi youtubed from my phone. Seriously. I'm just getting cooler and cooler...)

Anyways, the test was awful. I had read almost everything that was assigned (just being real) and gone over all of my own notes and the notes online and none of that helped. My professor chose the most obscure references and people that had maybe been written or spoken about once and compiled them into essay questions and short answers. Every person that came out of the room looked defeated. Even when I talked to the super annoying man who knows everything (there's always one) he said "That was rough." That was rough, man. Couldn't have said it any better myself.

On a happy note: I am finished with all of my midterms and with my classes for the week. I get to go to a very happy place, Portland, Oregon, Thursday-Sunday to celebrate a really fabulous cousin's wedding. I can't wait!

p.s. I'm working on my poker face. We were trying to get the best ones last night and I just kept laughing. What do you think?
AND I've been dominating these nerds like they are going out of style. They are apple-coated-watermelon flavored and 100% delicious.
And by now you can probably tell my boss isn't at work today...so I took pictures of things like Nerds and blogged quick in between one doctor leaving and another coming in. :)

10 Videos Worth Watching

My second installment of my "10 lists of 10" is videos! These are in no particular order, but all brought a smile to my face. Enjoy!

1. My absolute favorite artist, Sabrina Ward Harrison's video of her True Living Project. You can see it here. (I couldn't embed it, sorry!) She recently reworked it, which is exciting and makes me realize that she is staying true to the "living" project.

2. I wish I would have been in this crowd. So so much.


3. Did you ever do this with the cups? We have a home video of the cheerleaders, from when my mother was a cheerleading coach for the high school I went to, doing this cup game. They are trying to teach my brother (then probably about 5 or 6) how to play, and I am being held (at about 2 or 3 years old) by one of the cheerleaders not playing. I loved hanging out with the cheerleaders. My mom would bring me to the practices and even started a youth squad. :) But, these girls can sing while playing the game to keep the beat. So cool.


4. Lady Gaga - Paparazzi Yes, I like it. I think it's a really interesting music video!


5. Can I get your number? - MadTV (Dedicated to Ramone...if you know the story, you get it.)


6. I love the people's reactions when they throw their trash away! (Found through another video I posted a little while ago here.)


7. This, quite simply, is beautiful.


8. I sang this the ENTIRE election day. I thought Mary Kate was going to hate me by the end of the day because I wouldn't stop singing it on our way to class in London. I have to admit, it's still pretty catchy.


9. I don't care that I've already posted this one. It still makes me happy. :)


10.And finally, a few of my favorite boys doing the "Single Ladies" dance. Link here. It was so funny when they first did it...in the basement of a church...with a priest watching. Oh, man. I love them.

100!

This is my 100th post on this blog! (Finally, I know.) I was awol this last week because I was very sick. I finally managed to get the infamous H1N1 after successfully avoiding getting it from my sister and multiple friends. In the end, it was my roommate who was the best at making me ill (he thinks that is what he had and I definitely had what he had - but you are not supposed to go to the doctor if you suspect you have H1N1 so I don't have a test or paper saying it is definitely my diagnosis. Either way, it was not fun.)

I did have a great big weekend of fun with a lovely girl named Ms. Beth and a few other friendly faces (including Frank Warren of Postsecret!) last week and then, on Sunday I wasn't feeling so hot. I ended up waking up Monday feeling a bit worse. I went to work and after a few hours of blowing my nose, using hand sanitizer like it was going out of style, and feeling my head get warmer and warmer, my boss sent me home. I then stayed home, barring getting medicine or soup, until Friday. I have never missed so many college classes in a row in my entire life. I essentially skipped all of last week. I am finally feeling better and am trying to catch up on all of my assignments in order to be on track before I leave again on Thursday.

This semester has seriously been the hardest and most demanding of my life. It is not solely because of my classes, but rather because of my other "real-life" schedule. I think my body finally said "enough!" and decided that it had been healthy and moving nonstop for long enough. I know that the slowing down was beneficial and not going out definitely aided in my feeling better now. Of course I still have a cough, runny nose, cold-like thing going on, but that can be dealt with much easier.

But! In celebration of my 100th post, I am going to be doing lists. 10 lists of 10 things that relate to random topics, chosen by me. Or, if there is something you want a "Top 10" list of from me, then just leave it in the comments and I'll include it! I'll be doing these throughout the month of November - can you believe it is November already? - and am pretty excited for it.

Here are 10 things I loved or thought were funny from my sick week:
1. Hot tea. My lifesaver. and throatsaver.

2. The man at Lunds (a grocery store) who thought flirting with me on a Monday night was a great idea. I feel as though he should have noticed my purchases (including orange juice, tea bags, soup, mashed potatoes, cough drops, gatorade), my very comfortable attire (sweats and a big 'ol comfy hat on top of my head,) or the fact that my ears were clogged and I kept having to say "HUH?" whenever he would ask me a question. But nope, that did not deter him. He asked me if I had just come from class and when I said "No, from work" he responded with "Oh, where do you work?" "What's your major?" "Do you like it?" "I like your hat." etc, etc. Excuse me sir, I would love to chat with you at ANY other time in my life, but right now I MUST look pretty dead, and if you would take into account the mass amount of soup and mashed potatoes I just bought, you would realize I am sick. Nope. Nothing would deter this man. I paid with my debit card and as a goodbye he said "Thank you Ms. (and then he seriously mispronounced my last name) and have a great night!" You too, man. You too.

3. MASHED POTATOES.

4. My bed. AND my comforter. I'm in love.

5. Gilmore Girls. They are so fabulous. They help me sleep, they provide nonstop entertainment when I can't sleep, they are officially my friends...still.

6. Nice little texts from the few people who knew I was sick.

7. Kleenex with lotion.

8. Ricola cough drops.

9. Having a phone with internet so I didn't even have to leave my bed to email, Facebook, text or call in to tell people I wasn't going to be where I usually am/said I would be.

10. Being healthy enough to go to Where the Wild Things Are on Friday with my sister and friend as a "whoo! you survived this week!" treat for all of us. We had all suffered some pretty bad days last week. But, that just means this next one is going to be fabulous...after the couple of midterms I have left.

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!