I should go to work soon, but I'd rather post. Paul's pix of the protestors made me think of this bit about jesus by David Cross... SO funny. I spent a while last night trying to find it. When/if I do, if I can trim it down and make it post-able, I will.

On to pictures...


Two of the main reasons I go home...


This is Alice. She's 10 (but this pic is a few years old.) We made fun of those dog show names, so her "real" name is [hidden from google] Though I heard my dad say once she's named after me, which I never knew.


This is Gus. We got him a year later. He's 9. His name is [hidden from google], after my great-great-(great?)-uncle [hidden from google] (whose wife was our [HFG]).


My bro several years ago (i just like the pic).


My REAL house. Built in '78 I think, first architecture project of one of dad's college classmates. Don't be deceived- it's smaller than my apt in Buffalo. The whole left side is a garage, and the little box on the top is my room. Those big windows have all broken a few times in hurricanes, and the chimney fell off once too (so it is now extra-huge and extra-reinforced.)


again


See, it snows outside of Buffalo too.


So a few years ago my dad succumbed to his obsession with all things fast, and got a helicopter license. So here are some aerial shots. My friend Dan (more pix in my links on the right) took the first two. I took the crappy hazy ones. (but it was SO COOL to get to fly around! I always wanted to go on Mercy Flight- but I bet this was much cooler than having a trying-to-die person crammed in there with us! We waved at mom, and (gasp) even used our cell phones in flight!)


"My" beach. Second, or Sachuest, Beach in Middletown. That's the ocean on the left and "the res" (reservoir) on the right. I'm sure I am going to die of skin cancer since I spent every day of every summer as a kid there. (sometimes against our will. Aww mom... do we HAVE to go to the beach again??) And the parking lot is where I learned to drive.


I love this pic. The beach again.


My house again. Those trees going off the screen on the right are gingkos... I remember planting them when I was little... They were tiny... Now they're big enough that there's a hammock hanging between them. Makes me feel old... Oh yeah, and the pine trees on the left are actually some of our old christmas trees. And that's a fire hydrant in the back yard, sitting on the cover of the well. Dad "found" it (sure) and brought it home for the dogs. Keeps saying he's going to paint it bright red one day. I think it's funny.


This is the Clambake Club, where my sister got married. Gorgeous.


I don't know if that's an aircraft carrier (or two) or what, but I just know it's some big-ass navy ship(s).


Ida Lewis Yacht Club. Great place to watch 4th of July fireworks. But that dock was a loooong walk as a kid.


ILYC. That rock/island it's on I believe is called Lime Rock, and Ida Lewis used to live out there and keep boats from crashing into it, save people from drowning, etc. There was no dock at the time and she used a little rowboat.


Fort Adams. Newport still has a pretty big Navy presence, and that's a cool old Fort. And a lot of the Navy Housing is out there too. The Naval War College is in town too. The Navy always meant classes full of "Navy Brats"- but to me it just meant half the time my new best friend would up and move after a year or two. :(


I forget which boat that is, but I think it's a famous one. Endeavor maybe? I think it's one of the America's Cup boats. No scale in that pic, but it's HUGE.


Finally back on the ground... my sister and dad looking all pilot-y.

:)

Ok, off to work then Allentown!
-J

So I was saying how (e:maureen)'s post made me homesick... It's so beautiful there. And the beach will be open... So I'm thinking I'll just take my week of vacation and go home. Spend time with the fam, and the puppies!!, and at the beach (and take my #$%#$ licensing exam). I love going home, and it makes my parents happy. I'll miss the 4th in Buffalo, but I guess that's not the end of the world.

But so last night (e:mike) asked me if I lived in one of the mansions. Being from newport, I get that question a lot. And (to me) it's a totally crazy question. Of COURSE not! But to people not from the area, how should they know? But so sometimes I say yes for the hell of it. (my dad's office IS a few blocks down the same street, does that count? ;) )

Well apparently people believed me. hahahahaha so sorry. I was going to try to keep up the charade for a while, but i'm too terrible a liar...

But anyway, so the pix above- Not My House. The first is the Breakers (the biggest mansion) . The next two are Marble House (where I had my prom, actually.) (no pix are allowed inside the mansions, which is too bad, b/c they're super ornate and fancy and impressive.)

Actually the mansions are pretty amazing. "summer cottages" of the rich and famous... Most are owned by the Preservation Society, and are open for tours. But a few are still privately owned and I think people live in them. But the stories about them are so cool. I just can't even fathom that time, the wealth, society, etc. Those links give some of the history (construction cost, family stories, etc). (There's also a section of the "Lost Houses". Cool.)

But it's so pretty there... I mean it's a small town and there's not a ton to do, but sometimes it takes being away to realize what I've always taken for granted. I'm going to try to dig up more pix when I get home. Maybe I'll show you all my real house. Or (gasp) my prom picture. (ok probably not on that one.) And I'll be sure to take some good touristy pix when/if I go home, to give you all a virtual tour and share some good old hometown pride. :)

Oh and while looking for mansion pix, I found this- never knew Olmsted did a park in newport too!



Love,
Princess Jenks (ha, ha)

Sweet. Chase (my bro-in-law) rocks. Just sent me six cd's. Guru's Jazzmatazz vol 1/2/3 (cool rap/jazz mashup type stuff), the twilight singers, matthew sweet and susanna hoffs doing covers, and "his current fave"- asobi seksu- citrus. Will report after I hear them...

But anyway, so I was out last night... Ran into a guy I met a few weeks ago... I was pretty psyched when I met him, thinking he seemed cool (and cute), and I was dumbfounded that he actually approached me, so I was hoping to see him again... and so I saw him, but... I dunno... it wasn't there. He was wearing different clothes and no hat and somehow the whole vibe was just totally different and I'm not digging it. Bummer. (and extra-bummer b/c he was like waving at me across the whole place and making a scene.) I hate not being excited about people...

But I think even worse, I hate when people aren't excited about me.
I also saw the threesome-proposing-couple... At least I'm pretty sure it was them. (nothing ever happened, for the record. I kind of wanted to at least get a drink or something, but then he stopped emailing me all of the sudden.) But so I was trying to make eye contact, and either he didn't see me (doubt it) or ignored me (more likely). But the weird thing is- another friend of mine was there- and I think he was with them!! So I might actually have a connection to these people. (don't know why that surprises me, this IS buffalo.) (which is also a large part of the reason NOT to do anything too scandalous with them- b/c somehow everyone in the world would find out and I'd be mortified.) Now chances are I probably never would have had the balls to do much/anything, but somehow it stings a little that they are the ones suddenly rejecting me, after being the ones to bring it up in the first place. Maybe I'm just too sensitive...

But then I saw this on craigslist today, and I can't help but wonder if it's them:

couple looking for mw ww or w - mw4mw - 25

Hi. We are a couple in our mid 20's. Both curious about messing around with other couples or other women. We are both very open minded, and attractive. We are clean and would expect the same. Please send photos, and a description about yourself. Thanks!! Hope to hear from you!!

I'm kind of tempted to be like 'is this you?' but what would that accomplish, besides making everyone uncomfortable?

But on a good note, I got to work with the plastics guy today at work, and he's great, and it's what I want to do, so it's good to get some face time.

I really hope someday I can outgrow this boy-crazy idiocy. I'm way too old for this shit... Bleh.

Ok, off to attempt a little exercise. Maybe being less of a fatass will help with the boy situation.

Ok, I fixed the Gather link for Mr. November (I hope)- here's the new number: 0211560001149625360

Today was a slow day at work. Which was fine with me. Spent most of the day wondering where to eat for lunch. Eventually recruited a whole crew to Ulrich's Tavern, on Ellicott. Which was much better than I would have expected, given its appearance. German food. Paul you should check it out...

And I think I got a guy at work in trouble, hehe.

So I work with this guy... he's great. Super nice, funny, smart... Good at what he does... He even cooks! Just an all around good guy. And devoted to his girlfriend. And one of the housekeepers at ECMC was convinced his name is Dr. Chuckles. And one day she overheard him telling a senior doc about a patient, and thus using medical lingo, etc, and later she said "damn, you one edumacated Chuckles!" So that has become his nickname.

But anyway, we've had a lot of schedule overlap lately, so we hang out some. Lunch on occasion, etc. But certainly nothing flirty or inappropriate or threatening to his relationship. So on friday when I found out it was too late to go to Rochester, I left him a note that said "Chuckles- since i'm not going to Rochacha, maybe you (and the GF) want to grab a beer?" Well the note got buried, and he didn't get it friday. But this morning told me that he found it yesterday, and that it got him in trouble with his girlfriend. She wanted to know why a girl is calling him Chuckles, and totally didn't believe the housekeeper story, so he's in the doghouse and she wants to meet me. hehe.

Ok, off to find a notary...

ciao peeps.

So I had a semi-productive day.
I put a new faucet in my bathroom sink.
And afterwards realized, it's no bigger than the old one, which was the whole reason I wanted to replace it. Oops. oh well, at least it looks better. And so far, no leaks.

Then I went to Spot to try to study. Got there at 8:59, only to find out they closed at 9 tonight for "renovations". So I went to Caffe Aroma. Which is just not the same. It's ok, but a little too dark to study... and it's really small. Free wireless is nice, but at the same time, a large part of the reason I leave to study is to get AWAY from the damn computer...

About 5 of my friends are moving tomorrow. Leaving Buffalo... And they're all meeting at Faherty's. And I was going to go. Then I pussed out and decided not to- mostly b/c I'm bad at goodbyes, and chances are high I will cry. I'd rather just talk to them next week, ask how the move went, and ask when they're coming home... Avoid that whole moment of goodbye.

But then I just got another call "what are you doing?!" "nothing... just got home from studying... was going to get ready for bed..." "No. We're going drinking. Faherty's. Now!" And since I suck and always cave to peer pressure, I guess I'll go have a beer. But I guess it's ok... I got some studying done, and don't have too much to do tomorrow at work so it's ok if I'm tired.

And while I'm digging Gnarls lately, I'm rapidly becoming unhealthily obsessed with a new CD- Alligator, by The National. It totally kicks ass. A little melancholy, but I love it. My user song is now "Baby We'll Be Fine" (Gather: 0166480001149563381) And another fave is Mr. November (Gather: 0211560001149625360)

Happy listening! (seriously- download them. I'm hooked.)

[oops, sorry. The Gather for Mr. November doesn't work. I'll fix it when I get home.] [ok, all fixed.]