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Wednesday, 09 May 2012

  • There And Back Again...

    If you're reading this, I'm currently on a plane to New Zealand.
    (Well, assuming that my flight left on time.)



    I will be spending the next month...


    Visiting Hobbiton...


    Hiking Mt. Doom...


    Checking out glowworms...


    Jumping off bridges...


    ...and driving on the wrong side of the road.

    I WILL RETURN JUNE 4th!

    ~Jessica

Friday, 04 May 2012

  • On Planning An Adventure

    So it's nearly 3 in the morning, and I'm awake. I'm awake because I'm planning an adventure. In the literal actually-making-reservations sense of the word, I started planning this adventure when I bought a plane ticket about two and a half months ago. In the less tangible sense of the word, I've been planning this adventure for over ten years.

    I spoke in a previous entry about how I've started to keep things to myself a lot more than I used to, and one of the biggest examples of this is the adventure that I'm planning and booking and pulling my hair out over. I haven't told many people, and the people I have told have pretty much reassured me that I'm making the right decision in keeping my mouth shut. I obviously had to tell my parents, and my boyfriend. They're obviously being supportive, though if I make mention of being stressed out over the planning, they give me an eye roll accompanied by some version of "You should just be appreciating the fact that you are able to do this", and they always have something to say about how I should or shouldn't do things. I also selected a few close friends to be informed of my intentions. Those friends have been entirely supportive, and I'm glad that I told them.

    The people who most made me want to keep my mouth shut, however, are the acquaintances I've mentioned it to in passing. People down in DC kept asking what I was doing after the show closed, and where I'd be working, so after a lot of "I don't knows", I finally admitted what I would be doing. The responses were varied, but a lot of the comments made me uncomfortable, ranging from people asking how I could possibly afford it (I've been saving for the entire 8 years I've been in the workforce) to asking why I was going, to making simple-minded presumptions about why I was going.

    It was in those moments that I realized why some things are better when kept to yourself. This is my trip, and I've already asked for advice from the people whose advice I was interested in hearing. Namely the two people who have done it before. I don't care what anyone else has to say about it, I really just don't. And maybe that's closed-minded of me, but it's true. I also am sick of trying to explain it to other people.

    Sometimes, I can't decided if I am rude for not asking more questions about people's lives in conversations, or if they're the rude ones for continuing to pry into mine. For the past few months, I was living and working in DC in a theatre, and on my one day off a week, I was returning to New York to work a shift at my part time job to maintain that position, which offers me health insurance. And every single person in my life insisted that I explain that to them, and then proceeded to make unsolicited comments about it. It's really quite simple: I was offered a temporary job out of town doing something I love to do. I have a part time job that provides me with health insurance. In order to take the out of town job but still receive health insurance, I had to work shifts at both jobs. I arranged my schedule in a way that allowed me to do that. And frankly, if you're not me, or one of my employers, how I do that really isn't your concern.

    It's a similar feeling now. And I suppose the fact is that, in this day and age, we present so much of our lives to the people around us through the internet by way of blogs and Facebook, and Twitter, and FourSquare, and the like, it's now almost expected for someone to comment on everything you do. You don't say things just to say them, you say them to receive feedback. But I'm sick of anxiously awaiting people's feedback on my every move. So I'm not saying anything to anyone else until the moment before I shut my phone off and board the plane.

    I know that I just sound like a whiny, angsty, teenager right now bitching about how people won't just leave me alone and let me do my thing. And I understand that some of the comments aren't meant to be condescending or nosy, they just come off that way. I also understand that some people are just trying to help, and I really am thankful for the support of the family and friends who have helped me to make the last few months and the upcoming ones possible. I do appreciate the help they have been giving me. And I also know that once my plane lands, I won't give two shits about what anyone thinks about where I am, because I'll be totally ecstatic. And probably in tears.

    ~Jessica

Wednesday, 25 April 2012

Thursday, 12 April 2012

  • My Apology To The Trolls

    I was reflecting on a variety of current events recently, and I started thinking about trolls. We've all seen them around Xanga. And I've mistakenly duked it out with a few of them in my day. And then I've rolled my eyes, laughed at them, and moved on. I've written them off as bored, unemployed, middled aged men who are still living in their mothers' basements, and teenaged girls with too much acne to play the mean queen bee at school, so they have to live out their high school dreams online. At any rate, I've definitely generalized them as really pathetic people with nothing better to do with their lives than piss off strangers on the internet.

    You can't blame me for not knowing. I mean, who could know? It's not like they ever own up to it. No, they play it off totally seriously, and it's not until halfway through that you finally realize. They almost sneak up on you, and you sit there fuming until you realize it's all just a big joke. So honestly, how can you blame the trolls on the internet? In one way, they were smarter than me. They knew something that I didn't...

    That trolling is an actual career.





    And it's no small thing either. There are a myriad of quite impressive career paths available to a professional troll. You could get an article written about you in The Village Voice. You could be published in Daily Mail, and appear on The Today Show. You could have a TV show dedicated to your raucous partying, or just your day to day life, for no real reason except "because you made one sex tape". You could get your own radio show, and call women sluts without any grounds for your claim. And better than that, you could be the governor of a state, (no, really, you could be!) or even run for president of the United States.



    You have to admit it - that's not a half bad career path, now is it? And all you have to do is say things so ridiculous, so obnoxious, and so frustrating that you piss everyone else the fuck off. Which, of course, if you're doing it on purpose, is probably really, really fun. So at the end of the day, you're getting paid to be obnoxious. Sometimes in the form of a lowly internet blog, but sometimes in the form of GOVERNING A WHOLE ENTIRE STATE! Either way, you're definitely going to end up landing at LEAST one television appearance.



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    So to all the trolls out there, please accept my sincerest apologies for not taking you seriously. I'm sorry that I have discouraged you. I didn't realize that you were genuinely working on a legitimate career path. I didn't realize you were just trying to work your way up to being a professional. Trolling Xanga is almost like an internship: nobody is paying you for it, but if you're lucky, you're gaining some valuable experience and honing your skills. So I apologize to any trolls I outed in my time on Xanga. But if I ever called you out for trolling, I hope you learned something from that - if you're a good troll, you won't let people notice right away. You have to be dead serious as you're climbing the ranks. I mean, imagine what would have happened if Rick Santorum had trolled more subtly? He could have actually been president!



    But to all the trolls I may have upset or offended, fear not. Someday, you may just grow up to be the newest person that America loves to hate. And I promise that when you're a professional, I will laugh, roll my eyes, and move on the same way I do now.

    Ladies and gentleman, don't feed the trolls. Chris Christie is fat enough already.



    ~Jessica

Friday, 06 April 2012

  • Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

    I was reading an article earlier today about how a bunch of people are up in arms about the fact that a woman who appears to be fairly average-sized has been told that she is too fat to be a plus-size model. Now, I will be the first to say that any designer or clothing company has every right to display their clothes as they see fit. No offense, but skinny jeans look best on, you know, skinny people, so if someone wants to send a stream of toothpicks down the runway to show off this season's new version, it's their right to do just that. It seems almost oxymoronic to expect them to trot out a group of size 14s, just like I wouldn't walk into a plus-sized store expecting them to carry something in my size. Some fashions are designed to flatter a certain body type, and if someone decides to fill their store window with emaciated mannequins, or banners of full-figured women, it is entirely within their right to do so.

    But you know what else? If I disagree with the standard of beauty that is being displayed in that storefront, I also have every right not to shop there. And so do you. And that's the part that I don't get. If you're so offended that such-and-such a store, or so-and-so designer isn't projecting a viewpoint that you agree with, don't shop there. If you don't like that a certain magazine only ever lets skinny girls grace their covers, or you disagree with one that glorifies curves whether they're healthy or not, don't buy it. If you want magazines to start running more photos of women who look like you, start buying magazines that feature photos of women who look like you, whatever that may mean.

    There are plenty of industries that are actively looking to make you feel bad about yourself in order to promote their product, and convince you that you really need to join their gym, and use their shampoo, and scrub with their face wash, but the fashion industry isn't one of them. They want you to buy their clothes because you think they look good on you, so if the way they advertise those clothes doesn't make you feel like they would look good on you, LET THEM KNOW THAT! Because at the end of the day, they don't really care how you feel, but they do care about profits, so if the fact that their advertisements are alienating a certain demographic is going to cut into their profits, they might be willing to change their tune. But that only works if you put your money where your mouth is and stop supporting companies who in turn support ideas that you don't agree with. And this goes far beyond the fashion world.

    I'm sure most of you are aware of the reaction to Starbucks' decision to openly support gay marriage. About 25,000 people decided to boycott Starbucks. And 640,000 people signed a Thank You card to the company. The internet was peppered with tweets and pictures of people who are more inclined to stop in at Starbucks for their morning cup of coffee because of the fact that their moral beliefs were being upheld by the company.

    We saw the same thing happen with Planned Parenthood - Susan G. Komen pulled funding, donations to Planned Parenthood ballooned, public outcry was loud, and they reversed their decision - and Bank of America -They tried to institute a $5 fee for debit card usage, customers threatened to (and did) move their accounts elsewhere, the fee was dropped.



    We as consumers have the power to choose who and what we support, and we need to wake up and realize that without our support, companies will be forced to choose between changing their perspective, or failing. If enough people boycotted a certain company because it was doing something unethical, or that was not in line with your viewpoint, what do you think would happen?

    In this day and age, it has never been easier to find out where the products you use in your day to day life are coming from, or who and what the companies you give your business to are supporting. It's simple to get the low-down on companies, and see what kind of ideals they are projecting. Are you sick of Kim Kardashian getting loads of undeserved attention? Don't support the gossip rags that follow her around. Are you really into supporting your local economy? Sacrifice convenience and support your local stores instead of a chain. Are you interested in getting jobs back to the USA? Support companies whose products are manufactured here. Are you exhausted by the photoshopped cosmetics ads that portray an unattainable idea of beauty? Snag your cosmetics from a company that doesn't advertise in that way, or better yet, forgo them all together. Do you find KFC's treatment of the animals that go into their meals despicable? Get chicken from a local farm, or a chain with better reputations or standards.

    As much as I am frustrated by the fact that the world revolves around the Almighty Dollar, you have a fistful of Almighty Dollars at your disposal, and who you give them to is your decision. And when It's really easy to sit back and company about how this company or that company is doing something you don't agree with, but you know what's even easier? Simply taking your business somewhere else.

    ~Jessica

Lost_In_Reverie

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    • Name: Jessica
    • Birthday: 1/19/1989
    • Gender: Female
    • Member Since: 8/21/2004
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  • sexybuttonly
    Happy Valentine Day, Love! Choose your CategoryBig Tits Teens Lesbian Blow Job Anal Amateur Fun Wild & Crazy Asian Gay
  • DatingNaked
    Hi Jessica, thanks for the add - hope you check out the first week of Dating Naked starting Monday. I put up a, "who I am" blog. Have a great day day.
  • favoritesmiles
    Where: here When: 2008 thanks for being new fun friend (imported from memories)
  • BITSUA
    Hi jess you know how i am to invite me so i hope to not stay there to have come reletions yours mike
    • Posted 12/20/2008 1:40 PM
    • by BITSUA
  • palasa
    Hi there! Thanks for accepting the friend invite. I'm still quite new to this site though; my name's Brendan by the way.
    • Posted 12/19/2008 10:22 AM
    • by palasa
  • Ritzypuffles
    Hi! I'm not sure how you got linked to me coz I'm getting an error message. Anyway, whatever it is, I'm happy.Thanks for accepting my friend invite. My name is Ritz.