| RIP Sniffle, 2008-2010 |
[Feb. 9th, 2010|05:14 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  devastated | ] |
 My Little Soul Rat,
I knew this day would come. I started worrying about it when we first brought you home and heard your frequent little sneezes--our "Sniffle" from the very start. The vet only gave you a month to live and insensitively suggested we take you back to the store for a "refund," but it was too late. We fell in love with you the moment we held you and decided that any time we got with you--even if it was only a few short weeks--would be wonderful. And it was. Almost two years later, I still can't believe how much I came to love you and your little sister. I've lost many other pets and a few human loved ones, but none of those losses can match the pain of your absence. Strange, that such a tiny thing could leave such a big hole in my life. I would've traded five years just to have one more with you.
When we buried you under the pomegranate tree, it was raining, and I foolishly worried about your being wet and cold down there. You always liked being warm and cozy in our big, fluffy comforters at home. I was scared to look at you before we put you in the ground--scared of what I'd see, scared of what I wouldn't see--but you were still perfect. Smooth fur, soft ears, pink tail, shiny eyes--even death couldn't ruin my memory of your being the most adorable thing I'd ever seen.
I'll miss the way your mysteriously wise, dark eyes got sleepy while you were being petted. I'll miss the wonderful way your fur always looked and smelled. I'll miss the way you'd make huge, fearless leaps just to get to anything I was eating. I'll miss watching you swiftly stash all of your favorite bits of food in your secret hiding places around the bedroom (Buffy's already raided your stash in the shoebox). I'll miss nuzzling the space between your ears and your amazingly soft, round belly. I'll miss cheering you on during the few occasions you'd get the upper hand on Buffy in a wrestling match. I'll miss seeing you cling to the cage bars with your pink little fingers, waiting to greet me after a hard day at work. I'll miss everything.
If there is a place across a bridge somewhere, I hope you're happy there. I hope there are lots of blankets for you to chew up and treats for you to stash. I hope I'll see you there again someday. And if not--if there's nothing, and you're just gone--I'm still so grateful that we had you for as long as we did. We did our best to give you the happiest little rat life possible; I only wish we could've given you more of it. Good-bye, my baby. I'll love you always.
--Rat Momma |
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| Rat Tattoo! |
[Nov. 23rd, 2009|10:06 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  happy | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | "Through the Trees" - Low Shoulder (Haha, shut up! It's a good song!) | ] |
For my 25th birthday, I got a rat tattoo on my ankle. I've always said I'd never get a tattoo unless I could find something that I was sure would be important to me for the rest of my life, and I know I'm going to love my girls forever. Sniffle approves. That's her paw print on the right and Buffy's paw print on the left. For an explanation of "good-bye zipper," see this entry. It didn't hurt as much as I'd expected; and I am most pleased with the result; though whenever I take a shower and look down, I'm still surprised to see it there.
Side Note for LISIS!: I really, really loved the rat drawings you sent; but at sort of the last minute, I decided I wanted something simpler coupled with the words and paw prints. I'm adding your drawings to our rat wall, though; so the effort was not for naught! Thanks again for drawing them. =o) |
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| Happy (Late) Halloween! |
[Nov. 1st, 2009|02:10 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  hungover | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Footloose | ] |
I was Tank Girl:
 ( Girl U Want! )
We carved pumpkins (mine's Jack!), and then made lots of new drunk friends at the local bar:
 ( More! )
Also, Unrelated -- I posted new photos from a recent photoshoot on Flickr:
Fort Point
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| Buzzed! =oD |
[Oct. 27th, 2009|10:50 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  okay | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | South Park Halloween Episode Marathon on Comedy Central | ] |
I buzzed my head last weekend, and I LOVE EET. I'm so fuzzy! Both sides are the same, but the hair on top is so long that it covers one side.
 
( Two more. )
Also, feel free to snicker at this dorky YouTube clip of me semi-drunkenly "performing" Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Hong Kong Garden" at my co-worker's "Ultimate Lip Sync" party. A friend of mine secretly took this with his flip-cam and sent me the clip at work. =oP
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| Happy Six-Year Anniversary |
[Oct. 2nd, 2009|12:27 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  groggy | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | "Death" - White Lies | ] |
...This was the perfect way to start year seven, no? Love you, Christopher. <3
Side Note: Anyone in NorCal looking for a good hotel getaway, check out the Inn Above Tide in Sausalito--SO worth the extra cash for the "Bay View" room! You get your own private deck facing the San Francisco bay, and you can spend all day and all evening watching the pelicans dive for fish. |
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| Internet Cleanup/Updating! |
[Sep. 15th, 2009|08:36 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  artistic | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | South Park | ] |
I started to feel like there was too much of me scattered across the internet; so I deleted all of the accounts I'm not using anymore (namely, my old-ass Angelfire website, my ancient Elfwood page, MySpace, and my sad, short-lived Etsy shop) and did a massive cleanup of my existing accounts. The cleanliness feels gooood, and I've now got this renewed desire to post things--new art, new photos, new comments on other peoples' stuff... Exciting! =oD
New on Flickr:
The Blood & Vinyl Shoot!
 
The Hooker Shoot!
 
New on deviantArt:
(Click to view larger version.)
 
Since I closed the Etsy shop, I decided to make prints available on deviantArt. I make less money that way, but it's a lot more convenient. |
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| Crap, crap, crap... crap. |
[Aug. 8th, 2009|03:07 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  anxious | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Mom singing along to Gretchen Wilson while she cooks in the kitchen. Adorable. | ] |
So the relaxedness from last night has somehow turned into irritating, unexplained anxiety and panic today. My stupid, fluttery heart will not slow down. |
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| Oh, that Jenn, all she ever posts is photos... |
[Aug. 7th, 2009|08:20 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  relaxed | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | The Daily Show | ] |
FOR YOUR MY OUR VIEWING PLEASURE:
I went with my nerd-boy to see Joe Rogan at Cobb's Comedy Club, and we were pretty that night.
My rats are fucking cute.
Look at Buffy's fingers! HER FINGERS!!!! HEEEERR FIIIIINGEEEERRRRSSSS!!!!!@@#$!@#$!!
Sniffle made a little nest out of Chris's t-shirt in the printer cubby of our computer desk.
( Here's another photo, to give you a better idea of where she was. )
Jess made me this bomb-ass breakfast last weekend. YUMMMM.
Also last weekend, NEDDA GOT MARRIED! Congrats, mushroom-head!
( More of the beautiful wedding here! )
I just got this preview shot from my most recent photoshoot--blood and blood and more blood! So fun! So tasty! =oD
 |
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| Recent Summer Adventures |
[Jul. 14th, 2009|03:58 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | mellow | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | "We Close Our Eyes" - Oingo Boingo | ] |
What I've Been Up To:
Waded through a dense crowd of lovely gay people at the San Francisco Pride Parade... ( ...where I oggled as many naked boobies as I could. )
Visited the San Francisco Zoo with Chris... ( ...where we were rushed by this incredibly intimidating creature. )
Went to an Independence Day barbecue at Chris's mom's house... ( ...where a brave family friend painted Chris's disgusting toe-talons. *Shudder.* )
Other Things:
- I dyed the front part of my hair dark purple for a photoshoot on Sunday, and now I miss the blue tremendously. Blue's just felt right for months and months, and as soon as this stuff fades out, I think I'm going back to it for a very long time.
- Said photoshoot was fun. Part of it served as my first real lingerie shoot. Hopefully, I'll have photos to post by early August. (This photographer tends to take a while to send me the files.)
- I've been battling this... thing, lately. I don't think it's real depression, but it's a general discomfort and dissatisfaction with life. Except for one legendarily bad night I had in college, I don't know if I've ever felt lonelier. It hurts, and I cry at totally random times. Not sure what to do about it. Get a new job? Make new friends? I haven't come up with any really appealing or realistic solutions yet. =o\ |
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| "Good-bye zipper!"* |
[Jun. 29th, 2009|09:15 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | lonely | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | "Nashville Parthenon" - Casiotone for the Painfully Alone | ] |
 A few months ago, I was browsing the shelves of a small bookstore in Berkeley when my rat-momma eyes zeroed in on a thin paperback manufactured to look like its pages had been gnawed on by a rat. As a rule, I buy almost anything rat-related I happen to come across; so I purchased it without a second thought. Judging from the adorable packaging, I was expecting a Ratatouille-esque story--something "cute" and at least mildly enjoyable for a rat-lover like me. What I was not expecting to find was a genuine piece of Literature, with a capital L. Funny, touching, and tragic, Sam Savage's Firmin is my new favorite book. I'd like to think that means a lot, considering the fact that I've never been able to pick a single favorite book before. The first time I finished reading it, I was riding the train on my way to work, and I bawled my eyes out in front of everyone (I'm talking non-stop tears, raking sobs, and globs of snot, here). I've read it twice more since then and cried again both times.
You don't need to like rats to sympathize with the title character. In the basement of a Boston bookstore, Firmin is born the runt in a litter of thirteen rats to a drunken mother who only has twelve nipples. Shoved aside by his bigger, stronger siblings at mealtime, he soothes the ache in his empty belly by gnawing on the only other things in his environment--books. As he eats page after page, Firmin somehow absorbs the knowledge of the printed words and develops the ability to read. Soon, his literary consumption becomes more psychological than literal (though he continues to allow himself the occasional nibble around the margins). Unfortunately for Firmin, this newfound skill creates in him a deep longing for the human world. No longer a simple rat concerned only with self-preservation, Firmin yearns for connection and understanding--for someone with whom to talk about philosophy, art, fiction, history, science, and all of the other things he's learned from his precious books. But other rats don't understand those things, and he doesn't have the physiological ability to converse with humans. He is isolated, a small, seemingly insignificant creature full of burning passions, unequipped with any way to communicate them. Anyone who has suffered even the slightest bit of loneliness will be able to identify with Firmin. I did, and I do... especially these days. I seem to have so very few friends at this point in my life, and I'm quite thankful to have found a new one in Firmin.
If you love books, read Firmin. If you love rats, read Firmin. If you love me, read Firmin. It's really the most wonderful piece of art I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.
*A Note on the Subject-Line: At one point in the story, in a desperate attempt to communicate with a human, Firmin tries to learn sign language. Without actual hands, the only signs he can easily manage are "good-bye" (an energetic wave of the forepaw) and "zipper" (a zipping motion of the forepaw up his belly). Thus, "Good-bye zipper!" becomes his chant--his greatest, most courageous effort at reaching out to others. I'm seriously considering getting the phrase tattooed somewhere. |
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| Highlights from Paris |
[Jun. 25th, 2009|03:56 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | okay | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | "Strange Powers" - The Magnetic Fields | ] |
Paris! Paris! Paris! It feels like a dream--a really long, crazy, beautiful, exhausting dream. ( TONS of photos this way! ) |
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| I'm in Paris!!! |
[Jun. 12th, 2009|07:42 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | happy | ] |
Be back soon, with many pictures to post! Love you all! =oD |
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| Semi-Old Photo Post |
[May. 15th, 2009|01:26 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  bored | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | "Can't Get You Out of My Head" - Kylie Minogue | ] |
I've been meaning to post these forever and just never got around to it... They're all pretty small; so I hope you don't mind that they're not under an lj-cut.
First: Drag Queens!
 
We visited the lovely creatures of Asia SF just before Jess moved down to SoCal. They are so mind-blowingly beautiful. LOVE them.
Second: Amazing Dinner!
One of the best dinners ever served at the impoverished Vinyard-Jensen household. Hot dogs and $6 pink champagne--fuckin' CLASS, y'all.
Third: Rats!
Buffy fell into a deeeep, deep, adorable sleep on our bed a couple of weeks ago, which meant that I had to take a zillion photos of her. My heart! She hurts it!
Sniffle preferred sitting in Momma's lap to napping.
Fourth: Voltaire Outfit!
I went to a recent Voltaire show in San Francisco, where two of my friends were supposed to meet me, but I got stood up by both! This left me feeling sad and lonely, although Voltaire made up for it by being extra charming and wonderful and remembering me from the last show. =o) Still, I went home and pouted and made Chris take a picture of me so that at least my LJ-friends could appreciate the awesome outfit I put together that night.
Fifth: Lovelies!
These two darlings stayed over at my apartment a couple of weekends ago (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) shyfayrie and her boy). Looooove you, Nedda! <3
Sixth: Zoe and Finn!
My boss commissioned a drawing of his kids from me--my first real commission, with a decent payment and everything! I was very excited, and he was pleased. =oD Larger version at DeviantArt.
Other Stuff:
- LISIS!!! I just bought the book-version of Let the Right One In and am reading it now. I like it super-much so far! It's way darker than the movie is. Thanks for recommending!
- Have any of you ever gotten a fix-it ticket? Is there anyone else you can get to sign off on your ticket besides a police officer? The stupid police station in Burlingame closes at 5 PM, so I can't get back from work in time to go there, and I take the train to work, so I can't visit the San Francisco station, because I don't have my car when I'm there. Halp!
- In less than a month, I am going to be in freakin' FRANCE! Spur-of-the-moment, crazy decision... I'll be staying in Paris with my cousin Lannie for a week. I cannot wait. I can feel the baguettes quivering in fear of my voracious hunger. |
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| Life Right Now |
[Mar. 29th, 2009|08:35 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | okay | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | The X-Files | ] |
 It's catch-up time! Since I haven't really done anything besides work over the last few months, here are the things that have been on my mind, lately.
Heavier Stuff:
- Jess (cloudberry): My semi-hetero lifemate moved down to SoCal to live with her boyfriend a few weeks ago, and it's really weird not having her around. Her absence makes me realize not only how important she is to me, but also just how few real-life friends I have. Sometimes, it's a bit lonely--but only sometimes. Mostly, I prefer being alone, anyway.
- Aging and Death: The older I get, the more the idea of death frightens me. I think of it constantly--when I'm driving, when I'm visiting my parents, when I'm spending time with my rat-babies. Everyday, I worry about myself or a loved one dying. I know 24 can hardly be called "a ripe old age," but after living "the adult life" for a full two years, I'm feeling less and less protected by the youthful beliefs in invincibility and endless possibility. Life feels fragile and short, and this makes me sad.
- Work: I am overworked and underpaid, and it's starting to wear on me. I don't half-ass anything (a life-rule I picked up from my dad, and the personality trait of which I'm most proud); so I put every ounce of energy and effort I have into my job. I often stay late and skip lunch breaks, and I'm mostly okay with doing that, because at the end of the day, the hefty pile of work I've accomplished leaves me feeling satisfied. But I can only maintain that feeling as long as I don't think too hard about how much I'm actually being paid. Chris helped me do my taxes the other night, and being forced to closely examine my yearly salary sent me into a depressive spiral that lasted the rest of the night. I'm trying to just be thankful that I have a steady job in this hellish economy, and I am, but... I can't help thinking that I'm worth more than this. So much more. =o(
- Body/Weight Issues: I've gained a solid 5 pounds over the last year, and it's wreaking havoc on my self-confidence. I know I'm not fat, and there are plenty of women heavier than I am whom I find very beautiful, but I'm bigger and squishier than I've ever been before, and my body just doesn't feel like my body, anymore. Outfits that used to make me feel pretty now cause me to cringe in the mirror. I'm not comfortable in my own skin, and I haven't felt truly attractive in ages. It sucks. I'm trying to eat better and exercise, but my willpower in that area is kind of pathetic. My short skirts and sexy shirts hang forlorn in the closet. I miss them so!
Light, Happy Stuff!
- Fave Recently-Seen Movie: Let the Right One In. Swedish vampire film. AMAZING. 4,135,367,852,903 times better and more touching than Twilight. See it. Now.
- Fave Recently-Read Book: Water for Elephants. Circus folk, romance, tragedy, danger, and an elephant! I really, really hope they make this into a movie. I've been dying to draw some circus art ever since.
- Recent Obsession: I've finally caught up with Joss Whedon's Buffy Season 8 comics, and holy crap, they are fantastic! I got my beloved Scoobies back! They'd left a big, gaping hole in my life when the TV show ended.
- Recent Crush: Jeremy Piven's character Ari Gold on HBO's Entourage makes me go all heart-gooey, these days. What can I say? I'm a cliche--a girl who loves assholes.
- Etsy Shop: In an effort to chase the impossible dream of someday living off of my art, I started an Etsy shop. Please tell your art-loving friends! |
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| Good Books in Bad Times (I'm Work-Whoring, Here) |
[Jan. 14th, 2009|10:50 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | meh | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | "Keane" - Bedshaped | ] |
Our company just started a blog called Good Books in Bad Times, to which I am a fairly regular contributor. The official press release says it's "designed for readers who are searching for thoughts, ideas, and wisdom from trusted sources to help them face these difficult times"--"difficult times" meaning the crappy economy + the standard stresses of everyday life. I think it's a really nice idea. Projects like this are the reason I wanted to work here in the first place: Our books help people. If you're feeling particularly unhappy about life and/or if you love books, check it out at www.goodbooksinbadtimes.com. You can recommend your own favorite titles by sending post submissions to goodbooksinbadtimes@yahoo.com, too. I'll probably be the one to post them for you. |
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| Martha Stewart: Transylvanian Edition! |
[Jan. 13th, 2009|09:34 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | discontent | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | "What'll I Do?" - Alison Krauss & Union Station (A Mix Jess Made Me) | ] |
I did a weird 50's housewife/vampire shoot with Rocky back in November. We're thinking of doing vampire shoots for every decade--like, the same vampire throughout the ages. I've just gotta come up with proper costumes. Also: I need stronger facial muscles. Posing with your mouth open for six hours straight huuurts. ( More fun under here! =oD )
Unrelated: Has anyone else ever wrongfully gotten a "failure to pay toll" violation notice in the mail? I got one today, saying I didn't pay toll while crossing the Bay Bridge on New Year's Day, but I totally did! I don't understand why I got it, and I'm pissed... Not that I don't have the $30 or whatever for the fine, but it's the principle of the thing! >=o( |
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| MORE Unproductive Days in the Cubicle-Verse!* |
[Dec. 15th, 2008|10:28 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | amused | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | "That Ole Devil Called Love" - Billie Holiday | ] |
PART II
From: Jensen, Jennifer
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 1:48 PM
To: Vinyard, Christopher M [chrisvnerd]
Subject: The Loneliest Whale
OMG, this has got to be one of the saddest things I've ever read! =o( =o( =o(
http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/12/20/184723/82
[Stolen from amakasitae.]
----------------------------------------
From: Vinyard, Christopher M
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 1:52 PM
To: Jensen, Jennifer
Subject: RE: The Loneliest Whale
Damn, that’s depressing.
Makes me glad I found another malformed whale in you.
----------------------------------------
From: Jensen, Jennifer
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 1:53 PM
To: Vinyard, Christopher M
Subject: RE: The Loneliest Whale
Aaaw! You're my malformed whaaale! <3 <3 <3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PART III
From: Jensen, Jennifer
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 10:16 AM
To: Jamsheed, Sheeda [My crazy-awesome co-worker, without whom work would suck extra, extra hard.]
Subject: OMGWTF!? Haha!
http://www.journalfen.net/community/sparklefield/5726.html
----------------------------------------
From: Jamsheed, Sheeda
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 10:18 AM
To: Jensen, Jennifer
Subject: RE: OMGWTF!? Haha!
Uh, yeah. I actually own that...
----------------------------------------
From: Jensen, Jennifer
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 10:19 AM
To: Jamsheed, Sheeda
Subject: RE: OMGWTF!? Haha!
LMAO, you are shittin' me.
----------------------------------------
From: Jamsheed, Sheeda
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 10:23 AM
To: Jensen, Jennifer
Subject: RE: OMGWTF!? Haha!
No, srsly, I rub my whole body with the Edward Cullen body glitter then roll around on the sheets. It is such a powerful spiritual experience. And so the bed sheet fell in love with the psycho...
----------------------------------------
From: Jensen, Jennifer
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 10:24 AM
To: Jamsheed, Sheeda
Subject: RE: OMGWTF!? Haha!
Hahahaha! I <3 <3 <3 yoooooou.
*I swear, one of these days, I'll start writing actual posts with substance again... One of these days. =oP |
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| Eee-hehehehe! |
[Nov. 10th, 2008|10:14 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  giggly | ] |
Dear Paul Rudd,
Your babies. Can I has?
Love,
Jenn
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| Calling all Californians! |
[Nov. 7th, 2008|11:26 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | hopeful again | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | "Razor Sharp" - Collide | ] |
Hi,
I just signed a pledge to repeal Prop 8 and I thought you might be interested in joining me and more than 100,000 Courage Campaign members across California.
We have to come together right now to say that we refuse to accept a California where discrimination is enshrined in our state constitution.
Please sign the "Repeal Prop 8" pledge now and forward this to your friends as soon as possible:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/RepealProp8
Thanks!
Jenn |
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