17

On Sunday, December 28th, Steve and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.  Back in good ol' 1991, we headed off to Cork County, Ireland to say our "I-Dos" and 6,205 days later, there we were, sitting at The Native in Costa Mesa, CA, enjoying a scrumptious vegan dinner and even topping it off with a vegan cupcake for dessert.

I really don't have the words to express how much he means to me or how grateful I am to have a partner by my side who always puts my happiness first, always believes in me, and actually enjoys the funky quirks & idiosyncrasies that make me "me."  I will just say that there is no other person who could ever fill his shoes and absolutely no other person I would want to.  I feel like our journey has only begun and I can't wait to blog about #34, seventeen years from now.

On Monday (day number 6,206), I went up to get ready for bed and found these little notes scattered at each stop along my "getting-ready-for-bed" routine path: pajama drawer, toothbrush holder, facial wash bottle, pillow, etc. 

Awww ...what a lucky girl I am.

~ j-boo

Read more!

Octopus Love

A few months ago, I did a photo shoot with the incredibly talented, Michelle X. Star (www.MichelleXStar.com) for a duel creative project with the painter, CallowLily (www.callowlily.deviantart.com), who is going to paint a version of this photo. It was extremely fun to shoot and the editing work that Michelle did on the photo really blew me away. She made my octopus TRULY come to life!

**Makeup by the lovely Shandra Jade**

Winx, Jinxi Read more!

The Rainy Day

Read more!

Circumstances

 

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them." - George Bernard Shaw

Read more!

"Religion is far more of a choice than homosexuality..."

Every time I see this, it just makes me smile.

Thank you, Jon Stewart.  Thank you.

Read more!

Tranquil Perceptions

Dreamlike state...
Thoughts saunter off
to visit the mysterious inscriptions of her heart.

The clandestine expressions
are merely moments of imagination;
involuntary visions in slumber.

Awake to a resemblance of reality,
to the mode of existence
that unceasingly remains.

- j-boo



Read more!

I Love Text Tattoos

Rex Manning (aka tattoo) Days are always among my most favorite of times and are especially fun when we get to hang out with our longtime friend and longtime tattoo artist, Nate. He and Marie headed over to our neck of the woods with tattoo gear in tow and after endulging in some yummy vegan pizza, I was lucky enough to add some new ink to my skin.

1) Vegan Jinxi: we squeezed this one right above Miss Octopus that resides on my throat/chest





2) I dig this next text tattoo that we added to my shoulder, because not only is it the title and lyrics to my favorite of all of The Cure's songs, but I love the positive message behind it as well. There is no if, baby!



3) Knuckle tattoos are always fun and this one is, well, ME. (he he)
I had Nate tattoo my signature to this blog and other writings that I do: j boo



YAY for Rex Manning Days!!

The rest of the weekend was groovy as well. We scurried around the mall in Riverside for a bit, as the kids picked out a few new pieces to their wardrobes and enjoyed the time out and about (even it was at the lame-ass mall - ha ha).

Work has been keeping me hopping lately. Even with the economy the way it is, customers still manage to squeak in some shopping from my store here and there; and I definitely appreciate each and every order.

www.Mermaidink.com

It's full of collectibles, charms, pins, stickers, figurines, patches, keychains, shoelaces, buttons and all sorts of gift-type goodies (in case you know anyone looking for such sorts). ;)

Over and Out,
j-boo

Read more!

Tofurkey Day '08

I know it's quite belated, but I have been meaning to write about Thanksgiving and somehow, the week has run away from me. But I figured that it's better late than never, eh?

We had such a great T-Day out in Temecula at Brooke and Ryan's (my sister and bro-in-law) house. It seems so seldom that we all get to be in one place, at one time, for a WHOLE day; and it was really nice to just relax, hang out with the kids and family, eat, and not have to worry about work and other tedious tasks for once.

Though I have been a vegetarian for many years, this was my FIRST year preparing a vegan Thanksgiving meal to bring with us to the feast. Steve and I ate strictly vegan goodies all day, while our kiddos are vegetarians and shared Tofurkey with us and then were able to eat most of the other dishes along with the extended family. Our vegan-ized mashed potatoes, stuffing, bread and pies were quite a hit. I think even the omnivores among us would agree. ;)

Below are lots of photos from the day. Those in attendance included:

- me & my fabulous gang
- my sister Brooke, her husband Ryan, and their three kiddos: Devon, Mekenzie & Jordan
- my mom
- my brother, Brad
- my sister, Nicole & two of her four kids (Blake and Damian)

Good times, good times!

Over & Out,
j-boo

Read more!

The Sounds, Nico Vega & Tofurkeys

The family and I were lucky enough to head back to the newly-renovated Hollywood Palladium on the 20th for one fantastic night of music!  I even dyed my hair for the special occasion. ;)

This time, The Sounds, a band from Sweden that all five of us love, was in LA recording some of their new album and booked this gig at the HP.  Lucky for us, because it was one incredible set!!

Maja, the singer, is such a firecracker!  She is FULL of energy, spunk, and passion!!  What an electrifying performance they presented.

Check out this video (near the end) when she kicks off her shoes, backs up and runs off the stage, leaping into the audience and crowd surfing.  RADNESS, I tell ya!!

The kids really had a good time too.

Since the kiddos were old enough to tag along, live music has been an integral part of our family outings,and I'm glad it's become a common activity for this little familial gang.

I took quite a few videos that night.  Here's a link to my youtube channel if you are fan of The Sounds and want to see more:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Jinxxxi

But I think this was my favorite of the bunch.  It includes the songs, "Queen of Apologies" and "24."

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the opening band, whom I was totally taken with that night and plan on following the calendar of, in the future:  the three-piece dynamo, Nico Vega.  This band from Los Angeles was on fire that night as well and quite unique and fascinating (and I mean "unique" in the good sense ... not the "unique" where you mean "weird" but don't want to be mean - ha)

I am now baking apples and yams, in preparation for tomorrow (Thanksgiving) and trying to get the other dishes (all vegan-ized) that I am contributing to the feast, measured out and ready to pop in the oven in the morning (this includes two Tofurkeys - yum!)

So much to be thankful for ... that's for sure!

Over & out, 

j-boo

Read more!

38

It's funny how the concept of birthdays have changed in my mind as the years go by. You would think that as I age, the apprehension would grown stronger as the day approached, but funny enough, I have found that just the opposite seems to occur now.

On Saturday, I turned the big 3-8.
I remember when I first hit 30, I thought my youth had totally disappeared and could not believe that I was entering this decade of life (ha - so funny now). I played the "I'm so old game" and "let me latch onto age 29 forever" dealio. But something happened as the "mid-thirties" crept up on me and I sort of shifted that mindset and stepped back a bit to view the "bigger picture."

I know it sounds cliche, but I realized that every year I am around, I learn so much more, become so much more, and experience so much more. All of this growth sort of accumulates and the repertoire of who I am and "What Makes Me Jinxi" seems to culminate together, just as a new 365-day-span starts again.

I would like to think that I'm just playing the optimistic card, but strangely enough, it's kind of more than that. I really DO feel that way. Kind of like I "earned" each tally-up on the age clock and am glad I got each experience necessary to reach it.

It also didn't hurt that my family made the day extremely special for me.
All three kiddos made me sweet, heartfelt cards/letters (my favorite) that are the ultimate treasure.We had a nice dinner out - despite having made plans to trek down to The Native, a vegan restaurant in Costa Mesa, when our plans were cut short due to every freeway from Corona to CM being closed due to the horrible fires - we still ended up finding nice vegan-friendly fare locally.And I got to embark on a little "splurgy" birthday shopping, which is always fun to buy things that you really don't need, simply because you are extra special that day. =)

All-in-all, tiptoeing into the "official late-30s" was pretty sweet. And I'm stoked to hit 39, because there is a Cure song about just that, entitled "39." (wink wink)

Over & Out,
j-boo

**me on my 38th birthday**

**With Steve at dinner**

**my three little monkeys playing "Hear No Evil. See No Evil. Speak No Evil."

Read more!

The First Of Many Steps

HEAR, HEAR!!!



"No one wins, unless everyone wins." - Bruce Springsteen

Read more!

Bittersweet

I am so disheartened today. On the wake of such a monumental milestone of Obama becoming president-elect, it is so bittersweet to know that the majority of Californians just YANKED away civil rights from so many!! In an election with resounding liberal triumphs, the principle of equality suffered such a discouraging defeat as California voters actually approved a ban on same-sex marriages.

To me, the euphoria of the Obama win is a bit marred today by the cruel bigotry directed at the gay population. It was not long ago that interracial couples were fighting for the right to marry one another. It took years of reasoning, protesting and battling to educate the ignorant as to the ridiculousness of such a limitation. Today, we look back in horror and disgust that our laws ever included such bigotry and racism. Yet this simple principle; that equality, freedom and justice is for ALL and applies to EVERYONE, still remains so difficult for the "sheeple" to understand.

To those who voted "Yes" on Prop 8, am I to assume that the United States Constitution doesn't mean much to you?

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"

sounds so much better than,

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal UNLESS YOU'RE GAY".

or that

"nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws"

sounds so much better than,

"nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws UNLESS YOU'RE GAY".

The irony is incredible and disheartening. I was so overcome with emotion this morning that I literally had to cry to get out some of the frustration from knowing that so many amongst us have declared that it is alright to treat another person as though they matter less.

I could write it a million different ways and still not be able to express the intense emotion and vexation I feel over this. I just cannot believe that people's fear, divisiveness, hatred, ignorance and self-righteousness gets SO CONVOLUTED and ends up resulting in actually TAKING RIGHTS AWAY and deeming anyone unworthy of such basic equality.
Shame on the bigots (and shame on the Mormons, in particular) for bearing false witness, distorting the truth and abridging the rights of other citizens.

It is such a bitter pill to swallow, but we just can't allow falsities or shallow tactics to deter us from fighting harder for the equality for ALL. The fight must continue. We WILL make a difference. We have to. One step forward - two steps back is what we were handed ... but we've got to get three steps in and educate and bring awareness to the severity of this injustice until "they" GET IT, CHANGE and once-and-for-all allow everyone in this nation the right to move forward, to be equal, and to be free!!!

j-boo


Read more!

Music & Equality

Last week was sprinkled with all sorts of my favorite things.
Among them, was a healthy dose of music, that was prevalent throughout.

On Tuesday, October 28th, The Cure's long-awaited album, "4:13 Dream" came out. Brynn and I hopped over to Best Buy when she got out of school that day and EACH got a copy of the fantastic-ness, so we didn't have to "share." ;)

I also got my paws on a superb AFI rarities which I find myself playing QUITE often. My kids especially love track #12 "I Wanna Get a Mohawk (But Mom Won't Let Me Get One)." Though that would NEVER be an issue in our house (ha ha).

On Saturday night, we took the kiddos down to the Hollywood Palladium, a venue that has significant importance in our lives, as it was the location of Steve and my VERY FIRST DATE, back in February of 1989, when we saw The Sugarcubes and The Primitives play. Bjork was the lead singer of The Sugarcubes at that time and screamed/sang so passionately, that she literally lost her voice half-way through the set. She was incredible; as was that night - and without the Palladium as a part of our memories, who knows HOW or IF we ever would have become the little family unit that we are today.

The incredibly inspiring and compelling band, Rise Against, was the headliner on Saturday and WOW, what a show it was! Especially given the significance of this week being election week and their passion for making a difference in political circles (as you can see from the video I shot below). It was a moving performance and we thoroughly enjoyed the night and getting to experience it all together.
**I somehow didn't catch a shot of Brynn while we were there - but she was, of course, rockin' out too**

Sunday, we took the boys with us to a rally for NO on PROP 8, where we stood for EQUALITY for ALL and tried to spread the message so that enough people take a stand tomorrow on Election Day and make sure that we protect basic human rights for EVERYONE! It was an interesting afternoon. While we did get many "honks" of support throughout the day, it was incredible to see vehement opposition and the anger and hatred from the "yes" side as they drove by yelling obscenities, flashing a particular finger more times than I can count, and assuring us all that we were headed straight for Hell.

I guess when you have that much bigotry and fear inside, you only see things one way and unfortunately, it is such a pathetic and ignorant way indeed. I truly do not understand how a civilized person in the year 2008 could not want everyone to be treated the same. It was not long ago that interracial couples were not allowed to be married and today, we look back in disgust and horror that a group of citizens could be treated with such disregard and inequality; yet the principle seems so hard to grasp for so many today.

Over these last few months, Steve and I have become increasingly aware that we live in an ultra-conservative area of California and that bigotry abounds around us. We are just hopeful that tomorrow, the REST of the state counterbalances the overwhelming side that we are exposed to in our neighborhood. Here's a photo of our yard (**we had to be overzealous to balance this suburb out a bit - ha)

I can't believe that tomorrow is finally Election Day!
Here's to hoping that a little change is in the making.

Over & Out,
j-boo

Read more!

The Empty Office

My husband is a dedicated and intelligent man. He graduated from law school at the top of his class, nearly twelve years ago. During his law school years he worked full-time during the day and went to school at night. This intense educational time frame also corresponded with the years that all three of our kids were born; making it even more of a challenge and even more of an accomplishment, for sure.

Shortly after he graduated, we started an online business together that made it possible for us to work together 24-7 and be at home with the little ones. We were busy in every aspect of the word and put in so much time and exertion, as we watched the business grow and tried to make our little venture succeed. And it has. For almost 12 years now, we rely on the shopping habits of internet-land customers to keep us busy, while their collectibles-focused shopping sprees pay our bills. Somewhere along the line, he also obtained his real estate license. The income from this extra job, we had decided, would be our "play money." But as so often happens, this eventually became "necessary money," as we slowly became more habituated to higher expectations of living.

So when the real estate market crumbled, we were faced with the strange ultimatum of not be allowed the luxury of working side-by-side, as we had been so accustomed to over the last decade. And so the roles we had played in the business shifted, as I acquired the responsibilities of some of the tasks that he used to carry out every day, while he found a great new job out in the **gasp** "real" (as in not-online) world.

We are quite grateful for the stability of - and the income from - his new career; so I am, by no means, complaining here. But it is suffice to say that the adjustment of settling into these new roles and playing the solitaire game of business was pretty hard for me to get used to. It's not so much the extra work that I mind, because I have this annoying, compulsive habit of over-working myself anyway; but rather the lack of my constant companion and business partner that took some getting used to (and still does).

I go through phases where it all seems apropos and cool. And then, on days like today, I feel a little more lonely and nostalgically reminiscent of the "way things were" for so many years.

It's funny how life truly does take you on one big roller coaster ride. The twists and turns, the ups and downs; the mazes of situations to ride your way through and to find your peace with. They are all an incredible part of the journey. I hesitate to feel melancholy at a time when so many struggle just to find a job, since we are so lucky to both have good ones; but certain days, I just really miss my best friend being across the desk from me and the comfort of his smile.

**Appropriately, this CD (The Martinis: Smitten) is persistently playing in my office. I especially adore track # 3: "You Are The One" and love that Joey Santiago is the guitarist in the band (ahhhh... the good old days of front row spots @ The Pixies shows).

Read more!

Fridays, Infinite Jest & Politics

It's Friday. There is always something a bit special about Friday. Even when I don't have anything particular planned and even when I still have work to do all weekend. Fridays just have a different kind of air; like there is more potential for something fantastic to happen.

My haiku to "the Friday"
Smitten by the vibe
Spirits fly high on Friday.
Hopeful and sanguine.

My new (and entirely enjoyable) hobby has been reading this 3 pound literary wonder. I have wanted to tackle it for quite some time and sadly, the nudge it took to begin it was the untimely death of its author, David Foster Wallace, in September. Described as not only a "genius," but a "once-in-a-century talent," Wallace provided the literary world with wildly inventive stories. Among them, is this 1,079-page novel. While I am only 1/5th of the way into it, I find myself totally enthralled with the characters and can't wait to tackle each new part of the dense and ominous plot. The book manages to be hilarious in the midst of some of the despair-ridden themes. I definitely look forward to my "reading time" each day.

I find that I am so disenchanted with the "race" to the White House.
Honestly, at this point, it feels like more of a "leisurely jog" to the WH. I just wish that November 4th would hurry up and get here, already. I also REALLY, REALLY hope that Californians step up and vote for fairness and humaneness in regards to these measures:






Come on California! Everyone deserves equal rights! And farm animals deserve humane treatment (they really deserve more; like to be treated just like the family dog or cat, but that's another blog and at least Prop 2 is a START in the right direction!)

I find it incredible that in this day and age that either of these propositions are even issues in our society; but given the regressive era we find ourselves in, alas, they are. Let's step up and advance a bit, eh? VOTE NO ON 8 and YES ON 2!!!

On a random note, look at this funny photo that Steve and I took on the way to Fresh & Easy the other day. Maybe proponents of the "Yes on 8" campaign need to pull over at this little stop and LIGHTEN UP a bit! Ah ha ha ha ...



Read more!

After Bass Practice Haiku

Brain says, "Play hands, play."

The music should sound like this.

Hands say, "I'm trying!" -- J-Boo


"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley, 1931

Read more!