geez do i love two for tuesdays, and wednesdays, at best video. i've done quite a number on the video list. yesterday i watched the entire first season of sex in the city and it was fantastic. so much funnier and less serious than i'd expected. and now i am so excited to see the rest of the series. i also rented just married because it looked cute, and i wasn't disappointed. it was cute and it was actually filmed in my home town, at the batman house. and i realized i watched them film part of it! i run on that street when i am at home, and i was running past when they were doing the scene where ashton is trying to ram through the gate. so i saw ashton kutcher even though i didn't know it at the time. anyhow, the movie was cute! and then today i watched amy's o which was fantastic and i highly recommended. i like movies about neurotic women, it makes me feel better. anyhow, i got done with all of that in time to watch surprise by design. and work is flying by, and i think i am going to take a paddle in the quinnipiac before yoga. helllloooo, someone has a lot of energy. ok, ok i'll hold still long enough to do some more work. wahoooo.

A blonde girl enters a store that sells curtains. She tells the salesman:

"I would like to buy a pink curtain in the size of my computer
screen." The surprised salesman replies: "But, madam, computers do
not need curtains...." And the blonde said: Helloooo.... I've got
Windows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- i love waking up to e-mail jokes from mr. squirrel
speaking of which, where is the rest of the vanessa jean family and why am i the only dork who posts all the time.

this is what happens when i don't want to go to sleep at night, my awful computer addiction. ok, ok, so this was also spurred by a conversation about google-ing your friends and looking for embarassing information about them (yes, we turned up lots)...but then i decided to do a vanessa jean search and there were some things that i hadn't seen before. for real press info, see the right hand column. but if you are more of a blogger, it's nice to see other blogs talk about your stuff.

jajdejo: effluvia of an academic brat.
frycow. apparently he's not thrilled.

then a few more i can't post. but it's fun, it's like getting to read what people write about you on bathroom walls.

on the collection front, i've also gone on a bit of a kazaa binge. oh well, it's fun and i'm missing my best of all the bob dylan cd's, so it started with a real purpose. btw, the bob dylan website is the most well organized and informative catalog of an artist i have ever seen.

she belongs to me - bob dylan
why georgia - john mayer
i'd have to be crazy - willie nelson
tangled up in blue - dylan, ani, indigo girls, bela fleck, neil young, jerry garcia band
f.i.n.e. - aerosmith

i've been on such a spree lately, and I just picked up some really good books. along with the books i am re-reading now (i like a good challenge, one book at a time is just too easy), i just started a whole batch of new ones, and that's without finishing ptown yet. anyhow, here's the list, and i recommend all of them except the few i haven't actually finished yet.

ptown - thanks b.p.
by the river piedra i sat down and wept - the best get on with your life book ever
the botany of desire - thanks d.b.
wicked - thank sara
a short guide to a happy life - i've met her before!
happiness: a novel - this is going out on a limb

yea, so i've bitten off a little more than i can chew in the number of books category, but this way i won't ever get bored. and i think i can read them on the water too. yay.

yay! yale finally hires a new women's volleyball coach. her description seems cool, and we played for the same tough-as-nails club team (ben does that bring back any memories of our sophomore year at poly) during high school. this is exciting. i love her attitude and how she sounds so positive and ready to work with the girls (as opposed to against them...hmmm...) three cheers!

holy begeebers i got my booty kicked yesteray!
i've been running around will all sorts of energy, and i can't seem to hold still or concentrate...so yesterday was a great day for errands after doing a fair bit of production, but toward the end of the day (about an hour before the sunset beach yoga) i just couldn't sit still anymore so i went for another long run, and then to yoga (which was harder than usual), and it seemed like our group had energy so we went out to eat and then back home for a little hot tub (a.k.a. lukewarm tub action) action. suffice it to say, new haven's got the summer action going on, and i love it. the new haven crew doesn't seem to want to hold still. anyhow, i woke up this morning sore from head to toe, but i love it. and speaking of toes...i'm off for a manicure and pedicure. this seems to be pamper vanessa week and i ain't going to complain. watch for frequent blogging this after noon in my over-energized state. wahooooo.

two birth-days in one
i just found a new blog of someone in know through a friend, through a friend, through a friend, etc, but it looks promising. chickenosis. it's day of birth was yesterday, and the blogger's birthday is today. check it out.

that goodness for pharell
thank goodness for the neptunes
thank goodness for the (new) cd n.e.r.d.
i love love love it, because it's so inappropriate but hilarious

i'm mean really, what would snoop and the beaches of rio be without pharell?

successive list of things that bother me...
my computer doesn't have a functional battery (i swear it's the fault of my distribution manager....
the plug-in power frequently pulls out (i should duct tape it in there) and the computer dies...
i lose long winded, fun, train-of-thought e-mails!!!
i hate writing really good e-mails and loosing them.
grrrr.

resisting a-rest
why oh why

now that i have finished the the best book of all time i think i shall move onto 'absolutely american': culture war at west point which sounds really interesting from the ny times review.

it's no fun when the shout outs aren't there!

i, literally, just dusted my bedroom last night, and there is already a thin film of dust on my desk. why is new haven the dust vortex capital of the world?

luckily, i don't have to sit around and prepare for the bar like those at the kitchen cabinet, so i might just go up to boston and stand on the shore to watch this. the thought of these guys coming in makes me think of this previous post describing the tracking of these things, as well as the rubber duckie race my good friend brian took me to in high school.

ny times reports on the current state of cork in portugal. don't laugh, it's important to them. sadly, the article is $ and will only whet your appetite for learning more about the best country in europe. on the train trip from lisbon to evora, the country side consisted on green plains and only cork oaks, nothing else, it was amazing and beautiful, so i hope the switch to non-cork corks doesn't put the under.

yes, people do think a little too much about certain things, like cat food. clearly marketing and advertisers don't direct their efforts at people like me who take the least expensive choice because my cat can't tell the difference option when buying chow.

last weekend's ny times magazine had an article about baby names. i can't find the link, sorry. well, it was a fun and informative article, although a little bit fluffly. basically, it just talked about historical and projected trends in baby names and the reasons for certain sound patterns and why my children will have names like wall, cup, neon, chartreus, and calendar. the article is based on research by two baby name planning people and the fact that the social security administration did a project charting the most popular baby names for the last certain hundred years. yes, the best part is there is a website for you to play on, and i think everyone should. i'm glad i was born as a vanessa into a year of... (can you name the year?)
1. jennifer
2. jessica
3. amanda
4. melissa
5. sarah
6. nicole
7. heather
8. amy
9. michelle
19. elizabeth

anyhow, the site will provide hours and hours and hours of entertainment. click here.

another reason i love this town...
on my drive home tonight, on my street there was an adorable pair meandering down the sidewalk. a very elderly yellow lab, quite large and slow moving, and the owner in his 30's, reading a magazine while wandering with the old dog. it was the cutest thing ever.

well, does vanessa jean ever have a story to tell!

this story would be so much better had i blogged the original incident when it happened, but some loyal vanessa jean fans are aware of the theft incident at the artspace duct tape opening. here's the backdrop (i could have sworn i blogged this, but i can't find it posted anywhere)...
for the opening of the artspace new haven 'duct tape: between fear and freedom' exhibit i was lucky enough to host a table of my wares that were available for sale. so there was a 3 foot circular table covered with duct tape bags, right at the entrance to the exhibit. well, at one point this young(ish) woman walked by, picked up a bag as to inspect it, and then (with the guidance of a man who was on her arm) walked out of the museum with the bag! yes, i was in quite a tizzy and didn't know what to do. the woman also looked very familiar and i know i had met her at some point (and that we probably had a few things in common) and i just couldn't believe she would actually steal something so i just let her walk out of the show with it. it seemed as if she was thinking she was very covert, but i saw it all happen. that was the best part, that i saw it all, and so did other people. after about 15 minutes she came back to the museum, carrying the bag. i was shocked, then she walked directly to the other side of my display table, bent over as if to inspect some samples on the floor, and deposited the previously stolen bag on the floor...returning it to it's home. well, this made me even more surprised and miffed, mostly because her actions were so obvious and i'd seen everything that happened, and because i know she is a person i have met because we graduated from the same university and went through a few similar programs. it was just such a funny and shocking and embarassing incident...and i talked about it for the next week. i was also convinced that my roommate knew her, but i couldn't get out an apt enough description...

well, the mystery has been solved!
after a boisterous evening of scavenger hunting, tgwnn crew settled at a local japanese bar to hang out. and all of a sudden this same woman walks in and i turn directly to my roommate and re-tell him the story and point out that she's the one! and he says, "her, i know her!" turns out they are good friends and previously teammates. so i became determined to get to the bottom of the stolen/returned bags, and i made him introduce us as we awkwardly picked songs from the jukebox (2 jukebox nights in a row, how lucky!). well, we are introduced and he leaves, so i fend for myself. we've clearly met before, and we get to the bottom of things after a bit of silly small talk, and we talked about my work and the artspace show and as soon as she said 'did you see me...' i told her i saw the whole thing. she explained why and how embarassed she was and it was good for a hilarious laugh (as are all bizarre vanessa jean incidents) and we had a good laugh and bonded over the foolishnes. and it gets even better (and even more full circle) because it turns out that she is the girlfriend of one of annabelle's good friends freshman roommate (oh, you'll figure out what i mean) and it was just such a riot. and as it turns out, she picked up the bag to look at it, and her male companion grabbed her arm and told her to walk out with it (forced her?) and she felt bad and brought it back. anyhow, mystery solved, new friend made, life is good.
over and out!

3 remotes, and i can't find a single one of them.

i believe in karma. (btw, my favorite line ever is 'thank god for karma!') and after spending last summer in a buddhist monastery i feel like i finally have a grasp of the realities and nuances of what karma actaully is (which is far from it's representation in most coloquial american usage, see here)... but i think it's quite a good guidline and theory for living, and i hope the universe works that way.
on the other hand, i also believe in micro-karma (which a completely non scholastic thing)...or that's at least what i like to call the ironic, but always appropriate, way that things just happen when they are supposed to and you get what you deserve and your past actions find merit, but based on short term experiences, experiences of days or weeks, not lifetimes...yes, i am rambling, but this is all i could think of as i drove home from the video store this morning, collecting the list of amazing things that's happened in the last few days, like some micro-karmic force is taking care to patch up the rough spots!
this morning i was elated to find out that the video i rented (volume 5, the last in the series, of my favorite sizzlin' showtime series) was free because it was my 11th rental. great, cause it made me happy, and because i wasn't looking forward to breaking the big bill i had just for one movie. adn the last few days have been just like that, exciting and overwhelming surprises all over the place.

after seeing one flea, i feel like they are all over the place now...am i paranoid of could they actually be hiding in my hair?

this is from chi, the south-part-of-the-west-coast advisor to the vanessa jean & co blog...
rubics cube prank
read through all the way, even if it takes a while to load the second page, because it's hilarious and in true vanessa jean style. what a great, great idea. and YES! it does have to do with duct tape, i promise.

so, how's the studying going? why is everyone i know prepping for the bar, and why have i not heard from the east coast constituents yet?

fleas...oh crap. my roommate tracked them here, and i am pissed.

exciting news...the 'american flag' piece i made for the artspace 'duct tape: between fear & freedom' show has been selected to travel with the SAVE the Bill of (Your) Rights! show and program sponsored by the office of the community lawyer in connecticut. the piece is controversial, in american flag style, but sporting red, orange and yellow duct tape stripes representing the tom ridge terror alert system and with 50 little ridge heads posing as white stars, all stuck onto a clear plastic sheeting backdrop. anyhow, i'm just honored it was selected and will be traveling with people who have a message. below is an smidge from their press release.

.:PRESS RELEASE:.

SAVE the Bill of (Your) Rights!

"The Office of the Community Lawyer in Winsted, CT, is organizing a roadshow
about the attack on your civil liberties. SAVE the Bill of (Your) Rights!
is designed to not only educate about on the USA Patriot Act, the Homeland
Security Act, and other executive initiatives, but also to build a citizens'
movement to bring everyone up to speed..."

"This summer, the project will entail several town meetings across the state
of Connecticut. Forums have already been scheduled in Winsted, Torrington,
Washington, Middletown and elsewhere. At each citizen gathering, speakers,
such as Teresa Younger, Executive Director of the CCLU, will engage the
audience regarding concerns raised by the USA Patriot Act and other
executive initiatives that trample our civil liberties. These local
meetings will culminate in a meeting which will feature a panel of prominent
figures to be held in the Hartford area."

Residents are invited to attend and to engage in lively debate.
Each event will be open to the public and will be wheelchair accessible.

Office of the Community Lawyer
97 Main Street. P.O. Box 1594
Winsted, CT 06098
860-738-1262

www.communitylawyer.org

yes yes, barring yesterday's posting i have been m.i.a. on the blogging. that's just the way it goes. i'm settled back at home now with a re-inspired interest in working my butt off, growing the business exploring more of life and breaking my blogging/computer addiction. sooo, posting may be sparse for a bit, except for super exciting news, new designs and duct tape related things.

however, i now have the power to update the actual vanessajean.com site so my computer addiction may be funneled there. i hope i can keep my (3) loyal readers happy...but the quantity just might not be up there. ciao.

alrighty, so i've been comissioned to make a duct tape diaper bag for the pregnant sister of a friend, she's having twins! since i have never had a child (phew!) and am a little out of touch...can anyone offer some good advice toward to optimal specifications of a diaper bag? pleeeeeeze!

i'm off to kickboxing. wahoooo!

yea, yea, this man might think he's super smart and all, but i'm pretty darn sure this duct tape product already exists. oh well, maybe i'm just angry cause he's getting so much press and i'm sort of on a halt.

why does it not surprise me that so many duct tape stories seem to come out of alaska? diaper help never would have come to my mind, but i guess it's a fine line between clever and crazy. and i am also not surprised to real that one of the wal-marts in alaska sold tons more rolls of duct tape than the stores in the continental u.s.

speaking of poopy diapers, i had a few adorable and hilarious run-ins with small children pooping in bathing suits and others pee-ing in pants.

they finally named the winners of the duct tape prom dress competition. it's about time! ok, so they aren't my favorites, but i like the idea of their outfits matching each other.

i agree with bethany on the air conditioner issue. i am stingy-poo and i was raised believing that when the ac is on the windows and doors shouldn't be. yea, grrr. but only a bit more.

ben seems to be on hiatus again. if you haven't read any of his stuff, read the archives, because it really is quality!

i like this quote from the kitchen cabinet.

phil the cat is adorable. he is lounging, well sleeping, on the desk with me as i type, curled up right next to the computer. he is so cute, and such a good cat. maybe i can sneak him into my luggage and take him back to connecticut with me. he's such a sweet cat, he's adorable, but attentive like a dog. the best of both worlds!

yea. my hometown is famous for helping jack recover.

crop circles in california? i sure as heck hope so, and i hope they were made my aliens. "ROCKVILLE, Calif. -- Larry Balestra could hardly believe his eyes as he stared across his western Solano County wheat field. What were those strange impressions out there in the waist high grass?
With his curiosity piqued, he waded into the field and suddenly found himself standing in the middle of a 140-foot circle of bent grass. And then there was another and another.
His first thought?
'What the heck?' he told the local paper when asked about his initial response."

-even if "what the heck?" was my first response, i don't think i would tell that to the paper. i'm glad he's staying level headed about it though, he seems old and vulnerable to problems from over-excitement. it always seems that it would take forever for people to make these, and that someone would have to know they were out there. oh well.

12 earth first activists duct taped themselves to construction equiptment in order to halt the progress of a chain store. way to use duct tape...and then get arrested.

holy goodness! bethany is posting some cool scientific stuff. please check out the link!

it's that time again...where i post all the amazing search terms that land people on this here blog...
(i swear that about a week ago there were some absolutely hilarious ones, but i guess they have been swept away. see the links in the search terms for their actual presence on the blog.)

1. blogger+bethany+caroline+haven (ok, they were looking for astute and profound)
2. pantyhose+pics+xlarge
3. ashton kutcher & mod
4.has anyone used maxim haircolor?
5. porn+vanessa+pimp (sorry, wrong page!)
6. pantyhose+feet+pictures
7. yellowschoolbus
8. pugs+with+fish+pictures+photos
9. flynt firetruck
10. post-its+adhesive+computer+screen+damage
11. celebrities smoking in pantyhose
12. photos+of+ugly+kids
13. dog carrier purse
14. PICTURES+OF+A+REALLY+FAT+SQUIRREL
15. ezra stiles yale pics

i just finished the non-fiction political thriller a question of intent: a great american battle with a deadly industry by david kessler, former head of the fda. it was such a great book, and i highly recommend it to everyone. although it is a true to life account of the fda attempt to regulate tobacco, it reads like a thrilling page turner, and i just loved it.

this also means there are new additions to the books of the moment list on the right side menu.

well, this is the last night in cali until august. early tomorrow morning my carton of duct tape and i will catch a flight back to connecticut where it is equally hot but far more humid. i can't wait, especially for the 4th of july trip to baltimore. who says a girl needs to sit still for more than a few minutes!

thank you kind duct.tales readers who have sent helpful advice about local stores and fairs to attend! i appreciate it so much, thank you thank you thank you. watch out for a fun surprise thank you in your mailboxes soon!

whipppeee, and today i met with the nice people at cis media who taught me how to edit my own website. so, watch out for minor and major overhauls of www.vanessajean.com within the next few weeks. yea, more things to distract me! wahooo!

thanks goodness for a few southland treats. like 90 pound dog that sits in my lap when i type and 31 flavors/baskin robbins. the second is an ice cream store. although i am partial to ben & jerry's because it's so good for you (ahem!) and from vermont, i have lots of memories from 31 flavors. it was the traditional hangout after each and every elementary and middle school concert, and i would always spill my ice cream on my white world war II nurse style uniform that was mandatory for "concert dress". even by 8th grade i couldn't eat without making a mess. so i was happy to pass up dinner in honor of my favorite combo: peanut butter & chocolate and gold medal ribbon. deeee-licious. i was glad to see it's possible to find out ice cream birthdates.

e-mail today has been slow, ie no one loves me and wants to send me e-mail. sniff. anyone...
(i know, whine, whine, whine)

finally, a good day of business!

i am happy to report that plastica in los angeles now has a complete new line of id wallets, clutches and cuffs. if you live in the l.a. area i highly suggest you go to check it out!
8405 west 3rd st, los angeles, ca. it won't let you down, i promise.

yogurt and bacon!
yogurt and bacon!

the hilarity continues during my visit at home. my brother is a real laugh. he missed 2 flights this week (to and from connecticut) and the best part was he came home and said he "lost a fight with gravity" which was how he explained the bruises, swelling and scab on his nose and upper lip. apparently he was trying to climb into the second story of his fraternity house, and fell to the ground somewhere near the top. at least he didn't break anything.

the best part is that my mom followed it up with a story about how she fell from the second floor during college when my dad was lowering her out of her window by tied together sheets. yup, it's true. it was something about escaping the blame for a prank she pulled on a floormate. anyhow, i come from a weird line of folks.