Pretending to Redecorate

Just like the nation's economy, the budget at the 1952 House isn't what it used to be. On the count your blessings side of the fence, we have all that we need. On the glass half empty side of the fence, we don't have all that we want. Who does, right? A friend asked recently what I bought with my generous employee discount at my part-time retail job. My disappointing (to her and to me) reply, nothing. I got that job to help with the financial situation, not to be Spendy McGee.

Indulge me while I tour the items I would purchase if I could redecorate a bit right now. Starting in the living room:

I want this special order Chester sofa in Dandelion performance velvet from West Elm.

Janie-dog agrees that this sofa would be a lovely contrast to her dark fur.

Of course, pillows are needed for the sofa. 

These Kantha pillows from West Elm are handmade, and each is one of a kind.

This Swirl Rug from West Elm in an 8x10 size would be the perfect pop for the living room floor. 

I want a pair of these Turned Pedestal side tables from West Elm for a lighter, shabby-chic look,

or maybe a pair of these Carved Wood side tables for a more exotic look.

I love these unique Wezandla Wire Pendants from West Elm for the existing dining room light fixture. They would match our black dining table and red dining chairs most magnificently.

Perhaps you've sensed the West Elm theme? Um, employee discount! However, there are a few non-West Elm items for which I am pining.

I love this Orla Kiely bedding set from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Mark your calendars for my birthday on October 8th. I'll be accepting gifts in the form of large bags of cash or preloaded Visa gift cards. Thanks in advance for your generosity.

I Love Fireworks

 I love fireworks. The lights. The sounds. The goofy musical accompaniments. 

What's your picnic?

The phrase, "it is no picnic", usually refers to something, someone or some event that is not fun or relaxing. Conversely, picnics are supposedly fun and relaxing, sustaining to the body and spirit.

Growing up, when my family had been apart for long periods of time between moves to new cities for my Dad's job, he usually wanted to spend time together with a picnic. He loved nature, healthy food and time together. That's not to say that there weren't ants, other creepy-crawlies, sudden gusts of wind/rain, or eye-rolling from my sister and/or I. My dad loved picnics.

What's your metaphorical "picnic"? That thing you like to do with other people that makes you feel great?

My picnic is going out dancing. I love a good DJ, swing band or 80s cover band. Though I lack formal training, general skills or innate rhythm, I make up for it with enthusiasm.

I also love playing board games with friends: especially Clue, Apples to Apples and Taboo.

Ricocheting Thoughts

Working part-time at West Elm, helping Chad plan an open house celebration for his office and learning a new script for last night's dinner mystery show that premiered to an appreciative audience, have eaten up most of my time, energy and brain power over the past few weeks. A few fleeting thoughts managed to ricochet briefly inside my noggin.

The people I work with at West Elm are so fun, interesting and unique. I could certainly make more money at another job, but would miss out on colorful coworkers who share my aesthetic sensibilities and extroverted nature.

I still like doing dinner theatre, but I don't like learning a new script nearly every month. When I spend hours at home studying lines, the profit margin plummets on those paychecks. Not to mention that my fellow actors also feel and display stress at performing a new script for the first time. Collectively, we most enjoy performing a script we've done a few times.

When someone is needlessly rude in my general direction or earshot, I remind myself of this quote from Plato, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Of course, sometimes someone is so needlessly rude that I look up their profile on one of many social and professional networking websites to find out that they love littering the internet with photos of themselves and hope to go to seminary school. Really?!

Sometimes the people that you think are your best, most loyal friends are just passing through your life like tourists snapping photos. Conversely, people that you once thought of as a temporary acquaintance become your most trusted advisers, sympathizers and conspirators.

I miss puppies and kittens. I don't want to adopt anymore furry housemates, but would love to foster some temporarily after vacation.

I love my gym. I love the yoga class that a sweet soul named "Pixie" teaches. I love putting my headphones on and spending quality time listening to music I like. I love a good stretch. I love feeling healthy and strong.

In the summer, I am even less interested in food than usual. It's too hot and sticky to eat, but then I get cranky from not eating. If left to my own devices, I'd subsist on a steady diet of fruit smoothies and non-dairy Italian ices all summer.

I leave you with this deep thought:

Murder on the Links in Two Weeks

I play a realtor who frequents an upscale country club. 

Decision Indecision

I have this weird decision weighing on me. It's weird, because I've rebuffed it so many times. Yet it keeps circling and buzzing in my ear. It defies logic and a simple pro-con list. It's eating up any extra brain power (which isn't much) I have. It's the kind of decision that if I wait a little longer, will probably cease to be an option. It's one of those things that might make me happier and more fulfilled, but I also have nightmares about it.

That's all I can say.

Wait! I can also say that the decision does not in any way involve human babies. I'm not pregnant, nor do I want to be. That's one decision with which I'm very much at peace. My maternal instincts only kick in for puppies and kittens.

Stuff I like vs. Stuff I don't love

Stuff I like that some other people don't like:

reading for fun

sewing things like pillows, makeup bags and quilt-tops

spending time alone being quiet

cats

dogs

cloudy days

rainy days

lukewarm coffee

a club DJ spinning dance-y, trance-y music

simple, vegetarian food

going to my gym

long walks at night

small parties where I know most attendees

acting in live theatrical shows

almost anything on public television's Masterpiece series


Then there's stuff that other people love for which I do not see the appeal:

outdoor festivals or concerts

zoos

super-sunny days

snout to tail "food"

overwrought food with more than ten ingredients / heavy food

Wes Anderson films

food trailers

parties with a bunch of people I don't know that get so loud I get tunnel-vision

visual disorder, messes or chaos, which also give me tunnel vision

jogging or running, especially outside

95% of all reality TV

having my picture taken

baby showers / wedding showers - I'll just send a gift. I absolutely don't need to watch you open it.

monster-trucks

rodeos

Practicing My Italian for Spaghetti Western

Next Monday, June 4, I'll play famous Italian movie star Anjelika Lotta in Maggiano's Murder Mystery Monday series, The Good, The Bad and The Dead. It's a spaghetti western... at an Italian restaurant... get it?

Why I Got a Second/Third Job

Some might argue that being an actress is a hobby, but I get paid to act, so I argue that it is a job. I also argue that being a homemaker is a job, because many people pay housekeepers to clean, organize, launder, tidy and whatnot their houses. I got my second/third (depending on how you personally look at it) job at West Elm, because we need stuff at the 1952 House. Here's a partial list in order of priority:

VACATION - need to see some nature in the Columbia River Gorge at end of summer

Car Repairs for my lovable, aging vehicle

King Size Mattress - current one boasts amazing hill and two deep valleys

Fridge - current one makes bad noises and was born in the 1980s

Microwave - big crack in the door frame that Chad assures me is not a problem?!?

Stove/oven - born in 1991 and cantankerous

Parking Pad - full of treacherous cracks and doesn't match paverstone driveway

Fat, Prosperous Savings Account

I also got my second/third job to meet some people and be social. At this stage in our lives, friends are so busy with family and careers, that working is the new socializing.

Have a great memorial day weekend. I'll be at West Elm for part of it. Come say hi.

Summer, Summer, Summa-tiii-iiime

This summer is going to be fun. I'm determined. Even if I can't get the Will Smith & DJ Jazzy Jeff video from youtube to embed in this post!

Record-breaking heat? No problem! Chad & I anticipate much fun in the air-conditioning with the Paramount Theatre's Classic Film Series courtesy of our Film Fan passes.

Limited finances? I start my new part-time job at West Elm on Monday. As if the employee discount weren't enough enticement, they'll pay me. The location is perfect. I get free garage parking. Dinner theatre gigs have also been abundant lately. I'll post info for the next open-to-the-public show soon. Mark your calendar for Monday, June 4!

Need to fly the coop? Chad and I plan to hightail it to the cooler climate and slower roll of the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon in August or September. I hear it rains there -- even in the summer!

Want some icy refreshment? Hello, Rita's! We've already been a few times this spring. Cotton Candy and Icy Pear are my favorite Italian ice flavors, while Chad usually opts for an ice and frozen custard mix. Of course I also like getting my meal through a straw with "The King" fruit smoothie from Central Market's smoothie & coffee bar. Who knew that putting peanut butter in a smoothie could be so deliciously perfect? Um, the fine smoothie mixologists at CM did!

Feeling outdoorsy? We're taking ourselves out to the ball park for a Round Rock Express game this weekend. We've already enjoyed a movie in the park courtesy of Austin Parks Foundation and Alamo Drafthouse's Rolling Road Show. Deep Eddy Pool, always a favorite, reopened after repairs and landscape renovation.

Ready? Set. Go!

Former Kitten Guest Foils Rattle Snake!

One of my former short-term foster kittens has grown up to be a genuine hero! Mouse (featured in this blog post) foiled a rattle snake hiding on his new family's porch, and lived to tell about it! His former long-term foster mom, and friend, E forwarded the following email:

Well, part of me doesn't even want to tell you this story but the other part wants you to know. Warning...get some Kleenex!  I believe Mr. Mouse came into our lives for a reason. One of the things he loves to do is sit on the back porch with me and get some fresh air. I don't let him out but he certainly loves to bird watch. This Sunday morning we went out and he went running behind a flower pot by my rocking chair. To our surprise there was a diamondback rattlesnake. 2 feet, 4rattles. And Mr. Mouse was bit. It was obvious to me he was badly injured. I rushed him to the emergency vet in Austin. We didn't come home until 9pm that night and I've been worried about whether he'd make it through. Now he is running, playing, cuddling, just his normal sweet self. This story is more than just about his great recovery. Had Mr. Mouse not found that snake on the back porch, there's no telling what would have happened. Had it bitten one of our girls,well, I don't want to think about it. I   am absolutely disgusted that we had a snake anywhere near the house, disturbed that my sweet kitty was hurt...but oh so grateful he protected us. Mr. Mouse now has hero status in our house! Just sharing about how your little fuzz ball has made a difference in our lives. Thanks for saving him, he's an angel. Here he is watching Idol with me now. I think he likes Skyler.

Look how big and handsome and heroic he is now! I think his new family should amend his name to be Mr. Mighty Mouse! Just, wow!

Time to Learn the Scripts

Friday night I got to play a wacky spiritual medium turned detective in A Spirited Murder for a group of students, administrators and faculty at University of Texas San Antonio. I had a blast, as did most of the audience and fellow cast members. I also loved the long, dark wig I got to wear. (That's me in the sparkly top.) The only downside was that I had to learn a completely new script in which my character had the lion's share of the lines. I had serious homework studying the script each night for a week.

Sunday morning I got to play a Hollywood actress turned detective in Murder on the Happy Trail for a group of high school band members and their chaperones at the Dave & Busters in San Antonio. It was a murder mystery brunch as opposed to a murder mystery dinner. We couldn't have asked for a better audience. They were so fun, receptive and engaged! However, this meant another road trip to San Antonio and more studying. I've done this script many times before, but our current director added about 10 pages of material back into the script that was previously cut. I had to learn new parts and remind myself of the old material, again with the lion's share of the lines.

On Monday, May 14 I will be in another new show with another completely new script to learn. At least this time, I'm not the detective and there is no road trip to San Antonio. Thank goodness! See flyer below for details. This show is open to the public. (That's you!)

Downtown Living Tour

Chad and I took a self-guided downtown living tour today. We saw some opulent highrise condos, some mediocre midrise condos on the sleepier & seedier side of downtown, one decaying but very expensive house in the middle of the dirty bar scene, and one lovely historic home amid trees that was not for sale and merely a tease.

After a very sweaty day of tromping around downtown, I'm convinced that the urban heat core is very real. It felt ten degrees hotter due to the lack of shade and the asphalt radiating heat back up towards the sun from whence it came. I'm also convinced that I don't want to live downtown. In fact, we were so tired, dehydrated, overheated, and just done with downtown, that we skipped the after-party with its promises of free refreshments and door prizes.

Someday we might find ourselves in a lowrise condo near Castle Hill, where trees abound, and we can walk to Whole Foods and the veterinarian. For now and for the foreseeable future, however, I love our 1952 House.

Jonathan Adler!

Chad and I were cruising up West 5th Street the other day when what to my wandering & wondering eyes should appear, but windows papered in Jonathan Adler logos of a store that will soon be here! Yes! We are getting a Jonathan Adler store in Austin!

Naturally I made my way to the nearest computer post-haste to apply for a retail sales job online. I hope I get a job at the new Jonathan Adler store, but will shop there enthusiastically regardless of the application outcome.

I love Jon A's (yeah, that's my special nickname for him) quirky, fun, let-the-pets-on-the-furniture approach to decorating. Because you know I love my decorating and my pets equally most days.

One of my favorite Jon A quotes, "I believe that when it comes to decorating, the wife is always right. Unless the husband is gay."

My dear Chad learned this lesson the hard way, when he (being my straight husband) got overly-opinionated during our newlywed search for a sitting surface. I wanted a clean-lined, modern sofa in a neutral color that we could accessorize with colorful pillows to suit our many moods. Chad wanted an overstuffed, odd-shade of olive, behemoth of a couch that had to be special ordered. We lived with that (I'm sorry, but eww-ugly) couch for first five years of our marriage. If only we'd had Jon A's Happy Chic books back then, I could have chosen my battle a bit more wisely with Jon A's sage words of wisdom to back me up!

Anyhoo, I'm going to shop the Jon A website now to make my wish-list for opening day.

Booking Work

I just put four, UPDATE: make that five!, more dinner mystery shows on my calendar for the next few weeks. Phew! If I could get six to eight shows a month on a consistent basis, I wouldn't need to get another part-time job. Acting could be my only part-time source of income.

None of the five retail places I took résumés and/or applications to have called or emailed me about an audition, um, I mean an interview. It's been over two weeks, which is a long time in retail job land. Maybe I'm stuck just being an actress, housewife and crazy pet lady for a while.

It won't afford me a Nanette Lepore wardrobe of my dreams or a new car, but maybe it's enough.

Time for Vacation! Planning

Chad and I live in a perfectly lovely city with noise, museums, theaters and shopping. No more city vacations for a while. I'd like our next vacation to offer relaxation and respite from the daily grind, preferably with some nice nature, but no golf courses.

Possible destination #1:

Columbia Gorge Hotel in Hood River, Oregon

Lush nature and some rain highly probable. No golf course!

Possible destination #2:

Saguaro Palm Springs Resort in Palm Springs, California

Cool in the desert. No golf course!

If you have relaxing destination suggestions in the USA (no golf course resorts!), please leave a comment with a link. Hoping to vacate Austin for five days in August or September.

No Thanks

I get many more spam comments advertising unsavory objects & subjects than real comments from friends, family or benevolent visitors on this blog. One comment today caught my eye:

hey there jennchad1952house.blogspot.com blogger found your site via search engine but it was hard to find and I see you could have more visitors because there are not so many comments yet. I have discovered site which offer to dramatically increase traffic to your site (not gonna post link) they claim they managed to get close to 1000 visitors/day using their services you could also get lot more targeted traffic from search engines as you have now. I used their services and got significantly more visitors to my site. Hope this helps :) They offer most cost effective (again, not pimping that link) Take care. Jason

Jason,

I appreciate you searching out my modest blog "via search engine". You and other strangers are welcome to read my ramblings when you stumble upon them.

However, I enjoy my low-key life and relative anonymity. I do not desire to generate more stranger-traffic to my blog. I do not want to moderate more spam-bot comments than I currently do.

Thanks for taking the time to comment. No thanks on the offer to increase traffic.

Incidentally, I tried to monetize this blog for a short while with AdSense automatically generated advertisements. I hoped that decorating resources would feature strongly in the ads. However, given my predisposition to semi-annual food-poisoning and frequent digestive tract maladies, all the ads were for diarrhea medications. Eww.

Live long & prosper,

Jenn

Cute Marketing

Got this as part of a marketing email today, and thought it was pretty stinkin' cute!

No Longer a Lenten Vegan

I quit my Lenten vegan quest last Sunday with weeks to go until Easter. I'm no longer vegan, but a lacto-ovo-vegetarian once more, and likely for the rest of my days. I definitely learned some things during my vegan experimentation.

I love my not-tested-on-animals, made in the USA, available in eleventy-million delicious flavors, Bonne Bell Lipsmackers, which have beeswax in them. The vegan hemp oil lip balms can't compete on price, flavors or moisturizing. Sorry bees.

I am not at all lactose-intolerant, but I am quite soy-sensitive. I'll spare you the disgusting details of discomfort. Trust me. Tofu and other highly-processed soy products do BAD things to my digestive tract.

Vegan cheese and vegan milk substitutes are so not to my liking.

I ate more highly processed foods as a vegan and gained a few pounds. I felt denied at meal times. Consequently, I overindulged in junky food stuff that parades as healthy.

If I had a million dollars, lived in downtown Austin and could eat every meal from the Whole Foods salad bar or ready-prepped sections, avoiding soy products, I might do okay as a vegan. I still wouldn't ENJOY being vegan.

If you think it's a pain in the patootie trying to dine out with a vegetarian, multiply that by at least ten when it comes to dining out with a vegan, especially in the suburbs or in cities that are less hippie-dippie-tolerant than Austin. A little perspective: Austin recently ranked #8 on the list for the most vegetarian/vegan-friendly cities in the United States of America.

Did I mention the soy-sensitive thing? Yeah? Well, it bears repeating. I am soy-sensitive, and it is pretty dang uncomfortable.

There. My terrible confession. I'm a vegetarian, but I can't make it as a vegan for even forty days.

Yep. $60.00

Time for me to procrastinate again. I have another script to re-memorize. At least eighteen months passed since I last performed this show. I'm the detective (again) which means I must remember the lion's share of the lines. I set the terrible precedent of memorizing the entire script back in my younger, brighter-eyed days. Dangit!

If you have $60 to spare, you can attend the show.

Reservations required! Call 512-501-7870.