AB, O, JC.

Do you remember JC Chasez? Yeah, the man's still around. Albeit in his 30's now and not-so-hip anymore (see America's Best Dance Crew. bow tie and tight shirt? ewww?). His second album was supposed to be released in 2007, but then he split from his record company and is now apparently set to release a second solo album in 2008. He's already released 2 solo singles from the album, the first one being "Until Yesterday", which came out late 2006.

Now, imagine my excitement. I was eager for an older, wiser JC. I mean, after listening to his trashy songs from his '04 album, including "Blowin' Me Up (with Her Love)" and "Some Girls (Dance with Women)", I could hardly wait for something calmer, maybe even cheesier. "Until Yesterday" had the potential to be the key to his success.

I counted on him to deliver. And what does he do?

He pens these horrific lyrics:

I found a letter on my dresser last night/ I've got a baby on the way/ It made me suspicious of another guy 'cause/ You couldn't tell me to my face /And so I asked to find out if I was right/ That's when your eyes filled up with rage/ Nine months go by, the baby's not my blood type/ Look at the mess you've made

Wow, JC. I am appalled. This is like, the broadway musical remake of an episode of Maury. Gosh. And really? You're denying that the child is yours because... it doesn't have the same blood type as you? Newsflash: Babies don't have to have the same blood type as their parents! Hellooo?! Ever heard of alleles? Punnett squares?

OK, I'll cut him some slack. Maybe what he really means that his supposed offspring's blood type proves that it cannot possibly be JC's child. For example, if the baby is blood type O and JC is AB, then the baby's definitely not his. Or if he's O and the baby's AB.

"Nine months go by, the baby's blood type authenticates my suspicion that you've been unfaithful to me/"

Hm. I suppose that hasn't got quite the same ring to it.

profit.

Earlier on in the summer, I had the chance to eat lunch with a few friends at U-Burger in Kenmore Square. My delicious "Yuppie Burger" rang up to $4.99. I handed the cashier man a $10, and he gave me back my change of $5.01. Or, so I thought. As I stepped away from the counter, I looked down at what I held in my hand. A $5 bill, and...something that looked like a penny. Except it wasn't a penny. It was a 5-cent Euro coin!




Easily mistaken for a penny.

You know, 5 cents in Euros is worth 7.3 cents in US currency right now. I felt kind of bad. I almost wanted to alert the cashier of his mistake. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have cared, though. He probably would've thought me a bit crazy.

So I just kept it. And here I am, maybe a bit crazy, but 6 cents richer.

Scam.

There's an old lady who works in the office with me, and she thinks my given name is Jessy. She also calls spam (junk e-mail) "scam". Anyway, because Gmail is pretty much the greatest thing since sliced french bread, my account usually receives very little "scam" mail. In fact, when I do receive it, Gmail conveniently catches it and places it in my Spam folder. Then, all I have to do is click on that folder and hit "delete all". Before I do so, I usually skim the titles of the emails to make sure Google didn't mislabel a normal email as spam.

Today, Gmail told me that I had 1 message in my Spam folder. I went to it, and found an email in my inbox from someone named Elwood Holloway. The subject of the email? "Your narcotic Experts".

To be honest with you, I was kind of interested. How did the dealers find me?

I clicked on the email, my curiosity quelling my common sense.

Inside was this lone sentence, accompanied by a link to a website: "Save big on all your pills"

OK, seriously? If you want me to buy your drugs, you should spend more time and effort on your advertisements. Try cool fonts. Color pictures? A flash homepage?

brilliant idea.

With the recent recession in the economy, many airlines have been forced to cut back. US Airways no longer offers snacks on their flights, Delta has parked over 40 planes, and worst of all: American Airlines is now charging $15 per bag that you want to check.

$15?

In a recent conversation, two friends calculated that to fly them and their children from Boston to LA, they would be paying $100+ one way just on baggage.

I listened bemusedly as Friend A tried to come up with a solution. Stuff all luggage into 2 huge suitcases? Friend A's spouse, whom I will call Friend B, reminded Friend A that they wouldn't have anyone to carry the huge bags (as 1 or 2 of the children may also need to be carried). Also, they might go over the weight limit and have to pay extra, anyway for heavier-than-normal bags.

When Friend A mentioned that they usually only brought enough clothes for 5 or 6 days, anyway (because they can do laundry while on vacation), I suddenly knew.

Light dawns on Marblehead.*

I figured out how to save the $15/checked bag fee, and now I must share with you all:
Just wear all your clothes. For example, you could wear: 5 T-shirts, a jacket, 1 pair of shorts with 2 pairs of pants, and 6 pairs of underwear. No socks needed, considering you're going to sunny CA. OK, it'll be slightly uncomfortable. So what? The discomfort will only last for half a day... and think of the money you'll save!
---

*not sure what it means?

let's call the whole thing off.

Recently, I was on the phone with a friend. At the end of our conversation, I cheerily told her I'd "talk to [her] soon!!!". She replied, "Yep, I'll talk to you later."

HUH?!

Now, at the risk of being called trivial, I'll let you know that I've been pondering the difference between the phrase "talk to you later" and the phrase "talk to you soon". Is this simply a case of tomato vs. tomah-to? Are they the same? Which do you use? Do they imply different things?

I sometimes feel slighted when someone says "ttyl" in response to my "tty soon". Don't you wish to speak with me again sooner rather than later?

I wish I were a...

I have a migraine right now. It hurts. Ouch.

When I get migraines, I become very sensitive to light. Even a dim lamp causes my head to pound. Presently, I wish I were a troglodyte. A cave dweller. The cool air and darkness may do me well.

If I lived in a cave, I would wear glow-in-the-dark nails. Awesome.

it is upon us.

Dear friends,

The "drought" that I spoke of earlier is upon us. Although I suppose I shouldn't compare a middle school camp ministry to a period of abnormally low rainfall, water shortage, etc. Anyway, the point is, I must start have already started my kind-of-hiatus for the summer. I have posts that I will release probably once a week, and I hope that this will sustain you in the coming months.

If I ever find myself with down time (and find myself rested and prepared for camp), then I will sit down and attempt to convert to writing some of the crazy things that run through my mind, thereby creating new posts.

Maybe some of these extra posts will be purely media (pictures, videos, etc). Speaking of which, here is a recent video chronicling my adventures.



Until next time,
Yours truly