Second Chances

So, as many of you know, my blog titles have been titles of X-Files episodes.
Until now.
It's a new year, or it will be in a few weeks. Thus I shall be ringing in the new year with titles from some of the best episodes of my favorite show.... CSI: New York.

Speaking of CSI: NY, did you guys catch that episode last night? Holy freakin' fantastic. I was grinning from ear to ear and had dubbed it the best NY episode ever all within the first five minutes...


Mac and Stella are walking down a busy sidewalk carrying a large pine tree; snow is falling softly as soft Christmas music plays in the background...
"So you had to pick the biggest one, huh?"
"It's a Taylor family tradition! Every Christmas we'd visit all the tree lots, looking for that one. And then the day after New Years, when everybody puts their trees out by the curb, my dad'd drive us us around the neighborhood to see if we could find a bigger one than ours."
"And?"
"Seventeen Taylor Christmases. Never once did we find a tree that beat us."
"Oh, you must be very proud." -regrips the tree-
"You know we can rest here if you're gettin' tired."
"Ah, this is nothing! I was in college, I used to haul my tree up ten flights of steps all the way to my apartment in the Bronx."
-grins- "Uphill, both ways, in the snow, with no shoes."
"As a matter of fact, yes."


Oh man, that scene was so beautiful. And then at the end of the episode... the team in their goofy elf costumes, handing out gifts to the children with Santa, while Mac and Stella looked on with their proud faces. Then Mac gently grabbed Stella and pulled her close, placing a kiss on her temple... the episode was just perfection. There's no other word for it. I think I even had more fun watching Second Chances than I did watching Grounds for Deception... which is kind of a big deal. Like a really fucking big deal. -squees-

In other news, I've started working on Synnie's new story. It's off to a rough start, but with some editing and polishing, it'll turn out alright.

Anyways, yeah. I can't really think of much else to say besides.... MAC AND STELLA ARE SO TOTES DOING IT OMG!

Thank you
Jezza

Ascension

Wow, it's been forever since I updated this. Darn school gettin' in the way and all. I don't know if I've said this enough, but I love my new classes. I really really do. Creative Writing is by far my favorite - the teacher is absolutely hilarious and it's so much fun to learn new techniques to writing.

Speaking of writing, after two gruesome years, I've finally figured out Synnie's backstory. Now, for those of you who don't know, Synnie is actually Synnöve Tyrovolas, one of my current characters to a story I'm working on (and just finished completely rewriting!) Craziness. Anyways, if for some reason you don't know my girl Synn, then by all means, follow her on Facebook. Yes... my character has a Facebook. So shoot me, it's fun. I've seen her evolve into her own person, and it's been quite a ride. I never thought she'd end up living where she does, and be in a relationship, of all things.
Sorry. I'll stop rambling now.

My bestest, Julia Carter, has got me into country. COUNTRY. I never thought I'd see the day. Seriously, Jenna liking country. It's a conspiracy, I tell you. Anyways. Contemporary country is pretty damn awesome. Cowboy Casanova by Carrie Underwood is love. Brad Paisley is a genius. Dierks Bentley is my hero, and Lady Antebellum is the best group of all time. Seriously. Love, love, love, love! Damn you Julia and the CMT's. Seriously.

And since we're talking about music... INGRID MICHAELSON. I went to her concert earlier this fall at the Fine Line Music Cafe. It was easily one of the most enjoyable moments in my life. The show went from 6pm until 11pm, and it was amazing. Ingrid is fantastic and her music tells the story of my life. I love her to death.

Other news! Um, I got another blue bass. It's gorgeous and blue and shiney and beautiful. It's the Ibanez GSR200FM. Also! New amp! I have no idea the model, but it's the incredibly large and heavy bass amp made by Line 6. I wanna say it's 50 watts, but I'm not sure. I totally recommend it, though.

Perfect Revenge has been kind of on and off lately, and at the time of this blog, off, but luckily there are some pick-up bands at Normandale so anyone who is musical in anyway can just go hang, learn the music, and rock. It's loads of fun.

I'm totally running out of things to talk about. You'd think I'd have more, considering how long it's been since I updated, but I guess I'm just fail like that.

Toodles!
Jenna

Our Town

Tonight is the night, folks. Vikings vs Packers.
The Packers and the Vikings have always had a very cut-throat rivalry, and MN has always hated Favre with a passion... and the same goes for the Packers and anyone who's ever played for us; Chuck Foreman, Donte Culpepper, Cris Carter, Randy Moss... and John Randle. Randle is one of the most epic players on the field, and no one hated Favre more than him. I will, never, ever in my life forget the Chicken-Favre Commercial. Randle was king of trash talk, who could actually back it up... and amazing ammount of sacks for being constantly double teamed.
Now that Favre is with us, it's brought out the passion tenfold. This game is easily the biggest of the season for all midwesterners... that is, until November 1st, when the Vikings play at the Packers. Even so, this is the first time Favre will be wearing purple against his old team, which is definitely a big fuckin' deal.
To conclude this rant, I will say one thing.
GO VIKINGS!

Roadrunners

So Perfect Revenge has been rocking for a little over a month now, and in one month we already have 187 fans. 187 fans! Can you believe it? I still remember the first few days when we psyched about just having 20 fans... this is fantastic. I love these ladies to death.

In other news, school at Normandale has been absolutely fantastic. I have amazingly awesome teachers in every class, which is more than I could say about my last college. I'm having so much fun, and learning a lot about creative writing and music... I'm even closer to getting my book published!

Hmm... what else, what else, what else. OH! CSI: New York is starting soon! Despite some interesting spoilers and the worst promo video ever, I will be tuning in. I haven't figured out how yet as I have a class that runs until nine, but... knowing me? I'll be watching. I wouldn't miss my buddies for anything!

I got to see Jeff Dunham at the MN State Fair. He was fantastic! I laughed so hard I cried.

Ingrid Michaelson's new CD came out a few weeks ago. It's fantastic - I've already gotten tickets to see her in October when she comes to the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis. I have front-table seats. Paid a ton for them, but definitely worth every penny.

So yeah, that's what's new with me.


Featured song of the week: Ain't No Rest for the Wicked - Cage the Elephant
There ain't no rest for the wicked, money don't grow on trees, I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed, there ain't nothing in this world for free.
I know I can't slow down, I can't hold back though you know I wish I could, oh no there ain't no rest for the wicked, until we close our eyes for good.

Unusual Suspects

Big stuff goin' down! For you readers that are not yet aware, I have recently joined a band. It's called Perfect Revenge and I'm play the bass as well as do some vocals. When did I get a bass, you ask? About two weeks ago, at Guitar Center. It's a beautiful blue Ibanez. It's pictured there ->
next to my Washburn acoustic guitar. Also, how epic is my strap? :D
Anyways, I'm going to keep this short. It's almost midnight and I start my classes at Normandale College tomorrow morning. I'm majoring in Music/Fine Arts. I'm so psyched!

If you use Facebook, or have friends that use Facebook, tell them about Perfect Revenge! We love fans!

Perfect Revenge on Facebook

Ghost in the Machine

So my boobear has started school already, leaving me to sit and wish Thursday afternoon reruns would improve. I'm sick of watching the same reruns of the same shows over and over and over and over again. It's always CSI: Las Vegas, NCIS, or Law and Order: CI. What the crap. So I decided to make this blog all about lists. Lists of funny things, TV shows, characters, basically, lists of everything under the sun.

True Blood (HBO) I'm way lovin' this show. I was a fan of Amy Burley (before she went all psycho creeper bitch ) but now I've become head-over-heels in love with Eric - the worlds sexiest Swede. When I first saw him on screen, I was unimpressed. It wasn't until he spoke that I fell off my couch in a very loud squee.
"Vår lilla djurpark börjar växa till sig." ((Our little zoo is starting to grow)) to which Pam replies "Jag viet." ((I know.))
I'm pretty sure he's the world's sexiest Swede.
Also, HBO is producing a caffeinated beverage based on the show. It's quite clever, really- they're using the flavor of a Blood Orange. I've pre-ordered about two cases already. They'll be shipping out sometime in early September. YUM!

In Plain Sight (USA) So I've always been a fan of this show, but after the recent season finale cliffhanger of doom, I can't stop watching the reruns on USA. I've always been a fan of darker humor, which is one of the reasons I love the show.

CSI: New York (CBS) Yes, I am still squeeing over Grounds for Deception.

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC) One of my new favorites. I began watching this show about a month ago and totally fell in love with it. I watched it with the intentions of not shipping anyone. I failed. Epicly. Besides, Mariska and Chris are hella sexy.

Burn Notice (USA) So I've been watching this show since the pilot episode. Yes, it’s cool and it’s glossy and it’s filled with attractive people. And guns and explosions and spy work and secret undercover coolness. And hilarity. Did I mention Jeffery Donovan? Yummy.

Fight Club

I had some major lulz last night at work. For starters, I was put on my favorite ride to operate - Jimmy Neutron's Atomic Collider. I love it. It's fun to ride, and even more fun to operate. You really get to be interactive with the riders, which I love. There's something about getting on a microphone and yelling "So, who wants to go faster?" and hearing sixty loud voices yelling "YEEAAAAH!" It's something that never gets old.

Anyways, I have a few wonderful tales from Jimmy. As I was assiting guests get seated in the ride, I chatted with a seven-year-old boy about the park - his favorite rides, how many times he's been here, et cetera. I told him that 'Jimmy' was my favorite ride here, and he replied with vigor, "Me too! I love this ride. It tickles my privates!"
So I ask you, readers, how does one respond to that?

Also, for those of you that don't know, both Jimmy and an adjacent ride, the Balloon Race have very, very loud microphone systems. They're traditionally used to inform the riders of the procedures of the ride (Do not shake the basket, no photography, keep body parts inside the ride, etc.) but are sometimes used to interact with the guests like I mentioned earlier.
Often times in the evening, close to park closing times, the ride operators will get a bit... creative. About 8:30 last night, a ride operator by the name of 'Brent' was at the Balloon Race while I was at Jimmy with another operator. Everything was proceeding normally, until Aurella and I heard the strangest noise.

Whistling.

And not just any whistling, mind you. It was quite loud, and to the tune of "Moondance" by Van Morrison. So I called up to Balloon Race and said "Brent, if I were riding that ride, I'd be terrified because my ride operator was a weirdo." He laughed, called me jealous of his 'microphone skills' and hung up on me.
A minute later we heard him telling his riders that "The operators at Jimmy Neutron are jealous of my amazing microphone whistling. So jealous, in fact, that they called me weird. So if you head over there, go call them weird for me, ok?"
Thus began the war of Jimmy and the Balloons.

The guests waiting in line to ride Jimmy heard all of this, so I went over to them.
"You guys heard that, right? Wanna help me out a bit?" To which they all replied with a resounding 'yes!' because I'm a really, really cool operator. So I told them the following:
"Well, I need your help. Up there at the Balloon Race is an operator named 'Brent.' We are at war. What I need you all to do is when you finish here, head over to the Balloon Race and harass Brent. Make fun of his name, call him a sissy, make faces at him. Anything. If he asks why, just say that it's a greeting from the girls at Jimmy. Ok?"
They were all very eager to do so, and all promised me that they would.
I love my job.

Hollywood A.D.

I am a MOVIE STAR. Well, a reality TV star, but that's beside the point.
For those of you that don't know, I work at the Mall of America at the amusement park inside - Nickelodeon Universe. Recently, TLC has been filming a reality show based on the operations inside the Mall. I'm in it. I got a script and everything. It was pretty much epic win.


Though some do not realise it, there are RULES to shipping. Just as it is an unspoken rule not to run around naked in a public place, it is a rule not to use another ship's official song for a fanvid. For example, one does not use "Jenny Don't Be Hasty" by Paolo Nuitini for Flack/Lindsay (FM Radio). Nor should anyone, under any circumstances, use "Rise" by Will Dailey for any ship other than Mac and Stella (I'm looking at you, gsr4ever323 and csi016!!)
For those who still don't get it, I'm composing a list of all the "Official" ship songs.

CSI: NY, Mac/Stella Smacked: Rise - Will Dailey
CSI: NY, Danny/Lindsay Dantana: Jenny Don't Be Hasty - Paolo Nuitini
CSI, Catherine/Grissom Grillows: Are You Gonna Be My Girl - JET
CSI, Grissom/Sara GSR: This Woman's Work - Kate Bush
CSI, Nick/Sara Snickers: One Way Or Another - Blondie
The X-Files, Mulder/Scully Sculder: Walkin' in Memphis - Cher
The X-Files, Mulder/Scully Sculder: Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
In Plain Sight, Marshall/Mary Mannon: The Lightning Strike - Snow Patrol
Bones, Bones/Booth Semperance: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Smallville, Clark/Lana Clana: You and Me - Lifehouse


If you feel I have missed a song or group, by all means, contact me.
Also, I'm blogging from the ER at Buffalo Hospital. I have severe acute bronchitis. WHEE.

Sleepless

Lots of things have happened since I actually took the time to blog last.
Someone once said that when one door closes, another opens. And I never thought I'd be grateful for that - not after the last door closed back in 2007. But recently, instead of the door closing on me, I closed it myself. At first it was difficult to adjust until I realized how truly blissful I'd become. With that one door closed, I was able to focus on other things, and was able to reconnect with some older friends of mine, which has been fabulous. But as to a new door opening, well, I have to admit, that has been truly amazing.
I have been blessed with a new friend. I call her my mind twin, because literally, we are. Totally separated at birth by a few years and couple hundred miles. It's absolutely insane how we clicked. It started with a shared love of CSI: New York and the X-Files when eventually that snowballed into an avalanche of what can only be described as epicness. Hehe. I love my Julia.

So the other day I got really, really bored listening to one of my new favorite songs, and I realized that Jennulia (Jenna + Julia. Is not an STD. Is writers) needed their own fanvid. So I made one with Windows Movie Maker (lol, yeah. It's fail. I am aware of this.)

So anyways, yeah. Here's a video of "Jennulia in a Nutshell."

Zero Sum

What's new, what's new... what isn't new?

I met Gwen Stephani on the Fourth of July. Like, how crazy is that? I work at the Mall of America, and was tending to the ride I operate when she walked by with her band peeps and kid (whom is incredibly cute btw.) I didn't even recognize her at first, until my supervisor mentioned it to me. Gwen and the rest of her peeps were so sweet and down-to-earth.

So, in the world of art, my creation, Synnöve, finally exists. Thanks to RavenSkar for letting me use the image. But anyways, there's another highlight.

Oh! Juliboo (Julia) and I are working on a CSI: New York fanfic that has to do with Don Flack buying a PC and Stella with her iPhone of DOOM. It's pretty epic win so far.

The Harry Potter movie actually didn't suck.

I caved in to peer pressure and got a Twitter. You can find it here: twitter.com/gerkonanaken


Quotes of the moment:

Rachel ♥: "David and Tea is just so bad it goes without saying. It's like saying.... 'One thing I hate is eating moldy mayonnaise.' Well duh! I mean who in their right mind likes that?"

Never Again

Don't worry about me
I've got plans and places to be
I've got people who love me and people who care
It doesn't matter that you're not there

Don't worry about me
The truth shall set you free
You thought you'd hurt with all your lies
That's okay because I won't cry

Don't worry about me
Karma's what I believe
What goes around comes back again
I'm not worried, I've got my friends

Don't worry about me
Because I'm not worried about you
I got light in my life and you're not here
Karma will see to it that you take care
Don't worry about me

Fearful Symmetry

Christy and I baked an awesome cake. It was one of those 'Funfetti' cakes with the sprinkles in it. It was awesome. Until she frosted it and threw some at me. Not so fun, so I took some frosting and attempted to shove it in her face. I failed. She, however, succeeded.
...
Bitch!

Anyways, after I left her place today, I worked at my mother's office for awhile - got in some great Jeep time, too.

When I got home at around seven, I got hit by a metaphorical brick of inspiration for another music video. This one took me quite awhile to finish, actually - about five hours - but I'm incredibly proud of how it turned out. The last video I made, "Home" , took only around two hours. I probably could have spent more time on it than I did, but I have this thing that whenever I work too long on a project, I begin to attempt to perfect it to the point where I lose my perspective on the project entirely.

I think somehow I redeemed myself with this one. The two characters I used were Mac Taylor and Stella Bonasera from CSI: New York. I've said many, many times that I love this show, so I won't bore you now with reiterations, but... I don't know.
In CSI: Las Vegas, you see fully into the science aspect of the crimes, in Miami you see more of the police force behind it. CSI: New York combines the two and blends in some amazing characters that you love to get lost in week after week. Besides, the 'star power' factor of New York is phenominal.
You've got Gary Sinise, who played the memorable Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump, as well many others, and he's even been presidentally recognised for his support of the troops in the war. Then you have Melina Kanakaredes, a beautiful and talented Broadway singer/dancer, a mother, a Greek... I could go on for days about her. I absolutely adore Melina.
I actually had a conversation with my mother about Melina last Wednesday.
We were both watching CSI: New York.
My Mother: [Re: Melina Kanakaredes] "Where'd she come from?"
Me: "Greece."
[Two seconds pass. I then see my mother do a mental 'facepalm', but I totally saw her half-smile.]
Mom: "No, I mean, what did she do before CSI?"
Me: "Ooh! Well she was on the daytime soap called 'Guiding Light' for about forty-ish episdoes awhile back, and then she was the star of 'Providence' back in '02, and... oh! a few years ago she played 'Sally Bowles' in 'Cabaret' on Broadway! She has a beautiful voice. She's so cool. She even sang the national anthem for a Browns' game awhile back..."
Mom [attempting to cut me off] : "Well aren't you just a walking 'National Enquirer...' "
Me: [sighs] "Mom, the National Enquirer tells stupid lies to make money. I tell the truth. "

LOL. Yeah, that's the actual word-for-word conversation we had. I was recording a video with my phone and accidentally left it running while we talked. It keeps going, though - I start going into Marg Helgenberger's carrer starting with Ryan's Hope, and then we talked about her role in China Beach, for a while, yadda yadda yadda. I swear, the conversations I have with my mother could be made into a documentary.
Ok, to sum all of that up, CSI: NY is awesome, Melina Kanakaredes is the best actress ever, and my mother and I are crazy.

Rush

Ok, so I love CSI: New York. It's no secret. I practically wear my CSI: NY t-shirt every day (yes, I was it, TYVM) and constantly quote the show, though hardly anyone ever notices. I love that 2we get to see more into the lives of each of the characters - my favorite being Melina Kanakaredes' character, 'Stella Bonasera.' She's tough, funny, beautiful, and totally badass. She had a tough childhood and had many issues with men recently, but she's so strong and she cares deeply for those around her. I'm rambling.

The point I'm trying to make here is that I really, really love CSI:NY. So, what does any bored, obsessed fan do? Make a fanvid!

Revelations

I've discussed "Twilight" at great lengths with a friend of mine who started as a super-fan and has recently realized that she doesn't like it. I'm quite sure we've both spent hours discussing the subject at random intervals, the most memorable occasion being in a Target store. God, I loooove Target. Anyways, I am seriously needing to blow of some steam regarding Stephanie Meyer and the Twilight series. But it has been bugging me and Christy as to why we began to hate it so much.

I just figured it out and feel compelled to add this post. It took 4 books and countless wasted hours, but I now understand why I dislike the Twilight series so much. It is the author's complete lack of skill in creating multi-dimensional characters.

First let me explain that I continued to read the series in part, because I have a hard time quitting a book. To top it off, each book ended on a cliff hanger so you felt compelled to find out what happened. What a waste.

Anyway, the author creates a 17 year old character, Bella, that acts and thinks like a 30+ year old. That's conveniently explained away by saying she's an "old soul." My belief is, this adult author didn't have the skill to write a first person story from anyone else's point of view but her own. Then in the 4th book of the series this 17 year old, now a 19 year old becomes a vampire. That's a major transition. Most vampires in this series go through a year or more of being completely feral. Besides that, immortality and almost indestructibility would bring some major changes to the psyche. But no... Bella makes the transition almost wholly herself. This is written off as a unique skill to Bella. Again, my belief is, the author didn't have a clue how to write any other character than herself so she basically used dues ex machina... the lazy writer's tool. It's a miracle... no change.

And in my view, those beliefs were solidified on page 674 of "Breaking Dawn"... the 4th and final book of that series that I will ever read since I've been told it doesn't end on a cliff hanger. On this page, Bella, the 19 year old girl who was not a particularly fine student or ever went past high school, had this thought. "Edward and I had not had a last grand farewell nor did I plan one. To speak the word was to make it final. It would be the same as typing the words The End on the last page of a manuscript."

How is it that she would know what typing The End on the last page of a manuscript would feel like? Unless you've done it, it wouldn't resonate with you and therefore you probably wouldn't think to use it as an analogy. As I suspected the main character is nothing more than a projection of the author.

Whew! It's been eating me up why so many of my peers think this is the greatest series ever and I can't stand it. Character and dialogue are my strong points and what I value in a story. In Twilight the characters have no depth. They have no dimension. This is why I dislike these books so much.

This is Not Happening

It's no secret that I love CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. It's also no secret that I am a hardcore 'Grillows' (Gil Grissom / Catherine Willows) 'shipper. I've been watching CSI for quite a long time - almost the entire nine years, and loved almost every second of it.

CSI defined quite a bit of my personality for awhile. It made me find the uber-geek inside of myself, and I 'shipped for the very first time. That's right, folks, Grillows was my very first 'ship.
Unfortunately the writers had other plans. While many saw the amazing chemestry that the actors had together and wrote that into the show when they could, others decided to attempt to hook Grissom up with another co-worker instead.

Sara Sidle.

Words cannot begin to describe how much I hate her. Not just because she is/was Catherine's competition for Gil's affections, but of who she is. She is a whiney pile of walking angst and the world must always revolve around her. 'Oh noes my boss won't return my advances or go out with me cry cry cry.' She seems to be a very static character with little to no death at all. Eather she's 'Lovesick Sara,' 'Sad Sara,' 'Angry Sara,' 'Angst/Emo Sara,' and on very, very, rare occasions, 'Happy Sara.' She also seems to have a thing for being a total bitch to Catherine all the time.

I also hated her because of who Gil Grissom turned into when around her. In the first few seasons of CSI, Gil Grissom was a cute but geeky CSI guy. In season three to season six, he had somehow turned into this devilishly sexy bearded badass that just so happened to have a geeky bug thing. But then Sara comes along, shaves his beard, and makes him wear the ugliest purple shirt I have ever seen, and the infamous straw hat.
My hero, almost overnight, turned into a wimpy looking turdface.

One thing I noticed during these hard times was that Gil and Cath rarely had any scenes together - or even made any eye contact. My fellow shippers quickly came to realize that the writers must have realized the natural chemistry that Marg Helgenberger (Cath) and William Peterson (Grissom) had, and forbid them from making eye contact.

Anyways, on to the true reason of this blog.
William Peterson decided after nine long but fun years acting in CSI, it was time to move on. His final episode was tonight, actually, and minus the last scene, it was a great episode. There was lots of what us Grillows fans call 'eye-sex' between Gil and Cath, so we had predicted the episode to end with Grissom just walking out of the lab.

Oh, but the writers couldn't leave damn well enough alone.

They just had to bring Sara back, didn't they?

Somehow I both did and didn't see the last scene coming at the end. I was already in tears as Gil was leaving the office and then when the GSR happened the sad tears turned into tears of fury.
The damage has been done. A song came to mind after the episode had ended... it's called "White Flag" by Dido.


I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be

I don't think I will ever stop shipping Grillows. I will fight it to the death; I will go down with my 'ship. I will never surrender to the GSR (Grissom-Sara Romance) fans. You will never see me back down. I'm in love with the relationship between Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows and nothing can ever change that.