Jenna's House of Idiosyncrasies Version 10.0 [Focus.]

When I was seventeen, I went to my first real rock and roll show.

Yes, I like to act as if I've been in the scene forever, but your little Jenna, who is at once a professional fan and pretentious, unforgiving music critic, had at one time completely given up on anything remotely resembling contemporary music.

I listened to nothing but the local oldies station all through middle school. This was back when “oldies radio” meant the '50s and early '60s, and not any year remotely approaching the year of my birth in the early '80s. I didn't have any strong affinity for oldies radio, but a person has to listen to something while doing homework or falling asleep, so that is what I kept the clock radio in my bedroom set to.

At the end of eighth grade I was advised (more or less) that everyone my age listened to 99X, which I believe, at the time, was billed as “Alternative Rock”. Whatever that means. I remember the exact conversation sitting in the computer room in the hallway where you took all your electives, next to this girl whose name I will not publish but do remember. For some reason I perceived her to be cooler than me, and when she heard that I listened to Fox 97 (“Good times, great oldies”) she tried to chastise me, and fully succeeded. So I switched.

What followed that was a few festival type concerts, the kind of all day events with too much sun and overpriced food. I thought that's what live music was. I had never been to a club show, and I think I was completely ignorant of their existence. And while I generally had fun playing in the sun all day and into the night, throwing up rock hands and dodging the feet of wayward crowd surfers, I never felt like I had seen a tremendous amount of music. The performers at these shows were often hundreds of feet away and projected onto large screens at either side of the stage. I often wondered to myself why I was paying so much money to basically sit in the hot sun and watch broadcast television.

I distinctly remember, at 15 years old, lying in the sun, in the middle of the stadium at the International Horse Park, catching a nap during the Fuel set. Granted, Fuel isn't the most amazing band, but I was 15 and this was 1998. I should have been nuts for them. It seemed like everyone else was. Read More »

“Your Boobies' Names Are: The Bazoombas - Get your own Boobie Names”; DSX; Melissa acting as my official vacation driver; seeing many wonderful friends and getting trashed with them on New Year's Eve; lots of lowcountry cooking; the fourth season of Six Feet Under which I received for Christmas and have already watched one and one-half times; being ready to go home when it was time to go home

Today, I practiced my right to vote. I am part of the system now, as flawed as it is.

In celebration, I made an election day mix.

1. Hey Mr. President (Anyone But You) - Will Hoge
2. Young America - Jump
3. Bleed American - Jimmy Eat World
4. If 6 Was 9 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
5. Know Your Enemy - Rage Against the Machine
6. MOSH - Eminem
7. Politik - Coldplay
8. Oppression - Ben Harper
9. Bible Vs. Gun - Will Hoge
10. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 - Bob Dylan
11. Bombs Over Baghdad - Outkast
12. Who's To Blame - Ozomatli
13. Let It Be - The Beatles
14. The Times They Are A-Changin' (Bob Dylan Cover) - Will Hoge
15. Mercedes Benz - Janis Joplin

Three years ago, when I was standing on Legion Field watching Jump, Little Children, if someone had told me that the next time I would be back there it would be to watch a hip hop show with my frat boy friend who I met at my office job, I would have laughed.

Heartily.

“Me?” I would have remarked. “Hip hop? Frat boys? A desk job?”

And then I would have laughed some more.

Anyone who may claim that college doesn't truly change people is off their rocker.

x. Fallen for your best friend - No no no.
x. Been rejected - Yeah.
x. Been in love - No.
x. Done something you regret - a couple things, it doesn't keep me up at night or anything Read More »

You're a Good GF!
As long as you keep the green-eyed monster in check, you're a good GF that most guys would be lucky to snag. You're fun, smart and sensitive - a perfect balance.

That's kidzworld's killer insight for you folks! I'm a good girlfriend!

Heart of Chocolate
What is Your Heart REALLY Made of? Read More »

Charleston was good. Saw 5 shows in three evenings (3 Dockstreets, a Tinkers, and a Will), shopped a little, and wondered around the charming part of the city by myself at length. It was definitely a long-overdue vacation and I felt I got a whole lot out of it without having to do too much. Very relaxing.

I think the word for Charleston, for me, is cute. I was asked by a few different parties during the course of the trip if I "love Charleston as much as we do", and the short answer is, I don't. It's a nice little city, not lacking in southern charm, lovely walks and excellent shopping, but it struck me as too damn wholesome, and the debauchary that I felt goes along with the real character of a city of any larger size was missing. Most places closed in the early evening, sometimes even before the hours posted on the door. The night life seemed to consist of a few dives you could count on one hand, and it didn't seem like you could eat anywhere after midnight. Not one all-night diner?

The good news is, in a city like that, where you have to get up during the day to do anything, and anything consists of shopping, walking or reading in the park, you get a whole lot of thinking done. Charleston tends to lend all it's beauty to sorting things out. Read More »

Tonight was Jump at Georgia Theatre. I definitely had the best time ever, dancing and screaming and singing along. Completely revived my love for Jump. They played a lot of news songs and a lot of old-new songs and some Magazine and a little teeny bit of Vertigo (and even one off Early Years). I was quite satisfied with my Jump show experience.

After I galavanted with the hooligans, somehow it was decided that a caravan of people were going to come see my apartment, two blocks away. I was not involved in this decision but it made me very happy anyway, even though it was really not ready to receive guests, given the dust monsters forming in every corner.

We arrived and gave everyone a tour, and of course, since I am in rock star training and also the slut of the house, Alli insisted that I sing for the crowd of people sitting in our living room waiting to go to the Grill.

I attempted to entertain with (what else but) the song I call Christmas Blues, which was not written by me but by some old guy, and I'm also pretty sure I don't use the right name. Even though I could here my voice shaking a little at some parts everyone seemed to enjoy it.

We then made our way down to the Grill and had out milkshakes, pies, fries with feta, etc, and went our separate ways.

I arrived home at four o'fucking clock in the morning, with the street sweepers coming out and the whole scene around my block dying down. That's how you know you are hardcore.

A little journaling before bed, while in bed. Wi-Fi rules.

HIGHLIGHT THEN CLICK ON THE FORWARD BUTTON THINGY THEN FILL OUT PLEASE Read More »