Filing cabinets and 800 pound Gorillas

Well....Life has been interesting here lately to say the least. I can't really go into it on a public forum but I can give you an idea of what I'm experiencing during this season of life.

 Imagine an old filing cabinet. This filing cabinet holds all my most important interpersonal correspondence, my definitions of who people are and what I have come to expect of them as well as who I am and who I want to be. Now imagine that filing cabinet being picked up and thrown across the room by an 800 pound gorilla with it's usually ordered contents now scattered and drifting across the floor. That is what my brain has been like in the past few weeks and when my brain goes awry so goes my heart right along with it.

I don't handle change well and I have been snappy towards some of my friends. So to those reading this, and you know who you are, I sincerely apologize for the short temper and I will do better in the future.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm still the same old Jessica just in repair at the moment. So in honor of the quick reference to Mr. John Mayer here's a song for ya!

New Norah Jones album "Featuring" out today!

Y'all make sure to go pick this album up. I have always adored her voice and am extremely interested to see how it gels with some of the artists "featured" on the album such as: Andre 3000, Q-Tip, Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams, Herbie Hancock and Dolly Parton just to name a few. Below is a trailer for the album...enjoy!

Amazon Books and the Sexual Exploitation of Children/Stop The Candy Shop

DISCLAIMER: I rarely get on a forum such as a blog and write something really angry but this situation warrants an angry reaction.

 I read a post on twitter last night from one of my friends about Amazon selling a book that tries to instruct pedophiles on a code of conduct in reference to the relationships they have with children. The author (Philip R. Greaves II) even goes as far as to label these people "Pedosexuals" thereby likening their diseased minds, and the behavior that is a by product of those diseased minds, to the accepted behavior of "heterosexuals" and "homosexuals".

 There is a line here people and Amazon just danced on it and over it with their big, money driven feet. They are profiting from the sexual exploitation of children! I would like to ask anyone reading this to boycott Amazon until this book and any others like it are removed from their stores, online or otherwise.

And while we are on the subject of sexual exploitation let me share with you what I got to do this week. I went to the premier of a brilliant movie called "The Candy Shop" this past Monday at The Fox Theater in Atlanta. I was so impressed not only by the excellence of the film itself but by the heart of those involved in making it and the passion they show for the cause this movie so beautifully communicates. It's not easy to take the sinister subject of child sex trafficking and build a film around it that you could take your (older) kids to see but Whitestone Motion Pictures did just that. I won't spoil the whole storyline for you but the film is a dark fairytale about girls who are abducted for the purpose of providing a "service" for older men. They are lured into the store and turned into these giant lollipops by the owner of the "The Candy Shop"...hence the title of the film... and that is what the men buy each day when the store opens. Crazy right? You would think so but it works! This film is going to be an important tool in bringing this horror to the forefront of peoples minds. That is the only way that we can stop this specific brand of tragedy. I'm not entirely sure if Atlanta is the worst city in the nation for child sex trafficking but if it isn't it's close. The numbers are astounding in reference to the amount of sex crimes happening in our own backyard. (I don't know them off hand but I will post a website below that you can visit to get more specific information as well as watch the trailer for the film) And what's even more shocking is that there's really not much presently being done about it...but...we can help to change that. The citizens of Georgia can change these statistics by talking about the issue, writing about it, showing up to the state capitol on Lobby day (February 1, 2011) and showing our lawmakers that this problem needs to be addressed swiftly and those criminally involved punished harshly. We can begin to make a difference if we just act and a fairly easy start in taking action would be to do something like boycotting Amazon until this book is taken down. It worked with Craigslist and their "Adult Services" section and it can work with Amazon. We just need to make our voices heard.

 So here is the website I mentioned above. When you have the time please visit  http://www.stopthecandyshop.com/ and learn more about what we can do beyond boycotting and blogging to end this sad chapter in our states history.

Well, well, well...what do we have here?

Doesn't that title just sound juicy? Well what I have here is a raging need for some new and fun form of exercise. I get bored very easily. I think it's a curse of the creative brain...Anyways...I love to dance and I am thinking of taking swing classes again. I used to swing dance a lot when I was younger but once I got out of high school it went out of fashion and I moved away from my partner, etc., etc., etc...I quit doing it. Many of my friends salsa and thats great. I personally love it and would love to be better at it however; I have a very special place in my heart for swing. It's loud (like me), it's boisterous (like me) and it moves! (That one...not so much like me...I'm guilty of coach potato-ism from time to time.) So if anyone is interested in taking some classes...they have great group rates btw...let me know!

Now this is Lindy hop w/c is swing on crack...Love it!

Tempering a double edged sword...

If you know me personally then you are probably aware of a particularly bad habit of mine. In social situations I am occasionally guilty of speaking before I think. I'm not necessarily reckless but I often say things without running them through the "appropriate" filter. Mostly these incidents incite laughter or a chorus of giggles but sometimes they cut to the quick and unfortunately sometimes it cuts someone I care deeply for.

I blame Dixie Carter and my mother for this. Haha! Just kidding;)... But seriously, I was raised around highly intelligent women (the entire Jarrett side of the family I am talking to you) and came to appreciate a supremely quick/dry wit above all other humor. I mean come on, who didn't love watching Julia Sugerbaker go off on someone or tease her ditzy sister on "Designing Women"? It was great! And (I say this as a straight woman) it was kind of hot! Intelligent humor is flat out sexy to me...however in saying that...when humor becomes meanness it most certainly is not hot, funny, or appreciated.

The bible calls the tongue a double edged sword and I don't think there is any better way to describe it. It can in one moment uplift and in the next curse or demean. I don't want to be known for the latter so I am at the moment trying to temper this double edged sword of mine.


But just for kicks and giggles here is one of my favorite moments on "Designing Women" involving Miss Julia Sugarbaker...

The Importance of a good Salesperson...

I work in sales. I am fully aware that the thought may make some of you shudder but it keeps me busy and connected to people. I'm a bit of an odd duck in this way. While I enjoy social interaction through work and performing on stage I can become overly introverted if left to my own devices for too long.

Anyways...back to the original thought.

A good sales person can convince you of just about anything. Ladies you know specifically what I'm talking about. You walk in a store intending on buying one single solitary shirt and walk out with matching purse, shoes and an amazing pair of pants that were on sale that go perfectly with the one single solitary shirt. The inflated purchase, that you will have to explain to your wheezing checkbook later, was all in thanks to the brilliant Machiavellian mind of the sales girl who began tallying her commission the moment she saw you walk into the store. I mean yes she searched for the weak point in your will power and gutted it like a fish but come on...give credit where credit is due...she was good at her job. Like I said a good salesperson can convince you of anything...

So in honor of my fellow sales people, here is one of my favorite Monty Python sketches...The Dead Parrot Sketch

Aretha you are a lioness among house cats.

Just listening to some Aretha this morning and wondering where all the singers (real singers) have gone? I miss this kind of voice on the radio. Aretha could make you come out of your seat with just one note and do it while only accompanied by a sax or a piano. All she ever needed was a mic and a willing audience and the idea of her voice being auto-tuned and over produced just seems like blasphemy to me. This is however all that we hear on the radio now-a-days. It's taking the life out of some singers voices, it's taking their "soul" and its frustrating! I'm not saying ban all auto-tune but good God let us listen to some real singing for once. It might put actual singers back in demand. Here's another way to look at this. Auto-tune has made vocalists that record in the studio lazy. Back in the day you just did takes until you got it right. It was an art form. Now anyone who has protools ( I'm talking to you Lil' Wayne) thinks that they can be a vocalist! Ugh! I propose we start a movement to limit the amount of auto-tune you can use on an album. Who's with me!?

"You have nothing to fear but fear itself."...Okie Dokie Mr. President...

I have always had abnormally vivid dreams. They are these amazing technicolor wonderlands that I for the most part thoroughly enjoy. For example, I once dreamed about being at a Barbecue and woke up salivating from the aromas emanating form the smoker/grill I had been standing next to in the dream...(I am a food-aholic but thats an issue for another post)... So in saying that, just imagine what my not so great dreams are like. I wouldn't call them night terrors (I don't know, maybe they are) but sometimes, every once in a while, I experience what I believe to be true evil in my dreams. I wake up in a sweat or crying from the emotional turmoil I've just been through. So why is it then that we are able to dismiss nightmares as a dark flight of fancy or a chemical reaction from a late dinner, when they often times produce a visceral conscious reaction? Is the fear in my dreams somehow made less because it was my subconscious that saw it rather than my waking eyes? I don't think so. I think my dreams help bring whatever the particular fear is to the surface so that I can deal with it and quickly. Yes I know that dreams can't harm you but not dealing with the problem behind some of the nightmares can in fact have a negative effect on your life. Just a thought...:)

Layla's Birthday Wakeup Call:

Me: Hey birthday girl. It's time to get up

Layla: jkhdfskjhsdjhjhdfh...lemme sleep....kjfalskdhflshdfkjhaksjfk

Me: Layla come on now. You have to get ready for school. It's your birthday! Don't you want to see your friends today? Don't you want to have cupcakes at lunch?

Layla: ;lakshdfkhasdkfsjhgflskdfhg....no.....k;laksdfkjgsdfjglkjhf;ljsf'lhljfg

Me: Layla Mason (in that mommy is becoming impatient tone) You are going to get up right now. Lets go.

Layla: lkjasdfhashfashfkajsfhkjh....ugh!

Me: Come one now Layla, it's your birthday. Lets go. Lets have fun today!

Layla: (She turns and finally looks at me) You know what I want for my birthday mommy?

Me: No what baby.

Layla: For you to leave my room and let me sleep.

Me: Hahahahaha!!! You are so funny! Hahahhahahaha!!! ....Get up.

Layla: You're mean mommy.

Me: I know.

An open letter to Christina Aguilera.

Dear Christina,

I used to really respect you as an artist. I loved your last album. It suited your voice and it suited you. This time around it just feels like you're a step behind and copping other artists identities. Okay and the new video... I needed a shower afterwards. Truly. I have seen every Lady GaGa video and you out skeezed them all. (By the way, she called and want's all her costumes back.) You have a son for goodness sake. He will never learn how to respect women when his own mother prances around in pasties and simulates sex with a man that isn't his father in her videos. And to top it all off your attitude has gotten atrocious.

Really Christina? Do you think that fake laugh is fooling anyone? I hope you realize that you are one of the worlds best but also that talent can be taken away as quickly as it is given. The world wants to see you as you truly are not as artistic sloppy seconds.

Sincerely,

Jessica Taylor

"Heartless" review

My initial reaction to the news that Whitestone was going to create a retelling of one of the most beloved characters in literary history was "Really?". I must admit to an early bought of skepticism in reference to this project. I mean, you're talking about messing around with "The Wizard of Oz". That's brave. Well bravery suits this particular team of filmmakers and I now would like to say that I shouldn't have doubted Whitestone or their ability to communicate a beautiful story. From the emotive cinematography to the original touches woven into the familiar plot line, it was a wonderful film. That being said there was one thing in particular that I thought could have been explored more thoroughly. The shift in the tinman from being desperately in love, to cold and calculating was to me abrupt. I needed a more visual emotional journey in that particular part of the story. I wanted to feel the disconnect. The narration intimated that his efficiency was becoming his hearts desire in place of the maiden even before the ax landed in his chest but it wasn't reflected in the acting. Outside of that small criticism I would say that "Heartless" was quite enjoyable and something worth watching more than once. Well done Whitestone!

Lover come over

So this is an uncharacteristically somber post. I don't like being negative or in a funk but that is the state of mind I'm in at the moment and I will explain why. I recently asked God to open my eyes about some of the things that I needed to work on. Oh my, I should really be careful what I ask him for. I won't go into detail about what he specifically said but my response to his answer was OUCH! Hearing the truth stings at times. Like hitting a ball with a metal bat, in the middle of winter, the wrong way kind of stinging. (That sentence just made my fingers tingle a bit how about yours?) I have one habit in particular that gets me in trouble faster than anything else...I am hyper critical and condemning when it comes to myself. I constantly go over things that I've said or songs that I've performed and nit-pick them until I'm convinced that I just generally suck as a human being. I know, it's ridiculous. I don't suck as a human being. I promise I know that however, that doesn't stop me from believing it at times. God is really trying to build up my self-worth at the moment and my intent is to let him. I just need to let him be the lover of my soul. I am very familiar with the "Father" God concept but the whole "Lover" thing is eluding me at the moment. I only understand that word in the human sphere. A very broken and incomplete understanding at that. So applying that word to the spiritual part of my life is hard but I'm trying. That is what I am working towards. To feel loved.

I've still got it!!!

So I have lost an additional three pounds in the past three days. Woohoo!!! That is a whopping big deal for me you guys. I have been absolutely stressed and unable to work out as much as I would like however I have switched my diet up a bit and it has been helping me lose in the absence of daily exercise. Nothing drastic just a little more strict non-sugar action and plenty of veggies. OH! I almost forgot... "Laughing Cow Cheese" is the greatest dairy product ever! If you haven't tried it please do. It is saving my tuchas right now. Literally. You can spread that stuff on anything and its really low in fat! My favorite snack currently is laughing cow cheese on a piece of 12-grain toast with some tomato and a dash of salt and pepper. YUMMY!!! Ok then...Back to what I was originally posting about. I have been getting some much appreciated attention from the gentlemen lately. This is shocking to me. I mean I know I'm not unattractive but it's hard to catch a compliment running from one school to another while eating a late lunch and trying to memorize the proper conjugations for irregular spanish verbs. Wow...I live that every day and yet it still makes me tired to read it! You get what I'm trying to say. I am busy. Queen bee busy to be exact. So it's a lovely change of pace when someone tells you that you look nice that day. Or that they can tell that you have lost some weight. It stops the world from spinning for just a moment to let you know that the hard work you're putting in on yourself is paying off. So thank you to the lovely gentlemen in my life that have done that lately. It's far more appreciated than you know!

Its been a minute

Sorry its been so long between posts. Midterms were this week so I've been swamped studying but its almost over. Woohoo! Just one more day:) Anyways, I haven't been able to work out much but I have been extremely creative with my diet lately. Don't worry there is no starving this girl. I might kill someone if I didn't get to eat. I have just been cutting way back on bread and drinking A LOT of water. I feel great and have lost three more pounds! So far I'm down thirteen pounds and my pants are fitting much more comfortably. During spring break I plan to be out at little Mulberry quite a bit. If anyone wants to join in please let me know! Well I'm off to have some sushi with my family. We'll talk again soon.

valentines shmalentines!!!

Ok so valentines day is not the most conducive holiday for someone who is trying to lose weight. I allowed some cheating to happen yesterday (darn you dark chocolate truffles!!!) mainly because it was my dads birthday and my mom made ALL my favorite foods. On the upside though, I discovered that I could push back from the table even with all of my favorite things on it. Its hard for me to have that kind of will power. I don't know why but when it comes to really rich and fattening foods I just can't leave well enough alone! Well I did yesterday. WooHoo! I told myself that I had enough on my plate and there were to be no seconds and remarkably I listened to myself. I kind of know how my kids feel now though. I heard my own motherly voice and I just wanted to yell at it to stop nagging! I will have to take that into consideration the next time I get onto my children about cleaning or homework. Anyways, just thought I would share my little victory with the cookie (truffle, pie, cake) monster! Thanks for following along:)

Confessions of a "Foodaholic"

All right here it is. I have recently made up my mind to get healthy. Not the whole eat a carrot stick and dream of carrot cake while you're doing it thing. I mean just eating right and exercising. I have pretty decent motivation but I need some accountability. So I thought what better way to keep one accountable than by making the journey viewable to the WHOLE WORLD via the internet. I will be checking in several times a week through out the next few months and journaling the process. With God, (seriously, cause there are gonna be days I will be calling his name from want of chocolate!) a good diet and an exercise regimen I plan to lose 50-60 pounds. I know thats a lot but it puts me within my "healthy" weight range. (Which is between 160-170 pounds). I will be posting pictures of my scale, tags from smaller clothes, the finished minutes on the treadmill, etc.. each week so that you can see how I'm doing. If by chance I start to slack off then you can kick my sorry behind online. I don't take the whole failing publicly thing well so I will be taking everything you guys say seriously! Please join me on this journey and thank you for your support!!!

Jess