Index and glossary of terms.

Revision 5.0 / December 12, 2011

Photo by the incomparable Michael Cardwell for the This is Memphis project.

My name is Jen.

I live with my fiancé, Brian. We’ve been together seven and a half years and our wedding is scheduled for April 14, 2012.

We have two cats named Trish and Buddy. Should you stick around, you’ll hear a lot about them because they are cats and therefore in charge of my life. I talk to them regularly and sing them popular songs with the lyrics altered to be relevant to them. I promise I’m not crazy — or maybe I am. I’m in my late twenties. Most of those years have been spent here in Memphis, the rest were in New Orleans. I hope to move back there someday, if Brian ever obliges.

On December 7, 2011 I was laid off from my job as social media specialist at The Commercial Appeal newspaper. I was there for about a year before my position was eliminated. Prior to that, I worked at The Daily News, a smaller newspaper where I did a little bit of everything. What began as an internship after I graduated from the University of Memphis turned into my first “career job.” The first few years I worked there, I continued bartending one night a week and as needed. Waiting tables and bartending taught me a lot of what I know and understand about people. I’d go back if I had to. Though I don’t miss the days of having to sing for my supper, there may come a point when I simply miss being employed.

I started blogging in college and have gone through countless domains in the ten years since then. This one’s lasted the longest — since 2005, I think. But what does it mean, you ask? Well, I’m about 5’2″ so I’m a bit of a half-pint. I know 5’2″ doesn’t seem that short, but it’s relative. Everyone I know is taller than me. Except my mother. At any rate, it’s given me a sympathetic appreciation for all things “mini.” Seems silly now that I think about it but there’s no turning back now. (insert jargon about personal brands and online identity here.)

I like to use words like “hogshead” and “braggadocio.” I never pass up an opportunity to make a pun. I met some of the coolest people I know online. I’m a “catch-up” sleeper even though I know it’s bad for me. I like a good bloody mary. I put Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning on everything I cook. Everything. I don’t ride my bike enough. I have a scar on my foot from falling in the ocean a couple summers ago. I’m sarcastic and sardonic. I wish SNL was funnier. I obsessively check Craigslist missed connections for gross stories, people I know, and gross stories involving people I know. Being in New Orleans when the Saints won the Super Bowl was one of the best weekends of my life. I don’t know how I functioned before I had an iPhone. I watch too much TV. I drive a Fit. I get way too worked up at basketball games. I curate a lunch blog. That’s about all you need to know about me.