Oh, hell yes.

in blogging about blogging again, Posts that will get me hate mail, Random Crap

This video:

This gives me back my faith in social media.

A giant salute to any of you who have ever quit a job that focuses on pageviews and ad dollars over quality.  Another salute to those of you who sometimes spend days in silence rather than adding something blah just for hits.  Sometimes it’s okay to just shut up and listen.  Sometimes it’s okay to just use your voice to promote other people’s awesomeness.  I’m a writer, but I’m also an enormous reader too.  Thank you for respecting the latter in the decisions you make about what you put out into the world.

And another thank you to the people on my blog who advertise here.  I know how rare it is to be able to pay for my server costs without using an ad network.   I recognize how lucky I am that most of the advertisers I have on my blog are fellow writers or bloggers or artists or small businesses who never tell me what I can or can’t write.  I’m so lucky that I usually have waiting lists of people to get on my sidebar because people are so happy to support this blog.  I love that my readers discover new and amazing people who advertise here.  And mostly, I love that I’m part of this community.  Thank you for that.

PS.  Speaking of letting other voices be heard, have you read or heard something lately that you’d like to share?  A song, a book, a post?  If so, leave it in the comments.  It’s up to us to make sure the good rises to the top, and that doesn’t always happen without help.  Spotlight the good.  Banish the shit.  Ignore the mediocre.  This is the way we work.  This is the way we get better.  This is the way we learn.

PPS.  And by “we” I mean “me” too.  I’m still learning every day what works and what doesn’t.  I’m still learning that sometimes my silly fluff can be amazing, but it can also be utter crap.  Also, “good” doesn’t necessarily mean “happy and sweet and positive.”  Some of the best, most important and hardest things to read are critical or painful or bitter.  Sometimes that means reading hard facts about ourselves.  Sometimes that means admitting that there’s a kernel of truth there and that change is needed.  Sometimes it means learning to judge yourself in a kinder way.  Sometimes it means that there are assholes in the world who need to be punched in the junk.  But always, it is good.  Learning and listening and growing is good.

PPPS.  I’m rambling.  This is one of those posts where I look at it and wonder if it should go with the thousands of other of unfinished posts in my draft folder, but today I’m listening to the voice that says “This is good.  Not for everyone.  But maybe it will help for someone.”

I hope that someone is you.

444 thoughts on “Oh, hell yes.”

Read comments below or add one.

  3. I dream about making a video like that. Not every day but on a bunch of them. Sadly I can’t dance.

    Good for her for standing up for quality of work and life.

  5. Wow, that’s some awesome dancing! And it’s showing some guts quitting your job like that and take a stand for quality over quantity. (But not real guts, because that’s gross. And painful.)

  8. How odd… I was just scouring your blog for a “positive moment” quote to use. We have a weekly meeting and it opens with a positive moment… I was chosen this week and wanted to use something from you. I know you have saved me a time or two and I want nothing more than to share that.

  9. My friend Kirsten “Dr. KiKi” Sanford is in the running to be the new Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education. She’d love to show them the power of social media by getting “likes” for the NCSE on Facebook. Please check out her latest status update here: http://www.facebook.com/DrKiki It’s for SCIENCE.

  12. A song I really love listening to at the moment is “The Car Was The One” by Mark Knopfler.

    I don’t really know anybody who I see on a day-to-day basis that would appreciate folky, intelligent music like that…so I’m just gonna leave it here. 🙂

  15. That was a fantastic video.
    I’m going to share the Wil Wheaton video where he talks to an unborn child about how being a nerd is awesome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_BtmV4JRSc

    “It’s not about what you love, but how you love it”.- Wil Wheaton @wilw

    I’m totally jealous that you are friends with this man.. and his wife. Anne seems pretty rad too.

  16. Oh! And while we’re promoting things for other people, one of the things I really like right now is an app called Happier. It’s all about sharing small, happy moments.

    The app’s founder did a great TEDx talk recently about being happier. And pancakes. Mmmm. Pancakes.

  17. I appreciate this very much. The internet has given everyone a voice and sometimes, not everyone should have a voice. Even when we have a voice, I couldn’t agree more with the ‘sometimes it’s okay to shut up and listen’.

    And I’ve discovered all kinds of awesome from your blog – clicking on the people who leave the comments has put me in line with some very funny and very awesome writers. (Yes, I mean you Holly with Follies and Maven of Mayhem).

  18. Wow. I don’t even have a smart-ass, quick-witted response. I’m a struggling newbie blogger who has numbers OCD. I wish they made a pill for numbers OCD. I’d take it. I take pills for everything else. I don’t want that particular disease. I just want to write and I’d like for people to read and, occasionally, if I put something half-way decent out there, I’d like to get a nice comment or two. That’s all. Thanks for reminding me why I started doing this because it really wasn’t about the numbers; although, I would like to eventually be able to quit my job and dance around my bosses desk…. Oh to dream…

  19. Thank you. Just that. Thank you. I think most of the stuff I write is garbage, but it makes a few people laugh and I love that.

    I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t write. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

  20. I just read a genuinely funny, fucked-up YA mystery novel called No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale. The protagonist is awkward and smart and weird as hell, who, when she was a child, attacked people when she was overwhelmed with emotions, so some people in her small Wisconsin town, including her school’s lunch lady, know her as “Banzai.” Her best friend was murdered and she sets out to solve the mystery. The good news is that it’s basically the best thing ever. The bad news is that it isn’t out until January. Totally worth a preorder though.

  21. Spotlighting the good: upworthy.com. Watch at least 2 of their videos and you’ll be hooked.

  23. Best book I’ve read this year was The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. Maybe the best book in ten years.

  24. So that was ten kinds of awesomeness. Though maybe not the most professional way to leave a job, I feel her pain. Kudos to her for realizing that there are things more important than a job (especially if it’s responsible for sucking your soul like a Dyson).

  27. I love to dance like that when no one is watching. I’d NEVER have the nerve to do it for the camera.

    If you need something to read, try How to Survive the Stabbing Weasels and Other True Stories. http://www.amazon.com/Survive-Stabbing-Weasels-Other-Stories/dp/1478316950/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380570144&sr=8-1&keywords=stabbing+weasels

    It’s a collection of stories from a friend who can always find the humor in his life, despite health issues that include going deaf as a college student.

  29. Love, love, love that video! and in an effort to allow the excellent to rise to the top, here’s a video I think you should watch, made by a high school student who understands what freedom means…

  30. Sometimes I think just a nice ramble is worth it… I need to just ball up and go live with it.. This was refreshing! Thanks Jenny!

    I’m gonna go do a youtube video with cartoons going in the back.. Why? because I fucking can! LOL

    puffy hearts!!

  32. It’s like Office Space, but short and sweet. Who doesn’t want to go all postal and quit? Right now I’d like to punch a contractor in the trachea. (Thanks to Erika for that suggestion!) Going out dancing is icing on the cake! I got a couple of number ones for you boss!!

  39. Yesterday afternoon and evening I sat on my front porch with my family and some friends and just enjoyed the time, rather than worrying about all the stuff that I had to do. And I loved it. I don’t do enough of that. And I wrote a post about it. Read if you want to, but more importantly, find those things that renew you. Because that is what makes us better at life. 🙂

  40. Mad respect for your blogging skills. I have no intention of making money or getting attention……I just blog to let the world know I exist (and not feel so alone)…..and it is HARD!!!! 99% of my thoughts don’t seem worth putting out there. And then I think “what would Jenny do?” so I blog anyway. You are an inspiration for all of us mentally unbalanced folks just trying to figure things out. Oh wait, the therapist says that EVERYONE is mentally unbalanced and I am perfectly normal. hahahaha

  42. LOVE it! Currently totally in love with the book Love With a Chance of Drowning. Also, the Gala Darling blog (so fun).

  44. Okay, so this made me burst into tears, but in a good way, because of that little bit you let slip there at the end. As someone who has 277 draft posts of various length (and we’re not gonna talk about the stack of post ideas and notes on index cards filling my top desk drawer) and only about a dozen that I’ve posted, well, I feel a little less of a doof at the moment.

    Thanks, for that.

  45. Thank you. We need more posiive on the internet. I told a stupid joke on twitter yesterday and immediatey some asshat decided to make fun of me for “telling a joke that was old three years ago”. Funny that the asshat who called me unoriginal had a tweet stream of noting but retweets. Also, for sharing – the video for my favorite song from the new Bowling for Soup album – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unNRS9kr8rE

  46. You’ve often saved me… and I happily show up here several times a week hoping for a new post that I either completely relate to or just for a giggle. And meeting you in person (San Jose, CA) is still one of my highlights of my life!

  47. And as a BTW……thank you for introducing me to Tim Minchin’s genius. I have spent many hours laughing until there were tears running down my face just from his you tube stuff. Love!!!

  48. I passed this on. Then I cried. Why do I cry, you ask, when its a happy video? Because every time I see someone in the world who gives a shit in a creative way, I tear up.

    Perhaps why the Bloggess is even more valuable. Because she makes me laugh. Regardless.

  52. You make my life, and that of my friends – infinitely better. My husband, while wary of having to rescue me from a choking fit when I read your entries, loves the way you make me laugh until I cry and snort things out of my nose. <3

  54. This is good stuff.
    The other day I was running (this is what I do to deal with my anxiety. The physical act of flight calms my brain down.) and I was thinking about books and I realized how deeply valuable the book “Auntie Mame” was to my development. I first read it when I was eight year old (I come from a family where there were a lot of books on the shelves and there wasn’t any rule about “you have to be this old to read certain books.”) and it taught me to be suspicious of people who hide their bigotry behind a facade of “nice values”, and it taught me how there is very rarely a complete end to things. There is merely an intermission and always another act to be had in life. Which in many cases is helpful when wrestling with life, anxiety, and the great unknown. It is a racy book in the best possible way, and it makes you want to go out and find your own Auntie Mame to help you learn how to live. It is a deliciously American/New York kind of book that is somehow always modern.

  55. It can be really scary to leave a job that is providing your housing and food, but this woman did it with style and grace. And I’m pretty sure she didn’t call out the company, so I’ll give her credit for that too.

  58. I’m finding that just putting my thoughts out there, to be actually heard by somebody, anybody at all, is pushing my evolution along. The first time I read aloud to a large group, I felt like I was on a high that I’d never experienced.

    Thanks for putting yourself “out there”.

    Angel

  61. I read “Divergent” and “Insurgent” by Veronica Roth recently. I enjoyed both of them immensely and can highly recommend them. I also recently read “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green and I warn you to get a whole box of Kleenex (but it’s a good cry). I love this idea of sharing what we find to be extraordinary and as one of your advertisers, I thank you for giving us this forum to share what we do and for writing what you want, because that’s what drew us to you in the first place.

  63. I am a glacially slow writer and there are a lot of times that I wonder if I should do more posts. Unfortunately I’m extremely critical of my writing and I know that if I posted just to post I would want to set my laptop on fire and never write again. My stats could be better if I wrote more (or on any kind of schedule) but that’s how I roll. So I roll with it.

  64. just stole a quote from this and made it my status. giving you credit of course. if only we ALL TRULY lived like this “Spotlight the good. Banish the shit. Ignore the mediocre. This is the way we work. This is the way we get better. This is the way we learn.” Thanks for all that you do.

  65. Here is a link to Nicholas Gagnier, my son’s blog, Retcon Poet. He is also the author of Ground Zero, a book of poetry that focuses on the mental health challenges of young people. Nick survived abuse at a private school, a lifetime labelled as the poster boy for ADHD, depression, drug abuse, etc. etc. Finally coming into his own.

    http://retconpoet.com/

  68. …that anyone who labors long and hard to bring about the vision of others would themselves go unseen…just sucks…passion works better when engaged simultaneously with others…

  71. If you love silly and or just plain awesomeness then you must read Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman, it says it’s a kids book but that’s a lie, I’m almost 50 and I couldn’t put it down, one of those books where you have to find out how he gets from there to here and all points in between. Dinosaurs, wumpires, angry one eyed gods, awesome lady pirates and a guest appearance by a piranha.
    Do yourself and any kids you have a favour and buy this book.

  73. I’ve put aside my semi-daily blog posts lately to focus on the “not-so-nice-shit-that-is-out-there”, which in this case is my husband’s diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Weekly updates are all that people get now, which is about all I can handle lately. One thing I haven’t given up is stopping by here. I have to get my smiles somewhere!

  77. I teach at-risk students at an at-risk school in an at-risk neighborhood. I’m fortunate to work with dedicated educators who work late hours (at school or home) and on the weekends and are constantly looking for ways to improve the quality of education of our children.
    We’re constantly borrowing, begging & bugging businesses on behalf of our students. (An after school program that feeds them dinner, a back pack program that sends home non-perishable food for the weekend, fruit and vegetable donations for healthy snack time in the afternoon, clothes bank, coat drive….etc)
    Last week our local branch of a large national chain showed up with cake, presents and $50 gift cards….for the teachers!!! As one of my co-workers put it, ‘It was like being on Oprah’s big give away show!” So while we set high expectations for our students, you can see how little it takes to make us feel appreciated.
    Not a song, book or quote….but a simple little story about how being recognized can be as awesome as Oprah 🙂

  78. If you like suspense fiction, you should check out my friend and colleague Eric Praschan. You can buy the Kindle version of his books for a buck apiece. I think he’s a good suspense writer, and an awesome human being.

  79. One other little piece of awesomeness…this commercial from Campbell Custom Home Builders. They build homes that will help you survive the zombie apocalypse.

  80. This is seriously my favorite post. Of the year. Of any blog. You. Rock.

    Here’s a website that, while not intensely intellectual or well-writing (hardly any words), does its job of putting smiles on viewers’ faces. Particularly viewers who just need a break to look at cute, happy stuff.

    The Happiness Generator by Two Little Fleas: http://www.twolittlefleas.co.uk/happiness-generator/

  81. Today, I started my own business. FU corporate world. FU, angry boss, participant numbers, sponsorship dollars, and fundraising. FU – because you didn’t care about the mission, you cared about covering your own ass and doing things “your way or the highway”.

  82. Tedeschi Trucks Band never fails to make me happy! Go check ’em out, y’all, when you can!

  83. Yes to this!

    My husband and I, in our spare time, make short films about the things around us that are taken for granted. We finished one last week on San Francisco International Airport (SFO) – but it’s so interesting to see that a lot of people don’t “get” that making a sharing art is uplifting, encouraging. Everyone wants to know your ‘agenda’. Ours is only to make people see the beauty in the everyday, to uplift, to inspire. And I’m proud as punch with it.
    http://youtu.be/vcfFLEr4X1A

  84. Love your blog. You are seriously disturbed. Please keep us updated. In the meantime, I’ve noticed you have an affection for the SLOW LORIS. I can’t figure out how to post the article here, but Reader’s Digest just ran a piece on 5 adorable, deadly creatures. Turns out SLOW LORISES are the only poisonous mammals on the planet. It gets better: the secret poison from their ELBOWS. What’s not to love? You’re Welcome.

  86. I appreciate everything you do. I have gifted your book to everyone I know and it’s allowed both of my mother-in-laws to get to know me and my sense of humor a little better. (IN case you’re wondering how I have 2. My husband’s parents are divorced… anyone really talking about what it’s like to be of the “divorced parents” age?)

    Anyway. This is something I am very proud of, and was very difficult for my husband. His brother died 16 years ago at the age of 16. He wanted to do a small fundraiser in his honor, and it has opened old wounds. He finds it hard to talk about still. But I am so proud of him for putting himself out there. We’re about 30% funded for a non-profit contribution for cure childhood cancer.

    I would love if anyone could help spread the word or donate. I want to show him that good can come out of the terrible things that happen to us.

    http://igg.me/p/441402/x/1061828

    <3

  87. Glove and Boots…Because Mario & Fafa are puppets and they STILL managed to teach me something real about PhotoShop. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOar7toRw80?Similar

    Also because the people behind Mario & Fafa buried 10,000 in gold coins (sacagaweas) for a publicity stunt a few years ago — and then after Hurricane Sandy, when it was still unfound, they UNBURIED it and donated it to an organization helping people recover from the storm. Seriously — they walked in with $10k in cash as a donation. I love those people.

  88. Read this the other day – As long as you are worried about what others think of you, you are owned by them. Only when you require no approval can you own yourself.

    (Printing this out to remember it. ~ Jenny)

  89. Fuck. You mean it ISN’T about pageviews???? SHIT. Here I’ve been stressing all this time about not having hardly any pageviews. Little did I know…

    I’d like to share Bob Lefsetz. His newsletters, though based on the music industry, are very insightful, informative and often entertaining.

    That video of ‘resignation’ is sublime.

  90. The thing I’m telling everyone who will listen (actually anyone with visible ears) is Aisha Tyler’s book Self-Inflicted Wounds. While reading it, I had the same feeling of “Oh, I am laughing too loud at this part, people are looking, but it’s just so FUNNY!” that I had while reading your book.

    That woman is a nerdy, nerdy wonder!

  91. A few years ago, the wife read me the Beyonce blog and she and I were in tears with our cheeks hurting. I thought, “Hey, I’ve got a messed up reality, surely others would like to hear about it.” Well, two blogs later and an article in a local magazine, I have to do is say thanks Bloggess for the inspiration. You’ve turned me away from meth. Wait, I could have made a fortune.
    http://beingsmokey.blogspot.com/2013/05/holy-wall-to-wall-people-batman.html
    http://worstrefeverstuff.blogspot.com/

  92. Great video. There are definitely days when I wish I could do that (both dance and quit my job).
    I just finished reading The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater and loved it. I would highly recommend it.

  94. the book of manning. i had no idea just how awesome archie manning is. i knew he was awesome, of course. he’s given us some badass quarterbacks. but that man could shimmy his way out of tackles like no other. it is the best football documentary i’ve ever seen. very well put together.

    eleanor and park by rainbow rowell. best book i’ve read in a decade. SO, SO good. also, the fault in our stars by john green, the language of flowers by vanessa diffenbaugh, right before your eyes by ellen shanman, lovers and dreamers by nora roberts, love rosie by cecelia ahern and the time traveler’s wife by audrey niffenegger.

    and i know i shouldn’t toot my own horn, but these two posts i wrote: a truth universally acknowledged (http://bit.ly/11MKcQu) and four letter words (http://bit.ly/Y2mPz5).

  95. In the interest of sharing the under-represented, I just read and reviewed a book published on a small press by a little known author. It’s called Why Do Only White People Get Abducted By Aliens?: Teaching Lessons from the Bronx by Ilana Garon. It’s always nice to find a gem of a book off the beaten path 🙂 http://www.amazon.com/White-People-Abducted-Aliens-ebook/dp/B00EXMOJL2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380571536&sr=8-1&keywords=why+do+only+white+people+get+abducted+by+aliens+teaching+lessons+from+the+bronx

  96. Actually, I discovered this whole system of awesomeness called Access Consciousness. They have some awesome books, the best of which is (in my opinion) Being You, Changing the World by Dr. Dain Heer. I’ve taken a few classes and it’s the most beneficial stuff I’ve found. The goal is to have full consciousness by judging nothing as wrong. Instead you use awareness to determine what is best for you and your situation. Very freeing stuff. Very healing.

  97. YES. That is unbelievably awesome.

    I’ve run into people occasionally trying to tell me what I should/shouldn’t blog about. I’ve agonized about some of my decisions, but ultimately I’m really glad I didn’t bow to someone else’s crap. If I’m silly or fired up or angry or funny it’s still my shit.

  98. This song, everyone should know Robbie Fulks. After hearing it once, I could NOT get it out of my head.

  100. I want you to know that I’ve found some really wonderful people through your sidebar – AND I convinced at least one of them to be my friend. I also “find” a lot of people through your comments. That means a lot to me, and I wanted to thank you for it. It’s not like I only come here because you’re crazy and funny about being crazy. I come here because you’re human. Sometimes your posts resonate with me more than others, but I’m always happy you’re around. I hope you’re around for a super duper long time.

  101. That was completely awesome! I have always dreamed of quitting a job like that. Though I bet it took a while to record and edit. I would probably just find some old beaten up fax machine and fax that shit in. As it were, the last full time job I had, I ended up taking 6 months of Short Term Disability for crippling Depression and Anxiety, and then quit right before going back to work. I don’t make the rules. That’s just how it works.

    I currently sort of work for myself, so I tell myself I quit quite a bit. Fortunately, I am usually too busy doing interpretive dance to listen. 😀 I love writing and blogging and I always write for myself. I don’t get near as many hits as when I wrote on my divorce blog, or my work/hell blog, but I think the quality of the content has greatly improved. I have gotten out of the habit of reading other blogs, but I am trying to get back into that. It is awesome to find something that inspires, but I also love things that make me pee myself laughing.

  104. Right on? And I don’t have just one thing to share, because EVERY Monday on my blog, I post a list called “Something Good” (this week I wrote the 97th such list) which is all the good things on the internet from the past week. Every week I think “there’s no way I’ll be able to find this much stuff again next week. The internet will run out,” and yet, EVERY week, there it is, another list. Last week had 50+ things on it! Next week, this post, “Oh, hell yes” is going to be #1.

  106. I’d love to share a friend of mine’s blog…http://www.juliegillis.com/…social activist, crusader, and a stunningly beautiful person to know…when I grow up I either want to be her or Jenny…or some hybrid thereof…that would rock.

    We all know I’m never growing up though. 😉

  107. So, I am a recent convert to the Cult of the Bloggess and this is the first time I have commented. I have a couple of things to say: I wish I was braver when I was your age. Rambling is NEVER worthless. Dance breaks are NECESSARY!
    Keep blogging; I will keep reading.
    Thank you and Bright Blessings!

  109. I look forward to quitting jobs that focus on page views, when I don’t need them to pay my rent, which is my current situation. While I do, I am grateful for every person who is willing to click, which is probably wrong and makes me a sellout, but when I’m in the hole, sometimes I need to deal with what’s in front of my face until I can get out of it, and what is in front of my face is some jobs that I got that I have to see through. I am weary from running around like a lunatic on the internet trying to make money doing something I used to love, and I’m ready, actually, scarily, to do nothing at all whatsoever for awhile, but that probably won’t happen for a long time, if ever. I don’t have the emotional resources or time to write on my own site. I don’t even think I paid for hosting last month. I should probably check.

    I have something huge that I wish I could write about, but I’m afraid that if I do, I won’t be hireable, for various reasons, and I can’t risk that because I need to be hired again at a single in-person job, I know that much. I’m not afraid to work, that much is true. I don’t know how I got here. Some of it was my own messed up brain — depressed, addicted, etc. But maybe more of it than I care to examine is my own inability to aim in the correct direction for what I wasn’t sure that I was capable of doing or writing or being in print? I should probably check my head about that, too.

    All of that said, I keep reading and listening to people like Schmutzie (http://schmutzie.com/) and Amanda Magee, (http://amandamagee.com/) who make me feel better about being a human being on the earth, because of people like them. And the most beautiful thing I’ve seen on the internet in recent memory is the Mary Lambert “She Keeps Me Warm” video. You’ve probably seen it, Jenny, but here it is again.

    (I love that song. Write anonymously, sweet friend. You’re talented. Let your voice be heard. I’m listening. ~ Jenny)

  110. Smiles all around.

    here’s one that I cannot watch without busting out laughing every.single.time. and I KNOW what’s coming.

    My hubby even laughs when he hears me watching it.

  112. Thank you, Jenny, for giving me a place to shamelessly self promote my own blog! I’ve recently been featured on Schmutzie’s Five Star Friday and I’ve been trying hard to put everything that I have into my blog. I’ve actually been writing since about 2005 but have only just now gotten serious about wanting other people to read what I’ve written.
    I come to your blog because it makes me feel less alone, it makes me feel good that there are other people out there as f**ked as I am, and you put the funniest voice on the most mundane and/or awful things (I’m talking about dead dogs here!) Thanks from all of us.

  113. I really don’t want to spam. But if nothing else, click the link to see my friend’s amazing moustache. Makes me happy every time I see it (scroll up to comment 86 for link)

  115. I believe in blogging. I believe in putting all the scary painful stuff I go through out there. I believe in it because it makes it less. It horrifies my parents and sister, but if I write about these things, they lose power over me. If I share the painful and funny story about my second trip to a therapist, someone who is scared about going might see read it and see it is difficult, but it isn’t insurmountable. If I post about being 428 pounds at 6′ tall and trying to finally love myself and take care of myself, and all the shame that comes with getting to that number, that number loses some of its power over me.

    Keeping our hurts and our traumas locked away doesn’t protect us. It hurts us. It isolates us, and it gives those hurts and shames more power over us than it should.

  119. My friend Amy just finished memoir – not sure when it will out, but she is amazing and she is the most inspiring person I know. http://amyfquincy.wordpress.com/

    When I am low and need laughBter, I turn to Chris Flemming’s youtube channel for his online series Gayle.

  121. I recently read Goddess Legacy by M.W. Muse. It is the first in a series of books, and is free for the Kindle. (The rest of the series cost a few $$ once you are hooked.) This was the first set of books in 3 years that I.could.not.put.down. It is Twilight meets Greek Mythology. Loved it! I can’t wait for the next series to pick up where this one left off. It is labeled young adult, but I would say that 18+ is more appropriate due to some steamy scenes.

  123. I heard this on The Morning Jolt last week and immediately had to buy it from iTunes. I was dancing through my back yard to the veg patch when it came up on my random too!

    Then I found out the video is just as awesome when I went to find it so I could whore it around FB and Twitter.

    http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=69jgsuO9VtM

  124. I’m so with you. I’d rather people not post anything than just post something for the sake of getting hits. I used to fall into that trap, but not anymore.

    This video is awesome. I love her style!

  126. Two books: The Night Circus by Amy Morgenstern and The Curiosity by P Stephen Kiernan. I read a lot, and these two have stood out this year.

  128. Spotlighting the good… I ‘d like to give a shout out to my sister Cathy Elliott, who recently became Director of Communications for DareArts, a Canadian non-profit organization that assists at-risk youth through art, music, drama and dance. She spends a lot of time in northern aboriginal communities helping the kids gain confidence, and hopefully a brighter future. http://www.darearts.com

    By the way, I danced to Blurred Lines at a gathering, and the girls caught it on video, fortunately with my tablet. I erased it, because I don’t bust excellent moves like you. I dance more like a squirrel with epilepsy.

    Thumbs up and sparkly high fives.

  131. Thanks. There were some words in there I’ve been needing to hear the past few days. On Friday I was asked to resign from my first nursing job. I had been there 6 weeks, and they didn’t think I was cutting it, that the job was too much for me. Maybe there is a kernel of truth in that. Maybe it really wasn’t the right fit and I’ll find something better. It just feels really really shitty right now and I can’t see the good.

  133. Love you Jenny and love this girl! But I’m pretty sure you meant “quality”, not “quantity” in your second sentence. It’s quality we want, not quantity! 🙂

    (Fixed! ~ Jenny)

  134. Jenny – I’m a fan of the band Blue October – local boys for you. Justin, the lead singer, has written songs all about all his mental health issues and the struggles he’s been through. They have a new album and one of the songs on it is Fear, which is pretty much all about Anxiety. Both my daughters suffer with this and I do as well at times. It’s a pretty powerful song –

    http://youtu.be/bZVQoWUY97s

  135. Years and years ago (before social media even existed, when email was barely existing), I was in a miserable, soul-sucking job where Making a Difference meant making paperwork and Exceeding Expectations meant “don’t make noise.”

    I went back to school FT while working FT, and got a new job in a different field a year later.

    I ordered a giant cake. In frosting, it said:
    Dear boss-name
    I have accepted another position. My last day with Company U will be xx/yy/zzzz.

    Sincerely,
    She

    And I gave my boss the cake.

    It’s the only unprofessional thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve never regretted it. I burned a bridge, but some prices you happily pay. Also, it was excellent cake.

  136. I know that this video is supposed to be uplifting, but I find it mildly (or greatly) depressing, simply because I am about to have to find a burger flipping job because of the state of the economy. And I can’t tell you how much I hate the thought of doing that. Yes, I will consider quitting on video the first day that I can afford to.

    (I get you. I worked in telemarketing for many, many years and it gave me the opportunity to appreciate how hard work can be and how amazing it is when you get to finally do what you love. ~ Jenny)

  137. Anyone watching “Orange is the New Black”? Since Kate Mulgrew (Red..head of the kitchen) is in it, a friend of mine(Kaffe) made some mashups of OitNB and Star trek Voyager. Enjoy, people. The language is NSFW but there are no actual lesbian scenes in the videos.

    Janeway loves coffee. Red loves chicken. Hence the name of the video. Captain Kathryn Janeway(Kate Mulgrew) as Piper Chapman from “Orange Is the New Black”. Seven of Nine(Jeri Ryan) plays the international drug dealer/lesbian lover.

    Chicken is the New Coffee – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LfvQjvHd_00

    Janeway as Galina “Red” Reznikov talking about “The Chicken”.
    Chicken is the New Coffee Part 2 – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l8L1K2ZbLg

    Janeway as Galina “Red” Reznikov telling her Penguin/Eggplant Joke.
    “He’s not an eggplant” – à la Janeway – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkYcbTqFfjQ

    The doctor (Star Trek: Voyager) as George “Pornstache” Mendez (Orange is the New Black) and Kathryn Janeway (Star trek: Voyager) as Galina “Red” Reznikov.

    Doctor Pornstache – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn3AT4vtmOk&feature=em-uploademail

  138. This YouTube gave me the feels, mainly because dad’s cute and kid’s cuter. And I can’t hear that song without thinking of The Jerk.

  141. Awesome video – I deeply admire that young woman. Thank you for highlighting The Good.

    And if I may be so uncouth, I’d like to offer one of my own blog posts for your reading pleasure (if you have the time and inclination, I mean). 😉

    This is one of the first blog posts that I ever wrote about my alcoholism – and it is still the one that gets the most hits. It’s the one that I get the most e-mails about, from other people struggling with alcoholism or shit scared in their early days of sobriety. It’s the one that people seem to really respond to. It may help some of your readers, and so that is why I am putting the link here:

    http://risingwoman.wordpress.com/2013/01/06/the-472nd-time-was-the-charm/

  142. Oh, Hell, NO! I just got modded…My own stupidity. It’s the way this entire day had gone. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid me.

  143. Oh my, it’s going to take me a few hours to make it all the way through these suggestions, but I’m clicking them one by one, I swear! (Pamela, your sister Carrie is wonderful!)

    Here are some of the most moving things I’ve seen/read this year:

    A 14-year-old whose dancing will leave you breathless (Christina Ricucci):

    A book about a rape victim forced to marry her rapist (God Makes the Flowers Silent):
    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B0MN8G0/

    A spoken-word poet being brutally and painfully honest about race and his relationship with the police (Cuz He’s Black):

  144. This helps me, thank you. Right now and deeply.

    This video has been seen a lot, but it is so bang-on, it deserves endless viewing.

    My Son is Gay. By John Roberts. Go!

  145. Love all of your posts. You don’t disappoint. And usually you make me laugh myself silly. Please don’t stop.
    New, relatively unknown things – author Lilliana Hart’s series about Addison Holmes.

  146. Thanks so much for this! I LOVED the video and your post. I’ve been struggling with a blog post myself today and now I feel like I have “permission” to wait until it’s great instead of publishing something mediocre. Lord knows there’s plenty of mediocre out there!

  147. I read about parents who recently lost their beautiful daughter suddenly. in HONOR of her life, since she was on her way to try a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks, they paid for people’s pimpkin spice lattes. It has carried on, around the country. I’m planning on giving any extra money I have at the end of the week in honor of #AJO. Because sometimes things feel right for a reason.
    Your friend, Laurie F.

  148. Great post – thanks for sharing those thoughts. LOVE your writing. And writing on my own blogs gives me so much satisfaction, but on some days – like today – I just don’t feel it. You made me feel better about not forcing it today. Lazy? Maybe. I’m just going to let myself have an “off day” and suck it up and get back to work tomorrow.

    Love you, love your book – what a talent!

  155. I’m with Erin and whoever else suggested any of the links on Upworthy. I’ve liked so many of their posts on Facebook they now show up as almost my entire newsfeed. They make me happy to be living in the world.

  156. I’m in love with that video. It’s now added into the rotation of my other YouTube videos of the moment. One is the Jimmy Fallon/Justin Hashtag video and the other is the Jimmy Fallon Lip Sinc video. Cannot stop watching either.

  157. I use music to get me through the challenges and hard moments. Lately I my go to cd’s are from Straight No Chaser and Carly Ritter since their songs make me smile. This weekend while I was in Las Vegas to see Straight No Chaser they introduced me to the music of “A Great Big World” and Caroline Glaser. I see both of them joining my play list. I hope someone else will enjoy a smile from these songs.

    SNC

    Carly Ritter

    A Great Big World

    Caroline Glaser

  159. Yes to goodness. I found some this weekend and I needed it. I popped into Stained Market Place in Tampa and the two ladies who run it are putting together an art show in October to help a recently homeless artist get back on her feet. YES to people who give a damn. YES to people who take care of more than the bare minimum. YES to art. I offered my help in promoting and stuff. Inspiration and shared vision. It’s good.

  160. I like it! There is so much content out there that just has no soul…and all the while the barrage keeps up. Sometimes even the really good content is coming at me so fast I can’t keep up. So, thank you for putting that out there. I want it to slow down a little and say something awesome. I want authentic. When I come to your blog, I know I’m getting authentic, 100% What you put up matters. Every time.

  161. You post for you…not for anyone else. There are times when I have such an urge to just write on my blog, it doesn’t matter to me if anyone reads it or not, or anyone thinks it is worth the 15 mins it took them to read it. I generally only look at my stats to see where people are reading from more than how many people are reading…I am curious if my writing reaches to those outside my immediate circles. I have read some awesome posts lately on a few blogs but can’t pull up any of their links at this moment, so I will have to post them at a later date…there are some great writers out there…and great writers mean new ideas, learning and perspective, even if not necessarily my own.

  164. also, for film: dedication (with billy crudup and tom wilkinson). wonderfully, politically incorrect. a children’s author and his illustrator seek inspiration for their next book. in a porn theater. it is SO FUNNY.

    for music: the airborne toxic event’s self-titled album. it sounds awful at first. i hated it. but the lyrics… they’re amazing. (also look up half of something else and duet. they are fabulous.)

  165. There’s a show I’ve been watching lately called ‘Call the Midwife,’ it’s a drama about midwives and their patients in the early 1900’s. I started watching because I was bored, but I keep watching because almost every episode makes me cry. The stories this show tells are just amazing; if you’re interested in feminism, medicine, babies, or history give it a shot. There’s a book, too.

  166. There is this band I love. Except it’s not so much as band as an incredibly talented vaudeville inspired pantomime troupe who happen to also be robots.

    They’re called Steam Powered Giraffe, and somedays they’re the only thing that can make me smile.

  168. Jenny just throw my modded post in the trash….I am reposting braking up the videos. It’s for my friend;not me anyways.

    Anyone watching “Orange is the New Black”? Since Kate Mulgrew -Capt Janeway(Red..head of the kitchen) is in it, a friend of mine(Kaffe) made some mashups of OitNB and Star trek Voyager. Enjoy, people. The language is NSFW but there are no actual lesbian scenes in the videos.

    Janeway loves coffee. Red loves chicken. Hence the name of the video. Captain Kathryn Janeway(Kate Mulgrew) as Piper Chapman from “Orange Is the New Black”. Seven of Nine(Jeri Ryan) plays the international drug dealer/lesbian lover.

    Chicken is the New Coffee – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LfvQjvHd_00

    Janeway as Galina “Red” Reznikov talking about “The Chicken”.
    Chicken is the New Coffee Part 2 – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l8L1K2ZbLg

  171. OH! and the film playing by heart. sean connery, gena rowlands, ellen burstyn, jay mohr, jon stewart, anthony edwards, dennis quaid, ryan phillippe, patricia clarkson, gillian anderson, madeleine stowe, angelina jolie.

    and also, pieces of april. oliver platt and patricia clarkson. and katie holmes (ugh). BUT the ending is AMAZING.

  173. I love the band name “Steam Powered Giraffes!”

    This is such a great post. I’ve been have an awful case of September this month, so all your positivity is so appreciated. It was one of those torrential Seattle mornings that made it nearly impossible to want to leave my warm bed, plus come to a job I decidedly do not love…. and then I found this:
    “I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.”
    – Audrey Hepburn

    AUDREY HEPBURN! The fact that it’s from her makes me even happier with it.

    Other than that, I just finished reading the NIght Circus, which is a wonderful, whimsical, happy love story set in a magical circus (how can it get better than that!!).

  177. Yep, this post was soooo meant for me today! I’ve been a follower ever since Josh Weed blogged about your blog, sometimes it’s just so great to see it written in plain view that someone else’s random thoughts are so aligned with your own that you are not alone in your spaztastic world, I hope that made as much sense on here as it did in my head! Any way I’m more than grateful to be able to read your blog, Our writing style is totally different, but I’m scatterbrained and have plenty of my own draft folders too… Keep being you and writing like you do, your blog is a great distraction from all the other madness that doesn’t matter!

  178. I loved the video. I quit a job a few months ago where the company wanted nothing but perfect and awesome production, but forget that it’s people dealing with people who make that production happen. Quitting was such a relief!

    But have you ever seen that show “Castle?” In it the character wrote 15 novels with one character that got killed off in the beginning of the series (hence why he’s following the awesome female detective that he has the hots for) and starts a new character called Nikki Heat. Anywho, they have all of those books that he’s “published” in the series written for real and for sale. They aren’t the best-written mysteries out there, but its almost like a continuation of the show!!!

  179. Today was such a good day for me – this was just the icing on the cake! I finally landed a job interview (after losing my job in July). We’re expecting in four weeks and the baby is doing great (despite my advanced age – ha ha!). And I received a gorgeous proof of a book that myself and twenty-nine fellow bloggers have coming out later this week. You can get a sneak peek here: http://www.themotherofallmeltdowns.com.

    Jenny – thanks for setting the bar high and keeping things real (always).

  181. It’s you that makes me find the happiness in the day Jenny, because you make it okay to be me.
    I loved this TedxTalks and watch it often when I feel like I am struggling. Life is messy, but better messy then not living at all.
    Thank you for being you!

  182. This song makes me ridiculously happy every time I hear it, but I’m also a die-hard Sara Bareilles fan (she’s the Joni Mitchell to my heart) and she “gets” me.

    xoxo

  185. This video is seriously my everything since it’s gone up. Lip Sync Battle with Joseph Gordon Levitt, Stephen Merchant and Jimmy Fallon. LIP SYNC BATTLES FOR EVERYONE!!

  186. I boycott Castle because Nathan Fillion won’t take a picture of himself with twine. Who does he think he is? (Oh, but I will watch “Firefly” any day/any time.)

    Most of the time I just post crap.

  187. I meant “breaking” not braking..See how my day has gone…

    Videos still NSFW..just language.

    3rd Video
    Janeway as Galina “Red” Reznikov telling her Penguin/Eggplant Joke.

    “He’s not an eggplant” – à la Janeway – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkYcbTqFfjQ

    The doctor (Star Trek: Voyager) as George “Pornstache” Mendez (Orange is the New Black) and Kathryn Janeway (Star trek: Voyager) as Galina “Red” Reznikov.

    Doctor Pornstache – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn3AT4vtmOk&feature=em-uploademail

  191. Thank you for permission to stay quiet. I used to post much more but I’ve been waiting lately, until I have something worth saying and it makes me feel guilty.

  192. I read a terrific series not long back called The Modern Witch by Debora Geary. I think she’s utterly fabulous and is good for the days where you want something lighter, but not stupid/fluff. She walks a fine line between heart breaking and heart soaring. I rarely cry (about anything) but these books had me sniffling, laughing and living alongside the characters and their experiences.

  193. This song makes me happy every time I hear it…Who doesn’t love love and penguins. 🙂

  195. Gorgeous! I love the call to bring the good things to the top. Here’s a couple greats:

    >> Gregory Alan Isakov’s new album “The Weatherman” – 13 songs, and every one of them awesome. Perfect foggy Sunday music all around.

    >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uScCrpAW4U – this Key & Peele hitman sketch never fails to make me laugh and I have seen it a kabillion times.

    >> The movie “Cloud Atlas” – I’ve heard people say that this movie was confusing, and I agree there is a lot going on between the 6 intertwined stories over the years, but I found it to be the most compelling, incredible movie I have seen in awhile. And all the actors play numerous roles, some are obvious and others are ingeniously hid with makeup. This movie gives an extraordinary weight to human experience and you feel absolutely moved and different by the end. It’s sci-fi, romance, action, thriller, mystery, feel-good–literally something for everyone.

    >>on that same tip, the movie “Finding Joe”…the hero’s journey, people!

  196. While our government is busy tearing itself to pieces to score political points against each other, and while there’s not a single elected official on whom I would so much as piss if he, or she, were on fire, and while they are utterly ignoring the one thing that the country needs most right now (i.e., viz., and to wit: JOBS), I am happy to say that our customers at Goodwill (in Central Texas, and especially at North Star by Anderson Lane & Burnet Road!) are doing an awesome job. Our donors are helping fabulously with our Youth Services fund drive, in addition to the awesome clothing, electronics, books, toys, housewares, and everything else they bring us everyday. Our customers are helping us marvelously too, as we work together for the vision of a guy named Ed Helms, who looked toward a world where everyone who wanted a good job could get one. Thank you to our staff and our patrons for being awesome folks.

  201. Last year, only 19 days after her 11th birthday, Avery passed away. Her mom, Bridget, decided to do something to celebrate her birthday and the 19 days that follow by performing random acts of kindness. She opened it up for others to join in and now has about 1500 likes on the facebook page. If all of those people do one random act of kindness for 19 days. . . that’s almost 30,000 good things. I never met Avery, but her story has touched me, so I’ll honor her with 19 random acts of kindness. I’m excited and can’t wait to begin. This is good. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-19-Days/520963567981575

  202. That girl can dance! I really do try not to post every day but at 5:00pm my fingers start twitching and I can’t resist. Something manages to amuse/annoy/amaze/bewilder me every single day 🙂 I’ve found some brilliant blogs by looking through the comments on this site. Plus of course you never fail to give me a giggle.

  204. feeling low,,,these guys were amazing this weekend,,made my feet hurt but my heart and soul sing and be happy

  206. http://www.upworthy.com/scientists-discover-one-of-the-greatest-contributing-factors-to-happiness-youll-thank-me?g=4

    I know you like blatantly said that not everything is like about being happy but this video, at least I think, is really cool. It’s something that I have been trying to do a little more of recently and I just think the concept is so great. I would really recommend that video. It’s not even that long!

    And everything you write makes me happy 🙂 so YAY YOU!!!

  207. You ROCK, girlfriend! A little over 3 years ago I quit my job after literally hating it for 4 of the 5 years I worked there. The best feeling ever was the facial expression of my boss when he knew I wasn’t ever coming back. Thanks for posting this, and for reminding people that they are still in charge of their lives. xo

  210. Recent Awesomeness I’ve stumbled across in the form of two Crime Dramas and two Delicious Pies:

    1) The Killing (in Danish) Season 3 finale – I had a pit in my stomach for two days after
    2) Broadchurch (British Crime Drama with David Tennant) – like The Killing, it destroyed my faith in humanity while reinvigorating my interest in actual good acting
    3) Greek. Zucchini. Pie. (aka Sfougato)
    4) BBQ Chicken Cornbread Pie (a la Pinterest)

  211. Two things:
    First, http://rescuepetsareawesome.tumblr.com/ is my happy place. In the endless stream of animals who need homes, I go to Anne Wheaton’s tumblr and read about ones who have great homes.

    Second, Man Man band. e.g. http://youtu.be/JHydK-GyXU4 It’s an acquired taste, but I feel like you’d like them, Jenny. Their lyrics are as dark as the darkness their lead singer finds himself in sometimes. And now they’ve gone and gotten all famous’n’shit because of their Wolf Blitzer song ending up on Anderson Cooper’s show. But their older stuff has some fantastically tragic greatness to it. (I like this one too- http://youtu.be/65kaKO7AOGM)

  214. http://rockguitardaily.blogspot.com

    Maybe not straight up your alley, but I write a blog that concerns itself with the perpetuation of good writing, classic rock, and never writing negatively – there is so much good in my world that I have no time for the bad – why would I listen to music I didn’t like, let alone write about it?

    Tony C
    Rock Guitar Daily

  215. your amazing and make me happy, do not stop, PLEASE!!! someday…. when I grow up (I’m 50 you would think it would be soon) I will get enough strength to not care about the bills and everything else and state I quit, till then I soldier on……..

  220. My 13 year old transgender son showed me this video. He liked two things about it…that it has real people in it (not stick-thin models) and that it is about being brave enough to tell/show everyone who you really are without fear. The lyrics are just as amazing and heartfelt.

  221. Language, content warning. Though I wonder if that’s actually necessary here.

    Anyway, “Eat #### and Die” by B. Patrick is a comic I recently discovered. The one I’ve linked is about depression, but he hits a lot of issues with wit and style. He does some great things with the format as well. Recommending him.

    http://www.akimbocomics.com/?p=573

  222. Your blog makes me think about new things. Not every day, not every time, but frequently. Sometimes it makes me smile. SOmetimes it makes me wonder if one of my friends needs an extra hug today.

    It’s all good.

  223. I don’t know if you’ve heard about this or not (I haven’t read all of the previous comments), but this is something good that’s happening: http://www.bodyloveconference.com/

    I am in no way affiliated with this conference or the woman (Jes Baker) who started it, but I thought it was amazing enough to share.

  226. I have been obsessed with Mary Lambert’s “I Know Girls”. It makes me cry every time I listen.

  227. As a newly published author who’s been told “YOU HAVE to get on social media,” I really appreciate this post. I feel like I’ve been thrown into the roller derby with one skate. I blog, I post, I tweet (only when I have to, I hate Twitter) I often just don’t want to…

    I just want to write my books. In silence.

  229. Well shit – I of course want to plug me, but that is kinda a douche move. So instead I am gonna plug this other post i read today and was laughing my ass off. Because seriously who doesn’t need to laugh more? http://bitchinsisters.com – enjoy. You might already know about them – but this one was awesome.

  232. Laughed so damn hard at that video, like, Jenny you have no idea.

    Also: This is a good post. I’m not just saying that because I like you and I want you to like me back. I’m saying it because someone needed to say the shit you said, and you stepped up to the plate. So, FUCK YEAH! Go YOU!

  233. Ok, this is one of those times when I read something and feel like it was directed at me. This is directly related to a conversation I was having today with someone who asked me to help her start an online magazine. Thank you so much for this, Jenny.

  236. I love this post and I am in love with that video. I love the fact that she is going to go on to SUCH a better job. I love the fact that you don’t have posts that are sponsored by Vaseline or Pop Chips. I get that those have to exist, but it makes me sad. I thank you for making me feel ok that I post when I want to post (hell, it’s not my job but anyway). I feel like I’m regularly moved just by stuff people share on Facebook or twitter, like Louis CK on Conan talking about his daughters and why he won’t give them cell phones – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HbYScltf1c.
    Alice Bradley on her blog Finslippy usually makes me howl with laughter and sometimes cry.
    I’ve been reading a lot of young 20-something women stuff online for a project I’m doing (I’m 44) and I LOVE how honest and self-depricating and hilarious and real they are. I love that 22 year old women are loving who they are more than when I was 22 (and that I’m ok with who I am now). I love that one wrote this http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/news/20-women-twentysomething about friends you need in your 20s, and that I had a lot of them. I love the community that has come about through blogging and social media – that it’s positive and supportive and giving.

  240. This is better than good. She used not just her voice to get her point across…she used her body and whole spirit! I wish her continued good energy in a job she excels at and loves. She deserves that and more.

  243. I would like to highlight the novel The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison, a brilliant writer who wrote non-fiction and struggled to find that one fiction story that would be accepted for publication. She lead a beatnik life in her younger days and was a happy hippy. Decades later, she wrote this fabulous book (the Silent Wife) and sadly, just a few weeks before it was published, she succumbed to cancer. She never lived to see the huge success the book has become and we will never read another novel from this truly amazing author. She thought she would beat the cancer but it was not to be. So yes, quit the un-doable! Take a chance! Carpe diem!

  245. Luther, starring Idris Elba, on BBC America
    Broadchurch, starring David Tennant, also on BBC America

  246. Thank you for this, Jenny!

    My boss called me and my co-workers “minions” at work today… no joke. As it was past working hours, I just got up and walked out. Needless to say, I was pretty upset. Then I got home, and saw a new post from you. This video and your post made me feel so much better. I feel this girl’s pain. I have done the same thing. I have sacrificed my time, my relationships, my lunch hours, my days off, my weekends, my friends, and — many times — my happiness for this job, and this is how I get treated.

    I don’t have the luxury of quitting at this time, but knowing that I’m not the only one going through this makes me feel better, somehow.

    Thank you.

  249. I’ve been reading the comments, and thanks to that, I forced myself to finally check out 8Tracks, and OMG I didn’t know what I’d been missing!

    Also someone has already posted a video of Adichie and I’m reading her latest: Americanha, which I think is good.
    Randallsanimals (honey badger don’t care) is something I go to whenever I feel particularly rejected by cats. I got to know about Randall through this blog, so you writing this post kind of makes cosmic sense.

    Also, kudos to this woman who quit! I recently quit a job too, because it wasn’t satisfying me creatively.

  251. My favorite book right now is Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride. It is hilarious with tons of pop culture references. The second book is Necromancing the Stone and it is just as awesome as the first. I can’t wait for her to write more.

  252. I am a huge believer in quality over quantity and once in a while I throw in some photos of the magical place I call home.
    I am all for promoting. You re the Oprah of bloggers in that if anyone gets your nod, they are instant stars!!!!!

  253. Well, this is a film I made: Five Points.

    It’s about the revenge of the roadkill. We made it using puppets. It’s funny, and was inspired by the death of my uncle, and I really like it. (I mean, I better really like it. But I really like it.) Maybe you guys will too.

  254. Mira Grant is the author of the Newsflesh Trilogy (Feed, Deadline, Blackout), published by Orbit in North America and they are awesomely good books that everyone should read. I also just finished Joe Hill’s NOS4A2 which was at least as good as his daddy’s The Shining.

  259. I’m a physician assistant and I spend all day going between patients and specialists and writing reports trying to interpret both of them in a manner that will make sense (hold up in a court of law) in the future.

    Today I discovered that our electronic medical record spellchecks ‘dilaudid’ to ‘dildo’. I predict many hysterical medical notes exist within our system. If only I could share them, the world would instantly be a better (funnier anyway) place.

    Damn you HIPPA.

  268. I’m tickled by this anime series called Polar Bear Cafe. It involves a laid back Polar Bear who runs a cafe near a zoo (he also likes really bad puns), a lazy but cute Panda, a sarcastic Penguin, and other human and animal characters. I find the dialogue/character interplay hysterical, and the anime visual tropes endearing rather than annoying. The opening sequence alone has the ability to cheer me up on a bad day.
    http://www.crunchyroll.com/polar-bear-cafe

  269. Does this count? My Facebook page is about my battle with breast cancer. Any friend request I’ll accept in the hope of helping women going through this, people who are curious, and hopefully encouraging women and men to do self checks and get testing if something is different. I wanted from the beginning to share what MY battle has been like and the more I can get it out there, the more likely a life can be saved. My Facebook name is Julie Ours.

  270. I just want to say thank you for being so normal about this blogging world. It’s kinda like the diet world, there are a bunch of people who claim to know the best way to do it and and throw lots of conflicting information at you. But in the end, you walk away much more confused than before and still eating TimTams.

  272. Kid President! I watched this today at my middle school, and it made me smile. I knew I was going to have to share it with my friends. Since I am sharing it here all of you have become my de facto friends today.

    Cheers!

  273. I recently finished The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski. It’s really funny and sweet. The main character ends up kidnapping his newborn son and taking him on a trip to meet his grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s. He also tends to have these imaginary conversations with the baby (Who he names Socrates) about philosophy. Describing a good portion of the things I like makes them seem totally insane, but this book was good.

    Also, as I was driving to work through super thick zombie fog on Friday, I heard this song: http://youtu.be/5y_KJAg8bHI. I really, really like that song.

  274. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
    The Fault in our Stars- John Green
    The Perks to Being a Wallflower

    All of them can be tearjerkers. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

  275. Would you consider sharing our nonprofit’s website as an example of doing good on the internet? As you know, we work with an orphanage in Tanzania caring for 27 kids, from newborns to 5 years old, and we’re fundraising to create a children’s village, a long term home for these kids who have none. Thank you for considering it!

  279. I am in love with Flylady.net. its an organization system for people who have never been organized and it has seriously changed my life!

  280. Fact: I am a person for whom this video is good. I’m unemployed and spend a lot of time wondering if I’m ever going to sort it all out. But as this makes clear, the “perfect job” doesn’t make for perfect happiness, and I definitely needed the reminder!

    PS: My wonderful thing is a book I haven’t read yet. Shadows, by Robin McKinley launches in my country TOMORROW and I will have it. 🙂

  282. Loving the video and the post and I agree with John lewis the first commenter here;

    “Your so-called “crap” is better than most of the stuff we find on the interweb, so post away”

    Sunshine and laughter with the odd bit of pathos, that’s your stock in trade sweety, long may you rock…..

  283. OH the power of NO! THe most radical notion besides HAPPINESS.
    I was exactly where she was three years ago when I sold everything and bought three plane tickets to Portugal. Now my family and I are living the dream. It only took ten years to get here. That is what I write about when I am not working my ass off (happily). ~ Thanks Jenny ** What a tribe.

    http://www.conversationswithhank.com/

  284. I’ve just gone through the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my entire life this last year and a half. It’s the fluffy nonsense that was like a soothing balm on my wounded heart. My husband of 20+ years became addicted to meth right about the time you wrote your famous Meth piece. I still laugh my butt off when I read it.

    Don’t change. You are very, very talented and I love reading your blog.

  286. Just want to toot my own horn (toot toot!) about my book, Room 702 which I self published earlier this year. It’s tough going to be your own everything, but you know what? It’s worth it.

    Thanks for creating a community where it’s safe to do/say/be anything, Bloggess. You rock my face.

  290. So I’d like to share a couple of good things to rise to the top.
    First this is my go to song when I’m having a bad day, usually due to encountering someone not particularly pleasant. It is the song that allows me to vent without exploding because songs are still better than going postal.
    NSFW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IcqRbPk_bk

    Second this is my other favorite blog by writer Mere Smith. http://evilgalproductions.com/
    She is brilliant, funny and spot on. Her Pilot Season experiment is one of the greatest things I’ve ever read.
    http://evilgalproductions.com/2012/05/the-pilot-season-experiment/
    and her Gospel of Matthew Smoot and XKCD is a prime example of why she is awesome.
    http://evilgalproductions.com/2013/04/2042/

  291. That girl is my new hero!
    This girl (Ruth Soukup) wrote a book that got me out of a major creative funk. It taught me to believe in myself and focus on creating awesome content that is unique to me without focusing on the dreaded “pageviews”. I was about to give up on writing & creating and because of her I’m back and better than ever…I even started brushing my hair again 🙂 http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2013/09/25/how-to-blog-for-profit/

    Amy*

  292. I love those moments when you encounter something wonderful that instantly compensates for everything that’s crappy about the Internet. (Finding this blog was one of them.)
    My favourite Good Thing That Deserves More Attention is the webcomic Skin Horse ( http://skin-horse.com/ ), which kept me laughing through some pretty dark times. It stars a talking dog, manically cheery Frankenstein’s Monster, cross-dressing ex-military psychologist, and a cyborg helicopter. They work in Social Services, naturally.

  293. I’m a handcrafted soapmaker and mine is a small but strong community of (mostly) women, most of us mothers and grandmothers, trying to earn a little extra money for our families and having small businesses built from the ground up. Recently a soapmaker on Ebay trademarked the term “soap loaf” which is a loaf of homemade soap sold at wholesale. She’s now going after anyone and everyone who tries to list a “soap loaf” on Ebay or Etsy for trademark infringement. This is a hardship to the thousands of other soapmakers who have used that term for years, and small businesses in the soapmaking industry are rising up to fight this. The solidarity and spunk of the soapmaking community has made me proud this week.

    If you’re interested, our petition to challenge the trademark is here: http://www.change.org/petitions/petition-to-challenge-the-trademarked-term-soap-loaf-cancel-the-registration-of-the-trademark-soap-loaf

  294. I LOVE your website. I find comfort and joy in it. I have also found a song that moves me and sometimes you just need to be moved. Hallelujah by KD Lang (the 2010 version) as was sang at the Olympics.

    Keep up the GREAT work!

  295. Thanks for being the amazingly humble and grateful person you are, Jenny. Reading someone who can show gratitude without losing your personal voice in the process is just wonderful. Thank you for being so awesome.

  296. I saw this yesterday and LOVED it. But I also thought as the grown folk in me comes out, “What happens when she tries to find a new job.” That was when I knew I had a case of the Olds.

    Because it was cute, and fun and brilliant, and not crass, just full of awesome.

    My young self may still be in there somewhere.

  297. I want to just say thank you for making me laugh when nothing else is funny in my life. You bring joy when I feel joyless. Just…thanks.

  299. AWESOMEBALLS! Sharing that video with all my angst riddled friends in the corporate world!!!
    Quite happy to say I don’t have to deal with it. I work in a library. 🙂

  300. In the spirit of your post, I am sending a link to Zack Anner’s Back to School Workout Video. My son introduced me to this awesome comic who just so happens to have cerebral palsy. Please check him out.

  305. I started a blog because writing makes me happy but I’m too much of a chicken shit to tell my friends or family about it even though I would love for them (or anybody, really) to read it and smile. So I’m telling you because you inspire me 🙂 messyfloors.wordpress.com. Thanks for all you do!

  306. This new duo from Frankfurt, Germany was touring the US last week to promote their video. Our family has a mutual friend, so we hosted them for a few days. Their simple gift of music filled our house with electricity that will not be forgotten.

    Thank you Matthias and Daniel. Check them out.

  308. @Ami Davis in comment #34: I heard that Royals song yesterday. It’s way more fun to sing “just call me green beans.” Thank you.

  311. Oh my goodness, yes. I just posted about how much I love Mindy Gledhill’s song “Pocketful of Poetry”. She is amazing and you should all listen to it and dance around your cubicle like I’m doing.

  314. There’s an article in this week’s (October 7th) Maclean’s magazine, “Dead and Loving It” about the revival of taxidermy in Europe. I think it relates to this post 😉

  318. My husband and I were living in LA, loving LA, and found ourselves in a bind, financially. (My) Work in the entertainment industry seemed to be drying up, and as a result, (his) work in the restaurant biz was following suit. Then his dad was diagnosed with four gnarly cancers, so we packed up our shit and moved back to NC. His dad died the day before we arrived, but so many stars had aligned, we felt that we were here for A REASON. Maybe that reason was to appreciate what we had left behind in Hollyweird. Maybe it was to jumpstart my husband’s creative career. Won’t you and/or your readers give a look at his first book? It’s a short novel set in the zombie apocalypse but NOT about the zombies. http://www.amazon.com/The-Other-Side-Fence-ebook/dp/B00DPZ04TE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372889492&sr=1-1 is where you can download it for only NINETY-NINE CENTS. And while you’re at it, if you know of any film/television working in North Carolina, Florida, or LA that needs a professional gofer, won’t you send ’em my way?

    Thank you for linking that video, Jenny. I love that girl’s spirit. I’m sure her stars are aligning for something better as well. What the hell, let’s get EVERYONE’s stars to align! Wouldn’t that be awesome?

  321. Although it’s old (by internet standards) news by now, I bought and read “Fortunately, The Milk” last week. And re-read it. And realized that it created a golden opportunity to introduce my 5-year-old to Neil Gaiman’s writing in a way that Chu’s Day (for all its glorious silliness) hadn’t quite done. We’re on our second reading, and we’ve already built our own time machine. BONUS!
    *Also, a warning: you probably won’t be able to get the word diplodocus out of your head for a while…

  322. Having had to quit my job in January, I enjoyed the video. Sometimes, other things in life are way more important that page loads.
    Now have a new job, and being about to work at home, I have rediscovered some songs in my iTunes library. Really enjoying Thomas Dolby and Grouplove. It keeps me sane while working.

  323. Thank you for such a beautifully funny post and wouldn’t this be a totally awesome tee shirt, Jenny?
    Spotlight the good. Banish the shit. Ignore the mediocre.

  324. Jenny, I puffy heart you every day. You make my life better. 🙂

    Other currently awesome things:

    The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It’s been mentioned before, but is truly amazing.

    Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys. Nothing to do with the 50 shades crap, but an amazing book about WWII from an entirely different perspective. Fantastic.

    Any book by my great friend, and a fantastic author Cari Ouweneel.

    And this YouTUbe video of Jimmy Fallon and The Roots singing Sesame Street. 🙂
    http://youtu.be/SHogg7pJI_M

  325. I want to share my wife’s story. http://www.denisememorial.org/

    I’d a sad one – I’m not going to lie and say it’s happy.

    But when I look back at the ten months she spent fighting, and how my family came together and how they’ve handled the months since then, sadness isn’t what rules – what I feel most is that they make me proud to be human.

    (Your wife sounded funny and amazing. I wish I could have met her. ~ Jenny)

  326. You know who I love, who I forgot about for a while and then remembered about when you brought this up: Bakerella (http://www.bakerella.com). Her photos are amazing, but what she can do with some flour and decorations, she’s a dessert goddess.

    I love her photos, love what she does … and I love the fact that she is so personal. Case and point: the cake pops she made for a proposal for one of her readers (whose then-boyfriend emailed her). So sweet. http://www.bakerella.com/wedding-cake-pops/

    And the fact that she is honest and shares medical struggles with her readers, sprinkled in (yes, pun intended) with her dessert posts. Just the perfect balance.

  328. I have a recommendation. I wish I could take credit for it, but I actually heard about this band from a recommendation from Pioneer Woman’s website.

    The band is the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and the album is the Tedeschi Trucks Band Live. It freaking rocks! It’s the best, different kind of music I’ve heard in a long time. It’s sort of like a real jammin upbeat type of blues / classic rock. It’s awesome.

    Jenny, I am so glad you are in this world doing what you do. You are gifted, beautiful and an inspiration and healer to so many millions of people. You are actually DOING GREAT WORK to help HEAL people, whether you know that or not or whether that’s even your intention – that’s HOW freaking awesome you truly are! Love ‘ya!!!

  329. best book i’ve read in forever (and i read a lot) was The Last Supper Catering Company by Michaelene McElroy http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Supper-Catering-Company/dp/0985359323. quirky, sad, funny, sweet, so very very satisfying. what a voice she has! can’t wait to see what she writes next.

    music? hard to pick just 1 to share, but delta rae has to be near the top of my list. i want this played at my funeral while everyone dances with abandon:
    official video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPOM0IUsd_0&list=RD02bimam2j2gEg
    live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-q2n43mZeI&list=PLE8A03C41BA73DE80

    and while i’m sharing, stumbled upon this last night–Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge back when they were in love. just divine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45-6duFvfuI

    thank you.

    i’m holding my brand new grand daughter and only have 1 hand. sorry for the lowercase.

  330. Just wanted to leave a comment to tell you how awesome I think you are!! Been following your blog for over a year now and I love every thing that you do! I also really appreciate how you reach out to people and showcase other peoples work all of the time that’s what community is all about!

    I thought I’d leave you with my friend Victoria and Travis’ blog, they are skilled prop makers, fabricators and film makers that do a ton of cool shit, and also showcase other peoples interesting projects all the time. They are super talented, and inspire me all the time! I hope you enjoy it! http://anartistspride.blogspot.com

  331. I’m not sure how I felt about it, but the SNL taxidermy skit made me think of you and your hilarious bear head story!!!

  334. I just kicked off a daily project on FB, where each day I randomly choose one of my FB friends and write a post about why I think they kick ass, why I love them, or write about some other positive way they have influenced me. We arent FB friends, but if we were, this is what I’d write on the day you were randomly chosen…
    “I have never met Jenny in real life, but from what I know about her from stalking her blog, she is fucking hilarious and the kind of girl I’d like to do tequila shots with. I think we would get arrested. We all have skeletons in our closet, secrets that we hide from others, but Jenny makes the hanging bones of anxiety and depression less intimidating. She gears people up to deal with them head on, lets people know they arent alone, and shares her story to give others hope.”
    Rock on, girl.

  335. Thank you for this inspiring post. I appreciate your salute to those of us “who sometimes spend days in silence rather than adding something blah just for hits.” I also have far too many unfinished posts in my draft folder but as you said on your post “sometimes it’s ok to just shut up and listen.” I’m glad you listened to the voice that told you that this post was good, not for everyone, but might help someone. It certainly helped me. Oh, by the way my blog site is http://debsblogspot.wordpress.com — some weird, silly and sometimes serious stuff with not much editing (I try to keep it unfiltered, stream of consciousness style writing). -Deb

  336. EchoSmith is a great band! I saw them perform this summer at the Vans Warped Tour and they were great! Check them out!

    Oh, and just bought your book on my kindle and it is stupidly hilarious!!!!! I laughed so much I couldn’t breath!

  338. I love this! I would have done the same if I could. I had a job that I loved, in customer service (I know, but I did love it). It was great when I could do just the – provide customer SERVICE. I made people happier, I solved problems, I fixed errors, etc. THEN, the company (a bank, yeah, don’t yell) was bought by another. The new owner was all about SALES. It didn’t matter if the customers couldn’t afford it, we HAD to sell to everyone, even the people calling about bankruptcy! If I didn’t reach my assigned “goal”, I was berated, had to attend special training and meetings, and generally was made to feel like I was worthless. A coworker, a medic, took my blood pressure twice, worried I was going to have a heart attack. I popped Xanax at least 4 times a day and had nervous breakdowns at work. Full blown, head down on desk, crying hysterically, shaking like a leaf meltdowns. I did what I had to do…I quit. Then, I fought for unemployment and WON! Basically, the nature of the job chamged so much, I was not doing the job I was hired for. The judge was great!

    Now, a few years later, after unemployment ran out, I still couldn’t find a job. Years passed! Then, I saw a job posting, applied and got it! The HR person thought I was a perfect fit. Making more money than before! I just finished the training, and the office I will be working in is not even built yet. I will be front desk at an urgent care center, and they value accuracy over speed. I will have at least one shift a week until it opens. I was the first person from the new hire training to finish training. I had my pick of shifts for October.

    Basically, I am now happy. I have a great job, good pay, and my mental and physical health has improved. You have to sometimes just walk away before the bad stuff kills you and/or your soul.

    I hope this young woman finds something better and is happy.

  339. I’ve been back to this post a few dozen times this week already, clicking on random bits of inspiration in the comments. It’s totally been that type of week. Thanks for encouraging everyone to make the Internet a better place.

    Here’s my contribution. Regardless of your faith affiliation, this guy’s talent should give you chills. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oab9giH2cG0

  340. It’s not a book or anything like that, but I found Oh Noa (www.ohnoa.com) via your sidebar, and have been eating up the posts like candy. They’re by turns insightful, insouciant, and some of the comments and GIFs are laugh-hard-enough-to-pee-a-little hilarious. Plus I dig the Thursday Throwdowns.

    If you like urban fantasy novels, I’ve been glomming the Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn and highly recommend them.

    Thanks for keeping us laughing, Jenny. Love your book and your blog.

    <3,
    -J

  341. How about good people?
    Vinnie Myers is a tattoo artist who specializes in tattooing nipples on mastectomy patients, because he thinks its criminal what a terrible job plastic surgeons do in this area, and how they charge thousands of dollars to do it. It sounds weird, but he is giving cancer patients back a little of their mojo.
    http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/breast-cancer-survivors-find-the-michelangelo-of-nipple-tattoos

    And these guys, who took a class in their Freshman year that had them designing a medical device, and who stuck with the project for two years after the class was over, to finish it. Their robotic arm gives its recipient more mobility and independence.
    https://www.upworthy.com/how-could-a-group-of-college-kids-do-this-to-an-incoming-freshman-because-theyre-geniuses-3?c=upw1

  343. This website is what made me happy this week. I spent hours yesterday watching these videos. My favorites: Conduct Us, The Mini Golf Open, Instant Date, Surprise Wedding Reception… and the entire concept of Black Tie Beach!! These people are brilliant.

    http://improveverywhere.com

  344. Love this, love you, and love happy news. I have one to share – Robyn O’Bryant is a blogger (robinschicks.com) who has worked her ass off for years, got a book deal that pays actual money and not in coupons and she announced it yesterday, and it was just a happy post. And I got an essay in an awesome book “You’ve Got Lipstick On Your Teeth” (buy it now!) and that was pretty spectacular for me.

    And I’m making cookies for my new neighbor, and wish I could give one to each of you, Bloggess Nation.

  346. I’m not a blogger. Just a reader. So did I tell you yet? (have really BAD memory)
    I read your blog a few years ago and hated it. You were going on a space ship (or somewhere) and your words just made me crazy (ier). I told my sister-in-law (who now lives in Chile and reads you!) and she was surprised that I didn’t like your blog.
    Now I just love your blog. Not sure how it happened or when but I look forward to your posts. Blog on, Jenny!

  351. I have to start with you, Jenny, as being the worthy-if-not-always-sunny but hands down best part of every day.
    I have just been introduced to some terrific awesomeness from the above comments – there is no way i’m going to get through all of them and get any work done. I can’t believe I have never heard of The Civil Wars until now… now that they’ve apparently ‘broken-up’. At least I have time to get caught up with them lol.
    Yes to all thing “Upworthy” and the TED talks.

    Jenny, through one of your sidebars I discovered Shane Koyczan http://www.shanekoyczan.com/ and especially his most awesome heart breaking inspiring and incredible “To This Day” Project. http://tothisdayproject.com/
    I cry every time. And I feel better and not quite so alone.

    And then, on the completely unintelligent but oh so awesome…. some bad lip reading to dub over clips from the Walking Dead. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR4lLJu_-wE

    There is just so much more awesome to share but I have to get back to checking out all the suggestions!

  352. Something that I think is good that I have been working on is Awkward Dance Wednesdays. I feel that many people would enjoy them. Here is the one I did with my brother. Love you blog.

  355. My friend showed me this video yesterday, it totally brightened my day. It’s been up for a year so you may have seen it…… Belle from beauty in the beast, but in da hood 🙂

  358. Am I the only one? I can’t watch it because it’s “blocked in your country based in copyright grounds”. What?? Friggin Kanye. I’m in the U.S. and I need to see it! Someone help!

  359. Murph up there in comment 341 must share a brain with me. Because he summed up my feelings exactly. I really didn’t like your writing before. But I think your posts are amazing now.
    It’s rare for me to change my opinion of someone so drastically.

    Your stuff keeps getting better and better.

    Blog on.

  361. although i am a fairly new reader of your blog, and found it via smithmag – i love your kick ass, self-effacing humor and your love of the weird. (my personal motto is ‘why be normal’ which i have probably said on this site before)… and THANK YOU for sticking to your guns and not letting anyone be the boss of you and your advertising dollar(s)…

  363. That video speaks for all of us artist types who toil in the trenches doing shitty jobs for organizations who cannot manage to understand that we are their face to the customer. For those of us forced to endure WELCOME SPRING BINGO, basketball toss into the clown face, and curvy putt putt for $2 Subway cards because someone thought this would boost morale….That woman salutes us all.

    We all dream of being the one who dances down the aisle. That was a wonderful reality moment. Thank you, dancing person, from the bottom of my heart.

  364. Presenting: the reasons why I’ve picked this particular song to link you to.

    1. it is the first entry in a Facebook thing that one of my facebook contacts spurred me to do – she announced she would be linking to a little-known cultural thing every night for the next month, and I thought “dammit, that’s such a good idea I’m going to do that too.”

    2. It is a song sung by the Newfoundland band Great Big Sea, whom I am now giddily crazy about. I have both Irish and Canadian ancestry, so I’m pretty much genetically programmed to like Newfoundland guys who sing sea shanties and songs about pirates and stuff.

    3. It is one of the few songs they do in French – and that reminds me of my grandmother, who was born in Acadian New Brunswick. Her family moved to Massachusetts when she was only about six, but she still spoke French her whole life – the rest of us didn’t, though, alas. But it’s very possible this song was around when she was little.

    4. Even though my French is kind of lackluster, I was able to figure out what the chorus itself means — the French is “Le bon vin m’endort, l’amour me reveille,” which means “Good wine puts me to sleep, and love wakes me up.” Any song about drinking and sex, I’m down with.

    5. Finally – okay, I’ve checked: and as I’ve suspected, the French these guys sing in is….not perfect. The band isn’t from Francophone Canada; the song is Quebecois in origin anyway, which is already a jump off French. And the band learned it from a New Brunswick person anyway, so you have a Quebecois song that a New Brunswick girl taught to some Newfoundland guys. My roommate is fluent in French (his mother’s from Paris) and I played this for him last night – within the first two lines he burst out laughing. But….the band doesn’t care – they still sound like they are having a hell of a time. (And they are – I saw Great Big Sea in concert in April, and they are INCREDIBLY fun.)

    And so – presenting a song that reminds me of my grandma, celebrating drinking and sex, sung by some Newfoundland guys who concentrate more on whether their audience is having fun than on whether their French is 100% perfect. http://songs.to/#!pl=955df487ef822c7c11a2da87e110b94bf161ca90

  365. For all I know I found this on your blog… I have no clue but it’s worth sharing again. And again. And again. It makes me laugh every time.
    BatDad compilation on YouTube: http://youtu.be/YlVi0noRr-o
    Follow him on Twitter and Vine too. Good for a laugh every day! I can only aspire to being such a creative and fun parent.

  367. Just finished reviewing “Monument Road” by Charlie Quimby, due to be published in November. A debut novel worthy of a spot on the NY Times Bestseller list. It’s the story of an aging Colorado rancher who promised to scatter his wife’s ashes over the highest outlook on Monument Road one year after her death. He decides to fling himself over the edge as well. As he drives to his destination, he ties up loose ends, meanders through his past, gains new insights about life and love and realizes that maybe it’s not his fate to die. Heartbreaking, rich in detail, and alive with characters that won’t let you go. Look for it in your favorite independent bookstore.

  369. The fact that you got to make a living from writing is amazing. The rest of us just do it in our head. We love you

  372. There is a fine art to keeping it classy while absolutely sticking it to someone who may or may not have even noticed you exist – this woman nailed it. Thank you so much for sharing!

    I’m sharing this because after the first page I was giggling like an idiot and by the seventh page I was screeching with laughter – tears streaming down my face, the poor cat looking on bewilderment from a safe distance… So good: http://terriblerealestateagentphotos.com

    xx

  375. I cannot wait til I have time enough to come back and enjoy all these responses.

    My nomination: Arcade Fire’s song The Suburbs is a fabulous song on it’s own but I am sharing a FAN VIDEO to it that is big time entertaining. I love all the photos and videos of my childhood era…

  376. Just a question. You received 365 comments. That’s a Good thing. But have you left 365 comments out there on other people’s blogs?
    Or are you just posting. Because comments is a win-win situation as far as I concerne.
    Thank you for your reply..

    Laura

  377. Loved the video. Wish I had done that at some of the placed I’ve worked.

    I recorded my wife, who was a little tipsy from a few glasses of wine, when she decided to read her birthday card from our daughter. Tipsy wife + Sentimental Birthday Card = Hilarious Moments

    http://thelifeofjwo.com/2013/10/01/late-night-bad-decisions/

    I haven’t slept solidly for the past few nights because I’m sure she’s plotting her revenge.

  378. Loved the video, and the courage it took to quit.

    I really, really need to take to heart what Kim posted – As long as you are worried about what others think of you, you are owned by them. Only when you require no approval can you own yourself.

  379. I don’t know if anyone is going to read this far down, but there are two things I came across recently that I would like to share. The first is an entertaining and informative blog with cartoons about art:
    https://medium.com/who-needs-art/7e1c28e9539f?=fb

    The second is really aimed at writers and is a detailed article about the use of swords in story and character building in fiction:
    http://www.apex-magazine.com/a-hammer-with-an-edge-swords-in-fantasy-literature/

  380. I LOVE THE BLOGGESS and there have been many times when the laughter has gotten me through a tough assignment or a miserable moment at work. That said, I can’t support this video. This girl is complaining and whining and publicly humiliating her boss because he or she cares about page views? She is paid to do a job. Her boss is paid for page views. It’s called business. SHE MAKES VIDEOS FOR A LIVING. That’s a cool job. Video is hard. The hours are long, but it’s a creative job that someone gets to do because someone else cares about the page views. Bottom line: This dancer is a spoiled young woman doing a shitty thing to people who gave her a creative job. I would have killed for that opportunity at her age. It’s hard to sympathize with this kind of entitlement. Not to mention, her video is pretty boring to watch. So, yeah. Hope her parent’s have fun supporting her.

  382. You make me wanna blog. Not sure what I’d say right now, but I’m thinking about it. Until then, I just read David Wong’s “John Dies at the End” and it was the craziest (in a good way) thing I’ve read in years. I checked out the sequel, “This Book is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude – Don’t Touch It” because I need more story.
    If I have books, lip balm, yarn, and coffee, I can ride out nearly anything. Oh yeah, plus all the medical crap that keeps me ticking. That too. And internet, so I can keep up with this blog.

  384. Did you see the response video from the company? At least they have a sense of humor. 🙂

  387. happiness is a journey. come read about mine. feels a little narcissisitc to list my own blog, but i think it’s good! 😉

    thanks to jenny for giving a voice to your readers. i could spend an entire day clicking links, videos, etc. what a cool tribe!

  388. happiness is a journey. come read about mine. feels a little narcissisitc to list my own blog, but i think it’s good! 😉

    thehappyredhead.com

    thanks to jenny for giving a voice to your readers. i could spend an entire day clicking links, videos, etc. what a cool tribe!

  391. Kara September 30, 2013 at 2:34 pm
    Jenny – I’m a fan of the band Blue October – local boys for you. Justin, the lead singer, has written songs all about all his mental health issues and the struggles he’s been through. They have a new album and one of the songs on it is Fear, which is pretty much all about Anxiety. Both my daughters suffer with this and I do as well at times. It’s a pretty powerful song –

    I second this message. Give the boys a listen. And if you like them, they often play in the area. I’m a great big fan and was about to post about them myself. Their older stuff is more about the health issues. This album is lighter, believe it or not, and Fear is one of the best songs on it.

  395. My dog Mookie was paralyzed in April overnight due to a degenerative disc condition we didn’t know he had until then. After emergency surgery and months of home physical therapy, the story has a happy ending. Now we call him “Mookie the Mighty.” I made a little video about him here: http://youtu.be/g20W8CHRFHg

  396. There are three things I’d share (foist, if necessary) on the world right now. Two are videos from Tim Minchin and one is a fantastic, extraordinary, beautiful book.

    Tim Minchin, Not Perfect — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg3PberzvXo
    Tim Minchin gives a commencement address and some of the best advice you will ever get about living — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yoEezZD71sc

    Carlos Ruiz Zafon wrote The Shadow of the Wind — that’s the English title. In Spanish it’s called The Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Zafon’s work has been perfectly described as a “love letter to literature” so it’s perfect for any who loves books, words, gorgeous writing, and gripping storytelling. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1232.The_Shadow_of_the_Wind

  398. I’m going to throw love out to my baby, a lit mag called Devilfish Review. (www.devilfishreview.com) We publish fantasy and scifi, some of it’s dark some of it’s happy. Working on it brings a smile to my face and I love being the one (with my co0editor and bestie) to be the ones to publish stories that might not find a home otherwise. We’ll be putting out a new issue at the end of the month.

  399. Nothing great to share, but I am super jealous that you have thousands of draft posts. I never find the time to write too far ahead.
    Stacy

  400. Just another comment trying to figure out why my blog name is not hyperlinking
    Stacy

  404. New book out called Bedlam Stories. They have a FB page and all that stuff but to get some great info on it http://www.Bedlamstories.com It’s creepy great! But just as a warning that it’s set in an insane asylum in the 1920’s so if that’s too hard for you I totally understand.

    They are all self promoting it and they were listed on Amazon.com #7 in the Horror category! All through social media.

  405. Thank you for posting this. I’ve been thinking about growing my blog, but I get overwhelmed thinking about how I need to create content every. single.day. But I know that a few good posts a week is better than something dumb or trivial posted Monday thru Friday. Your reminder makes me feel better about what I’m doing.

    As far as what I’ve found, I’m currently in love with the blog http://www.yesandyes.org/. Sarah Von is fantastic.

  410. Here’s the best children’s book ever. I say that because I co-authored it and because 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to Heifer. Bam! You didn’t see that coming did you? Yep, giving money away to be helpful to people we don’t know.

    You might not like it all that much because there’s NO profanity in it, at all. Sorry, it’s for kids. You’re readers might like it and your very nice conservative neighbor might like it. Please consider buying it as a Christmas gift for him.

    Here’s a link to the book bit.ly/countingonchicks
    Here’s a link to an article about the book http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/lisbon-fulton/ph-ho-n-highland-0711-20130702,0,3559336.story
    Here’s a link to our FB page bit.ly/j2chicks

  412. This is a response to my earlier comment, 132.

    No……. I will watch that after work though 🙂

    It was a link to an anxiety-themed blog.. she is a psychiatrist/therapist who makes videos that are how to overcome anxiety.. It’s a fantastic blog. I should have favorited it.

  414. I totally get this girl’s video. I’m in the same industry. Thankfully I don’t work crazy hours and have a blast at my job. It is hard in the online industry to balance views and quality. I made my own parody video I hope it falls in the “legit funny” category: http://bit.ly/1bAFStz

  415. I think I found my Halloween costume…the I Quit video girl FTW! That was pretty awesome.

    If you get a minute, check out my book that came out last year. It got a good reception but my publisher is being kind of a jerk about marketing it this year and I’m not sure why. It’s a fast, easy, inspirational read.

    http://www.amazon.com/An-Unexpected-Angel-Janet-Halling/dp/1462111033/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1380888850&sr=8-2&keywords=An+unexpected+angel

    Thanks!

  416. Two words: Rainbow Rowell. I don’t have the words to describe Eleanor & Park besides: oh the feels!

  417. I’ve known I was a writer since I was a child. I need to write and my mind races damn near constantly with words and ideas and things I feel like I’ll rip my own heart out if I can’t manage to express them. But, I’ve also been suicidally depressed since I was a child. Any time I was discouraged to write or express myself in any way I feel like I took it a little harder than your average kid. It’s like I’m still under every single thumb of anyone who ever put me down. All that pressure over the years has compressed my silence like a diamond. The mind races as quickly as ever, but it doesn’t make it out anywhere to anyone or anything. Ever.

    It’s never been easier to communicate so easily, so quickly, so informally, so vastly and I do nothing with it. This is the most I’ve written in months and, if I go through with posting it (which would be a freakin’ miracle) it’ll be the first time I’ve posted anything for an untold number of strangers to read. I am the hardest and most unkind judge of myself and I never think that anything I write is more than silly fluff. And it’s not that I need someone to tell me it’s not – it’s that I can’t even put the words on the damn screen. I DO NOT understand how to write when I’m depressed. Even just to share it randomly with people I’ll never meet whose opinions I’ll never know. I know it’s something along the lines of “just do it” and “the artist’s way” and all that, but that feels to me like telling someone with no vocal cords to just speak…

    I think, Jenny, that this is one of the absolutely most important things you’ve done here with your “silly fluff” and “utter crap” and other equally amazing things you’ve written – you’ve made a safe place. That’s rare enough in and of itself and that alone makes you a remarkable, uber-talented human being. But, for someone who associates their elementary school playground with their first memories of suicidal thoughts – my safe places have been pretty few and far between ever since.

    So there you go. You inspired me to share and I did. I wrote something. I’ll call that an accomplishment for the day and send you my thanks – you did help me today. That is – if I actually submit it. If I don’t, is that failure? What’s the opposite of inspiration? Blowing hot air, I suppose? Oh the suspense!! Will it happen? Stay tuned? Is it a cliff hanger or will she do it???? Can she press the button?????????

  418. This response is a bit belated, but if you’ve got a few minutes and want to read something that had me laughing OUT LOUD at work, getting all sorts of strange anti-social stares from my co-workers, then you have to check out this blog post.

    http://www.theferrett.com/ferrettworks/classic-ferrett/stopping-the-smearers-winning-streak/

    Not someone I know, but honestly one of the funniest things I have ever read (possibly because I have a LOT of friends who used to work in bookstores, and some of this just hits way too close to home. I kept reading it thinking, “OMG, I *know* that guy!! …”).

    That, and the following conversation took place in my house last night between my 9 year-old daughter and my boyfriend:

    MY DAUGHTER: (* to my Boyfriend *) “What’s the difference between an elephant and a loaf of bread?”

    MY BOYFRIEND: “I don’t know.”

    MY DAUGHTER: “Well, then there’s no point sending YOU to the grocery store, is there?”

    (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!)

  420. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend Ricky Gervais’ new show “Derek”. The person who recommended it to me described it as being the very essence of sweetness. In the first 30 minute episode, you will laugh and you will cry. But it’s a sort of, my heart hurts because it just grew three sizes cry. The show has created a whole movement around the idea that “Kindness is Magic.”

  422. I have been blogging for a while. you were one of the first big bloggers I had read. reading your ‘not always funny/sweet/cute/socially acceptable’ posts was one of the things that drove me to blog more. it doesn’t always have to be about the likes or ads or traffic. and kudos to that awesome video. I definitely feel like making a video like this…but to life. there are so many amazing people in this world who never get recognition and work their asses off for another person’s ego/benefit.

    keep up the good fight ma’am!!!

  424. If you have been cheated on and are caught up in the Reconciliation Industrial Complex that’s telling you to suffer some more and “save” your marriage, while your inner voice is killing you… DO NOT. Go read chumplady.com and get back your self respect and your life. Save yourself a world of hurt and depression.

  427. Maybe you would like me? I make art. Cats and stars and babies with vampire teeth. There’s kind of a lot in my portfolio… http://artlovelight.com/art-portfolio/ if you like me and say so I will send you fifteen assorted drawings. I can make for you custom… like your cat. Dead things doing strange things. It would be fun!

  429. More art here. http://daniellabovitz.com/2013/10/05/rothafel-surely-didnt-see-this-coming/ Can’t promise to send you anything if you click through, but you will be noticed and appreciated. And I hope you’ll browse and find something in my art that speaks to you (we can let other people think it speaks to them, but you and I will know that it only really speaks to you…). If you do, and if you find something you like, please let me know!

  430. Did you see that interpretive “I quit” dance girl was on Queen Latifah’s new talk show and she offered her a job?! I thought that was most excellent of QL. Thanks for sharing.

  433. I have a great book recommendation! I just finished the three book series, The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Best escape ever. It’s a three book series, so it’s sort of like a month long vacation instead of a crappy week one. The books are so finely written I found myself warring over whether to hurry through it to find out what happens next and taking it in slowly so I wouldn’t miss a beat. Excellent writing.

  435. For Halloween my daughter and her friends are going as a roller derby team.
    Katniss Evermean, Dora the Destroyer, Uma Vermin, and Susan B. Agony.

  436. This is my anthem lately. I love the video and the words to the song speak right to my worn out, anxiety-ridden, depressed little heart.

  437. I see it a lot in the blogging community, people just posting random blahs just for hits. I’m glad to see people are more concerned about quality over quantity.

  438. Recently learned of you, Jenny…currently reading your memoir and am scaring my husband a bit with all of my hystericals. but oh well. Anyway, if anyone’s looking for a wonderful author who’s a little bit off kilter, then try Christopher Moore. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. I’m all for anyone who can make people laugh and enjoy this screwed up world we live in.

  442. I can’t wait until I can quit my job in an epic way. 8 more months and I will graduate with my design degree (at 42) I wish I had just figured it out sooner. Good for her and anyone who didn’t want to conform to the man!

  443. I’m on this really late, as in it’s November and I’m only seeing this post now.

    My friend recently asked me for a similar book that would excite/inspire/induce laughter and I recommended yours. Now for you, I will recommend….

    ‘I feel bad about my neck’ by Nora Ephron.

    You’re welcome.

  444. I am so, SO late, but… Zenobia July. The main character is transgender and she’s also a hacker. And there’s a drag queen and a gender queer character and I. Cannot. Stop. Reading it. Seriously, I know it’s intended more for younger people but it has made it into the top of my bookshelf (which is where I keep all of the books that I read over and over again.)

Leave a Reply

MY BOOKS:


shop

Subscribe to the bloggess, y'all.

Enter your email address and receive notifications of new posts by email. It's like I'm stalking you, but more efficient.

Archives

MY INSTAGRAM

We have played and loved every single gorgeous, solve-a-crime box @puzzlingpursuits has made and their latest one is perfect for game night AND they’re giving a bunch away to y’all. Just leave a comment here saying why you want one and they’ll let you know if you win. Whoop!
Happy Caturday to all who celebrate.
Poem of the day:
If you ordered signed copies of my books from @nowherebookshop I just signed a shit-ton of them with increasingly erratic inscriptions. I’m so sorry.

ALL THE COOL KIDS ADVERTISE HERE:

I fucking love these people & not just because they support my wine-slushee habit:

Flourish in Progress: (T)hug Life: Part hood. Part good.

Pregnancy Calendar at Alpha Mom: Amalah’s week-by-week guide to the miracle of pregnancy and all the various indignities that come with it.

The Mack Files: Digesting life in bite-sized pieces through the lens of clichés, quotes & “truisms”.  Often irreverent, always honest.

Barking at the Moon: If your dog is your furry child, you will laugh out loud at Tracy Beckerman’s book about her family & a one-dog wrecking ball named Riley.

Kieran’s Humor: Not suitable for children, the sensitive or those hoping to get into heaven.

Go Doc Yourself Podcast: When a good doc ends, the klatch begins… Join hosts, scientists, and friends, Erin McCourt and Erin McCartt in weekly documentary dissection.

Scaredy Cat Travels: Traveling the world with the worst carry-on anxiety.

Welcome to xanaru: A mostly funny blog about the quest for happiness through authenticity, Great Danes and indiscriminate swearing. Plus hand-painted, custom artwork on bags, jackets, backpacks & more.

How the Hell Did I Not Know That?: Humorist Lucie Frost shares daily Instagram reels with learnings of the day—words, music, whatever–with plenty of laughs and all the curse words.

Beautiful Writers book: Writers! This coming-of-career memoir (w/ the BEST advice from celeb authors, real shit you haven’t heard) is life. A page-turning beach read doubling as how-to. #Magic

Sarah Linn on Medium: Humorist or unstable person with an internet connection? You decide.

Uncommon Creatures Digital Portraits: Animal art inspired by Earth’s most magical creatures. Got your own beloved pet you’d like to memorialize? Have no fear… let me turn your fur-baby into a work of art.

The Dating Days of Marta O: When I told my sister I was building a blog she said: “Do people still read blogs?” I do not know, but if YOU want to read it, here it is. Keep in mind, my stories about dating after 40 are for the brave.

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh: SO GOOD.