06 Feb
Brain Dump
Usually I write posts focused on a single topic, which means I have dozens of drafts I never get around to. Maybe it’s time for me to start a brain dump tradition on Saturdays, where I buzz through all of the things I have on my mind. Try not to be overwhelmed. 
Craft It Forward Partners
Random.org chose Laura, Ellie, Liz, Natalie, and Amy to be the (lucky?) ladies to receive something from me. (If you aren’t sure if you are one of those ladies, click on the names to be taken to the winning comment.) If you are one of those people and you don’t receive an email from me in the next week or so… email me with your address.
So many of you commented and said you would like to participate, if a few of you would be interested in starting your own Craft It Forward chain (you won’t get anything, but you’ll send something out to 5 people and hope it continues moving forward) email me and we’ll start a new post for those who are interested to comment once again. Fun!
Hair
I splurged and went to a real salon and had my hair dyed this week. I love it, and I admit to being hooked to plunking down a wad of cash once again. I thought I was past that! Somehow the stylist tricked me into agreeing to come back in 4 weeks to do it all over again (something about demi-permanent and such). I tried to take a before-and-after photo but in the awful light of my bedroom it looks exactly the same. TH said he could tell a difference though so it must look better. Maternity photos are next week!
Temple
I emailed the temple and told them I think I’m done serving. It’s something I’ve been wavering back and forth on for several weeks now, but I’ve been having a bit of a rough time lately and I’m no longer dependable enough to work a 5 hour shift (most of it standing). I feel sad and a bit flaky but I’m grateful for the opportunity I had and the things I’ve learned. Now, going as a regular patron for less than 2 hours won’t seem so hard anymore!
Jenna Cole in Austin
I would like to go to Austin within the next few weeks. Do you know anyone who might like to have me take their picture?
School
I took a final yesterday, which means I am one credit closer to graduating. I have no motivation, I don’t care, my degree means nothing to me. As I have told That Husband many times I just want to take care of baby, blog, and run my business. His parents offered me a cash reward for finishing though (a very substantial and gracious reward!) and today while I was forcing myself to write essays in the testing center I thought about how I would spend the money. The gift I came up with for myself is the only thing that will see me through to the end. I’ll tell you what it is when I’m a bit closer to the finish line.
Hoodies/Pants/Shirts
Once upon a time I embarked on a project, and then the project didn’t get done and now I’m stuck with some items I have no use for. I’m hoping there is a chance I might be able to sell them through my blog. The prices you see below include shipping (domestic only, if you are international and you want to purchase some you’ll need to pay the cost of getting them to you!) and are lower than you can find through any of the Google Shopping retailers. If you need some lounge wear, this is a great deal, and if you purchase more than one item I’ll lower your total cost. You’ve seen the hoodie and pants before if you read That Bride, as I wore them to get ready the morning of my wedding! These are all brand new, never worn, just a bit wrinkly from sitting in my closet for so long.
HYP Brand Lounge Pants, $15
1 Large, White
1 Small, Gray
1 Medium, Gray
1 Large, Gray
American Apparel Hoodie, $25 (I’m pretty sure this one retails for $42 on the AA website)
5 Medium, White
American Apparel Summer T, $12 (Very sheer, and retails for $21 on the AA site)
2 Medium, White
Canon Rebel XT
Now that I have my beloved Mark II my 50D has become my backup body and I don’t have any use for this Canon Rebel XT. I bought it used off of Craigslist and it comes with the body, an 18-55mm IS lens, two chargers, three batteries, and all original packaging. I was pulling things out of my photo closet when the body was knocked to the floor (no lens was on it) and the focusing mirror stopped flipping up correctly. I took it in to have it fixed (pricey 
) but that means you are getting a camera that has been recently serviced and cleaned and in great working order! Asking $325.
I’ll even throw in a brand new free camera bag to go with it!
Canon 28-135mm 3.5-5.6
Need a new lens but can’t afford an L series? I’ll sell you my 28-135mm for a steal of a deal at $250 (doesn’t include shipping). It’s in great shape, used only a handful of times. Never dropped and has had a UV filter on it from day one.
Canon 70-200 2.8L IS USM
It’s time for me to get rid of this lens so I can buy this one. UV filter from day one, used-in-box with all original packaging, used a handful of times and in like new condition. $1550.
Ask Me Anything Moderating
I really didn’t want to do it. I wanted to keep a policy similar to the That Wife commenting rules, where I only censor comments that attack others, use foul language, or link to anti-Mormon sites, but that’s just not going to be possible. I’ve spent a lot of time wondering why the haters seem to love to attack me so viciously on this site in particular. I’m blogging over here, every single day and if they really want to speak up they have plenty of opportunities to voice their opinions. I think the difference between here and there, is that That Wife is a community, where they likely realize that out-of-line, ridiculous, fearmongering will cause others to speak up and tell them to go away unless they have something constructive to say. On the Formspring site though, I think they feed off of the me versus them aspect of it. It’s not a community or a discussion, it’s a chance to corner me and pin me down and harp on me over and over and over and over, even though they aren’t trying to get anywhere with their “debate”, they just want to try make me look and feel stupid! So I’m going to start deleting questions that do nothing other than attack me, my beliefs, my husband, my relationships, my family, and everything else they’ve managed to think of thus far. That doesn’t mean I won’t be answering hard questions though, so please feel free to submit. I think you probably know if you’re asking your question out of curiosity or a desire to pummel my self-esteem into the ground. I should be able to tell the difference as well.
Before I delete them though, I thought you might enjoy seeing what they’ve managed to come up with. If you ask something like this, you won’t see me answering it, ever.
TH doesn’t think the first one is rude, but I think it was meant to be as I’m kind of thinking these first three were asked by the same person (I haven’t answered any of them so how could they know about the forehead size thing?) Unless you all are secretly discussing it behind my back… Probably in the secret Yahoo group dedicated to hating me!
It will be fascinating to see how my Brit Lit 1, American Lit 1, Jr. Tolkien&C.S. Lewis, Persuasive Writing, Senior Thesis, and Italian 202 classes turn me from a stupid, backwards person into whatever this questioner thinks they will. Sounds like I’ll be getting more than my moneys worth out of those classes!
This is rude to me AND my mother, and actually, it’s quite rude to all of the people who are dealing with the actual effects of FAS. It’s a serious thing!
The next two are along the same vein. This is why I think they like Formspring for the isolation they think they are pressing upon me, because if they really wanted to actually talk about this they easily could have contributed to the To Judge? post like everyone else did.
This one had to be edited for naughty language. I think the many, many great comments on that post proved that not everyone condemns me as such. Thanks again to all of those who contributed to the discussion in some way! Anonymous questioner… no thanks for you! (You probably wouldn’t get any soup either.)
And the most appalling of them all. TH hasn’t traveled in months so he must be going crazy lately! I wonder if they really know where he works? This one has been one of our favorites because if you know my husband AT ALL it’s so completely ridiculous. The intent here was obviously to plant seeds of doubt and ruin my relationship with my husband, but we actually think it’s quite funny and have had several giggle about it together!
All that aside, there are so many questions that I love and can’t wait to get to sitting in my inbox! I’m learning a lot about myself in the process of answering them, and I always get excited to see what topics you guys are going to cover next. Plus, I’ve realized that I’ll never, ever have the excuse that I have “nothing to post about” (wait, have I ever thought that?) because there are hundreds of possible posts that could be written based on the questions you have asked! If you ever see something that you would like me to expand on, drop me an email and let me know what the question was!
Oh, and one last thing. If you know TH’s real name (or his last name) I’ll be deleting your question if you use it. Just substitute TH for S—- and you are good to go!
And to end things I leave you with a new Costco favorite, Sun-Rype Mini Bites. 100% fruit and oh-so-chewy and delicious. Baby will love them too I’m sure!
Also:
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
Hey Jenna- I’m interested in your camera! I need to talk to my husband about it though, so I’ll get back to you. Also, I have my schedule for school- I’ll e-mail you that soon so we can figure out a time to do a session- thanks!
Kelsey Tanner
1Who do you think you are to censor us? If we want to tell you what a judgemental jerk you are, we have every right to. By the way, I hate your shoes.
JUST KIDDING!!!
I had to just *try* to write nasty things to see what it was like to be one of those trolls whose purpose in life is to torment - - it was difficult to write the above! (plus I did it because I hoped you find it a wee bit funny, especially coming from me!)
Yeah, those people whose agenda isn’t for seeking information but for injecting nastiness should definately just be deleted. I wish there was a ‘delete’ button in real life when you are talking to someone!
Jenna Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
Deleting questions has been SO therapeutic! I’ve only deleted a handful of comments on That Wife, ever (although the nasties would disagree with that one I’m sure!), as I think it encourages interesting dialogue, but there is no dialogue on this site and I’ve realized there is really no purpose to letting the negativity through as it seems to only encourage more negativity.
I really don’t understand why people are so negative. The amount of anon internet bashing that goes on always amazes me.
I always say I don’t need to go spend a fortune on my hair, and then when I go to a salon and have it done properly…ahh. I feel SO nice. Can’t wait to see your new colour make it’s debut in your belly picture!
Cristin Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Britt I feel the same way! I tell myself its silly and I don’t need to splurge on something like this - then when I do, I love it! Ditto for getting things pressed at the dry-cleaners and for eyebrow waxes
I would be interested in getting the Canon Rebel XT camera. Is it still available? Send me an email and we can try and figure it out.
Also I’ve never commented before but I love your blog and it makes me sad that people are so rude to you.
4for the record, i don’t find you judgmental. i love reading your blog, and appreciate that you’re so open-even if i don’t always agree. i’m just so confused why people who don’t like you waste their time on your page. if they don’t enjoy reading the blog why would they keep reading? i’m sure they could find something more productive to do. move on!
5I can’t believe how rude some people are!
I am so tempted to buy your canon rebel xt!
6I loved those questions! In a “I can look at them from the outside and laugh at how ridiculous they are” way, but I feel so bad for you that people are so rude and awful.
I meant to comment on your post about being judgmental but I didn’t get around to it (at least, I don’t THINK I did; I’m horribly forgetful lately). Anyway, I don’t think you’re judgmental (which, I think in the way the the accusers meant it, is more of a “you being critical of others for not sharing your opinions” thing than you just being decided on your own opinions). You ARE judgmental in the ways that the dictionary described - that you have a strong opinion and have made a decision about something. Nothing wrong with that. Maybe people just don’t like someone who is as firm in their beliefs and decisions as you?
I’ll say again that I don’t believe many of the things you do, and sometimes I’ll never even understand why you believe so strongly in them, but hey, that has nothing to do with me, and doesn’t make you any less a person to me!
7Okay, hmm since you don’t allow swearing I am going to censor myself. The last comment about your husband crosses some weird line for me, even for the internet. One you know it is not true because if she was really worried she would actually confront you, clearly her only intent is to plant seeds of doubt and make your marriage look bad in front of the internet community (which she failed to achieve). People like that tend to have problems in their own marriage.
Logical fallacy? This is a misuse of the word.
Next, get your degree! If only for the money, jk. If something ever happens you need to know that you are covered. There is something amazing about finishing what you started no matter how many roadblocks get in your way. You are so close!!!!
8It is honestly scary to me that people like that find the time in their lives to write stuff about you like that. Scary.
That is fun about the cash reward! I can’t wait to see what you get!
9Wow…I just don’t understand how people can be so hateful. Blows my freakin’ mind!
10Hi! I’m not sure I how I found your blog, but I find it really interesting, and I really enjoy reading it. For the record, I really don’t find your writing judgmental. Granted I haven’t been reading very long, but while I’ve often disagreed with your opinions, I have never been insulted by them.
Those questions people have asked you are just ludicrous. why are people so mean? I must admit, the forehead comments cracked me up! One of my best friends is drop dead gorgeous. truly beautiful, could be a model. people always attack her forehead, saying it’s too big! I think forehead attacks are what small people do when they are threatened by beautiful people, and I think you are quite lovely. It’s like “you are so pretty that it makes me insecure, so I’m going to take whatever shot I can”. I hope you are laughing at it too!
11People who seek attention need to realize that is both good and bad attention. Why did you have to post what people at sent you? Looking for that “Aww, poor Jenna” response? You put yourself on the internet. Everyone has access to the internet these days. Keep a journal if you don’t want negative feedback, but then you don’t get the positive either…..
12I’d love to have you do a session with me and my husband when you come to Austin, but the end of February isn’t a good time for us to do it. Maybe next time (if there is a next time).
Jenna Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
Yeah next time! Next time!
I’m curious about your difficulty with motivation to keep up with your schooling. Please understand I mean no offense by this but I’m just genuinely curious about it…
Has your motivation to go all the way through college always wavered or is it something that solidified itself after you reached a certain point in your life because you realized things that you wanted more than others?
It always perplexes me when people get so class to graduating and then are able to just stop and be completely happy to just not go through with it.
Chelsea McGowan Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
I’m going to offer my take on this, because I’m in the same boat as Jenna. I have less than a year left to my degree, and left a few years ago because I realized I was chasing a degree I was no longer interested in.
I had tapped out my payscale in community journalism (working for daily newspapers in the 30K range of subscriptions), and getting a degree wasn’t going to further my career at all. Moreover, it was a career I didn’t want anymore. My photography business had blossomed like crazy, and I had a growing family. I realized that if I went back to school, I’d be doing so to further a goal I didn’t have anymore. If I tweaked my degree to be more generic, then that’d be admitting that I was only getting it because it’s what I was “supposed” to do.
I’ll still encourage my children to go to college, and I’m very glad I did. I learned a lot about myself, and about the world. I know I’m an extremely educated person, and I don’t think that last year would have added that much to me.
If at some point I decide college is something I want to finish… for myself… I’ll do it then. College will always be there. This time in my family and my photography career won’t always be there, and right now, my degree doesn’t further either of those goals.
I applaud Jenna for finishing even though it’s not high on her To Do list, as long as she’s doing it for herself. But I don’t think anyone should criticize her lack of motivation, because I sincerely doubt (as she said) that this last handful of classes is going to make that much of a difference in her life.
Just my two cents… which, according to formspring, aren’t worth much because I’m not a college grad.
Andrea Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Just to reiterate, my question about her motivation wasn’t a criticism so much as just a genuine curiosity about the whole business of finishing or not. The question itself stemmed from her actually saying in her above posting “I have no motivation…”
Thank you. What you said makes sense.
Paula Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
I thought I’d add an additional point of view on this topic … early in my junior year of college, I nearly left. I was a psych major, and the statistics requirement was so disheartening that I started to totally regret my decision.
Instead of keeping with psych, I changed my major to religious studies. Certainly not a popular major, especially when I was also a sorority girl at UC Santa Barbara (a noted party school). My dad questioned what I’d do with a religious studies major, to which I replied (in a silly yet snarky way), “the same thing you did with a philosophy degree.”
Boy, that religious studies major changed me. It challenged me, both academically and spiritually in ways I would never have dreamed. I had not changed my major because I thought it would be easier. I changed it because it was something that interested me. And, there were tons of people all around me who questioned that decision. What was it good for? Why would you take Biblical Hebrew? Do you want to be a nun?
Anyway, so my point - sometimes you need to go with your heart. Each of us makes decisions that change our lives. I’d also encourage anyone who is close to finishing a college degree to take the final credits. I certainly don’t use religious studies every day in my career (or ever, I work in advertising!), but it introduced me to ideas and thoughts that I do use every day.
In the end though, each of us needs to do what is right. No judging! The only life we can control and understand is our own. Hugs to you guys
Sophia Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
I think I have to disagree here, for a few reasons specific to Jenna’s situation, and a few general reasons. For one, Jenna mentioned a while back that she wanted to finish because her parents had already paid so much in to her degree. I would have to agree here, from a financial, practical point of view, that I would feel obligated to finish my degree because my parents had already invested in me for the majority, I may as well finish.
Second, while it is true that the degree may not be directly related to photography, no one knows the future. TH could be laid off, God forbid something worse could happen, and fair or not a *lot* of jobs- random, varied jobs- have a baseline requirement of a college degree, just because. A lot of times, the degree doesn’t even have to have anything to do with the job, you just to *have* one. I’ve had three completely, totally different jobs since undergrad graduation that I got with one very generic degree specifically because I had the degree. I don’t necessarily agree with it, and of course I’m not saying “you need a college degree to be successful” but, if you’re already close to finishing what is often a baseline requirement for employment, it’s hard for me to understand not just doing it.
But I freely and fully admit this comes from a very particular and unique view on my part about specific views on financial investment, on finishing things, and on school/work. I’m not saying I don’t understand the frustration, the lack of motivation, the total disinterest (I’ve been there too) it’s just hard for me to understand not just finishing. That doesn’t mean I’m saying “it’s wrong to not finish”. It’s just hard for me to wrap my mind around it
Sarah B. Reply:
February 7th, 2010 at 12:21 am
There’s a difference in external motivation (like the parental investment or the graduation gifts) and personal motivation within to finish school. I think Jenna means she lacks that internal motivation which is reeeeeally the most important thing. It’s not something you’d understand unless you have gone through it… At least that’s my two cents!
Sophia Reply:
February 7th, 2010 at 11:52 am
Sarah-
I’m not sure if this is in direct response to my comment or not, but just in case it is, I do understand the difference in the motivation, and that’s why I said that I have been there too, being frustrated and wanting to quit school. And it was definitely a lack of internal motivation on my part, because my parents have not spent money towards my education since I was 14 years old, and I had to work full time while going to undergrad and graduate school. Most people around me didn’t understand why I was caring about grad school, and I definitely didn’t have any monetary rewards promised me at the end. You’re right, without internal motivation all the rest is irrelevant.
But my main point is, you are *always* going to have times when you lack internal motivation, but I just don’t think that’s a good reason to stop something. Half of the battle in accomplishing anything is overcoming oneself when there are those moments of “I can’t do this, I want to quit, this is hard, etc.”. This happens in work, in relationships, in losing weight, in working out, in tackling new hobbies or resolutions, in trying to live a life according to your values, pretty much any endeavor. I am just wary when people say “I don’t have the motivation anymore, so that means my gut/heart/etc. is telling me I should change my goals”. I’m not saying I’m right about this, it’s just a difference of opinion, but my experience has been that usually, when you’re feeling that way, is when you need to push through it because you usually feel that way right at the end when you’re finally about to accomplish something.
I’m not saying people can’t or shouldn’t change goals, or re-evaluate, it just makes me wary when they do so because they don’t have the motivation anymore. I don’t think a lack of motivation is the harbinger for change that many interpret it as- if that makes sense.
Chelsea McGowan Reply:
February 7th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
I think you’re right, in that if “this is hard, I don’t want to anymore” is your ONLY reason to stop doing something, you should press on.
However, in my case, that wasn’t my only reason. I genuinely enjoyed school. I didn’t want to do it anymore, but if it was just a case of a lack of personal motivation, I’d have finished.
What I found when I examined myself was that I was going for the wrong reasons. If I had finished, I wouldn’t have any sense of personal accomplishment. It wouldn’t have furthered my goals. And it would have actually hindered the career and family I was building.
Is there a chance that in the future I’ll really wish I had that degree? Absolutely. There’s also a chance that in the future I’ll really wish I’d bought a Honda instead of a Pontiac. Such is life.
Ultimately, we have to make these decisions for ourselves. Finishing college is the right choice, the responsible choice, for many people. For others, like myself, it’s a choice that just didn’t make as much sense.
I think that because there’s such a culture in this country that you “go to college, because that’s what you do” (and rightly so, I’m not arguing that college is bad), we’re quick to jump on anyone who doesn’t as a “failure” or a “dropout” or even someone who couldn’t cut it. I’ve been judged on this more times than I can count (namely by my MIL), but never by a potential employer.
It’s a decision I had to make, and I stand firmly that it was the right one for me. I think Jenna will feel the same way about her decision!
Sophia Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 1:32 am
I think I meant to say this in my first comment, but I do think that in your situation, with the details you’ve given, it did certainly make sense for you, and I can see how that was a good choice- you weighed the good and the bad, and made the best choice for you. But, for me, with the details Jenna has chosen to share with us regarding her school situation, it just doesn’t make sense to me to not just finish, because the reason consistently presented to us is no motivation, and secondarily working on the photography business. I’m sure there is more to the story than we know, and I definitely don’t think she has to give us every little detail of her life, but from the outside looking in, it’s just my opinion that it’s hard to understand why she doesn’t just finish, especially because it is all online. Most online classes- at least the ones I’ve taken, although I’ve only taken two- are very, very flexible in terms of how you can work your schedule. One class online, with flexible scheduling, seems, again from the outside, to be more than capable of slipping into a schedule with the photography business, so to me it just keeps coming back ’round to the basic problem of no motivation, which as I said I don’t think is a valid reason. But that’s just my opinion, and it isn’t my life, so in the end my opinion is just some random ramblings on a blog post
I wouldn’t ever judge someone as a bad person, or uneducated, or anything like that for not finishing, I think this just touches on a broader principle of how I personally feel about motivation, and finishing things, prioritizing, etc.
Jenna Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
You’re right, lack of motivation isn’t a good excuse for quitting. In fact, can you think of many situations in life (other than death/extremely ill health, etc) where there is genuinely a good reason not to finish? I’m not sure I can. If I don’t finish, it can only be attributed to me “giving up” out of laziness/selfishness, and that certainly sin’t a place I want to be.
Cristin Reply:
February 7th, 2010 at 9:57 am
I agree with Sophia. Its difficult to say without sounding ominous or evil, but someday, Jenna could find herself alone. It would be fabulous if she was a famous photographer who could support herself 100% doing what she loves. But there’s nothing wrong with being prepared for the worst, and having a degree helps you in the job market.
My mother didn’t finish college because she was a professional Olympic level ice skater. She has always said that she regrets not having a degree (she barely finished high school) and I admit that I didn’t take her suggestions on my essays, math homework, or college choices seriously. I didn’t listen to her when it came to choosing a major or my university classes…. I genuinely felt that she was unqualified to advise me on anything related to my academics. I wish that I didn’t have such disregard for her counsel, because clearly, her life experience was valuable, but I didn’t see it.
Jenna Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Cristin, thanks for talking about this detail from your past, it was something I hadn’t really considered. Though my children will certainly understand that math and statistics are kind of a lost cause for me, I would be really sad to think that they don’t consider me someone they can come to when it comes to making important academic decisions or for writing papers or things like that. I’ll be adding that to my list of reasons to graduate!
First of all, I’ve never considered your forehead to be large. Totally ridiculous. Girls are mean.
Secondly, it totally baffles me that people can be so awful! Do these people seriously sit around and think up these “questions”? Makes me so mad.
And I like the Brain Dump post - because that’s exactly how my brain post-baby has been running for the past 5 weeks!
15I am a woman who actually does have a large forehead, so the large forehead comments made me laugh out loud, for two reasons:
1) You have a lovely face, including great skin (I have terrible skin. I am jealous). To say that anything about your face looks bad is just ridiculous.
2) to suggest bangs, if a woman does have what my grandmother-in-law calls “dignity” (a big ol’ forehead) is terrible advice. I haven’t had bangs since 5th grade. I would look ridiculous with them, I think.
Humor aside, I am sorry you’ve been attacked so viciously. I’ve really enjoyed reading your thoughtful responses on formspring.
And finally, congrats on the final! I will venture that it’s not only the million other things in your life that is making your motivation feel low: in both my undergrad and grad programs, I hit a wall at around 80% complete: “I don’t care, this is a waste, what’s the point?” This is pretty normal for any student, I think. It’s great that you have a gift awaiting you at the end… I should come up with something like that to motivate me to finish my dang thesis!
Sophia Reply:
February 7th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Oh, the thesis!! How crazy is it to realize that you want to quit with one. last. thing. to do. After two years previous of classes and money and studying spent. I feel you- I just finished mine and graduated in December, and I was OVER school. I was given a 30 day layoff notice in August, stopped work in September, had to scramble for federal loans and to fill out my FAFSA because I would no longer have my employer reimbursing me, they dropped me THREE TIMES for non-payment because they didn’t note my account correctly, and for three weeks in October I was road tripping- while reading and note-taking- through Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. I spent two months in CA trying to avoid distractions while I wrote in LA right off of Hollywood Blvd, living with a friend in distraction USA, haha. Then a week in Seattle and then another weeklong roadtrip back to TX with stops in AZ and NM. Then I was homeless, bouncing around, living out of my car, staying with friends, for the last month when I was piecing it all together and doing my final draft. Plus, I was applying for jobs every day, and totally stressed about being unemployed…
So that’s my thesis story, in far too much detail than you probably needed/wanted, haha. Good luck to you on yours! I hope all goes well and you find your motivation
schmei Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Wow! This story makes me realize I have _zero_ excuse.
I’m glad you finished in the midst of all the craziness!
Going to work on mine right now…
Sophia Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
I’m glad too, there were times when I thought “oh my god, I might…actually…NOT finish this, this can’t happen!”
And no worries on the excuses thing, we all have our own things that block us and set us back, mine was just so totally ridiculous it was funny at times
Happy thesis-ing!
Good job on the final! In addition to the reward from your in-laws, imagine how many crazy excited your readers will be when we read that you’ve completed your degree.
Also, those crazy rude comments got me to go and take a look at the ones that you are answering. You’re putting up a lot of info over there, and I think that you should consider grabbing some of it for posts here when you don’t have time to write. I especially loved reading about your perfect food day (and no, I didn’t ask the question!).
Jenna Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
The questions really are going to be a great store to rely on when baby is here and I want to keep posts coming but don’t have the time to sit and write them. I should grab some of the good stuff and store it as drafts for now for easy publishing later on!
I love those fruit bites from Costco! Where are you blogging that has such mean people. My favorite is about TH sleeping with other women. HAHAHA. That person knows someone at TH’s work, obviously! Loved that comment. Email me this blog so I can laugh at more comments!
Jenna Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
It’s my Formspring page: http://www.formspring.me/jennacole
Tonight someone said they are praying that my baby dies (and they also called me a naughty word, very very naughty word), but I think they are lying and they aren’t praying at all. I mean, can you imagine someone actually talking to God and saying such a thing?
I’m always blown away by people who say something cruel under the guise of “just trying to help.” Who are they trying to fool? If you’re going to be mean, at least have the guts to be straightforward jerk.
19Wow those formspring comments are shocking.
20Must get crafting!
Trolls are a sad reality in the world of blogging. I always try to figure out why they’d waste their time hating something/one but the only thing I can come up with is that they have sad, lonely lives.
PS - You have an awesome forehead!
21Jenna, I have to say you get some pretty tough questions on your formspring but you handle them very well and gracefully. I get a lot of personal questions (mostly about how much money I make) but nothing like yours and I don’t even like when people ask about my finances. Anyway, you are doing a fantastic job and those questions you are getting are just ridiculous. I’m glad that you are filtering out the crazies!
Jenna Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Oh man, the questions that come in are VICIOUS (well, not all of them, most are genuine and nice and that’s why I keep answering). You’re a hard worker who has a lifestyle she’s earned but I’m sure there are many people who can’t see that and are jealous and take this opportunity to be anonymous and vile. Don’t let them make you sad. You can always email me about it if it gets to be too much, I’m sure we can compare notes and find some really wacka-doodle stuff!
If the camera is still available, I’d love it!
And people are crazy to write that kind of stuff in public. Don’t they realize how embarrassing that is for THEM!?
23Congrats on finishing your course! You’re one step closer to being done - yay!
It’s kind of scary how mean people can be when they’re hiding behind the internet. The funny thing is that I’m sure a lot of those people believe in “freedom of speech” but only when you agree with them.
I love anything from Sunripe. I LOVE fruit-to-go bars as they are so tasty (and healthy!) I guess I’m also somewhat biased because they’re also a Canadian company.
24I emailed you about the camera. I hope it is still available
25I’m sorry you have to deal with all of that!!! It’s so mean!!!
26Oh, anonymous posting. The good thing is those comments are so ridiculous that they’re only good to laugh at while wondering why people take time out of their lives to be internet asshats
I mean, legitimate criticism, disagreement, debate, that’s what I love about blogs and forums. But inevitably you get the comment that makes you think “why are you wasting your time here reading, much less commenting?”. I wish those people would kindly give ME the time they are so intent on wasting, so it could be put to some good use
Jenna Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
If you ever come up with that service, the one that distills time wasted by other individuals and makes it available to people like myself who feel they are really trying to accomplish things in life, I’ll be one of your first investors.
Hi,
28I’ll buy your camera. Your sister actually took some pictures of me before my wedding-small world, yeah? Anyway, let me know how we can do the exchange of money/goods
Thanks!
Emily
I’ve been a longtime reader of your blog and my jaw literally dropped when I read those questions! How awful some people can be. I truly wish you the best and admire your grace in acknowledging such nastiness.
29Those questions are out of control! I don’t understand how people can spend so much time being rude and mean. If they disagree with your posts or think you aren’t intelligent, then they should move on to another blog. No one makes them read your blog!
I don’t necessarily always agree with you, but I appreciate your openness and honesty. Also with regard to the judgmental post - the reality is WE.ARE.ALL. judgmental. Maybe not about the same things and to the same extent, but every time we form an opinion about one thing being better then another, we have made a judgment about the other thing. Being judgmental in and of itself isn’t bad - it is how someone expresses those judgments and what they do with those judgments that is.
Anyway - I hope you can laugh at the questions and mean people, and know that at the end of the day what really matters is your friends and family and not anything they say or do!
30I think all of those questions were from the same crazy troll. What a nut! And you don’t have a big forehead! You are beautiful!
amanda Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 8:10 am
i concur. i don’t even think they are questions, just accusatory statements.
Some people just love to pick a fight, especially if they can hide behind the interweb and throw rocks safely. You and I have very different religious beliefs, etc, but I love reading your blog and have never felt judged by what you write.
32I really think it is amazing how mean and evil some people can be. I don’t understand why there are people out there who really get off on saying the rudest thing they can think off.
33Glad to see that you are keeping perspective. I also think sharing some of them on your blog was a great idea. Thus all the people who read you and support you can leave you nice little comments and say those people are worthless.
Hang in there…. I guess it is just what goes with blog fame
Hi Jenna
I love your blog and I’ve really enjoyed reading your answers on formspringme. I’ve got to find out a lot more about you and what you’re about.
People who attack you like that are cowards and just jealous of what you have and who you are. The question about TH is so stupid, as it is clear to all of us how much he loves and adores you!
Ignore all the negativity and keeping answering!
34There are so many reasons to finish your degree, and I am well aware that my opinion won’t likely change your course of action. But I will say that I think having a bachelor’s degree is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself because it can never be taken away from you. Also, if you want your future children to be college educated (definitely don’t know if this is true, so this may be a moot point), you will want to be able to lead by example in that field. Perseverence is a wonderful quality to be able to demonstrate to one’s children. I’m rooting you on towards completing that degree!
35I have to say.. that logical fallacy comment is the best one. Do they realize that they are USING an appeal to populace which in and of itself is a logical fallacy??
36It’s good of you to be able to laugh at some of them.. I would get pretty frustrated.
Best post ever!!! This post reminded me of sitting on my sofa having a glass of wine with a friend where you cover a million different topics. I’d serve sparkling apple juice for you. So many thoughts… I’m very glad that you are working on saying no to a few things (temple in this case). You have a lot on your plate, and you’ll probably enjoy your roles/tasks better if there were fewer of them.
Your forehead? Wow, that’s an interesting way to attempt to upset you. While you seem to do an excellent job shaking off the comments and questions that are meant to be hurtful, I do worry about the long term consequences of hearing these negative comment (and having them turn into YOUR negative thoughts). So take care of you.
School, school, school. I’m not sure what to say to be the most supportive and helpful. Your situation sucks. You are a successful blogger, photographer, wife, and mother. You are intelligent enough to know that this degree isn’t going to result in a change in your day-to-day life. Yet you also know the reasons you should finish and you have plenty of external pressure. It is so hard to do something you aren’t motivated to do. I think the #1 reason to finish your degree is Relief. It sounds like your remaining classes have been weighing on you, nagging at you, making you feel stressed and guilty whether you are procrastinating or making progress - the #1 reason to finish is the feeling of relief when it is all done. A giant check mark. Done!! You can do it, and it will feel AMAZING!!
Jenna Reply:
February 13th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
“this degree isn’t going to result in a change in your day-to-day life.”
That is it exactly! Barring some great tragedy or upheaval in life, I’m not going to see any huge change in my life resulting from a diploma. I don’t plan on working outside of the house and so unless something awful happens it will just be a piece of paper. I just want to have fun and do all the other things that I really like to do instead!
But I know that’s not reason enough to quit, and you’re right, the relief when I finish for good will be huge!
jeez louise… I have to admit, I used the formspring for a couple of questions, but they were honestly things I wondered about you in a non-judgmental fashion, and didn’t feel they were blog comment-appropriate, but didn’t feel brave enough to email you about either.
As to why people have such a big deal about you… I think part of it might be your admitted selfishness/selfcenteredness (Jenna fans, please don’t get upset, I like her too, but she said it!!). While it’s something that all of us do, we have a hard time accepting it in other people, because (slipping into troll-speak, here) OBVIOUSLY a GOOD person would be completely self-sacrificing and not so obsessively into themselves as to have this website all about THEMSELVES and their BORING LIFE!!
I just see it as one of the ways in which you are honest about yourself. Sometimes I struggle with that aspect of you and your blogging, but if I were really honest about ME, I think I would have to realize that I am pretty interested in myself too… and a little jealous that you’re popular enough that people want to question you about your life and your opinions in multiple places. 
38Wow, those people are very rude and I agree with the reader above who said that the post about TH and other women does cross some line… It’s pathologic and uncaring.
Keep on keepin’ on.
39I’m sorry you’ve had so many silly people saying you nasty things on your blog/ formspring. I for one really enjoy reading your formspring answers. The slurs on your intelligence really made me laugh as I’ve always thought that its evident that you’re an english major, because of the quality of your writing.
I guess you can’t please everybody!
40Yipes those comments make ME so sad… I can’t imagine the hurt you must feel. You are very brave to open yourself up to these kinds of things. That’s one big reason I have not started a blog of my own, I don’t have “thick skin” when in comes to these things.
Jenna Reply:
February 13th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I do think that *most* bloggers will never deal with stuff like that. Writing about things that are touchy is something I like to do, because I’ve found I enjoy facilitating discussion, but that’s where a lot of the rude people come from. Just avoid those topics and you will find that blogging really only brings about positive things!
I WANT THE 28-135mm lens! Eeeee I’ve been wanting to get one for awhile! I always have problems with blurriness in low light situations-I’ll email you as well
-Marissa
42This is so exciting!! I can’t wait to see what you come up with and now I need to brainstorm some things to send off too!
43Oh and I pressed enter too soon. I think it’s great that you are doing Formspring. I have fears of what people would ask of me, but you are taking some of these crazy questions in great stride. Don’t let them get to you…I’m sure they are just jealous of all of your successes!!
44I find all of those comments VERY RUDE and OFFENSIVE.
Just because they don’t agree with you, your beliefs, or the way you do things, doesn’t mean you are backwards, retarded, or whatever any of the rest of the comments said or implied.
People have to realize, this is your blog. You aren’t forcing them to believe or act a certain way, you are just sharing parts of your life with the world. That’s it. And if people don’t like it, they don’t have to read. It’s as simple as that.
But that’s just my opinion.
45There’s an article in this month’s Glamour that talks about hating via the internet. The summation of it is that basically we say things we’d never say behind someone’s back, let alone to their face because there is absolutely no expectation that we will get caught or be reprimanded in any way for our actions. So our inner Evil comes out and we are never shamed for behaving like the mean kid on the playground. It’s pretty sad if you ask me, I think it’s the decline of our society.
46I don’t know how you cope with all the nasty comments. I think I’d get really upset. I don’t know why people read your blog if they don’t like it.
47And just so you know I love you blog!
48I really find it a little ridiculous that people thing you’re judgemental, and seem to have nothing better to do than criticize you & your writings. I think you have an opinion on things, and that you are expressing your opinions, on your blog. I may not always agree with some things that you have posted about, but I have never felt that you were passing judgement on others that didn’t share your opinion. If you can’t express your opinion on your own blog, well then, where in the world can you? Just my two cents.
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