I love...dream-dating celebrities.

Everyone's talking about the news of Beyonce & Jay-Z expecting their first child, which was revealed on last night's MTV Video Music Awards. An exciting announcement for the couple, though when I heard the news I couldn't help but think of several years back when Jay-Z and I dated...in my dreams.

Yep, Jay-Z somehow made his way onto the list of celebrities that I have dream-dated.
Here's our story:
We were a serious item in this particular dream. He came over to my house to watch a movie, but then took a call on his cell and when he hung up he told me that Mariah Carey was coming over to watch the movie with us. I was annoyed at this addition to our date night, but decided to stay calm and go with it. Then Mariah showed up and Jay-Z sat next to her during the movie, instead of next to me! Can you believe it?! Needless to say, Jay-Z and I haven't been on dreaming terms since.

But life (err, dreaming) goes on! I had a few other brief and random dream-romances, including:

50 Cent
50 and I had an "on again, off again" thing. It all started when his song "Just a lil' bit" was really popular. In my dream he kept telling me to do random, day-to-day things "just a lil' bit". For example: "Close the window just a lil' bit ... a lil' bit more ... a lil' bit more" or "Move that chair just a lil' bit". I got so frustrated that we had our first dream-fight when I told him: "50, I'm getting really annoyed, just tell me what the end result is supposed to be here! Window up, window closed? Chair over here, chair over there?"
We met up again at a movie theater a few dreams later, but it was too late because at that point I was out on a date with my new guy...Nick Lachey.

Nick Lachey
Nick and I went to see a movie together. We shared some popcorn, then we held hands and he walked me to my car. Umm...that was pretty much it. Our dream-relationship didn't last very long. It wasn't him, it was me...or maybe it was him...or maybe it was my alarm clock.

Now that I think about it, it's been a while since I last dream-dated a celebrity. I think I'm due for a new one. Fingers crossed for a dream-date with Justin Timberlake or Ryan Gosling sometime soon!
Actually, what time is it? 8:01 p.m.?
That's not too early to go to sleep, is it?

I love...smiling.

There's an old saying that goes: "Smile, it holds up your eyes!"

Haven't heard it before? Well, now ya have. Curious as to where this saying came from? It was started just over 10 years ago, in a dorm room, by a girl named Jenny Chalk.

To me, smiling is pretty uncontrollable. You wake up, you see a friend, you hear a joke, you see the sunset, you see a puppy, you hear a Prince song...okay, maybe that last one is just me. But still, whenever possible, why not smile instead of frown?

Sure there are moments where smiling is the last thing on your mind, or on your face. And some of those moments last longer than others. But after all is said and done, again I ask - why not smile?

Your smile could be the smile that causes another smile, that causes another smile, that causes yet another smile, and eventually there are a lot of smiles - and one day when you need a smile to get you out of a bad moment then your smile karma will be coming back around.

Still not convinced that smiling is all that great? Try making yourself a list of reasons to smile.
Here are some examples from my list:

My family
My friends
Prince
Pizza
Shel Silverstein
Puppies
Other people's smiles
Giggles
Great songs
Love

But if you still can't find even one good reason to smile, then smile for your eyes...cause something has to hold them up on your face.

"Smile, it holds up your eyes!" -Jenny Chalk

I love...bobby pins.

Over the past few years I've enjoyed using bobby pins to try out some different hairstyles. I'll pin my hair into a high bun, a messy bun, half up, I even had a brief affair with the Snooki-style pouf (well, it was more like a mini-Snooki-style pouf).

Eventually the bobby pin became my new best friend. I bought them in bulk, and it wasn't long before bobby pins took over my life.

It started out innocently enough. I'd climb into bed and realize I still had a bobby pin in my hair, so I'd place it on my nightstand. Or I'd be getting ready to leave and throw a couple in my purse in case my hair needed reinforcement later in the day. Or I'd be holding five in my hand and one would slip out onto the floor without me even noticing.

Now there is probably a bobby pin in every purse I own. There are bobby pins on my nightstand, on my floor, in my car, in the street next to my car, in my pockets, in my desk drawer at work. Sometimes I'll be in a checkout line and take my wallet out of my purse, only to accidentally fling a bobby pin across the counter...they're everywhere. If I'm ever lost, it's probably a fair bet that you can follow a trail of bobby pins to find me.

But they do their job and they keep my hair in place. And if MacGyver is ever looking for a sidekick, he can always call on me: Bobby Pin Girl! I'll always have a bobby pin to help him pick a lock or diffuse a bomb...or to keep his hair out of his face while he picks a lock or diffuses a bomb.

I love...ending bad jokes.

You may find this hard to believe, but sometimes I manage to tell a bad joke. I know, I know...that sounds impossible, but it's true.

Perhaps this happens to you, too? Well, the next time you're in the midst of telling a joke that you realize is not going to end well...never fear, Jenny's Bad-Joke-Ending Suggestion is here!

Here's an example of a bad joke, followed by my suggested ending:
"Hey, don't stand under that garage door ... cause it might fall on you!" Then, just before the crickets set in, I follow it up with a finger point, an awkward hip shimmy and a weird sounding 'Haha aahhh!'

That way I break up the silence and people don't remember me as the girl who told a bad joke.

Instead I guess they remember me as the girl who dances awkwardly and makes weird noises.

I can live with that.

I love...Zukey.

This weekend I watched my friend Cami's dog. His name is Zukey (short for Zucchini), and he's pretty awesome. Here are some highlights from: The Jenny & Zukey Weekend of August 2011!

FRIDAY
I picked Zukey up after work and got him settled into my apartment. I have a bright pink floor pillow that I put out to make him feel comfortable. I think it worked.

SATURDAY
We woke up earlier than I enjoyed, which led to a late morning nap on the couch. Then I took Zukey for a long walk around Tremont. He peed on everything in sight. A couple in a car stopped to ask what kind of dog he was, I told them he was a miniature pinscher. They didn't believe me because they didn't think he had the right coloring for a miniature pinscher. I told them I was pretty sure he was a pinscher, but he wasn't my dog and I could be wrong. Hours later I thought of an even better comeback: "Hey, don't question me!" Later that afternoon we watched Sex & the City while I painted my nails. I think Zukey is an Aidan fan.

SUNDAY
My friend, Carrie, is moving out of her downtown apartment in a couple of weeks, so Zukey and I went to keep her company as she's now in serious packing mode. On the walk to her place Zukey and I took a detour by where "The Avengers" is being filmed on East 9th Street, hoping to catch a glimpse of Robert Downey, Jr. We also walked by a hotel where a valet guy knelt down to pet Zukey. I chatted with him for a minute, but then he exceeded his "appropriate petting of a random dog on the street" time, so Zukey and I moved on. We hung out at Carrie's for a bit, then got hungry and all three of us headed back to Tremont for a calzone from Edison's (delish!).

Then the text came through...Cami was back in town and ready to reclaim her lil' doggy.

I had two options:
1) Tell her I was home and she could come pick him up.
2) Not respond and hope she'll eventually forget that I had him.

I went with #1.

But here's looking forward to The Jenny & Zukey Weekend of August 2012!

I love...growing up.

When I was little I wanted to grow up to be a Barbie.

I loved my Barbies with their perfect make-up, their clothes, their accessories, their constant 90 degree-angle arms…but I digress. I wasn’t sure exactly what “growing up” meant or when I had to do it by, but I was sure that adult-Jenny would love to grow up to be a Barbie.

Somewhere between then and now I started to grow up. I went to college, made great friends, moved out on my own, got a job and then another job, and I continued to ask myself what I wanted to be when I grew up.

But with all the concern around figuring out what to be when you grow up, maybe there's a second question that we're supposed to be asking ourselves along the way: What do I want to be while I grow up?

Sure, it's important to find a goal in life. But what will you be while you're working towards it?

Will you be kind?

Will you be funny?

Will you fall down?

Will you get back up?

Will you love?

Sound like simple questions? Maybe they're supposed to be.

So as I continue “growing up” I’m going to enjoy what I’m doing along the way.
My own wish list? Well, I want to be kind, I want to be funny, and when I fall down I want to get back up. I want to be giving, I want to be calm and I want to love. I want to be understanding, I want to be goofy and I want to be honest. I want to be Jenny.

And maybe, every once in awhile, I'll still check the job boards for a position listed under: "Barbie". I can be "Happy Barbie" or "Jenny Barbie". I'll practice holding my arms at 90 degree angles, just in case.