Wednesday, May 9, 2012

J-J-J-Just How Hard Can It Be?

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We all could use a little of this joie de vivre

The letter J has to be the worst letter of the alphabet after X.  Do you have any idea how few likable things start with the letter J?  I found this out the hard way when I was gifted with that alphabet real estate for the subject of my post.  Ace blogger and traveler Tami Clayton had a whimsical post filled with 10 things she loved that started with the letter A, a letter which she had been given by Liv Rancourt (sponsored by the letter D) in a test of imagination.  Thinking it would be a fun game I asked Liv for a letter of my own.

Oh, to have only received either of their options.  I could think of many things I didn’t like that started with J, but even then I couldn’t make a list of ten.  When I moaned over my alphabet fate to my husband, Brad, he answered, “Why do you think it’s worth so many points in Scrabble?”  So I struggled onward and now offer it up for your review.

Jammin’ on J

1) Jewelry  I use to wear lots of it when I dressed and went in to an office every day.  But I got out of the habit when my days got a little more casual.  Now I’m trying to get back in the swing, at least with quick and easy bracelets and cheap watches and earrings.  It makes me feel like less of a slob.  And helps me remember to comb my hair.

2) Jogging – not!  (had to sneak in one negative)  I use to do it a bit but don’t really get any pleasure out of it.  Now after my neck surgery it’s probably best avoid that constant pounding.  However, I need to do intense cardio like that because I love --->

3) Junk food  It’s poison.  It only feels great eating the first 3 or 4 bites.  It makes you fat.  But I’m drawn to it like slugs to beer (look it up).
I'm more a bike ridin' gal than jogger
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4) Jon Stewart  You know those questions about who you’d like to have dinner with or be stuck on a desert island with?  I guess the correct answer should be Einstein or Shakespeare, but Jon is at the top of my list.  With his wit and thought-provoking observations of politics and culture I’d never want the conversation to end.  My ultimate goal would be to say something that would make him laugh.  And then if we could add Rachel Maddow to the mix . . . .

5) July  This is the month we’re in France.  Need I say more?

6) Jambon et fromage  It’s only a ham and cheese sandwich, but with prosciutto, French cheese, on a fresh-baked baguette it’s one of my favorite lunches in France.

7) Jardin du Luxembourg  My favorite garden on Paris’ left bank.  With its fountains, flowers, green metal chairs, and frequent musical performances you are powerless to do anything but sit there and do nothing for a long while.

Pull up a seat at Jardin du Luxembourg
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(Are you starting to sense a theme?)

8) Jura  This is a French department on the east side of the Burgundy region in the mountains near Switzerland.  Brad’s research colleague has a house there, so we visit to hike in the mountains.  It’s complex geographic history makes the scenery endlessly changeable.  If you ever eat Comté cheese you know what the Jura tastes like.  The grass is almost as valuable as the cows who eat it.

Jura vista
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9) Joie de vivre  What you feel when sitting under the umbrella of a French café on a late morning after buying lamb and strawberries at the market, drinking a cup of tea.

10) Journey
  What I’m taking, both literally and internally, in this second act of my adulthood.  I love to travel through and explore the world, but I’m learning also to enjoy the journey inside my own mind.

The air currents in the Jura are perfect for flying of all kinds
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If you have a J that you just love, please share it in the comments box.  If you’d like to try the game as well, let me know in the comments box or send me a message on Twitter and I’ll get back to you with a letter (and it definitely won’t be J).
 

8 comments:

Deborah said...

Lovely post, full of fun and atmosphere! Julie, I've sent a Beautiful Blogger award your way from my blog.

Liv Rancourt said...

Lovely post, Julie! You were more than up to the challenge.
;)

Tina Fariss Barbour said...

Wonderful post! Great examples of J . . . . And the photos were lovely too.

Carrie Anne Schmeck said...

I want a letter, too! What a fun blog chain if we each use our letter within our topics. You did a great job with J! I'm not much of a fan of J, either.

Unknown said...

Dare I say, you forgot... Julie! That was an easy one. :)

Anonymous said...

I was running short on material for my blog and starting using a letter a day to describe myself. J was one of the hardest posts as you can see here:
http://bethzare.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/abc-j/

Julie Farrar said...

Believe me, Brian. When the list got too hard I thought about using my name. But I decided not to take the easy way out. Thanks for reading.

Jen @ My Morning Chocolate said...

Very fun! I'd add jam to the list. Homemade jam this time of year, especially strawberry and rhubarb jam, is lovely. Hmm, and I'd also add jelly beans. I ate them all the time as a kid and am craving them more and more in pregnancy.

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