NYC sweeps Lugano, Switzerland

Hello dearest friends and family. Sorry for the delay, but I am here in Switzerland, safe and sound, and having quite the adventure. As one can expect, an event is rarely what you truly anticipated, but that can both disappoint as well as wonderfully surprise you.

NYC was a blast. Our family friend Joshua treated me so well! Putting me up, touring me to broadway shows ("A Behanding in Spokane" written by Martin McDonough starring Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell, "Passion Play" written by Sarah Ruhl, and the musical "Next to Normal") hiking me to parks around the city, and as always-to Musical Mondays at the gay bar Splash! I got to spend time with my long time best friend Marissa Miller who got me into a free surprise INCREDIBLE concert of The Black Keys. Overall, I had wonderful time and it was a glorious transition!

Classic Janessa moment: because i decided to bring my entire life with my to Switzerland I was lugging two 50lb. bags around NYC by myself, looking like a complete idiot. On my way to Hoboken to get Joshua i had to take an escalator with all my bags and an ukulele. Result: the bags fell on me, I fell down the escalator and the kind people of NY had to help me up. Not my best moment.

As for Lugano, it's more gorgeous than pictures can express. Greengreengreen rolling hills, a large shining lake, mountains in the backdrop, classic European alleyways and architecture, and vespas everywhere you turn. I feel so very fortunate to be living here and daily partaking in all of this town's wonderful pleasures.

The de Sanctis family of whom I am staying with are delightful. Their children are well mannered, very happy, extremely intelligent, and soooooo full of energy! (As children should be, right?) The parents are very down to earth and have been very helpful and understanding in this strange and new process. I am thankful to have a family I click with so well. They are honest, open, understanding, and adventuresome. All traits I work and hope to possess.

As with all transitions, there have been difficulties. One realizes what one has when it has been compromised, and my independence is something i miss. In many ways, I am like a new child. I do not know how to communicate with the locals, I cannot transport myself, as of recent I had no friends (I finally worked up the nerve and went to an American Bar solo and made friends with the bar owner and his crew. I will be spending much time with them, hopefully!!!) and I depend on the de Sanctis family for my food, my shelter, my words, my transport, my safety and security. I have digressed in terms of autonomy. But I consider it a trade: I get to be carted around Europe by a fantastic family in trade for a bit of my freedom. And it's not for forever, so "that'll do pig, that'll do."

Anyhow, I hope to stay in touch with all of you. I need pieces of home now more than ever! I think of you all often, in my prayers and my dreams, and I cannot wait to share more adventures with you.

Buona sera!

PS. I'm off to Paris solo next weekend for a bit of "me" time. Couldn't think of a better place to do it. Pictures to come! Au revoir!

For Ny photos please visit facebook photos!

You cook, they come; Part(y) II

Time is slim. Recipes are many. Hours and hours pass as the little one in a colorful apron perspires while cooking entree after entree. Eggplant Parmesan? Check. Lasagna? Check. Snapper a la Sicilian? Double check. Chicken cordon bleu? Oh yes...but wait, people are arriving at the door. The second batch of chicken isn't done. Will she have enough food? Will her toiling hours pay off meeting baked blood (not literally, the bloodsweattears of days of work in a kitchen) with thirsty mouths?
[why is this starting to sound more like a zombie movie than the preface to a party...?]

Result: Absolute success. Hungry mouths met happy food translating to satisfied bellies equaling superb conversation and vibrant guests. I had a show of about 40 friends, family, theater folk, Chandlers comrades and dog. No children, as anticipated but lots of booze as definitely anticipated. Toasts were made, shots were taken, numbers were swapped (oh yeah ;)).

Now, I know it may be hard for some of you to believe that I:
a. know 40 people
b. could convince 40 people to come to my birthday/on voyage party

And it's true, I can be a bit of an introvert (did I just say a bad word?) But if you don't believe me, see the pictures. And truth be told, I bribed them with food. I didn't actually tell anyone I'd even be at the party. I just listed the menu, and voila! Enjoy the photos. Please excuse the quality. They are 35mm scanned in; the old fashioned style, just like I like my taters.

P.S. I leave. The Country. In. 13. days. Ball is a-rollin', and so is my stomach. It's called cold feet, although it should be called "whatthehellamidoingamireadyforthiswhyamimovingwhycantijusttravelamonthatatimeliketherestofmyflightfenderedfriends?"
What? Scientific names are usually unusually long. I desist.

This one is titled "Jack's pocket o'beer"

J & G

Jack, why are you so tall?

Ladies and gentleman, the Miss Sally Tibbs

It wouldn't be a party if someone wasn't double fisting drinks.

Famillia.

The Three Must-Bring-Fierce

"Now this is love, dum, dum, dum, now this is the..."

Now this is one happy party attendee.

Congratulations to the finalists of the photo contest. You'll receive a copy of you, (in 35mm format). Love you all, and thank you again for a memory I will never let go of.

-J

My birthday/bon voyage party

My birthday is this upcoming Monday, April 26th and that day also marks the 20th day until departure so I decided to combine a birthday party with a departure party. And instead of having a restaurant hosted party, I've decided to give back and cook a feast for those who have provided much for me. The menu is as follows:

For appetizers we have the famous family recipe of spinach dip, cheese/bean dip, and other various starters.

For entree we have:
-Chicken Cordon Bleu
-Eggplant Parmesan (for those of you who are vegetarians)
-Swordfish a la Siciliana
-and other small dishes and surprises

I am hand making my own cake from scratch so it should be a delicious finale!



See you soon!

What I Love About Boise: Part I

This was my Bogus Basin Adventure; and folks, this was YESTERDAY!

Birds in Her Hair to Help Her Fly Away

A painting I did titled: "Birds in Her Hair to Help Her Fly Away"

I leave in two months, eight weeks, 60 days, 1, 440 hours, 86,400 minutes, or 5, 184, 000 seconds for Lugano, Switzerland located on the Italian side of the country. I will nannying three beautiful children, all with different interests and personalities ages 7, 5, and 3. I have spent numerous hours via Skype and e-mail interviewing the with the mother and father. I could not be more excited about the family I will be joining or where in the world I will be residing.

I did, however, have an extremely enlightening conversation with an extremely enlightened person about this state of purgatory I'm currently dwelling in. In this conversation I was granted the tools to set myself free from that perception, and to accept the role I've taken in creating that place and those feelings.

I'm so excited to share these last weeks with you all, as well as sharing the beautiful adventures and experiences that in store for me!

Change in compass

Being one that subscribes to the belief "everything happens for a reason" it's hard for me to feel upset or angry about current events; that due to a driving charge that occurred 4 years ago my application for a work visa has been denied by the Korean Immigration Office. I can't help but feel, however, that it's just meant to be.

So, I'm okay about that. I'd say the hardest part is staying. It's really difficult to truck through day to day activities when I had already shed the skin of this life. Perhaps it's a lesson in living in the moment.

As for what's to come? I can't say. Patience, for sure. But I'm sure "Janessa's Big Adventure" will continue on in a way better suited to me than the mysterious asian lands.

Keep me your thoughts. I'm in need of some positive lovin.

The Trickery of Pheromones

Having recently been a person to fall in love and now dealing with picking up the pieces of the earthquake that shattered the love, I have come to speculate love is a bit of foolery from fate.

Don't get me wrong: I believe in a love that moves mountains, shatters illusion, saves souls and transforms lives! But in the interim, there sure seems to be a lot of unnecessary broken hearts. So my question is directed at biology: brain and heart, (working in compliance, mind you) how many broken hearts must a person endure to make it to the grand finale?

Think about it, what is attraction? Chemicals in the brain, palpitations of the heart, sweating of the glands, trembling hands, weak knees, blank state of mind, and increase in sexual desire. All of these wonderful indications of the body literally TRICK one into swapping saliva, secrets, and sense of security. Without this biological phenomena it may be that after one MAYBE two events of one giving into these temptations and then getting nothing in return, humans would wise up and decease! But no-we're addicted. We're trapped! We are eternally tricked.

Wouldn't it be easier to have a treasure map and fight your way through pirates, rocky seas, and thick forests to find your treasure? The worst that would happen in that scenario would be a couple of bruises, maybe a few lost mates, and at worst the loss of your ship! But by gosh-you'd get through having known all along where your treasure is: on the X.

And love doesn't stop at just the heart:
I've had baby pangs (every corner I turn I see a beautiful child and fantasize for one of my own!)
I have fallen for his family (it didn't happen when I predicted, but it happened...)
I was willing to sacrifice my future, my desires, my dreams to just EXIST with this man.

Well, thank goodness for timing and fate's cruel turns. I'm leaving love behind in exchange for my next big adventure. And like Pee Wee in his big adventure, I have no cognition of where this will take me.

And who knows? Maybe this is the way my treasure map looks from birds eye view, anyhow.