J is Jubilant

I'm continuing my quest to complete the blogging alphabet challenge. The goal is to work through the alphabet, pick a letter, and write about five favorite things that begin with that letter. Some people have met the challenge in a year. I'm not one of those people. I've been working on this challenge for years now, and I'm not even halfway through the alphabet. But that's okay. I'm having fun making up a list of my five favorite things that begin with each letter. Some letters just require a bit more thinking than others. And today's letter is J. And J is Just Jubilant.

If you thought the first J word on my mind would've been Jesus, then you're right! But I'm not going to write about Jesus, because this isn't a religious blog. If you thought I was going to list Janet Jackson, you're also right! Because I love Jamming to Janet Jackson. My fave Janet songs are her dance songs: The Pleasure Principle, When I Think of You, Alright, If, Rhythm Nation, and That's the Way Love Goes.

I almost hurt myself trying that chair dance move. Thankfully, my mother wasn't around to see me try that move. I'd've gotten a spanking! Thank goodness the chair didn't break. I definitely would've gotten a spanking then! I was a hard headed brat!

I also love Jukeboxes and Joints that play dance and rock and pop music--party music! I love the Jive!

I'm not sure about Jazz, though. On a whole, I don't get it, especially when they start free styling. Sometimes, it gets to the point where it all sounds like a cacophony of random noise. Just to be clear, I do love Swing, which may or may not be a form of Jazz. All I know is, if it's got a fun beat that I can dance and groove to, then I love it! I may not know Jazz, but I do love Swing!

There are plenty of wonderful words that begin with the letter J, like Jolly, Jingle, Jewels, and Joy. I also like the words Jetsetter, Jump, Jackpot, and Jester. That leads me to my fave J characters:

Jack Frost: The Winter Sprite--Fun loving Rogue, Guardian of children, and Artist extraordinaire who paints lovely patterns of frost on windows and the landscape.

Jack Skellington: The Pumpkin King, the Patron Spirit of Halloween. Fantastic singer. Wicked style.

And Samurai Jack: Awesome time travelling samurai warrior, flung far into the future, on a mission to destroy an evil deity.

Speaking of samurais, Japan is on my list of fave countries I would like to see--Mount Fuji and Hokkaido look magnificent. I'd also like to visit Java (for the beauty, culture, and coffee). If I ever go to Jamaica, it would be for the beaches, the Jerked Chicken, and the bobsled team. Answering the comments, IDV made me realized that I forgot to add my fave J drink: Jagermeister!

I would like to visit Jordan (to see the ruins of Petra and sample the Levant cuisine). Speaking of cuisines, some of my fave J foods are Jellybeans, Juices, and Jerky. A little Jalapeno is fine, so long as it doesn't overpower the taste of food. I want to savor the flavor, not burn my mouth and ruin the food.

And good food is the perfect way to begin my five favorite words that begin with the letter J:

1. Jams and Jellies

I love jams and jellies--grape, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, and orange are some of my faves. I also like apricot and apple and cherry. Normally, I use jam and jelly interchangeably. They are both made from fruit and sugar and heat. It's just the amount of fruit left over and consistency that differentiates jams from jellies:

Jelly: Is the gel like fruit juices from cooked, strained fruit that has a clear and firm consistency. Think of cranberry sauce from a can or grape jelly from a small single serving container.

Jam: Has pieces of chopped, crushed, pureed pieces of fruit with the juices, and it has a spoonable, chunky consistency.

Preserve: Has the most fruit, almost whole pieces, with the least gel like consistency.

Marmalade: Is a type of preserve, specifically made of whole citrus, skin and rinds included. It has a complex rich, bittersweet, and fragrant flavor.

Jam, Jelly, Preserve, or Marmalade, I love them all! With or without peanut butter, spread on top of scones, toast, or pancakes and waffles, jams and jellies are delightful treats that transform bread into dessert!


2. Jello

I love Jello! In the Old World (and former British penal colony countries), it's known as Gelatin. I love all flavors of jello, even the mysterious green kind! I love jello by itself. And with whipped cream or with ice cream, it's heavenly! I love it when jello is made into a rainbow of layers or comes in fun molds or shapes. I love pairing custard with jello.

What I DO NOT like is fruit pieces and fruit chunks in my jello! Sorry, pineapple, orange, and apple. Apologies to berries and peaches, too. Fruit just competes with the flavor and texture of jello. If I want a fruit, I'll eat a fruit! Just keep that fruit out of my jello!

My other fave way to have jello: Jello shots!

I love making jello shots for parties. I always warn people that the shots are a whole lot stronger than they taste--the jello covers up the alcohol taste. And for fun, I'll make jello in a pan or mold and use cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes. Jello shots are for guests who have designated drivers, have alternate mode of transport, or are usually crashing over because they're too drunk to make it home or they pass out from too much fun.


3. Jasmine

I love the scent of jasmines, especially the ones that are really fragrant and bloom at night. Sweet, ethereal, enchanting. It is a magical scent. One hint, and I'm immediately transported away to a cool summer night; laughter and music in the air; dancing joyfully in the streets; reveling at the sight of that stunning smile; mesmerized by those gorgeous eyes; excited and electrified every time we touched; enjoying the company of new friends in a strange exotic land; living in the moment, feeling liberated, free, full of passion and bliss. It was absolute ecstasy. I know there is a heaven, because I lived it that night.


4. Jokes

I love funny jokes. Dirty jokes, family friendly Dad or Uncle jokes, silly little kids jokes, even puns are fun! If it makes me laugh, I love it! Sometimes, the jokes are racy and controversial, but so long as they aren't mean spirited, I'll laugh along to it.

From the hilarious and awesome site Scandinavia and the World. At https://satwcomic.com/

You always tease the one you love. And you have to learn to laugh at yourself, because it helps you grow and be a better person when you understand how others see you.

A sense of humor is essential. Life isn't always easy. Sometimes it can be awful and hard. But if you can still laugh after a good cry, you're going to be all right. Laughter reminds us that there is joy in this world, and we all deserve to be happy.


5. Justice League

Superman, Wonder Woman, The Martian Manhunter, Batman, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Green Arrow. They were among the first superheroes that I loved reading about in comics. The Justice Friends rocked, and in their later development, The Justice League was awesome!

Back then, comics were a simple good guys versus bad guys, saving the world from destruction. And for a little kid just learning to read, that was more than enough. I totally bought into the belief that together, we are stronger, and that the strong have a duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves. With great power comes great responsibility.

As I got older, comics became more complex. Now there were shades of grey on moral responsibility and who decides what's right or wrong. I started venturing into darker, more graphic and violent comics when I became a teen. It was startling and exciting and flabbergasting reading some of the most gruesome and horrific plots and vile characters ever put on print. I was dumbfounded at reading mature themes.

But even with all the explosion in the variety and complexity of comics, I still gravitated towards the simple, original Justice League--none of that multiple dimensions or alternate universe stuff. And the Justice League cartoon did the best job of telling a riveting story about power, responsibility, accountability, and balancing freedom, liberty, and justice.

To this day, I prefer the original Justice League run over the movies and other incarnations since. There's a spirit and essence in the original run that the later movies and versions do not have. The movies were entertaining, but they were different from the original run, and that's okay.

My fave Justice League heroes were Aquaman and The Flash. Aquaman, because I love the water, and I think it'd be cool to control the water and talk to water animals. Also, you can breathe underwater, swim fast, and surf whenever you wanted!

I like The Flash because he was funny! And smart! And he was fast! He was definitely the most resilient and laid back! He was cool!


And there it is, my five favorite things that begin with the letter J. These are the things that make me feel Jocund--cheerful and lighthearted. And it has been a Jovial experience making this list. What are your favorite J words? I would like to know!

Related Links

A list
B all that you can B
Consumption
What you C is what you get, the beginning
What you C is what you get, the middle
What you C is what you get, the end
D lighted
Essential
F is for Fun
G is Great
H is Heavenly
I is Iconic
J is Jubilant
Brought to you by the letter S
U doing that thing U do
Zing Zing Zoom