I’m going to be taking a break from the blog for a little while, including my Music on Mondays posts. With the wedding, house, and now allergies, my stress level is way too high to have to worry about keeping up appearances around here. I’ll be back, but right now I just need to not worry about blogging with any frequency.
Offer on the Table
March 24, 2008 By
Future Husband and I have been house hunting, as you well know. Yesterday we spent the afternoon with our realtor looking at resale homes. We figured if we can get pretty much the same exact thing that we looked at when we were at the builder’s models the other day, but pay quite a bit less, then it was worth it to investigate. We saw these homes, but the thing is, the real estate market right now kinda sucks. During the boom a few years ago, it really was a BOOM in Las Vegas. So many people bought thinking it was easy money. So many people got in over their heads and trashed their homes when they were foreclosed on. Out of everything that we looked at yesterday, only one home, the first one we saw, would have been worth it. It needed some cleaning and new carpet, but the carpet wasn’t terrible. After that, it all went downhill. The last one we looked at we were in for about 5.3 seconds before we walked out. FH and I talked and realized that if we had to put that much work into a resale, the money would work out just as well, and our peace of mind would be much greater, if we went the new route.
We went back to the new home community today with our realtor, and it turns out that a plan we like came back on the market just today. We looked at a couple of other finished units last week, but they backed up to the main road. This one doesn’t, and though we can’t choose any options at this point, the ones that were in the home were well-chosen. FH isn’t keen on the laminate countertops, but I’m ok since it’s all I’ve ever known, and this patter won’t show every freaking speck like the solid white we have in our apartment now.
We ran to the bank to get some dough, and ran back to the sales office. Then we spent the next hour signing papers. This is just the offer! I need to exercise my hand for closing. Tomorrow we visit the lender to sign more reams of paper for the loan paperwork, and if all goes well we should be good to move in at the end of April. FH is a bit shellshocked, but
I’m excited. This place is twice as big as our current apartment, with 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, and a mini-yard with a covered patio. I can’t wait – it’s a bit nerve-wracking, but like I said, exciting.
Music on Mondays – V-Cat the Complete List
March 24, 2008 By
One of the mix exchanges I participated in, the very first one, the one that started it all, was all about chick music. We titled it the V@g1N@ Catalogs, which is a play on the stage show the V@g1N@ Monologues. I chose the less spamable V-Cat 2.07 for the title of my disc (the 2.07 is for Feb 2007, the month in which I was due to send my mix out the the group). V-Cat and all the other mixes I received in this exchange are all really wonderful discs, and fit in with my favorite musical genre of angsty chick music. Since this mix holds a special place in my heart, I wanted to share with you all the songs I received over the course of this exchange.
- 88 Ways – Mia Doi Todd
- A Dog’s Life – Nina Nastasia
- A Matter Of Minutes – Shawn Colvin
- A Sorta Fairytale – Tori Amos
- A Tisket, A Tasket – Ella Fitzgerald
- After Hours – The Velvet Underground
- Air – The Owls
- Almost – Sarah Harmer
- Angel from Montgomery – Susan Tedeschi
- Anniversary Song – Cowboy Junkies
- Anything Anywhere – Melissa Ferrick
- Appalachia Waltz – Various Artists
- At Last – Neko Case
- Augusta – Pamela Means
- Bag Lady – Erykah Badu
- Barges – Ingrid Graudins
- Bitch With A Bad Attitude – Saffire
- Blue Light – Mazzy Star
- Blue Skies – Ella Fitzgerald
- Breathe Me – Sia
- Bridge Over Troubled Water – Aretha Franklin
- Burying Song – Hem
- Business As Usual – Juliet Turner
- Calling the Moon – Dar Williams
- Can I Walk With You – India.Arie
- Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You – Lauryn Hill
- Car Weels on a Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams
- Catnip Dream – Shonen Knife
- Central Reservation (The Then Again Version) – Beth Orton
- Chelsea Morning – Joni Mitchell
- Con Te Partiro – Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli
- Conceived – Beth Orton
- Cornflake Girl – Tori Amos
- Cradle and All – Ani DiFranco
- Crow Waltz – The Be Good Tanyas
- Damaged – Plumb
- Dance Me to the End of Love – Madeline Peyroux
- Dancing In The Street – Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
- Danny’s All-Star Joint – Rickie Lee Jones
- Digging – Jonatha Brooke
- Dirty Man – Joss Stone
- Does He Love You? – Rilo Kiley
- Doing the Wrong Thing – Kaki King
- Don’t Let it Bring You Down – Annie Lennox
- Don’t Speak – Leela James
- Don’t Wait Too Long – Madeleine Peyroux
- Down By The Water – PJ Harvey
- Empire – Dar Williams
- Endsville – Coyote Project
- Everything Is Fine – Gillian Welch
- Extraordinary Machine – Fiona Apple
- Fast Car – Tracy Chapman
- Feet of Clay – Vashti Bunyan
- Fidelity – Regina Spektor
- Fighting For It All – Mindy Smith
- Fille De Quatorze Ans – Julien Hoffpauir
- Fingertips – Poe
- Galileo – Indigo Girls
- Get Me Through December – Alison Krauss
- Ghost Waltz – Jolie Holland
- Glory Box – Portishead
- Going Home – Sophie Zelmani
- Golden – Jill Scott
- Good Day – Jewel
- Good Life – Lily Wilson
- Goodbye Earl – Dixie Chicks
- Goodnight and Go – Imogen Heap
- Gotta Get Up From Here – Ellie Lawson
- Gracias a la Vida (live) – Mercedes Sosa
- Hallelujah – Brandi Carlile
- Hammer And A Nail – Indigo Girls
- Hand in My Pocket (Acoustic) – Alanis Morrisette
- Happy Phantom – Tori Amos
- He Said – Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
- Horsey – Hem
- Human Thing – The Be Good Tanyas
- I Am Changing – Jennifer Hudson
- I Hate/I Love – Toshi Reagon
- I Just Want To Make Love To You – Etta James
- I Love You – Sarah McLachlan
- I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair) – Sandi Thom
- Ice Cream – Sarah McLachlan
- If She Knew What She Wants – The Bangles
- Ignatia Amara – Ida
- In My Own Eyes – Brandi Carlile
- In These Shoes – Kirsty MacColl
- It’s Not – Aimee Mann
- It’s Only Life – Danielia Cotton
- I’ve Committed Murder – Macy Gray
- I’ve Got to See You Again – Norah Jones
- Jah Kas Cool Boy – Django and Lojo
- Joyful Girl – Ani DiFranco
- Jumpers – Sleater-Kinney
- Just Like U Said It Would B – Sinead O’Connor
- Karen By Night – Jill Sobule
- La Tortuga – Jaramar
- Least Complicated – Indigo Girls
- Leaving on a Jet Plane – Chantal Kreviazuk
- Let Go – Frou Frou
- Little Plastic Castle – Ani DiFranco
- Lois Lane – Uncle Bonsai
- Lonely Lola Cherry Cola Girl – Bic Runga
- Love Will Keep Us Together – The Vassar College Night Owls
- Mama Will Provide – Kecia Lewis-Evans & Cast
- Marlene on the Wall – Suzanne Vega
- Melt Your Heart (live) – Jenny Lewis
- Mercedes Benz – Janis Joplin
- Mess You Up – Beth Boucher
- Mix Tape – Avenue Q Soundtrack
- Moment of Forgiveness – Indigo Girls
- More Than A Woman – Angie Stone
- Mr. Sellack – The Roches
- Mr. T – Gramophone
- My Number – Tegan & Sara
- Naked If I Want To – Cat Power
- Night Time Is The Right Time – Aretha Franklin
- No Names – Kate Rusby
- Nobody’s Diary – Yaz
- Nobody’s Listenin’ – Moe Z
- Non, je ne regrette rien – Edith Piaf
- Ol’ 55 – Sarah McLachlan
- Once I Was A Serene Teenaged Child – Frida Hyvonen
- Paper Bag – Fiona Apple
- Party’s Just Begun – Nelly Furtado
- Peace – Fruit
- Pies Descalzos, Suenos Blancos – Shakira
- Pink Emerson Radio – Kathleen Edwards
- Polyester Bride – Liz Phair
- Poor Girl – Po’ Girl
- Poor Man’s House – Patty Griffin
- Popsicle Toes – Diana Krall
- Possession – Sarah McLachlan
- Pour Some Sugar On Me – Emm Gryner
- Put Your Records On – Corinne Bailey Ray
- Que N’ai-je – Keren Ann
- Rain – Patty Griffin
- Respect – Aretha Franklin
- River Waltz – Cowboy Junkies
- Rubber Soul – Ane Brun featuring Teitur
- Sail Across The Water – Jane Siberry
- Serve the Ego – Jewel
- Ship Out On The Sea – The Be Good Tanyas
- Slow Down – Morcheeba
- So Far Away – Carole King
- So Much Mine – The Story
- So Quero Ver – Beth Carvalho
- So You Are To Me – Eastmountainsouth
- Somebody Loved – The Weepies
- Someone Else’s Prayer – Mary Chapin Carpenter
- Something In The Way – Jazzyfatnastees
- Something More – Outloud Dreamer
- Sonata in G:III. Scherzo & Trio – Yoshiko Iwai
- Stewart’s Coat – Rickie Lee Jones
- Summer Dress – Shawn Colvin
- Sweet Hands – Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
- Swing Malindy – T. Love
- Take Me Anywhere – Tegan & Sara
- Ted’s So Wasted – Oh Susanna
- Tennessee Waltz – Patsy Cline
- Thank You – Dido
- The Ballad of Lucy Jordan – Marianne Faithfull
- The First Time – Rose Polenzani
- The Great Valerio – Linda Thompson
- The Long Way Around – Dixie Chicks
- The Rainbow Connection – Sarah McLachlan
- These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ – Nancy Sinatra
- They – Jem
- This Girl is Taking Bets – Thea Gilmore
- This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) – Shawn Colvin
- This Woman’s Work – Kate Bush
- Tokyo Nights – Puffy AmiYumi
- Tomorrow Wendy – Concrete Blonde
- Train in Vain – Annie Lennox
- Troubled Mind – Catie Curtis
- Twist in My Sobriety – Tanita Tikeram
- Uma Casa Portuguesa – Amalia Rodrigues
- Unstick – Bitch
- Us Amazonians – Kirsty MacColl
- Useless Desires – Patty Griffin
- Voodoo Child – Angélique Kidjo
- Waltz Across Texas Tonight – Emmylou Harris
- Water is Wide – Lilith Fair
- We Are More – Erin McKeown
- When I Was A Boy – Dar Williams
- Who Makes You Feel – Dido
- Widow’s Walk – Bet Williams
- Winter – Tori Amos
- Worn Me Down – Rachel Yamagata
- You Gotta Be – Des’ree
- You Said Something – PJ Harvey
- You Will Be My Ain True Love – Alison Krauss
Mother of the Bride’s Duties
March 21, 2008 By
I am discovering that the mother of the bride has one single job: to drive the bride absolutely insane. I just got off the phone with my mother, who has announced that she wants to stay at a non-casino hotel (no biggie, there are plenty here) that my stepdad can use his points at (narrows it down to 2) that has the shuttle from the airport and to the strip. Ok. Here’s the problem with that: the hotel she decided on, while convenient to the strip, airport, and of course me, is not really near anything convenient. It’s next to a business park. There will be nothing for her to do after the last strip shuttle, which is really early for this town. Oh, and she’s thinking she’s gonna hitch a ride with my dad after they take the same flight out here and my dad rents a car. They’ve only been divorced for 30 years now, but she thinks she knows what I want for my color scheme, so she’s gonna pick out a new tie for my dad. She says she’s really good at picking out ties. If she makes my dad look like a schmuck then he’s going without the noose, which I’m sure he’ll appreciate when it’s a hundred and fucking degrees out.
As much as I would love to have more of my family out here for my actual wedding, I did have to tell my mom to stop telling people they can come. I will be happy to see them, but I am so NOT happy with my mom taking over my wedding plans. The shindig here is going to be small – as in, we’re having the reception at a small Eye-talian restaurant and only making reservations for about 30. The rest of the place is open, and we won’t get a private room. There isn’t really one available, and even if the bar area that’s being built is open by the time of the wedding, we don’t want to ask them to close the place down on a Saturday night just for us. We’re already having the reception after the dinner rush as it is.
The whole point of the wedding tour was so that my mom could get all Momzilla and plan something back there, so that I don’t have to and I can still celebrate with my entire family. She is NOT to get Momzilla for the Vegas edition. When I got off the phone with her this evening, FH asked me if I wanted to start drinking now. I might need to. And take muscle relaxers so that I can chill out over all this. He said that he’s never heard me talk to my mom like that, but if I don’t put my foot down, I’m not going to get my wedding the way I want it. *sigh* I guess all brides go through this with their mothers, right?
On the plus side, I did order a really nice skirt to go with my corset, so that’s out of the way. I also stopped at Ulta and let the saleslady put some of that Bare Minerals makeup on me. I usually hate wearing makeup, but I can’t go totally barefaced on my wedding day. I’d heard good stuff about Bare Minerals, so I was willing to let the clerk graffiti my face. I’ll be getting the starter kit on my next payday. Shoes will be easy – even with my super skinny foot. I’m wearing black patent pumps, so I pretty much know where I can find them in my size. And at that same mall, I know of a kiosk where I should be able to find some options for my hair. I tried on the veil and while I like it, I don’t love it – especially enough to spend more than I spent on the skirt for something that will only be on my head bugging me for maybe 30 minutes of my life.
Tomorrow we pick up our little trial cake, which will be cool. We also need to do the guest list and order invitations, which will be done online. I found some really nice ones, and they’re a bit contemporary and really nice – different but not “out there” if you know what I mean. We still need to get the marriage license, but considering that the county clerk’s office is open till midnight during the week and 24 hours on the weekend, we don’t doubt that we’ll have time. And Sunday, even though it’s Easter, we’re dragging the realtor out to look at more houses. Happy times.
Love at First Sight
March 19, 2008 By
When I was younger, I always used to wish that I would fall in love with someone from the moment I first saw him. It always happens in the movies, and includes the schmaltzy music and the first glance in which the two lovers have an epiphany and realize that they need to be together. But real life is not like the movies. There is no such thing as love at first sight – is there?
Future Husband and I were first introduced by a mutual friend. This friend had dated FH for a short time, and though it didn’t work, they stayed friends. The two of us were out one night when she suggested that he and I get together. I said sure, set it up – give him my MySpace or something. She did that, and we emailed a few times but then it faded out. I’m not much for trying to impress someone by email. Though I write well, the “getting to know you” part just doesn’t do well in writing. It faded out after a few emails, and I wrote it off. But he never had his picture on his MySpace (at least not until after we met).
A couple of months later, I was out meeting with a social group when I saw someone who caught my eye. I was introduced to him by another woman there, and we exchanged hellos. That night I was really not in the mood to be out at all, and was debating going home. During my internal debate, I walked around the room, trying to decide if I should just go or try and talk to this person. FH later described it as “circling like a buzzard.” Finally, he got tired of it and came up to me to talk. “So we finally get to meet,” he said. Huh? I didn’t think I should know him, and we were just introduced a short time ago. “The emails.” Oh no, I had never emailed him. Had I? I think I would remember. “MySpace? Miss A tried to set us up.”
Now I remembered. All of a sudden I was shocked, intrigued, panicked, fascinated, wanting to run out of there and wanting to talk more all at the same time. Talking to him came easy, now that he was in front of me, so I did that. We talked until 2am and made plans to meet the next day. We met the next day, and the next. The 4th day it was Monday, and he had a business trip that would have him out of town until Friday. Friday could not come soon enough! I so went over the minutes on my phone that week. Finally, when Friday arrived, I rushed over to his place after work. We went out, and I spent the night. Actually, I never again spent another night in my own apartment, and ended up moving in, which was fine since the lease was just about up anyway.
I don’t remember what music was playing exactly (some kind of bar music), and there was no starry-eyed first look, but I was drawn to him the first minute I saw him. I circled like a lion circles its prey. In just over 3 months from now, he will become MisterL4W. It was love at first sight.
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