Mar 28 2008
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.
Mar 24 2008
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.
Mar 24 2008
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.
Mar 21 2008
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.
Mar 19 2008
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.
Mar 18 2008
We are doing the super-casual, super-budget-friendly wedding. So a lot of the things on the bridal magazine checklists are just not for us. Still, there is a lot to do once we figure out what we want and need. We could just elope and tell everyone, “Hey, by the way…” but I don’t really want to look back at my wedding and feel like I missed out on anything. I want to have the feeling that I had a wedding day, not ran an errand and ended up married. Even with just a few things, it’s amazing at how fast the costs spiral up and up and up.
We went and ordered part of my dress today. Rather than the traditional wedding dress, I’m going for separates, since I know I can wear them again. The top is a custom-made corset, from the fab folks over at Bad Attitude. Ialready have one of their corsets, so I know I can wear it for a length of time. Then we went to dinner and talked to the owner of the establishment about having the reception there. It’s a nice cozy Eye-talian joint that we frequent, so the owner is willing to accommodate us. Plus, having it in a restaurant we figure we’ll just have people order whatever from the menu, and we provide the cake and champagne. Works out better that way - cheaper for us, of course, and everyone will be happy with their meal since they have more than 2 choices.
We still have cake, favors, flowers to consider, I’m really trying to get in touch with VegasRic and convince him to be my photographer, even though he usually takes pictures of nekkid ladies, since that’s so much more fun and profitable. So keep your fingers crossed there. And oh yeah, invites. And the rest of my dress. And the license, to make it legal. And probably a few things I can’t think of right now. I’m reading the Kvetch boards at Indie Bride to really make my head spin.
We went back to look at some of the condos we saw yesterday, to get a better feel for it and remember it better. We saw so much yesterday that it was hard to keep them all straight. But our lease is up in 6 weeks, and we either sign another lease - 6 month minimum - or fork over an extra $100/mo for the priveledge of not having a lease. Plus we don’t want to move too close to the wedding, and after the wedding will be blazing hot.
When will my head stop spinning with all this stuff? And when oh when will I stop staring at my ring long enough to be productive?
Mar 17 2008
aka Lilith Fair edition. Has anyone been to Lilith Fair? I have - twice, actually. Not bad considering that the tour only lasted 3 years. I didn’t go to the first concert, but I don’t recall why. I do remember the hype surrounding it, though, and a lot of singers I like were headlining. By the second year, I was listening to more and more music that was or could have been featured at Lilith Fair, so I looked into tickets. Not being an avid concert-goer, I had no idea how much tickets would cost, but I was surprised to find out that they were general admission tickets. For only $35, I could get tickets to see up to a dozen different singers. That sounded like a bargain to me, so I bought a ticket for me and my mom.
It was far, on the southern end of the state, and as anyone who’s ever been to a concert knows, parking was a mofo. But this concert exceeded my expectations as soon as I got through the gate. Free sampler CDs were being handed out to the first thousand people to walk in, so I snagged one of those, which quickly became, and still remains, one of my favorite compilation albums. I checked out the map and set up my plan. It wasn’t going to be possible to see everyone that was playing that day, since with three different stages there was bound to be some overlap. If I could do it over again, I’d have spent more time at the tiny village stage, where the least known artists were performing. Bic Runga
Chantal Kreviazuk
Abra Moore
letters to cleo
Aimee Mann
Kendall Payne
Then of course there’s all the ones you are familiar with: Sarah McLachlan, Jewel, Natalie Merchant, Sheryl Crow, etc. Most of the music I heard at Lilith Fair, both the new stuff and the stuff that got me there in the first place, is music that I still listen to today. I wish Lilith Fair or something similar was still touring today, because it was such a great musical event. Oh, and I’m sure you’re wondering - What’s with the Angsty Chick Music label? Well, that’s what Boyfriend calls it. It’s fitting, don’t ya think?
Mar 16 2008
I suppose my schedule will only get busier in the coming months. We had house guests this weekend, and I had to work on Saturday to catch up on some stuff that I got behind on when the feces hit the rotary air circulation device earlier in the week. Today, instead of relaxing, I did get to sleep in a bit, but then we spent the afternoon going around with the realtor looking at condos and townhouses, along with a few single family homes. Our wedding is in 14 weeks, so there’s lots to do on that front, too. Future Husband thinks we are crazy by trying to buy a home and plan a wedding at the same time, but hey, lots of couples do it, right?
On the wedding front, we don’t want a huge shindig, and we don’t need to put in all the traditional elements. A registry is not necessary, either - I was looking at the suggested items to register for, and we have pretty much everything on the list. So what do we need to register for? We just want to get the things that are important to us and have a really nice wedding. And since we are buying a house, we don’t want to spend tons of money.
Anyway, that’s life right now. This week is more houses, more wedding shopping, and more work.
Mar 14 2008
I got a few answers, but there are still some quotes that no one got on my Guess That Quote post. Since I figure you’re all guessed out, and distracted with news of my upcoming wedding, here are the rest of the answers:
1. I heard that Hell is when all your dreams come true. This one is from Ruby in Paradise - an excellent movie - Ashley Judd’s first, but unfortunately it’s not available on DVD unless you have a Region 2 DVD player.
2. If I feel you’ve changed, I’ll tell you. I’m honest. Unlike some people, I tell it like it is. With all the Aussies that read my blog, I’m surprised no one got this. It’s from Muriel’s Wedding.
6. I’m so rich, I wish I had a dime for every dime I had. This is an oldie - it’s from Arthur, in which Dudley Moore plays a hysterically drunk, wealthy man.
8. Listen up, you little spazoids! I know where you live and I’ve seen where you sleep. I swear to everything holy that your mothers will cry when they see what I’ve done to you! Tommy Boy! I love this movie; it seems to get funnier every time I see it.
10. We’ve come for your daughter, Chuck. This one’s from Beetlejuice. I remember this line so well because my friend Belching Biker Babe nearly made me drown from laughter when she uttered this line as I was diving into the pool.
12. If word got around that I had been liberated for half a million dollars, I could never show my face in polite society again. Diamonds have no value except that which is placed upon them. Everyone girl who loves Ewan MacGregor and his delightful accent should see this movie - A Life Less Ordinary.
14. Dear Lord, we ask that you bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies. And we ask forgiveness, Lord, for the fornication that Mr. Sprock and me committed this morning on this very table. Where the Heart Is, which is one of my favorite chick flicks.
Way to go everyone who participated. I’ve also had fun reading the quotes and answers that everyone else has put on their blogs. It’s funny how something like this can give you a major case of brain block, isn’t it?
Mar 14 2008
Today is my 2nd blogiversary. I never knew when I started that I would be here for so long - usually I don’t make it that long with things, as I tend to lose interest and move on. I admit that this past year has seen me less dedicated to blogging, and more dedicated to Boyfriend, but I wouldn’t change that for the world. I like having my blog, but I love having Boyfriend. But he does enjoy my blog, which he reads in between raids at his Silly Little Game.
I do have things that I’d love to be able to do with this blog, but they’d require me quitting my job and becoming a hermit. I don’t network this blog as much as I could, but I’ve also recently become satisfied with what I’ve got here. I’ve read some article lately that have to do with being satisfied with the size of your blog and the number of comments, and while I do get a bit disappointed when I don’t get any comments, I’m happy with my blog’s size the way it is. I also think I’ve gotten better at the blog-life balance, and that is pretty cool.
So what’s in store for the next year? Well, you’ll continue to hear about me, and I might write the occasional blogging article as well. I’ll continue with my Music on Mondays, and I’ll do my best to make sure this blog doesn’t hit the Terrible Twos.
