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Hi everyone! I'm back from the wedding and honeymoon, and things are starting to settle down after the first week. Lauren and I are now husband and wife (although not necessarily in that order), the marriage license has been mailed, and all the animals are back home (except the lizards, who we decided should stay at Lauren's parents house until Christmas). It's been one heck of a week and a half, with lots of driving, sightseeing, beachwalking and such. If it was at all possible, we came back even more in love with each other than ever before. Wednesday, December 7th: Our First Day Off Of Work (W minus 3 days) This day started nice and easy. We woke up late, because we had the day off and a few local members of the wedding party came over to celebrate the beginning of the Home Stretch into the wedding the night before. Lauren and I had lunch with Bob Baxter of RSP and he passed off our friend Ray(who couldn't make it, unfortunately)'s wedding gift: a digital camera, which we used extensively on the honeymoon, as you will see(thanks, Ray!). We went to Hamburger Mary's and I forgot for the second time just how spicy their seasoned fries are. A little painful for a spice sissy like me. Our friend Monique came over that night, and I made pasta with this pesto sauce I found mix for, and we had a good time just sitting around blabbing until "Lost" came on. It was a repeat, although one I hadn't seen before, but Lauren sent me into the office to write out my vows for the ceremony with the saddest puppy-dog eyes you've ever seen. She's adorable. Thursday, December 8th: The Bachelor/ette party (W minus 2 days) We were tired this morning, but we had to get up. Lauren had a hair appointment, and I was meeting someone at the storage unit to sell some stuff out of there (by the way, if anyone knows anyone who wants a nice big comfy couch or a good-sized dresser with mirror for cheap rates, let me know!), and they unfortunately ran right up against each other (so I had nothing to do while Lauren had her appointment and Lauren had nothing to do during my selling). I went to Borders a couple blocks from her hair appointment and wandered through a bit, pausing occasionally to look at a few books. I managed to sell my washer & dryer that afternoon, so I had some cash on hand for the honeymoon. Lauren was tired, so I took her home and dropped her off to take a nap, then drove up to Roseville to Shane Co. to have my ring sized a little larger for my dainty digit. From there, I went to Michael's down the street from us to get a cake-cutting set, then to Arden Fair mall to get the final fitting for my tux, which looked great, with The Ryans, the Davis contingent of my wedding party. Ryan A. took my tux so I wouldn't forget it, which I might have. During the final fitting, I was talking to the woman who worked there, who asked me about the other groomsmen. I told her that one other was getting his from Sunrise Mall nearby, and my brothers were getting theirs from the San Jose branch of the shop. In fact, one of my brothers was buying his. She reacted with a little surprise. "He's buying it all, including the vest?" she asked. "Yeah, I think so," I said, not really sure. "Well, we don't sell this color vest, we only rent it," she said. Now, perhaps this is a case where my not knowing everything might have saved the day. It turns out my brother Charlie indeed *WAS* buying his tux, but was renting the accessories (which included the vest). Had I known that, I would have brushed it off as no problem. But, because I wasn't sure, I decided to give him a call on my way home. Good thing, too, because he had apparently gotten a BLACK vest and tie with his tux, and would have looked rather silly compared to the other groomsmen with BLUE vests and ties. So he said he'd set up the switch at the Arden shop, and he double-checked that my other brother, Russell, had a blue vest and tie, which he did. It was just some kind of fluke that Charlie went to the same shop, even the same salesman, used the same registered wedding, and got a different vest and tie. But, it was fixed. After all that, Lauren and I went to the combined bachelor/bachelorette party at our friend Michael Miiller's house in Sacramento. It was a festive affair, with taquitos a'plenty, booze a'pourin', funny fortune cookies a'laughin', and other stuff. It was good times with good friends. Lauren got a tiara that said "BACHELORETTE", and I got... well, I got "schnockered", as Kathy (my sister) said. After the party, we went home, I made Lauren a cup of tea with honey (she was so sick, she didn't partake of the spirits) and we went to sleep. Friday, December 9th: The Rehearsal (W minus 1 day) I woke up this day with a sense of purpose. I was going to go get my ring sized just a little bit larger. I had worn it the night before, per the goldsmith's suggestion, and woke up halfway through the night with my finger a little swelled and reddened. So I drove all the way back up to Roseville, got lost trying to find Shane Co. because I took a wrong turn, and finally got up there to have the ring sized. I stood in line for about 10 minutes until I was served, at which point I was back in my car, driving to the rehearsal within 5 minutes. I knew I had to be at the mansion by 2 for the rehearsal. So I sped a little, but soon ran into traffic. Turns out someone had climbed over the chain fence around an overpass, and the fire & police departments were talking (him? her?) down and taking up all but one lane of traffic while doing so. I began to think about how inconsiderate that person was, and how it would be easier for everyone involved if they just jumped. Then I thought about it a bit more. I realized that this was a human being in some extreme circumstances and under a lot of pressure of some kind. It would have been insensitive and incredibly selfish of me to even secretly wish this person to die to suit my own needs. I don't want someone's life to end just because I want to get to my wedding rehearsal faster. I showed up to the rehearsal about 15 minutes late. Certainly not worth "blood money", as it were, but enough to make me a little behind the times on what was going on. I was not, however, the LAST one there, that particular honor goes to Tristan, one of my groomsmen, who made it probably 30-40 minutes late. Although, to his credit, he was probably driving around in the vicinity for an hour or so, because he was lost. I was supposed to give him better directions to the mansion, but I forgot. A few other things on my mind, I guess. Afterwards, we went to the rehearsal dinner at Il Fornaio. Great food. Absolutely fabulous. Lauren and I went around the big table saying hello to everyone for a while before and after the food was served. It was fun, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. After the dinner, I drove Lauren home to finish packing (we weren't allowed to see each other at all Saturday, so she was staying at bridesmaid Melissa's apartment nearby), and went to Kinko's to print out the seating chart with last-minute revisions, then came back and gave her a ride to Melissa's. I spent the rest of the night being nervous and writing my vows. More to come! Tags: wedding
Current Mood:  happy
Current Music: Simon Zealotes - Jesus Christ Superstar
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I hope you all had great Thanksgivings and stuffed yourselves accordingly! Lauren and I went to the Bay Area for Thanksgiving again (the last time was when we announced our engagement to our folks). Thursday, we were at my parent's house first for an early dinner and cavorting with the family-folk. All except Kathy & Matt attended (something about interning at the hospital... spending Thanksgiving knee-deep in oven burns and sliced fingers, I don't know), and it was good to see everyone again, including the nieces and nephews. They grow up so fast! Caelin and Kalinda (my oldest nieces) are so big nowadays, and everyone else is just racing to catch up! Zafina seemed to zero in on Lauren and me, and we played with her for a while until dinner started. Devilled eggs were wonderful! Afterwards, we went to Lauren's parents' for their Thanksgiving dinner. Two Thanksgivings is tiring, as Lauren showed, when she passed out on me on the couch afterwards. I read a book while she napped and everyone else was hanging around the table talking. Every now and then, I caught some snippets of their conversation, but mostly I was engrossed in the collection of short stories. We also brought Marty & Toddy to her parent's home (Toddy complained vocally most of the way), and we checked in on them from time to time. We didn't want them to meet the other cats and dog her parents have without supervision. When Toddy was brought close to Rupert, a real horse of a cat, easily three times his size, Toddy playfully reached out and pawed at him. Fearless? Maybe. Stupid? Probably. In case you may have been wondering, I was one of those special few waiting outside a store at 5AM the day after Thanksgiving, waiting to get at the so-called "Black Friday" specials. I was waiting to get a dustbuster-like hand vacuum. At 5AM. But it was a good deal, dammit! $18 when it's usually $51. And we need one, for vacuuming up little pieces of litter or cat food in our bathrooms. They get messy so easily because these durn cats don't wipe their feet when they leave the box. And it was lucky I was there when I was, since a few seconds after I picked up one of them, two more guys came along and grabbed up the last two. Lucky me! Friday I slept pretty hard, because I went to sleep at 6:30AM. I went out to get a haircut, but the shop was closed, so I went to the Togo's down the street. While I was there, I began to wonder if that particular area had always been this seedy, and I was just watching the world through the rose-tinted glasses of naïvete or if it had gone downhill since the last time I was there. I'm not sure, but it seemed very different. Lauren had plans of going to a bar in Fremont with an old friend from high school, which apparently lots of people from her high school frequent frequently. It was interesting, and at first I wasn't entirely comfortable, since I was pretty afraid of being shanked by some of the not-so-nice-or-sober-looking ones about. After a while, though, it seemed to thin out and we sat a table next to the door with someone Lauren's friend knew from high school. ** PHILOSOPHY BREAK ** It's really odd how someone can be bound so closely to you through a shared experience, even if you didn't know each other during that experience. I found myself thinking about my time in high school, and wondering what others were up to. I didn't keep in touch with many of them during college, except for a few who came to college with me. Then I started thinking about the future, about which friends I would be able to take with me throughout the times ahead. I like all the people around me, and I wish they could all stay my friends, but people can become distant, both physically or emotionally, and maintaining the friendship could just be too difficult. It's too bad, but it's a fact of life. I suppose we should just value the time that we have with our friends while we have it, because you never know when they won't be there to help you anymore. </philosophy> I was (of course) the designated driver, being the soda aficionado I am, although their Sprite was mixed VERY well, with not too much soda water and plenty of syrup. Good and tasty! I drove Lauren's friend home, then stayed over at Lauren's house and watched Lawrence of Arabia until 5AM. I suppose I should have gone to sleep, but it's a good movie, and I so rarely get to see it. I actually made it past the capture of Aqaba, about an hour and a half into the movie before I turned it off to go to sleep. The next morning, Lauren, her father and I went to go see "Harry Potter". It was the first one I'd seen without the benefit of "reading" the book (I'd listened to the previous three on CD), and I liked it. Although I still don't feel how this whole series is so mind-numbingly popular with so many people, I understand some of its appeal, and enjoyed the films. Afterwards, I went back home to grab the last of my stuff and say goodbye to Mom, Dad & Ginger. I also stopped behind the house and said goodbye to Misty. Ginger's goodbye was a lot tougher than I thought it would be. She has a cancerous tumor in her jaw that's been growing for quite some time, and I wasn't prepared to see how large it had gotten since I last saw her. At least with Ginger I was able to say goodbye the way I should have for Misty. I don't know if I'll ever see her again, and it's kind of sad. On the way back to Lauren's parents' house, I guess it hit me even harder; for most of the drive up I felt kind of surreal, almost numb. It was crazy. </bummer> Anyways, we went back up to Davis after policing the kittens and their paraphernalia, and swung by DMTC's new theatre to see "Into The Woods" again. We had last seen it on their preview night over three weeks ago, and it's improved a lot! They didn't have curtains put in, or lights fully set up when we saw it, and the addition of those made a big difference. All around, the show has gotten better like only it can after many audiences. We also saw a gaggle of RSP folks there. We've seen them only one other time in the past two weeks, and it was good to see them again. We went out to dinner afterwards, but left early; I wasn't feeling well. Sunday was a lazy day. The main highlights of the day were driving to Davis for shopping and Guadalajara (yummy burritos) and watching... I dread to say even its name, lest some evil demonspawn awaken... "The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants" (Ugh! Yuck!) Lauren had it on her Netflix, but had kept scooting it down the list in lieu of.... pretty much everything else. When it turned out that pretty much everything else was unavailable, it was sent to us. So we watched it. We had pizza. We cleaned house. Life is good. :-) Current Mood:  tired
Current Music: Little Shop - Call Back In The Morning
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Okay, just in case you didn't think the space program was necessary, here's a little gem I found on Wikipedia:
Interest in the causes of flatulence was spurred by
high-altitude flight and the space program; the low atmospheric
pressure, confined conditions, and stresses peculiar to those
endeavours were cause for concern (McGee, 1984 pp.257–8).
I'll bet! Once again, NASA has delved into those deep, controversial
matters which "conventional" scientists have deemed far too
"hilariously funny" for rigorous scientific testing. Kinda brings a
tear to your eye, don't it?
Also from the article:
... ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta ("and he used his buttocks as a trumpet") - Dante's Inferno, Chapter XXI
Sweet. :-D
Update: OH... MY... GOD! You can't write funny this good!
For acute situations, it is recommended to spread the buttocks, so as to stretch open the sphincter while the gas is passed. This is best accomplished by sitting on one buttock, shifting body weight laterally, then putting the body weight on the other buttock. The opening will not snap shut and the passage will be silent. If done incorrectly, however, this may result in a characteristic high-pitched squeal.
If sitting on a cushioned surface, the gases can be directed into the open-cell polyurethane foam and somewhat quarantined. Following the release, standing will not release the odour, in fact, the gases will be further pushed to the center of the cushion. The gases will not leak out and be detectable, unless the cushion is compressed again under the weight of another person. The use of this phenomenon as a practical joke is obvious.
I'm sorry to demolish my high-brow thoughtful image with this, but come on!
Farts, people! Current Mood:  relieved
Current Music: Miss Saigon - Bui Doi
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19 Days and some 6½ hours! Today is the 33rd Annual World Hello Day! Say "Hello" to 10 people today, in the interests of communication and world peace. So, here I say it:
HELLO!In dental news, my teeth are doing fine. I'm actually munching on some pita chips right now, but contrary to evolutionary precedent, I'm chewing with my incisors, bicuspids and canines. I just dont want to risk ripping open any sutures. I've managed to stay off pain medication, since I haven't had any real pain. Just a little achiness when I smile and laugh too much. Which I did a lot this weekend. Saturday, after a brief wandering through Davis waiting for the on-campus bookstore to open, I went to a wedding shower held by our good friend Monique. A lot of friends showed up who, quite frankly, I was surprised (and very glad) did. Some others didn't show up... *cough cough* and saddened both Lauren and myself. :-( It was good to see my parents again, and they gave us this really cool blanket with all the Broadway show logos that have been on Broadway this year on it. Very cool, but I hope Toddy and Marty don't take a liking to it. It has a long fringe on it, and that's exactly what's attracting Toddy's attention these days.
Our friends Noel and Ben came up with some games, all revolving around either our names or musicals. It was fun, but all I wanted to do during the other games was get to the musicals game. That was a lot of fun, especially with a room full of nearly all theatre people. Lauren and Ryan almost came to blows over the naming of a song in "Cabaret" (I agree with Lauren, it should be called "The Money Song", dammit!), but otherwise everyone had a good time. :-)
Ben and Noel (I know you guys read this!), you left without saying goodbye! Monique has extra-large shares of cake set aside for you as punishment!
After that, we didn't have time to go out and get some dinner with our parents, unfortunately, because of another party we went to that started at 6:30pm instead of 7:30pm, like I thought. But it was okay, because food was plentiful at Bob and Lil's. Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely Love (that's right, with a capital-L) Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider. Bob Roe in "Victor/Victoria" practically had to wrench the bottle out of my hands a couple of times, and I realized about halfway through the run that perhaps Squash shouldn't drink five glasses of "champagne" before trying to navigate circular stairs (of all things). But, not being fettered by a watchful audience seeking this kind of consistency, I availed myself of the available nonalcoholic spirit in question.
We saw a lot of people we haven't seen in a while, and most likely may not see again for some time. Dave Lack was there, along with wife Anne, as was Chris Scarberry and the Flints (with apparently "adopted" son Brett Bachmann in tow), and many others involved in current/past shows. It was fun to see everyone again, and Lauren and I had a good conversation with Karen Day (audiencegoers may remember her turn as the widda Paroo in our "Music Man") about getting married and future planning.
Just for my family: Devilled Eggs were a'plenty. Yum!
As we were leaving, we talked to Joe Velez (conductor for V/V and Pirates this season) and Bob out front for a little while and razzed Joe about his smoking habit (*cough cough*) while he positively gushed about how awesome (and she was) Lauren was in Victor/Victoria. Apparently, she had sent the usually very focused Joe into laughing hysterics during the show, to the point where he was unable to conduct for a few measures. It was a good night, and I wish both Bob and Lil the best.
Sunday was a little surreal. There was no rehearsal. No matinee. It was weird. I think V/V closing was finally beginning to impact on us. We did, however, have to take in Lauren's wedding dress (and no, I still don't know what it looks like) to be "bustled" and pressed, so we contacted a woman who worked with the store we bought the dress from and arranged to bring it in to be worked on. In Oakland.
So, we bundled into the car and prepared for a hefty sojourn. Getting there was pretty easy; I'm a bit proud of my ability to memorize the way a map looks on Google Maps and be able to navigate my way to a destination without need for written directions (I really developed this little skill when we went to San Diego in August... Google Maps was my friend). Except for a brief 15-odd mile scenic tour through the outskirts of Richmond trying to find 580, we made it just fine. There was a little traffic along a stretch of freeway labelled (some Caltrans worker must have laughed his butt off about this) 80-W & 580-E.
Lauren's parents met us just as she was leaving the woman's house, and we went up to Montclair Village for lunch at this little pizza place we found there tucked away down a side street. They also passed off all the disposable cameras for the wedding (They'll all be fitted with the LoJack system, so you can't run off with them!) and the favors we'll be distributing. On the way back, we almost got lost, but we wound up taking a detour through Berzerkeley and Emeryville along Ashby Street, where we saw one of Lauren's lizards' namesake, Shattuck St. Traffic was light, and we wound up back home at 6 or 6:30pm, feeling like it was midnight. A light night of cleaning up and going to sleep early was in order, and we did just that, pausing briefly to watch the new Family Guy episode. I'm resolved to work a half-hour or an hour a night on making sure the house stays clean this week. We'll see how long that lasts, but dammit, I'm resolved!
Hope everyone's doing well out there, and I'll keep y'all updated on all the goings-ons.
ps. Noel: Parenthetical asides are (almost) always unnecessary. Current Mood:  accomplished
Current Music: How To Succeed - A Secretary Is Not A Toy
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