this life for rent

Skip and Jaime's wedding is in 22 weeks. As a bride trooper I have been given free reign for what my outfit will be. I was going to wear a Utilikilt, but I am too fat to wear one. They don't come in my size. So, the plan has changed. Unless I magically lose 15 inches off my waist in the next 22 weeks.

Opinions appreciated.

I'm leaning toward one of the following:

The Probably Most Appropriate for a Wedding Section:



Betsey Johnson Evening Sequins dress
(Honestly, I want this dress even if not for the wedding.)



Betsey Johnson Burnout Stripe Organza dress
(Ditto. I love this dress too.)


The Cheongsam Section
I love Cheonsam, Qi Pao, "That Chinese Type of Dress", whatever you want to call it. As much as I think I look like a bloke in a dress, I still fantasize of having a vast collection of Cheongsam that I wear on a regular basis.



Aberrance Dragon Burnout cheongsam




Lake Blue cheongsam




Traditional Dragonfly cheongsam
(The longer I look at this dress, the more matronly it looks to me.)




Xi Shang Mei Shao cheongsam
(While I do like this one, it is meant mostly as a joke. Jaime told me their wedding colours are earth tones. As in, if it exists on earth, it's an earth tone. I went for a choice that looks to have just about every colour on it.)

The Geek Section that only this bride and groom would appreciate:



The Joker Suit. Really. (But not the makeup or hairstyle. Part of me really wants to do this and photograph the bride's reaction when she realizes what I am wearing. The dark colours would be appropriate for a fall wedding.)




Pinstripe suit
(I'd like to think somewhere, Dr. Billings is looking down on this with a smile of approval. Man wore a fierce suit.)



Black Velvet Suit
(What? I look really good in velvet. I swear in a past life I was a gay man of leisure.)

----OR-----

The suck it up section



Suck it up and work my ass off for the next 22 weeks to lose 15 inches off my waist so I can wear a utilikilt.**



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**Utilikilts are not a requirement, but from what I can tell, most of the wedding party, bride the exception, will be in kilts.

L to R: Skip the master mind, Cliff, The Groom, and Blair


This is the before photo. At this moment Skip, Cliff, Jonathan and Blair are heading to Central Florida for Jonathan's Bachelor Party Weekend.







Jonathan, all packed and ready to go. Seriously, he has looked like this since, it hit him that tonight is when he leaves for his Bachelor Party Weekend. And that's my DS Phat he is holding in his hat. Aren't I awesome for loaning him my DS Phat? Yes, yes I am.



I'm pretty calm. Why? Because I think this is the ultimate Bachelor Party setting. A buddy road trip to Orlando, FL where they will tour NASA facilities. Followed by a trip to Orange Blossom Blvd*.

For those of you unaware of what Orange Blossom Blvd. means, it is a fuck all long road in Orlando that has, how can I put it? Many, many Gentlemen Club.




This shot is perfect. As I took it I said:

"Yeah, this is the shot we see later as the narrator says 'Little did they know..'."





Yeah they are going to see space technology and titties this weekend. And eat at IHOP. What more could a bunch of geek boys want?


*Note, I don't have confirmation that they will hit up Orange Blossom Blvd, this is merely an assumption. but come on, if you're that close, why not?

I am really excited and positive about my marriage to Jonathan. I really have no zen, sage news about the wedding. It's being planned. I am tired, but looking forward to it. Blah, Blah, Blah.

Need to relax? Watch this video of a dolphin making circles underwater set to violin music. Stress? What Stress?




Behind the cut, cat pictures that amuse me.

( Read more... )


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Tomorrow, I go to the doctor to find out what is up with my insane hearing ability.

I am totally avoiding wedding chores right now. One, it's about 50 degrees inside the apartment.It's so cold it actually hurts to wear my engagement ring. Two, I really have no second reason.


What were you doing 10 years ago?
1998: I was working at Best Buy, playing the violin, working as a stage hand at the Polk Theatre, and preparing to go away for college.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Bitching to Nintendo about the Wii, and my status as the sole DS player in North America.
http://christin.livejournal.com/2007/01/21/

Five snacks you enjoy?
1. Blueberry pineapple smoothies
2. Clementines
3. Cupcakes, although they aren't a snack, but a gift from G-d.
4. hummus and pita chips
5. Granny Smith apples and peanut butter
( Read more... )


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Five Things I Should Be Doing Instead of Blogging
1. Folding origami paper cranes.
2. Reserving hotel room for cousin's wedding.
3. Picking out wedding shoes, wedding make up. (Yep, I am even avoiding shopping on the interweb!)
4. Going for a minimum one mile walk.
5. Writing.

Five Things I Could Be Doing Instead of Blogging that are Fun, but Not Productive.

1. Reading Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub
2. Learning to speak French.
3. Juggling.
4. Watch more X-Files.
5. Bicep Curls.

Every other night, Jonathan and I sit down to discuss, decide, and implement said wedding action.

Last night was Yarmulke/Kipot Action '08.

(At a Jewish wedding all males have to wear a yarmulke/kipot, no matter your denomination. Since many males attending neither own nor will realize they need to get a yarmulke/kipot to wear, it is custom for party givers to provide a giant basket of yarmulkes/kipot for the males to wear. Afterwards, whatever is left, gets donated to the local temple for temple goers who forget, have lost, don't own on to use while in said temple.)

J: Jonathan
C: me

C: oooh, look, these guys are only $1.35 each AND include free personal stitching.
J: Those are nice.
C: oh, wait, they require a 6 dozen minimum order. I don't think we are having that many males at the wedding.

(Quickly tallies males from guest list)

C: Yeah, IF every male shows up, that's only 40.

(Goes to other site)

C: Oh these are really nice, only $1.95 each with no minimum order.

J: Let's go for those.

C: (Clicks on forward link. Discovers lot of same yarmulkes/kipots.) WOA! 40 kipot for only $17!

J: (Reads and re-reads description, everything looks financially kosher.) Get those!

C: Yeah! We are a bad Jewish stereotype.


So this morning, I placed an order for 40 yarmulke/kipot at a cost of $17.

They are really cool, besides being uber cheap. They are vegan, an eco-suede, so they feel like suede but are made of recycled cardboard. I think this is the most excited I have been over a wedding purchase since I learned you can turn pound cake into a cupcake.

We are having a cold snap in tallytown. It has finally warmed up today to the balmy temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit/ 3 degrees Celsius.

Ever the cheap bastard, I refuse to turn on the heat. Why should I when it is toasty warm inside at 50 degrees Fahrenheit / 10 degrees Celsius?

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Today has been a wedding planning, appointment setting sort of day. I've accomplished a lot, research wise, but have no tangible evidence. (i.e., found a great place to get the yarmulkes for the wedding, but have no yarmulkes on hand, found cool wedding rings, but do not have said cool wedding rings.)

What I have done:

1. Set up an appointment with David's Bridal for tomorrow afternoon.

2. Picked out our Thank You notecards.

3. Picked out ten Ketubahs I like to show Jonathan.

4. Created a bookmark folder to hold all of the wedding links.

5. Ordered bridesmaid dress. (My cousin is getting married in April and I am a bridesmaid in her wedding.)

Hmm, that really doesn't look like much, but throw in an hour of cardio and an hour of writing and you have yourself a pretty full day!

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While only two days into the new year, I have stuck to my schedule of spending an hour everyday, writing. (Blogging not counting as writing. The real portfolio bulking writing.) This is the year I stop bitching and do something with my degree, even if it only means one or two freelance writing gigs.

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Currently Reading: Nonfiction - Offbeat Bride by Ariel Meadow Stallings, Fiction Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Currently Knitting: Stepfather's belated Winter Capitalism Day present eep!

Currently in my compact disc player: Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk by Rufus Wainwright

(This lantern of paper cranes, is really cool. I want to make one.)


For the wedding, I am folding 1,000 paper cranes to be used as decoration during the reception. My Irish twin, Melissa*, is also folding paper cranes**. Ditto for Jonathan, the groom.



*My twin, Melissa with her excited over folding paper cranes face on!

Tomorrow, Jonathan and I are heading to Ye Olde Asian MegaSuperMarket to pick up some origami paper. Let the folding fun begin!

**I might send an email out to the wedding party and relatives to extend the offer of folding paper cranes to contribute to the decorations. I worry this offer might smell like the old Tom Sawyer White Washin' Fence scam and not the fun times it is meant to be.

This cake wins at life.

I am considered a "mature bride". (A bride who is closer to thirty than to twenty.)

At this point in the game, even if it is my first wedding, it is proper etiquette for me, personally, to foot the entire wedding bill, since I am so much older than the normal bride.

Granted, I was expecting to pay for this all on my own, but still. Wow. Bridal Etiquette considers me old. Damn.

This information brought to you by:

Wedding Etiquette for Divorced Families - Martha A. Woodham - copyright 2002

So...I'm engaged to be married.

And how are you doing?