The Dude on the Couch

Oh, Valentine's Day. I feel like there is something of a spectrum of the way people feel about Valentine's Day, but people seem to cluster on either end, either declaring that they absolutely hate it or totally love it. Personally, I've never had a tremendous issue with it-- I like that there's a special day when you tell people you care about how much they mean to you (should there be a comma in there somewhere?), even if it is mostly made up by greeting card companies. Granted, I am a sap, and completely susceptible to marketing ploys of all sorts, but I can get behind the sentiments behind the celebrations. On the other hand, it seems sort of disgusting that so much of it is obligatory-- a dozen roses, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, and Jan Seymour-designed jewelry? No thanks. I'm happy with the daffodils, and the fact that my husband just rewound the DVR to show me a commercial where dogs and cats are driving cars in a parking lot. Last year around Valentine's Day, Dooce posted something of a meme about her husband, and I think today is as good a day as any to trot out my own version.

What are your middle names?
Mine is Elise, and GP's is Peter. His mom once told me a story about how, as a youngster, he wanted to go by his middle name (as his father does). But when she told him that he'd have to learn to spell it, he was like, "The hell with that."

How long have you been together?
We met/started dating in September of 2006...so, what is that? Three and a half years? It seems simultaneously longer and shorter.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Well. We exchanged emails for a good 36 hours before we met...so, about 36 hours?

Who asked whom out?
Look. We met through the Magic of the Internet, and if you want to get technical about it, he was the poster and I was the responder. Craigslist, it turns out, is a good place to find things like, housing, furniture...and a spouse. I think the fact that we were both obviously looking for someone to date cut out a lot of the "Will we? Won't we?" b.s. that hangs around a lot of new relationships. We had no idea whether we would actually like each other once we got more familiar, but I think that the way in which our relationship began helped us cut through a good bit of the mess.

How old are each of you?
I'm 26, GP is 28.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
My brother lives about 15 minutes from us, and his sister lives across the country. (Oh, and my stepsister lives in San Diego.) So, unsurprisingly, we see my brother much more.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
I wouldn't say that this is a constant source of tension between us, but it certainly came out a good bit when we were planning the wedding: we have different ideas about what degree of closeness we want, both individually and as a couple, with our families. GP lives thousands of miles from 99% of his family members, whereas my entire immediate family lives within driving distance. At the same time, he has expectations that our parents will be Best Friends, and I don't think of that as a priority. This has been the topic of many a...discussion, but we haven't had to overcome very much in terms of "Oh God, we're completely different people!"

Did you go to the same school?
Nope. Not at the same time anyway. (I'm looking at you, grad school.)

Are you from the same home town?
No. I'm a California girl, and he's quite the mid-Hudson New Yorker. That means he does charming things like dropping the "t" from the word "mountain." Yes, charming...we'll go with that.

Who is smarter?
I don't think we bother to compete here-- our intellectual interests and strengths are pretty different. He did do better on his SATs than I did, though-- a 1420 to my 1400.

Who is the most sensitive?
Um, me. Crying is pretty much one of my hobbies.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
It really depends-- we're homebodies, so takeout/delivery is usually preferable. We do have our favorite local sushi and Italian restaurants, but I think now is the time to confess that we have a weak spot for the very-shameful Chili's.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Australia.

Who has the craziest exes?
Probably GP, as I have definitely been The Crazy in past relationships. Luckily, though, there is very little intrusion by exes into our lives, literal or otherwise.

Who has the worst temper?
Me. I feel all the feelings, and generally have to put more of an effort into keeping my shit together. GP, however, loves himself a Principled Argument...but I guess that's not really an issue of temper.

Who does the cooking?
Me. I love to cook, friends.

Who is the neat-freak?
We each have our Things That Drive Us Crazy in terms of neatness. For him, it's that I leave my shoes in the living room (I just kick them off when I come in), and for me, it's his "spit cup," into which he spits his sunflower seed shells. We're a charming pair.

Who is more stubborn?
Remember when I mentioned those Principled Arguments? This is a man who, when I pointed out how stubborn he is during one of our wedding-related heated arguments, asked me to detail the ways in which he was stubborn. "Uh, hello? Like right now!"

Who hogs the bed?
Me...but I can't help it! I need to be positioned just right in order to fall asleep. Unfortunately for those sharing the bed with me (you know, GP and the cat), it is rarely the same position from night to night.

Who wakes up earlier?
Unlike some people who can sleep happily into midmorning with their head in a little pillow-sandwich, I have to get up early to head to the internship.

Where was your first date?
We met at a bocce ball restaurant, then made our way to a pizza place. The rest of our marathon first date played out in a local park (I like to talk, y'all).

Who is more jealous?
Hm. GP? I guess.

How long did it take to get serious?
About 45 minutes or so. Really, things escalated pretty quickly-- we went from seeing each other three or four times a week to every day within about a month and a half. We moved in together less than six months into our relationship.

Who eats more?
GP, but I can give him a run for his money in dairy-containing things. I have no restraint when it comes to cheese, ice cream, etc.

Who does the laundry?
Whoever has the fewest pairs of clean underwear at any given time. He's not the best at folding and putting things away, so I don't mind doing it if it means wrinkle-free shirts.

Who's better with the computer?
The man has "engineer" in his job title (which is a funny joke between the two of us). He knows how to build Actual Websites. And he has the patience to explain why just smashing the computer and getting a new one isn't always the best best solution.

Who drives when you are together?
He does. He claims that I make him nervous when I drive, and I have no interest in learning to drive stick (which his car is)-- how would I be able to nap on long drives if I was the driver?

If you feel so moved, feel free to borrow this meme for your own blog purposes, or leave your responses in the comments! Also, Happy Valentine's Day...may your lives be filled with love every single day of the year.

Easy as 1, 2, 3

Three years ago yesterday, I arrived (a couple minutes late, of course) at what would end up being my last first date. It was a date that lasted eight hours, and didn't end with a kiss (yes, I still occasionally get razzed for that). What did follow this marathon date were innumerable emails, texts, phone calls, and late-night viewings of dvr-ed Futurama...oh, and then, about a year and a half later, there was a marriage proposal. In Paris. Because we are jerks like that.

So, how does one celebrate an anniversary that falls just a month before one's wedding? With Ina Garten recipes! And champagne! Observe...

There were gifts! But don't be fooled-- this box contains socks and t-shirts. Oh yes, the romance is still very much alive.
See? You send the man to the grocery store on his way home from work because you forgot to get blueberries, and he comes home with flowers. Win!

The pre-dinner libations: whiskey sours, Ina recipe #1. Totally worth making the simple syrup and squeezing the fresh lemon and lime juice. Also, very pleasantly boozy. Not pictured: pigs in blankets-- a snack that I find generally pretty gross, but GP loves. Compromise, y'all!

The dinner! It was my first time making any type of steaks at home, but the Safeway guy assured me these ribeyes would be delicious (and they were, with just a little salt, pepper, and olive oil)-- oh, and on top? That would be Ina's Provencal butter. So worth dirtying up the food processor. Also pictured: not-fancy-at-all, previously frozen fries, and broccolini with balsamic vinaigrette.
And for dessert? Ina to the rescue again (with even more butter) with a summer fruit crostata. So, so easy and delicious, especially because I was able to find some gorgeous peaches at the market. Because we were celebrating (because nothing says happy anniversary like dessert and a West Wing episode), there was some Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvee. Fanciest Tuesday night. Ever.

This guy...I think I'll keep him around. Also, I think I've discovered how Ina has kept Jeffrey around for all these years-- pump him full of butter, and his heart will give out at anything faster than a brisk walk.

What I'm loving right now...

This is one of those posts that begins composing itself in one's head a good two or three weeks before it finally gets posted. Not to say that the quality of the writing is that greatly improved, but it does mean that I really, truly do love these things...

New Sephora acquisitions: I am always so excited to make my final selections after loading my basket with a ton of "maybe" items. When I get home, I find myself tearing open the (pretty, pretty) packaging and using whatever I have purchased. Case in point-- went with MaGP when they were in town a couple weeks ago for my shower (which, ok, I am lame and haven't talked about or posted pictures...but I'm waiting on our photographer to send me the pictures!), and bought a Jurlique sample pack (am totally in love, convinced that I need to buy products that include a nearly-$70 "herbal recovery gel," oh yes I do) and Laura Mercier Magical Flawless Skin Set (or something like that, seriously, they should let me name their products). Got home and headed straight to the bathroom for face-washing and makeup-putting-on. Pure magic, I tell you.

West Wing. Period. I don't know where the hell I was when this originally aired (high school? Gah, what was I watching instead of this?), but I am so happy to have it in my life now. We have borrowed seasons 1-4 from one of GP's friends, and burned right through them. I'm downloading season 5 right now, and...oh my god, you guys, I am in love with AMERICA! And Josh Lyman, and, yeah, a little bit with Will Bailey. But that might just be residual Jeremy-love from my Sports Night watching (another Sorkin show, quite lovely, really. With Peter Krause, so...bonus!).

String cheese. Where have you been all my life, low moisture, part-skim mozzarella? Never leave me, ok? (Remember that time I gave up cheese for Lent, even though I am not the biggest fan of Jebus? Wasn't that just awful?)

How little time there is until The Wedding. Ha, you thought you'd be able to get through a single post without me mentioning it? You, my friend, are a fool. Because I have only one month and three days left, and I. Am. Ready for this thing. I am tired of making decisions, and already of chasing down the seven delinquent RSVPs, and tired in advance when I think about how ridiculous all the little things that we have to do before we can just Be Married are. But that's why we do them, right? Because we are convinced that, at the end of the day, it will be worth it. And I know it will.

Um, not to go back to something as silly as television, but I am more than reasonably excited for all my shows to start! I am filling the void with Bravo reality programming (I am more of a fan of old raisin-faced Rachel Zoe than I thought, though I want to throw Taylor straight into a swimming pool, Melrose Place-style) and new Project Runway (my favorite so far? Shirin.), but I have already re-watched the Glee pilot once (and am not above watching it again), and can't wait for new seasons of 30 Rock and The Office. Too bad we have to wait until January for more Lost...

Twitter! I am so late to the party on this one that it's a little silly to be so up in arms about it, but...I am. In my boss's absence, I am co-manning the library's Twitter account, and let me tell you, organizational Twitter accounts, especially in our field, are fricking boring. Mine, I promise, is much more entertaining. It is much as I thought, very similar to my Facebook status updates, but more conversational. I still can't believe that there aren't more younger Twitter users--I believe there was a quote in the NYT article about Twitter where a teenager said that Twitter seemed "more, like, professional," and I say to this teenager...what? I am sort of living in fear of any potential future employers (who we will assume lack much of a sense of humor, for the sake of argument) discovering my tweets. Professional, my ass.

Also. Get excited, friends! I took GP out for dinner last night to mark a birthday that officially means he is in his Late Twenties, and the blog came up...and he offered to do a guest post. So. Get! Excited! It is likely to be wedding-or-mawwage related, but will be completely different from my constant oh-my-god-I'm-going-to-kill-someone wedding rantiness. Anyone have a question or two for him? I'm sure he will be happy to oblige...

The Best-Friend Problem

Warning: this post starts mushily, and will end even more so. For the faint of heart, click away now!

Ok, so for the same reason that I do not have a favorite color (I am not nine years old), I do not really have a "best friend." I don't want my friends to think that they have to compete for my affection (because you know there would be fistfights if they did), and each friendship is so different that I wouldn't even know where to begin choosing a "best." A related problem to this is that I am fairly uncomfortable even using the term "best friend"-- I don't describe anyone as such, and can't really bear to say that I am "marrying my best friend." Just like "journey" and "soul mate," "best friend" sort of makes my skin crawl. I can't explain it...and, because we are writing our ceremony with a lot of help from our awesome officiant, I don't have to. What I do have to do, however, is find adequate words to express what we're feeling. Commence brow furrowing!

And then. Last night, amid cheers and agonized cries brought on by the beginning of college football season, GP turns to me and says, "You know how you are trying to find another way to say 'best friend' for the ceremony? What about...constant?" He assured me that he was about 40% joking, and it may have been the combination of beer and cheap riesling responding, but I was instantly won over. Sure, it is a fairly dorky term from a television show. But! People who know it in the context of Lost are likely to smile along, and people that don't know the connection are likely to still "get it" and appreciate the term for its own, non-sci-fi-tv-show-related, meaning. Right? Is this a terrible idea? Because right now, when I look at our ceremony and I look at this clip, I feel like it just...fits.

Let's accessorize, shall we?

Now that we are within two months of the wedding (seriously, less than fifty days...let's freak out for a minute about that), just about all the Big Decisions are made. We have a lovely venue (with two coordinators whose heads I want to just knock together sometimes, they are so frustrating), an officiant, a florist, a (super-ninja) photographer, a DJ, clothing, attendants, the whole shebang. Since I have decided that I do not want to be making decisions about the wedding past, say, mid-September, we've begun planning some details. You'll be happy to know (you will, won't you?) that we have decided upon a first-dance song (point, Buble!), the ceremony is in a nearly-completed state, bridesmaid and maid-of-honor gifts have been purchased, and, oh yes, there are shoes!

And then, on a recent shopping trip to the Stanford Shopping Center (likely my new favorite mall, luckily--for my AmEx bill--too far away to visit regularly), mom bought these for me:

Cue a teary exit from Bloomingdales-- it seems so real when we're thinking of things like earrings, rather than, "What might be a good month for the wedding?" and "The dress-- white or ivory?"

Finally, and most excitingly (that's a word, right?), The Precious has a new friend:

They look cozy together, don't they. I'm not gonna lie, GP and I have been "practicing" wearing our rings. We sit around the living room and he says, "Look at me...I'm a married dude." My future husband, ladies and gentlemen...

What I am doing today

Sending out about 80 of these puppies...



I guess this means we have to get married now, right?

End-of-semester grace

All right, it's not technically the end of the semester just yet, but I have definitely hit The Wall. You know, where an entire semester seems interminable, and you're exceptionally grateful that the school you attended for undergrad was on the ten-week quarter system? Yeah, that Wall. I have hit it, and I still have about 30 pages worth of papers to write. But...I was an English major, and am fluent in b.s. Time to power through!

As the semester winds down and spring is just beginning (complete with entirely inappropriate 90-degree weather), I'm finding it easier and easier to find those bits of Grace in Small Things. Take, for example...
This is Fluffy. He lives on our bed, and is almost as old as I am. I think GP's mom was kidding when she asked child-GP if he was going to take Fluffy to college and then make his wife sleep with Fluffy, too...however, even as a kid, GP was not joking around when he said "yes." He may be annoyed at me for putting Fluffy on the internets, but I think it is cute and awesome that at least one dog gets to sleep in our bed. (For those of you keeping score at home, Fluffy is currently our only dog. Sigh.) He is a good companion, especially when certain fiances are on multi-day business trips.

I like writing thank-you notes much more than I like writing papers for school, perhaps because they rarely fall into the "10+ pages" category. Short and sweet, with the bonus of getting to use the rest of my "stock" thank-you cards before we break into the supply of wedding-specific thank-yous (which, you guys, match our save-the-dates...and are completely awesome). Few things are as satisfying as slipping a couple of these into the mailbox.

Nothing says spring like some pretty tulips, unless said pretty tulips are brought back from the store by a certain fiance after a lengthy-ish business trip (along with-- you have to squint to make it out-- a case of Diet Mountain Dew Code Red, because the man consumes soda as if his life depended on it). You know...I think I'll keep him. As long as he keeps up this bringing-me-flowers-as-a-Saturday-morning-surprise thing... (Sorry if you just threw up in your mouth a little-- we're getting married, I have to do things like that sometimes.)

Bonus grace: downloaded seasons of How I Met Your Mother! Alyson Hannigan's occasional over-acting aside, I am completely smitten. I know most of you probably already watch this, but if you don't...you should! Though it is weird to watch a show with a laugh track after years of Lost,HBO series, and cooking shows being my regular television diet.

The Grand Finale: Epcot!

Now it's time to say goodbye...to all our Disney World memories. D-i-s...n-e-y...W-o-r-l-d! Sorry, I had to do it, what with the letter amounts being the same and all. Also, if you don't know the Mickey Mouse Club theme song, you need to take some "Keepin' It Real" classes. (I am on glass number three of merlot for the evening, so shut it)

Epcot was my absolute favorite park of the vacation. It's divided into basically two different sections-- Future World and World Showcase, and each is just about what it sounds like. The important things to remember are these two: Future World is home of The Ball (the iconic ball, which houses the Spaceship Earth ride) and cool rides like Mission: Space and Soarin' (which is called Soarin' Over California at California Adventure, and is the exact same ride in Florida), and World Showcase is home to various and sundry international pavilions, which exhibits and rides from countries like Mexico, Norway, Canada, and Morocco. I apologize in advance for this completely photo-heavy entry, but I am in love with these oh-so-ridiculous pictures.

Let's begin with Future World, shall we? We took dozens of pictures of Spaceship Earth, and this one is probably my favorite:

Front and center, from the entry plaza. It's pretty imposing, right? Next, a look at the Nemo and Friends ride. It's different from the one at Disneyland in that you're seated in a clam-mobile rather than in a submarine, and the characters are projected into the Living Seas exhibit-- personally, I prefer the Disneyland version of the ride, but I absolutely love the Living Seas... Luckily, I don't have to choose. Yay for getting to visit both! Here I am with my undersea friends:

Unlike the dozens of children (and their parents, ahem) that viewed the landscaping as their personal playground, I managed not to climb up into the bushes. The best part of the ride-- and I know this sounds weird-- is the end, because it spits you out into a fun marine-life exhibit, with dolphins, manatees, and tons of fish and such. For instance, the clownfish:

Another feature of Future World is Innoventions, which is much cooler in Epcot than it is at Disneyland (where it is a weird wasteland full of Playstations). If you understand the Friends joke that we are trying to capture here, I will be your friend forever:

All right, now to the fun part: World Showcase! For the sake of my own memory, I'm going to take these in order. The first country that we happen upon is Mexico, our festive neighbor to the south. In advance, I apologize for any unintended racism-- I promise that I love all people, and their alcohol and crazy hats that go along with their much-cooler-than-my-own culture. And now...margaritas!

Viva! Now, let me tell you my awesome plan for World Showcase, devised over the first of many margaritas: take as many pictures as possible in the hats of each country's pavilion. The "drinking around the world" part of Epcot was a given (and we did, albeit over the course of several days), but I wanted to make it extra awesome. Hence, headwear. The one that started it all:

When I showed that to my mom, she asked just how many margaritas I had had. The answer? Only one. GP was being infuriating, and I was impatient about having my picture taken. Two more features of the Mexico pavilion were brightly painted ceramic skulls (with which I felt the need to enact a Hamlet scene) and ball-in-a-cup, GP's favorite olde tyme game.


Somewhat incongruously (World Showcase does not present these countries in any sort of order, and the drinking just makes it more silly), Norway is next to Mexico. I enjoyed a Carlsberg and some well-placed antlers...

After a spin on the troll-filled (seriously) Maelstrom, a Viking boat ride followed by a Norway video, we happened upon a plethora of horned hats. Mischief ensued.


It's true, I will cut you. next comes China, where there is plum wine and another hat, as well as a very cool "Circlevision 360" movie about china (pictures, clearly, of the beverage and hat).


Next up was Germany, where there was not a hat (well, there might have been, but it was dinner time), but there were bratwursts, pretzels, and Becks! The picture is crazy-dark, sorry friends.

In Italy, I enjoyed a glass of prosecco and a blown-glass apple, Desperate Housewives-style. Apparently, the Italians are not hat people.

In the center of World Showcase is the "host country," America! Along with a very cool animatronic show called The American Adventure (which we got to see the backstage area of, while on our tour!), I enjoyed a Budweiser seasonal brew (shockingly good), and a couple patriotic hats.

This headwear obviously makes me proud to be an American. I mean, come on, y'all. Clearly we have the best hats. Right next to America is Japan, where GP and I shared a Kirin and I attempted some Japanese glee. Thoughts?

One of our lunches was had in the next pavilion-- Morocco! Some tasty shwarma, Moroccan wine, and a fez for dessert.

Our fanciest dinner was had in the France pavilion, where we dined at the Bistro de Paris. Need I remind you that we are the kind of people that get engaged in Paris? I know, I feel like I jerk whenever I bring it up. Speaking of jerks, how did I do with my arrogant-face in the beret picture?

Now, I may be a francophile, but in the name of keeping it real, I have to confess that I was an anglophile first. Which may be why I felt right at home drinking a Strongbow cider in the pub-- alas, no hats! Way to miss an opportunity, United Kingdom. (Bobbies and beefeaters both have great headwear, don't they?)

Rounding out the World Showcase, along with another Circlevision 360 film (narrated by Martin Short), is Canada! Witness the Labatt's imbibing and final humiliating-hat-wearing...

Well...that's it! I promise that the blog will now be going through a detox from all these pictures of me drinking and wearing crazy hats. I will not likely stop talking about myself (what is this, a blog or something?), and do have an "interview" by RA that's been sitting in my inbox for awhile now...

Disney Debrief, Part One

We're back! Home is just not as magical as the World, but I suppose a week is a good amount of time to spend enjoying the over-the-top-in-every-way charms of Disney World. All the pictures are up in Flickr-- there are five sets in all, with one dedicated to each park and a final one with all of the "other" pictures in it. Since we took over 1100 pictures and finally managed to edit it down to about 500, I had to edit further so that anyone would be willing to sit through our vacation photos. Also, because there are so many pictures, I can't possibly post them all here-- I would like to keep the dozen readers that I have, thanks.

First, some background: GP and I are crazy Disney enthusiasts. Not so much as in, "I love to collect Disney crap, and would love to have a Cinderella wedding dress!" as "I am amazed at the sheer magnitude of this company, and the lengths they go to in order to maintain and build their empire." We both grew up going to Disneyland (me) and Disney World (him), and made our first trip to Disneyland in January of 2007, deciding that we would make an annual tradition out of it-- the crowds are pretty light by Disney standards, so we can go all-out and really get to experience Disneyland in two to three days. Last year, as we drove back from Disneyland, we decided that a trip to the World was in order...and that it had to be longer than a couple days. And thus, after about a year of research and planning (98% done by GP), we set off on our journey to the largest, most immersive Disney park that I've been to (true, Disneyland and Disneyland Paris are the only others on that list, but still).

After a day of travel (San Jose to Houston to Orlando), we hopped onto the Magical Express (yes, Disney has a bus system, and if you stay in one of their hotels, they will pick you up your luggage and deliver it to your room, as well as providing all transportation you'll need on your vacation-- so awesome) and were delivered to our hotel, the Pop Century. GP was excited to finally be there.
Our first dinner was at Citricos, which is in the Grand Floridian-- the nicest Disney World hotel, but since we are both early risers and night owls on our Disney trips, not the best investment. Also, we are poor. The dinner was amazing-- and so was the wine! Our server was one of the sommeliers, and the true highlight of the meal was getting to try a limoncello made with Buddha hands (a citrus) that one of the sous ches had made. He brought it to our table and everything! We felt so fancy, and only a little bit like complete California wine snobs... Oh, and let's not forget the dessert, a warm banana-chocolate torte. Even GP loved it, and he is not a dessert person.

We managed to get a photo of the Grand Floridian's gorgeous interior before we made the monorail/bus trip back to our less-luxurious-but-perfectly-nice hotel.


Not to be outdone, the Pop Century greeted us with a room that now had our bags in it (just the beginning of Disney magic!), as well as a dog-shaped washcloth. And so, excited to begin our first day in the parks, but completely wiped out from the day of traveling (and the bootleg limoncello), we passed out in our 50's-themed room.


Next stop: Hollywood Studios! We did multiple parks on every day (two is the highest reasonable number if one expects to be able to do/see anything), but I think it makes more sense to share stories and pictures that are park specific. That...and I don't really want to have to share exactly how many enormous buckets of popcorn were consumed on this trip.

Fiiiinal countdown!!!

Or something like that. GP and I have been trying to get ourselves over to Eastern time, because we are waking up tomorrow morning at something like 4:30 in order to begin our journey to...Disney World! The computer will be making the trip with me, but who can say whether I will have it in me to be a good blogger after traipsing around in the swampy magic all day. With this in mind, I just have to do at least one Disney-themed post. So, here it goes...a Friday fill-in (semi-related: my "f" key is being sticky, so that originally said "riday inn-in." Awesome.)

1. It's January; this means that GP and I are making our annual pilgrimage to a Disney park. Here's the thing: he is a big theme park guy and I enjoy magic and turkey legs. As we live in California, it is just a short trip (read: five-plus hour trek) down (terminally ugly) Interstate 5 to Anaheim, home of the original Disney mecca. So, for our first two Januaries together, we went to Disneyland/CA Adventure. When we went to Paris over the summer...we went out to Marne-la-Vallee to Disneyland Paris. And then, just for kicks, we went to Disneyland again in November. And this year, in a high point for our Disney sparkle dependency, we will be spending six days in Orlando, all Disney, all the time. Yes, we are nuts. And you can just shut up about it.

2. Six days of wandering through various worlds full of artifice, nostalgia, and just plain fun is (are?) what I crave most right now. Say what you will about the evils of the Disney company (yes, they are evil, let's move on), they put on a hell of a good show.

3. Cork and wine go together like fireworks and hastily-purchased sweatshirts. However, I hear that Florida has a weird 78-degrees-and-rainy weather thing going on...so who knows about this sweatshirt business. Also, I have to note that "cork and wine" are not a good combo. Corked wine sucks, folks.

4. A vacation of any duration is so nourishing. While it is lame that I work two part-time jobs and don't get any sort of paid vacation time (yes, I'm a little bitter), I am always happy to have some time away.

5. Let us dare to embrace our inner cheeseballs. Mine is not so far beneath the surface, hence all the Disney enjoyment, but I generally feel like life is best enjoyed when we aren't trying so hard. That's what being a teenager is for, y'all.

6. I have a feeling that California will always be my home. Because I am a snob, because I am a wimp about most weather patterns, and because I will always believe in the superiority of Disneyland. Had to shoehorn that one in there... :)

Have a good weekend, internets! Leave your favorite Disney memories in the comments.

The Good Stuff

I have had this grand plan of chronicling our entire New York-Paris trip-- and I will, I swear!-- but really, I am in no mood to write about anything but what might arguably be called the highlight of the trip.

I got engaged in Paris!

Yes, apparently we are those types of people, the ones who go to the most romantic city in the world and go and get engaged. Truthfully, I had no idea it was coming-- I had been hearing from so many people, "Oh, he's going to propose there! Of course he will! It's Paris!" that I was convinced that there was no way that was going to happen. I didn't want to come back from the trip snapping at everyone who asked to see my left hand, so I was determined to have a simply amazing trip, diamond ring or no. Rest assured, friends, that I am completely appreciative that it did happen there, and that an already-wonderful trip was highlighted by a perfect proposal. What happened, you ask? Well...

It was the fourth day of our trip, one that started with a visit to the Louvre with GP's parents, but the two of us decided to make an Express Trip of it: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Hammurabi's code, and the Winged Victory, a couple more things along the way, and we were headed out. Lunch in the Marais, with its labyrinthine streets and slight drizzle, peeking out from under an awning and finishing a bottle of wine. Then it was a few hours in the Picasso Museum, and back to our local supermarche in the 16eme (where our apartment was) to get some picnic items. The plan was to head to the Bois du Boulogne for a picnic, complete with a fresh baguette, some insanely cheap and delicious French wine (seriously, not a bad bottle was had on this trip), and a blanket that we had pilfered from the apartment (likely not intended for outdoor use).

Now, between the two of us, we knew that "bois" meant "woods." Why we went to a park that translates into "the woods of Boulogne" for a picnic may seem silly now, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. After wandering through several of the park's trails, surrounded by trees and any number of Parisian predators, ready to spring out of the aforementioned trees and grope one or both of us, we found a suitably grassy area and spread our blanket under a tree. Bread was broken, wine was drunk, and pigeons were shooed away. It was a perfect "early" dinner-- apparently in the summer, the sun is up in Paris until about 10:30pm, so this picnic began at about 7. I had already been talking about what we had to do when we came back to Paris, and GP began talking about how we have to come back to Paris now, as he pulled an Estee Lauder gift-with-purchase bag out of his pocket. What follows is a combination of what actually was said, and what was going on in my head...

Huh. What is this? Did he get me mascara?
GP: I never want to go anywhere without you, ever again. And I want us to always remember this trip...[He pulls a small green box out of the bag.]
What?! The boxes from New Brother-In-Law's jewelry store are green! It's too small to be a bracelet, or a necklace...did he get me earrings? What a wonderful way to remember a trip...
GP: [Opens the box, which contains my beautiful, cushion-cut solitaire on a white-gold band, ring] Will you marry me?
Me: Oh my God! Yes!!! [Begin crying, because really, who does this?]

So, that's about it, folks. That's how it happened. Now we're back home, and as surreal as it felt to be engaged in Paris, it is even more surreal to be engaged at home, and to begin to think about a wedding, my wedding, and a marriage, and a husband, and forever. But you know what? I can definitely get used to this...

Domestic goddess

Because I couldn't be bothered to be PT today, I figured I would earn my Girl Points by whipping up a fantastic dinner that did not consist of hot dogs (my immediate response when GP asked what we had for dinner). Rather, I concocted this, which was my first foray into the world of frying things in my own kitchen. All in all, it was pretty successful-- despite the fact that I got to experience My Very Own First Grease Fire. Yes, friends, olive oil will ignite if you try to tidy up with a paper towel when the burner is still on. I can't say that I recommend it. Oh, and you know there was an apron involved...I have ruined far too many shirts being spattered by wayward pan contents.

This weekend will be mercifully cooking-free, I believe, but more on that later. I am way too busy drinking wine to talk about the laundry-list of things that will be done this weekend.

(Post) Weekend Update

While I can't claim to have been overwhelmingly busy last weekend, I still managed to be occupied enough not to blog. This, then, is what you are left with: bullets! What I managed to do in two days, aside from blog avoidance...

- entertain! Technically this was Friday, but I am including it because I am amazed that I was able to stay up past 10pm. I have been falling into the "in bed by 9:30" routine, which, while not bad in itself, sort of hampers one's social life. Oh, and I made a very popular (what? There were three other people eating it!) avocado mango shrimp salad (even though I ended up using papaya instead-- result of a very boring grocery-store tale). No heat required, and very refreshing. You have to try it!

- finish two library books! I am terrible, generally, at getting through books that I check out before they are (over)due, which is pretty shameful considering I am going to library school in the fall. This time, however, was different! I managed to finish Heat and One Perfect Day, both of which I highly recommend, especially the former, as I am food and cooking-obsessed these days.

- do a Major Apartment Clean-Up! We are not categorically messy people, GP and I, but we tend to have a bit of clutter in key places, including leaving drinking glasses (him) and shoes (me) in our wake as we go about our apartment business. I managed, through the weekend, to tackle the kitchen floor (thanks, Method O-Mop!), vacuuming with out teeny-tiny vacuum cleaner, dual bathroom cleanup, and balcony organization. Since the balcony (re) construction, there has been a ton of debris and whatnot due to further roof construction. It is a regular three-ring circus of construction crap and noise in our complex! If only we could...you know, enjoy it being done.

- get through two loads of laundry! Well...one and a half? We have big dryers, and each load is $1 wash and $1 dry. We are not Rockefeller, you know.

- spend less than $100 at Target! This is a big deal, folks. I finished birthday shopping for my mom, snagged some Jergens Natural Glow for me, and grabbed a full-length mirror so I have nothing holding me back from participating in Mission: Put Together but my own morning indecision and subsequent donning of jeans and a sweater. (Why yes, it is upwards of 80 degrees outside. I am completely insane.)

- was able to watch live television again! So, remember that week where the DirecTV tripod lived in our living room? Yeah, that week ended, and we were able to have it re-erected...only to have the dish knocked out of alignment by a wayward roofer. They said that they "might" be able to pay for the realignment, and I think I "might" kill them if we end up having to pay for something that we did not do (!!!!!). Anyway, the DirecTV contractor showed up a good 90 minutes after the 4-hour window during which he was supposed to arrive had elapsed, but at least he fixed our tv. To celebrate, I went home for lunch today and watched Access Hollywood and felt some of my brain disintegrating.

- hopped back on the Lost bandwagon! GP and I watched "The Shape of Things to Come" last night, and I am conscientiously avoiding spoilers so that he doesn't kill me during any of the ensuing four episodes we have to watch so that we're caught up. While we are obsessed with television, we manage to be obsessed on our own terms.

How was your weekend, internets?

Officially a wino

Better late than never, right? As you know (or should, at least, because I couldn't shut up about it), we went to Sonoma last weekend for Mother's Day with my mom and stepdad, my brother, and GP's parents. We had been planning a fun weekend full of wine tasting and delicious food, and that is exactly what we got! Oh, and all my worrying about mom competitions? Certainly for naught. I don't think that our parents are going to be forming drum circles or anything, but having them get along for a period longer than, say, a meal (which was the length of their previous exposure to each other), was encouraging.


Saturday began early, as we wanted to get on the road by 8 in order to make it to our northernmost winery destination by 10, which is when they open. After picking up GP's parents at their hotel, we made our way up the East Bay, past Berkeley and Oakland, and then over the Richmond-San Rafael bridge into the North Bay. As we got closer to the wineries, my brother called and told me that they were two cars behind us, so our planning worked out really well. The first winery we went to was St. Francis, which had a beautiful backyard-type area behind it, as well as a pretty gorgeous main building. Their wines were all right, but the girl who was pouring was basically ignoring us. If you haven't been tasting, you need to know that it isn't like going to a bar; of course, you are drinking, and have the potential to be quite smashed by about noon, but the people pouring are supposed to interact with you, as it is their job to make you want to buy the wine.

Winery number two was the polar opposite, though. We got there right at the time that they were beginning their cave tour, so we got to see the caves where they keep their barrels, which are really cool. It didn't hurt that it had started to heat up and the caves were at least 10 degrees cooler than outside. Going into their tasting room, we noticed that they had a specific area for a VIP-style tasting, and being the snobs (and cheese enthusiasts!) that we are, we seated ourselves on their classy leather sofas and sipped our four tastes (for a fairly-steep $20, but come on! There was cheese involved!). This was when the buying started, too. When GP and I go tasting in Napa, we might come home with half a case or so, total, of wines that we tried and liked. When we go to Amador County wine events, we might bring home a bit more than a case, because it is cheaper there (but still good wine!). When we were there this weekend, we came away with three cases of wine. I blame the parents-- my parents are huuuuge wine collectors (we're talking hundreds of bottles here, multiple winery memberships), and his parents are members of a couple Sonoma wineries, even though they live in New York.

We stopped at a cute Italian deli/cafe place for something to soak up all the wine we'd consumed (we are not apt to pour anything out unless it is pretty gross), and then headed off to another winery, where I got to hang out with the Official Winery Dog while we tasted. Being the smart animal that he is, he had decided to take a nap on the cool, tiled tasting room floor to escape the heat...right on one of my feet. Thanks, dog.


The families split after this, because my parents wanted to visit just one more place and then go to the hotel to rest before dinner, so GP and I and his parents headed, ambitiously, to three more places.

Pretty exhausted, we tucked into dinner at a place I had been eager to try, and made the (totally too-long) drive back to our hotel, where I am proud to say I passed out before 9pm. It had been a loooooong day.

The next morning, after having presented both moms with presents and spending some time hanging out at the hotel bar for mimosas and Bloody Marys, we made our way to , where GP's parents are members. We skipped the tour, having chosen some morning drinking instead, but got there in time to sample some Blanc de Noirs before we were seated for brunch. The brunch was surprising-- I had expected maybe a buffet or a range of options, but we all ended up with the same salad with bay shrimp, lamb, and fresh fruit trifle (no beef sauteed with peas and onions, sorry!). Other than the lamb being so rare it was near-bleating (woo, homonyms! Get it?), everything was very delicious. After our meal, we sat outside and tasted while enjoying a great view of the entire valley.

All in all, a successful weekend. Carrying the wine from the car to the apartment was a bit of a pain, but I'm pretty certain we won't need to buy anything until we go back to Amador for their Fall Crush event. The only problem now is that we have all these nice wines and only a couple "occasions" coming up... I'm sure we'll manage, though.

Coming attractions

Because, unfortunately, there are people in the office and I don't have the option of working from home, I am unable to do the SNL recap at this very moment (I am pretty excited to watch and mock mercilessly, though). Oh, and I took a picture of all the wine we bought last weekend (I say "we," but really GP was the benefactor), but it is trapped in my camera, in the study of our apartment. So what you get for now is a list of all the stuff I will be doing in the next month and a half or so...

Memorial Day weekend - GP graduates! He's all growns up now, with his master's degree and fancy job, so his parents as well as his sister and her fiance will be coming to town for a Big Fat Graduation Event. His graduation is all kind of early in the morning, at the school's football stadium-- because of this, and because I graduated from a South Bay public high school, I have to keep reminding his parents that they could wear a barrel with suspenders, for all anyone else will care. For real, there will be air horns and people banging on pots and pans with utensils. Classy. Post-graduation, there will be some eating and drinking, which I am working to finalize because the stupid restaurant guy hasn't finalized with me.

The next day, we're going to the beach! This is how you know GP's family isn't from California: they want to go to the beach on Memorial Day weekend, which is a truly insane proposition. There is generally "beach traffic" every weekend from May through September/October, with holiday weekends being the worst. But they came all this way, and are intent on "swimming" (y'all, our water is freezing-- you don't swim unless you are four years old or completely insane), so we will go.

Monday is up in the air, but our tentative plans are to go to local Santa Cruz mountain wineries...because we cannot get enough of wine. Seriously, we are running out of room.

Third weekend in June - We will be the ones traveling across the country! GP's sister is getting married, and it is going to be a Big Fat Armenian wedding, with very few expenses spared. Aside from the frozen drink bar and the fact that I will get to have my hair done and ride in a limo, I am most excited to field all the "So when are you getting married?" queries. My planned response is, "Ask him," but do let me know if you have any suggestions-- GP is not a fan of my current planned response.

Oh, and a couple days after the wedding, we are going to Paris! I've mentioned this in passing, but here's the deal: we are in the "habit" of taking one big trip a year (last year it was Puerto Vallarta), and his parents haven't ever been to Paris together, so the logical remedy to this was that we would all go together, in a "honeymoon" of sorts. Yes, GP's sister is getting married and going to Anguilla for her actual honeymoon, but the four of us will be taking Paris by storm! His parents are generously paying for everything but the airfare (our combined SFO-EWR-CDG-EWR-SJC itinerary was like $1400, yikes), and I am hoping we might be able to sneak in a romantic moment or two. Expect to be sick of hearing me talk about damn Paris by the time I leave...because I cannot wait to go!

Is it summer yet?

Coordinated

There will be a post later today about the Jesus-like sandals I am sporting today (seriously, you will see when I get around to it), but right now I have to talk about this Labor of Love weekend that I am arranging for Mother's Day. GP's parents will be here, so that means that I get to negotiate the potential in-law and my mom/stepdad situation, on a weekend that can tend to be a very "loaded" one.

Now, I will not pretend that GP's mom is in any way my mother-in-law, but the fact is that more likely than not, she will be eventually. I really enjoy her, and she has always been very sweet and generous with me, so I know I could be doing a lot worse in that department. My mom and I are also close; she and my stepdad live within 15 minutes of us, and we often have Sunday dinners with them. What I am worried about is the degree of competition that could erupt during this weekend between the two moms-- I am having to walk the line that says, "I appreciate you, [GP's mom], but mom, you are really the best," but in a way that doesn't pit them against each other in the Mother of the Year race. Because GP is much less "into" Mother's Day than I am, I will be putting together "Queen For a Day" weekend-y gift bags for both moms, complete with cards, wine-tasting itineraries, and assorted small gifts. True, we are paying for the brunch that we'll be having Sunday morning, but I think they will appreciate the bags and the sentiment behind them.

How do married women deal with this? I am sweating bullets in my air-conditioned office, trying to decide what separate-but-equal gifts I can put in these bags, and how to balance the Mother's Day merriment so that everyone has a good time. I may be overanalyzing and worrying too much-- after all, we will be wine tasting. How bad can it be?

If you have any advice about the two-mom/family Mother's Day juggling act (or just want to tell me to stop worrying or at least just shut up about it), leave it in the comments!

I went to the library on Tuesday

Overheard this evening, in our living room...

Me: That's my book about a brothel.

GP: Oh yeah? Are there pictures in it?

[GP flips through the book, disappointed to find nothing but text]

GP: Awwwwwwww.

Day 3: Charleston Throwdown, Beach, and Athens

Sorry to leave you hanging for all of those 24 hours, but I wanted to let the drama of the bedroom thievery fully sink in. At this point in the evening, GP and I were both pretty wiped (remember that 5+ hour drive that we had done that morning from Atlanta? Yeah. It was long.), and I had been drinking enough Jim Beam and ginger ale to be a little feisty. GP, being the better grownup of the two of us, headed to the bedroom to resolve the conflict-- apparently there had been some miscommunication, or at the very least a bit of a misunderstanding. The misunderstanding being that it would be the appropriate thing to do, to leave the out-of-towners to fend for themselves when certain others had just driven out to the beach from Charleston. Southern hospitality? I was thinking, Well, I guess she is from Massachusetts.

To make what seemed like an arduous ten-minute period seem shorter, I will simply tell you that a phone call was placed (to the groom, no less!) and we ended up sleeping in a luxurious king-sized bed. Because, bitch, please. There is no freaking way I am giving up a bed after having traveled across the country. Just sayin'.

The next morning, though, I think everyone was helped by the full night of sleep, and we semi-bonded over breakfast and then headed out to the beach. Being a completely insecure individual, I ended up going to the beach fully clothed, despite having brought my new Old Navy tankini. Hey, I didn't know these people, and there was no way my white ass was going to be showing up at the beach, all jiggly-like. At any rate, we got to hang out for a couple hours, playing bocce, taking a walk, and enjoying being in/near the ocean in general (not exactly a novelty, but definitely different than when we go to Santa Cruz).


After some de-sanding, it was back on the road-- this time to Athens, where a guy that GP's been friends with since kindergarten and his wife live while she/they are going to grad school (she's in vet school, he's starting a PhD in the fall) at UGA. I had no idea what to expect of Athens, given my very limited exposure to parts of Georgia that aren't Atlanta, but I knew that it would definitely be less urban. Turns out, I was right. During the ride out, we went through my Very First Southern Thunderstorms (I'm not gonna lie, it was a little scary), and stopped at my Very First Really, Really Backwoods-y Southern Gas Station to use the restroom (likewise). We were greeted by the couple and their two dogs (yay, pets! There were also two cats and an iguana), and hung out awhile before heading out to dinner.

Dinner was delicious, at a nicer version of Olive Garden, complete with some prom kids (awww!) and a crap-ton of wine and desserts (though the waiter did seem a little perplexed at GP's request for some after-dinner port). As a thank-you for dinner, we stopped by the Kroger and bought them some nice California wine...because we are snobs. Seriously, we spent so much time at dinner talking about how wonderful it is to live in California that I think we should be able to draw some sort of salary from the tourism people here. Really, it's just a ploy to get people to visit us, because we love to entertain and show off our great sushi place, and our two (yes, two) luxurious fold-out couches. So, seriously, come on over! We are so fun.

Because we are old and lame, we ended up not going into downtown, where all the bars/clubs/hoopla was happening, but we did get to go back to their newly-purchased home and talk about mortgages and great grownup stuff like that. So as to avoid having us share a room with the iguana (who I am told is a night-snacker), they were kind enough to lend us their bedroom, where we promptly passed out, tired from all the 401(K) talk.

That was our last night in Georgia! But there is still a bit to tell, what with our Sunday flight not departing until almost 7pm. Stay tuned for the final chapter in The Trip of Northern Aggression...

Day 2: Drive to Charleston and The Wedding

The second day of the Trip of Northern Aggression began even earlier than the first one did-- we had a long Atlanta-to-Charleston drive ahead of us, as well as a wedding (our actual reason for this trip in the first place) to attend that evening. No time for Greek delis this morning, we wheeled our trusty suitcases over to the deck where GP's friend, D, parks his car. He had generously offered to lend it to us for the weekend, as he had no out-of-town plans and easy access to pretty fabulous public transit.

So, here begins the list of things that I would import from the South, if I could (hey, I had to do something to keep occupied during the drive, and list-making appeals to me!). Thing number one? Crazy well-maintained roads! I don't know if it's that California has no money, no interest, or what, as far as it comes to road maintenance, but let me tell you something: our roads are pure crap. Sometimes, it's just painful. Not so in Georgia! Every inch of our drive from downtown Atlanta to the SC state line was gorgeous and smooth. Oh, and thing number two, which I also discovered en route? Chick-Fil-A. Someone tell me why we don't have these in the Bay Area? I suppose it's for the best, though, because I would never be able to stop eating those nuggets, and then I would be that lady that has to be lifted out of her cat-filled apartment by a crane. Also, Chick-Fil-A was the site of my discovery of thing number three: crazy politeness! This man approached our table while we were eating, and, rather than spitting on my tray or asking for spare change (which is what would probably happen at most places in California), he asks, "Ma'am, can I refill your drink?" I was so taken aback by this teeny random (really, not random at all, but whatever) kindness that I said no, even though I was hankering for some more Diet Coke. Why can't we import this politeness, even if it is perfunctory, to the West Coast? It would be so...nice.


Finally, we arrived at the beach house. Even though the wedding was taking place at an old plantation-type house in Charleston, the couple figured that it would be more fun to have everyone stay at the beach, so a few houses were rented in beautiful Folly Beach. One was for the bride, R, and her bridesmaids, another was for T, the groom, and his groomsmen, and another was for various family members that had come into town for the festivities. We ended up at the boys' house, which was full of guys finishing getting ready, as well as a couple of their girlfriends who had arrived and started getting ready. As T and the groomsmen headed out, he informed the girl who had slept in a room with a king-sized bed the previous night, that the room was to be mine and GP's that night. She was fine with this, and it seems small now, but it will become important later, I promise.


We finished the preparation, which included a search for usable bath towels (seriously, how are there not enough towels in a house that sleeps about 15?), but was otherwise uneventful. It was marginally awkward because GP and I knew no one else but each other, but everyone was nice enough, if a little more college-student-y than we are (read: not able to really deal with people outside their immediate friend circle, and a bit clique-y). With the address to the wedding venue plugged into our trusty GPS (what? We take it everywhere!), we headed out with time to spare. When we got there, I was really amazed at how gorgeous it was-- the parking was a little removed from the grounds where the ceremony and reception were, and there were little trams that took us where we needed to be. The ceremony took place in a grove of Spanish Moss trees (which are fascinating and will always seem so romantic to me, I don't know why), and made me tear up because I am a sucker for cheesy wedding stuff. The only troubling part was when the pastor took great pains to mention (multiple times!) how "God invented marriage for men and women so that they can contribute to the betterment of society, and bear children..." Not something I would choose to have anyone say at my wedding (what with my San Francisco values and all), but I did love the 1 Corinthians reading, so I suppose I am just conflicted all over.


Bubbles were blown at the recessional, which was an adorable touch, and we headed to the reception, which took place under two tents that were arranged in a "T" shape. Everyone, including us, headed to the (open, of course) bar first, then into the house to grab some food. All the food was Southern-style, from teeny crab cakes with remoulade to mini-meatballs on lollipop sticks and shrimp and grits served in martini glasses. Had I known that was it for the food, I might have stocked up a bit more, but everything was so delicious that I'm glad I didn't-- wouldn't want to test the Assets even more than I already was! Dancing was minimal, as there was a band and GP is not much of a dancer, but we did manage to squeeze in the last dance, to a song that I would like to think holds some significance for us.

Though many of the other bridesmaids/groomsmen and their dates (as well as T&R, which I find amazing after what must have been a super-long, crazy day) were going to downtown Charleston to go to some bars and clubs, we passed on that because we were ready to pass out. Heading back to the beach house, GP and I speculated about the other people whose stuff was in "our" bedroom coming back to "claim" the room, but we decided we were safe because we would be the first ones there, and surely no one would kick the slumbering Californians out of bed, right? Soon after we arrived, another couple (one of the groomsmen and his girlfriend, who live in Charleston) came back, bearing wedding-food leftovers, and we all hung out in the kitchen, munching, until they left to "go get ready for bed." In our room. Where all their stuff was. Minutes passed, then we realized that too much time for regular bed-prep activities had elapsed. What were they doing in there?

They were straight going to steal our room, y'all! Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion to this tale, as well as the Day 3 report, coming tomorrow...!