Posts from — September 2008

I have been recently inducted into the magical, addictive world of Etsy— “your place to buy and sell all things handmade.” Why, yes, it is my place, thank you! Nicole introduced me to it while she was planning her wedding, and it’s apparently the new hotspot for hip (and hipster) brides to find creative, fabulous wedding accessories, decorations, invitations and pretty much anything else that can be stitched, beaded or tie-dyed. It’s awesome! It makes me want to buy an old loft with Brian and fix it up with silkscreened prints and refurbished furniture like these people.

Nicole found this awesome guestbook from Etsy artist lmoss that would be perfect with our carnival theme (“Carnies. Circus Folk. Nomads, you know. Smell like cabbage. Small hands.”):

Oooh, pretty.  This one is small (5.5 x 4.25) with inner pages made of colorful index cards, but the great thing about an independent artisan is that she can make one customized to our specifications. I’m thinking an 8×10 horizontal book with ivory linen pages. I’m also thinking our guests should write all messages in the form of haikus or limericks (or perhaps caricatures for those good draw-ers). Whatchya think?

I spend all day on the Internet. I work for a Web site, and I’m addicted to Facebook, Google Talk and any number of other time-suckage devices, so you could call me a Web junkie (better than “Web crack whore,” I suppose). And let me tell you, the Internet is really excited that I’m getting married. It tells me so all the time! It gives me recommendations on what wedding stationary to use, where to go on my honeymoon and even how to lose those pesky extra pounds (which I apparently have put on, according to the Internet).

Facebook is the worst– constantly bombarding me with annoying ads about “revolutionary” diets and “romantic” photography packages (side note: if I see another soft-focus shot, I’m gonna hurt someone).

And I don’t even know what to say about this one:

But it’s not just Facebook; my buddy Google has done me wrong, too, scouring my e-mails for wedding keywords and harassing me within my own e-mail. Gmail is supposed to be my happy place!

I’d just like to note that the words “baby registry” keep coming up, and I don’t know why. Nowhere in my e-mails do I use the words “shotgun” or “pitter-patter of little feet.” There are some things we don’t joke about, Google. I can always change my relationship status to “It’s Complicated” on Facebook (though then I might get break-up self-help books), but I have no idea what to do about the all-knowing Google besides writing my e-mails in code. Any ideas?

That’s it. We’re getting married on the front porch (Chuck has already graciously offered to get one of those online certificates so he can perform the ceremony) and having the reception at Ms. Mae’s. We’ll even offer to pick up the tab for everyone’s $1 drinks. I can’t see any other way this is gonna work.

Both Ide and Melia have blogged recently about feeling crazy and overwhelmed, and I’d like to join that party… especially if that party has wine. I realized today that we’re getting married in four months. Four freaking months! Lately, I’ve been working until the wee hours of the morning and drinking coffee like it’s going out of style. I don’t really have the energy to feed myself (thank you, Reginelli’s delivery man)

or unpack my evacuation suitcase, let alone research florists or learn about sin in our pre-cana class.

So instead, I make to-do lists. Lots and lots of to-do lists. I have Google docs, Excel spreadsheets, ta-da lists, scraps of paper stuffed in my purse. I’m the crazy cat lady of to-do lists.

Just a few items:

• Find a damn printer by next week
• Reserve the Yat cake lady we love so much
• Register for the “set it and forget it.” And maybe a few other things.
• Research remaining vendors: DJ, florist, transportation, people to make us prettier than we already are
• Write “our story” for the Web site in a non-gross way
• Get an extension on pre-cana class (play the deployment card)
• Call Archdiocese re: importing a priest from out of state
• Go swimming enough to make up for my week in Jackson and Chicago (read: spending time with my favorite bad influences)
• Watch late-night TNT while making more to-do lists I won’t complete

I make Sarah Palin look sane. Actually, now that I think about it, all this organizational experience might qualify me for vice president.

I was going to write a couple blogs last week, but life has been a little nutty with:

1. Hurricane Gustav- WTF, dude? Thanks for not hitting New Orleans directly, but it’s still awfully inconvenient to evacuate. My house still doesn’t have power (sorry you’re going through this alone, Chuck… I promise I’ll replenish our whiskey supply when I get home) and I’m praying Ike defies his abusive name and goes elsewhere.

2. Traveling- See #1. I spent a few evacuation days in Jackson, Mississippi and now I’m in Chicago invading the Ide-Crank household until Sunday. We managed to get a huge New Orleans posse up here this week, which can only mean trouble. Chicago didn’t know what it was in for.

3. Work- The only bad thing about working from home for a California-based company is that work doesn’t stop during mandatory evacuations in Louisiana. So I’ve been that loser college friend who sits on Ide’s futon all day and doesn’t shower till 6 p.m. (at least I’m working on my laptop and not watching “Tyra” and drinking a six-pack of High Life).

Anyway, those are my excuses. I’ll try to do better next week… if there is power in New Orleans by the time I get back. You may have already seen this on Brian’s blog, but… drumroll please… here are our save-the-dates! We still need to write final copy (I’m totally calling that guy at Gem Printing for some pointers), but the design is finished. What do you think? Isn’t Brian fantastically talented (in addition to being ridiculously good looking)?