Good Things Come in Small Packages

I got the greatest unexpected gift in the mail today! Some friends sent it to me to thank me for doing them a favor (which, by the way, I didn't even consider a favor because what I did was so fun)!

Check it out!

Actual size! Crazy! You can clip it almost anywhere! It holds 240 songs! Amazing what this tiny little thing can do! I love it! So many exclamation marks!

Thank you so much, friends.

Date Twins

I used to think the term "date twins" was so stupid.

Until I met mine.

I had the good fortune of becoming friendly with several of my date twins. We even went to a Death Cab for Cutie concert together! Amazingly, all these girls were smart, witty, and had excellent taste.

I also happen to think we all had some fabulous weddings! It was fun going through the planning process together. As a procrastinator, I often got "vendor-scooped" by more diligent date twins (*cough* weathergirl99 *cough* ivybride06 *cough*). I remember calling florists and makeup artists and being told they were booked already, only to see them listed as vendors in my date twins' bios!

Well, my procrastination persists. Not only was I the last to send out invitations, I'm quite sure that everyone is done with their thank-you cards except yours truly. Ok. Maybe, there is a small chance that greengelato isn't done either. Make that a very small chance. In any event, it seemed like Maya_G finished all of hers a mere two weeks after her wedding! Impressive!

Check us all out:
greengelato

ivybride06

Maya_G

weathergirl99

WeezerMonkey (me!)

Our other pal, Aug19, hasn't made a bio, but we've seen the pics. And, like Frosted Flakes, they're grrrrreat!

Rules of Engagement

Many couples take engagement photos these days. Engagement photos serve as a great way to get to know your photographer, as well as an opportunity to get professional photos of you and your fiance in non-wedding garb.

Engagement photos can be hit or miss, though, and often it is the couple themselves who are partially to blame for less than stellar pictures.

Here are my five basic tips for good e-pics:

(1) Get a manicure. Most e-pic sessions include close-ups of your ring. Your hands and nails will be featured. Avoid overly long scary nails and dark colors, unless you want to look like you have crazy claws. Sheer neutrals like light pinks or nudes work well. French manicures are also nice, if you're into those. I like Essie's Sugar Daddy, Steppin' Out, and Spaghetti Strap.



(2) Choose a location that has meaning to you and your fiance, preferably with architectural or visual interest. It's nice to have a pretty setting, but it's even nicer to have a pretty setting that evokes emotion for the both of you. We met and began our lives together in downtown Los Angeles, so that's where we took our photos. Specifically, we went to three places that each have meaning to us: Walt Disney Concert Hall, the park behind the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, and Union Station.







(3) Don't wear the same outfit as your fiance. I know many people do this, but I just can't stand this look. It's so hokey. You're engaged. You're not twins. And, for that matter, twins don't even wear identical outfits unless they're three-year-olds who are dressed by their sadistic mother.

But I digress.

Instead, simply coordinate your outfits to complement each other.



(4) Avoid bold, busy, and/or large prints. Solids photograph best, but I loved my new print dress so much that I went against my own rule. Lucky for me, our pics didn't turn out horrific because the orange print was fairly subtle. It should be noted, however, that our photos with my blue dress are generally bolder and more striking.



(5) Don't blend in with your surroundings. If you're taking photos on a beach, don't wear sandy colors. If you're taking photos in a forest, don't wear green. If you're taking photos against brick walls, don't wear red. I think our photos at Union Station were especially good because my bright blue dress really popped. Hooray for wardrobe changes.



And, finally, listen to your photographer, even when the suggestions for poses seem odd. He or she is a professional and knows what works.

Have fun!

Looky-Loo

Our wonderful officiant (our friend in common who set us up six years ago) got married a couple of months before we did.

And, boy, was his wedding a tough act to follow.

I could post dozens of pictures of the insane enormous hanging centerpieces (just one of four different types of centerpieces, which were all huge), sliders and sushi cocktail hour stations, the triple dessert dessert dessert (I never thought you could have too much dessert, but this wedding proved me wrong), and the crazy grey-haired middle-aged white bandmember who did a seriously great Ludacris impression. It was...well...ludicrous!

But what made the most lasting impression on me?

The ladies' room!

I think the pictures speak for themselves.

That girl in the last photo is thinking, "Why the hell is this weirdo taking pictures of the bathroom?"

Further proof that you lose your mind when you're planning your wedding.

Video Killed the Radio Star

Just sent a couple of CDs to our fabulous videographers, Today's the Day Weddings, with possible songs for our wedding video soundtrack. (Mind you, I've been the reason for the extreme delay, not them. Work has been keeping me beyond busy. Poop.) If you're in the Southern California area, check out Mike and Joe at Today's the Day Weddings and feel free to let them know that The Monkey sent you. Frighteningly, they'll actually know who that is. Hee!

Originally, I had a massive list, which was in the triple digits. Here's the truncated list:

Bride/Getting Ready:
INXS "Beautiful Girl"
Sixpence None the Richer "There She Goes"
blink-182 "Josie"
Duran Duran "Girls on Film"

Groom:
The Pixies "Here Comes Your Man"

Music Used on Wedding Day:
Johann Sebastian Bach "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," Cantata BWV 147 [processional of parents]
Weezer "Island in the Sun" [processional of wedding party]
The Verve "Bitter Sweet Symphony" [bridal march]
U2 "Beautiful Day" [recessional]
Peter Gabriel "In Your Eyes" [first dance]
The Temptations "My Girl" [father-daughter dance]
Saturday Night Live Theme Song [grand entrance of wedding party and couple]
Christina Aguilera, Pink, Li'l Kim, Maya, Missy Elliott "Lady Marmalade" [karaoke by bride and bridesmaids]

Slower and Mid Tempo:
Aimee Mann and Michael Penn "Two of Us"
Bjork "It's Oh So Quiet"
Coldplay "Kingdom Come"
The Cure "Close to Me [Closet Remix]"
Dashboard Confessional "Stolen"
Death Cab for Cutie "I Will Follow You Into the Dark"
Green Day "Waiting"
INXS "Never Tear Us Apart"
Lemonheads "Into Your Arms"
Phantom Planet "California"
The Shins "New Slang"
Snow Patrol "Open Your Eyes"
That Dog "I'm Gonna See You"
Travis "Flowers in the Window"
U2 "All I Want Is You"

Mid and Faster Tempo:
Modern English "I Melt With You"
Muse "Invincible"
The Postal Service "We Will Become Silhouettes"
The Cure "Just Like Heaven"
The Killers "Read My Mind"
The Smashing Pumpkins "Tonight, Tonight"
The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop"
Depeche Mode "Just Can't Get Enough"
Franz Ferdinand "Do You Want To"
Outkast "My Favorite Things"
Arctic Monkeys "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor"

Conclusion/Credits:
The Cure "Pictures of You"
Semisonic "Closing Time"
The Killers "Enterlude"

Can't wait for the final product!

Movie Mania, Part Deux

Do I do anything aside from watching movies? Yeah. But I really really like movies. A lot. We saw three this weekend. Here's the wrap-up:

Children of Men: I liked this movie. I knew little to nothing about it before going in, which was a good thing because I really dislike science fiction and probably wouldn't have seen it had I known it was a "futuristic" film. It's set in 2027 and has an interesting concept. I'll leave it at that. Don't let the sci-fi label deter you. Clive Owen is great, and the film has the wonderful dark quality that I've come to expect from Alfonso Cuarón.

Dreamgirls: Aside from The Sound of Music, I'm not a big fan of musicals. Thus, it's a big deal that I enjoyed Dreamgirls. I knew the major players could sing (i.e., Beyonce, Foxx, Murphy, and Hudson), but I was still impressed while watching the film. Count me as one of the many admirers of Jennifer Hudson! The story was was poignant and the acting strong. While I'll still be cheering for The Departed, I think Dreamgirls is deserving of its hype. The funny thing is that the hubs hated it!

The Pursuit of Happyness: Sap, sap, sap...and more sap! I love Will Smith, but this flick really should've been a brief life interest piece on a news magazine show or an hour-long made-for-TV movie at best. Jaden Smith (Will Smith's son in real life) is cute as a button, but even this adorable little tyke couldn't save the movie from being a total schmaltz-fest. If you must see it, wait for the DVD. Otherwise, I say skip it altogether.

Addendum: The hubs was so pissed off about having to "waste two hours of his life" watching Dreamgirls that I took him to Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n' Waffles for dinner. Only after eating a Country Boy plate and a side of mac 'n' cheese did he finally shut up about how much he hated Dreamgirls.A happy hubby = a happy monkey. Thank you, Roscoe's.

Baby Hater

I am not a baby person. I am happy for people who have babies. I am happy for people who love babies. Babies are a blessing.

But, while others coo and cuddle and fawn over li'l bundles of joy, I pass those suckers along like hot potatoes.

Yeah, that's right.

Call me evil. I don't like babies.

I don't know why, but I just don't have a motherly instinct about me. I cringe when an infant is handed my way. I have no desire to hold anybody's baby. And I even think some babies are ugly. Yes, I'm going to Hell.

What bothers me is that everybody around me keeps asking me when we plan to have children. First, that's none of their business. Second, they assume that we will have children. Third, that's none of their business.

"You're not getting any younger."
"I can't wait to babysit."
"Your family is more important than your career."
"You'd make a great mom."

Shut up, shut up, shut up!

And...what?! Clearly, these are comments from people who don't know me very well. Of course, family is the most important thing in the world. However, a family does not necessarily entail having a screeching child. I think that last statement right there lets you know how ridiculous the "great mom" comment is.

This is a big reason I'm not quite ready for The Nest. My local Nest board goes something like this:

baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah blah blah baby baby baby blah

Scary stuff.

Everybody keeps telling me that I'll change my mind someday. Someday? I'm already 29. My prime childbearing years have already passed me by. Maybe I will. Maybe I won't. But, for the time being, I wish people would just keep their traps shut.

March of the Trolls

When Edvard Grieg wrote his pieces on trolls, he had no idea how relevant his music would be over 100 years later on message boards. Of course, Grieg was inspired by Norse mythology, but the same concept lives on here at the knot.

What is a troll? In the traditional sense, trolls are ogre-like creatures. They're not cute things. They are ugly and have typically been illustrated as having abnormally large ears and/or noses. Folklore depicts them as devious, violent, and brutish, but having rather poor intellect.

Funny how much and how little things change with the passage of time.

According to Urban Dictionary, a "troll" is "one who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument." Similarly, in old Scandinavian tales, trolls would disrupt households by stealing food, cattle, and even newborn babies, leaving their own offspring (called "changelings") in return.

And now my local board has been attacked by trolls. Yuck.

The Scandinavians would ward off trolls by ringing church bells or asking Thor to throw his lightning bolts to kill the trolls. What's a modern girl to do about these pesky creatures?

Apparently, we are lucky enough to have our own Thor on the knot who monitors things so carefully that we don't even have to invoke his (or, more likely, her) power.

Thanks for those lightning bolts, oh mighty Knot Thor.

Tyrannosaurus Checks

Forget diamonds. Checks are a bride's best friend. Handy-dandy money with a guest's address right there, ready to copy onto an envelope.

74 thank-you cards done. All for checks! Lucky us!

100+ thank-you cards to go.

If only everybody just gave us checks....