California Dreamin'

The boyfriend's brother got married last weekend in LA. So we flew down there to attend the festivities. That couple really knows how to throw a party.
I left on Friday afternoon and met the boyfriend in LA. We stayed in a nice enough cheap hotel in LA's downtown. We were quite close to the nicer hotels where the other guests were staying, but ours was significantly cheaper, and really what do you do in a hotel room but shower and sleep anyway, and for most of that time the lights are off, so what's the big deal with an expensive hotel room. On the other hand, I actually started to wonder after a few encounters with the staff if there was something wrong with them, perhaps the hotel was a sheltered workplace for the mentally challenged or something (I changed that just for you Ash!). For example, when I went down to ask for more pillows, and told them my room was 1255, instead of calling housekeeping, the woman called our room and told us to bring pillows up to 1255. The BF tried to explain to them that we were 1255 and if we had pillows we wouldn't have asked for them. It was more funny than annoying.
The first morning we were there, we went for the rehersal breakfast dim sum. Some of the bride's family were from less multicultural areas and so dim sum is a new thing for them. Normally, when we go out with TT, we take sort of a sink or swim attitude to introducing people to new Asian food experiences. Many readers of this blog have had heard TT yell, "NO FORKS!" at a waiter who was charitably trying to bring forks to our floundering whities at Asian restaurants. Before meeting them, I was threatening I would do this to the bride's family. But when they got there, they were such good sports about the whole thing, even though some of them were really out of their element, that I really had to admire them.
We dropped in at a grocery store after brunch and I just wandered up and down the aisles looking at how much stuff they have for sale there that we just don't get in Canada, so many different kinds of pop. The BF's dad was waiting in the car and I was just wandering up and down the aisles looking at stuff. After that we headed out to a discount shoe store we'd heard about, it was the size of a football field. I bought 3 pairs of shoes, two more practical and one pair of high-heeled leopard-print Steve Maddens that came in very handy later.
Later, while the BF was 'playing videogames' at the bachelor party, I met up with a friend from high school who lives in LA, it was great to see her. It's so nice to be friends with someone you can not see for years and you just pick up where you left off.
The wedding was held at an old art deco hotel in downtown LA called The Oviatt. The wedding was lovely. I really enjoyed it. The theme was picnic, so there were these amazing grassy flower arrangements on the tables and a burger buffet with all the fixin's you could ever hope for, and the dessert table was all cupcakes and glass jars of licorice and candy bars. It was just lovely. It's the kind of wedding I could picture myself having if I ever got married. Elegant without being fussy, and the focus was on fun. The venue was so beautiful, I think that's what really made the evening. I love Art Deco.
And there was a hallway full of signed pictures of Howard Hughes and Leslie Howard (from Gone With The Wind) and other famous people. The original Lalique decorative glass was still there, and some beautiful Deco art. There was even a secret toilet that looked like a chair and a sink that looked like a side table. I love that stuff.
All the pictures in here are from the Oviatt.

If you're going to celebrate religious holidays, at least do it right!

Yes, I know, celebration of religious holidays like Easter and Christmas has been under fire for a while now. And, to that, I say, bullshit! We should just celebrate every group's holidays. More celebrating is what we need, not less. I'll celebrate the Jewish holidays, the Hindu holidays, made-up holidays... why not? It's fun, you learn about other people's cultures, there's generally food involved... what's not to like about this?
Anyway, here's the thing, I'm not religious, but I think if you're going to celebrate a religious holiday, you should do it properly.
That's why I was kind of put out when I walked into work this morning, to find the whole joint covered with baskets of chocolate, it's still Lent people! You can't crack out the chocolate until after Good Friday (remember Good Friday? It's only the holiest day of the whole Christian calendar). I know I'm hair splitting, and I suspect that a lot of the people who are getting all into this office Easter celebrating aren't Christians, so you can't really get on their case about not getting it quite right - also, complaining about it makes you seem like a religious cook - which I vehemently am not, I just like things to be done right.
The worst ever was the time we went out to the bar on Holy Thursday night (the day before Good Friday) and the bar was holding a Mardi Gras Party - I can't explain why it bothered me so much. Obviously, I wasn't really observing Lent (since I was at a bar), but it still ticked me off. If you're going to reference a religious holiday then you should do it properly. Mardi Gras is the last day before the beginning of Lent, Lent is a period of fasting and praying, so you party like crazy until midnight of Mardi Gras because it's your last chance before Lent. Good Friday is the last day of Lent and the day you kick the fasting and praying into overdrive. Easter Sunday is the day you celebrate and eat the chocolate and all that fun stuff. So throwing a Mardi Gras party (or cracking out the Easter chocolate) during Lent is just gauche.
In my defence, I'd just like to say that, it bothers me that this bothers me.

Happy V-day from the Hoff

Happy Birthday to the King

A Design for Life

Instead of resolutions I've taken to choosing a theme for the year before Jan 1 each year. Often these themes come from my awesome pal Sly. Here it is for this year kiddies:

as 2006 draws to a close, stargazers, soulsearchers, and speculators are all looking for guidance as to what the celestial offerings will be in 2007. what will happen in 2007? what are we to do with ourselves? what can possibly be the follow-up to this year where everything was completely new and different? after we've done it all differently, what else is there left to do?

this coming year, in 2007, we are making a design for life.

yes, after having forgone all rules and lived with our balls way out, after trying and doing all things new and different, we have expanded our repertoire of experience and familiarity to the point where now, in 2007, we are making our design for life. it all comes together this year, so get ready:

this year is our design for life.





We don't talk about love we only want to get drunk
And we are not allowed to spend
As we are told that this is the end

A design for life

---manic street preachers "a design for life"

I never dreamt that I would get to be
The creature that I always meant to be...

...cause we were never being boring
We had too much time to find for ourselves
And we were never being boring

--pet shop boys "being boring"

thanks Sly

The grinch's heart begins to thaw

I hadn't felt even the slightest spark of excitement about Christmas this year. I got horribly sick before I finished my Christmas exams and stayed sick for one of the busiest weeks of the year at my new job. My co-worker who is a germophobe told me that I was not allowed to take any sick days off and leave her doing all the work, but if I even thought about breathing in her direction that she'd make me sorry. She spent the whole week wiping everything I touched with disinfectant. Other than the stuff I got in Africa, I did almost no Christmas shopping until yesterday.
Now that I have it all done except a few odds and ends, and I'm at home watching the Sound of Music on TV, and drinking hot chocolate with my feet up, I'm starting to feel it. I'll probably actually start to get excited when I start wrapping the gifts. I even had personalized gift tags done this year at the same time as my Christmas cards.
Merry Christmas kiddies.