6.15.2009
6.12.2009
Random Hyperbole
OMG! So, the most disturbing thing happened today!
It’s Friday. It’s lunchtime. Which typically means I go out for lunch instead of eating my “brown bag” lunch like I do throughout the rest of the work week. Unless Daniel text messages me at 11:30 with “I want to see you. Can I take you out for lunch?” And I usually let him take me out for lunch…cuz I’m nice like that.
So there I am, standing at the counter of my favorite sandwich shop, ordering my favorite sandwich and next to me are the strategically placed cookie baskets. When I go to this particular sandwich shop, I almost always get a cookie (oh who are we kidding, I ALWAYS get a cookie) because they make really delicious cookies. Strike that. I don’t know for a fact that ALL of their cookies are really delicious because I only ever get the Chocolate Chunk Cookie.
Today, I looked at the Chocolate Chunks. I looked at the Peanut Butters. I looked at the Oatmeal Raisins. That’s what I do, I practice equal opportunity when it comes to cookies. I give each cookie it’s chance to entice me and inevitably Chocolate Chunk always wins. But today, TODAY, I willingly picked out AN OATMEAL RAISIN and put it on the counter.
I don’t know what happened! I don’t know what came over me!
Here’s what I suspect: My choosing an Oatmeal Raisin over a Chocolate Chunk is a clear sign I’m getting old (well in addition to the other signs…like wrinkles and white hairs). Today it’s Oatmeal Raisin over Chocolate Chunk. Tomorrow, it’s the Weather Channel over VH1. Weak Tea with Lemon, over Vodka Tonic with Lime is next. And before you know it I’ll be getting up at 5 am on a Saturday to go have breakfast at Shoney’s!
This is where it starts my friends…this is where it starts.
It’s Friday. It’s lunchtime. Which typically means I go out for lunch instead of eating my “brown bag” lunch like I do throughout the rest of the work week. Unless Daniel text messages me at 11:30 with “I want to see you. Can I take you out for lunch?” And I usually let him take me out for lunch…cuz I’m nice like that.
So there I am, standing at the counter of my favorite sandwich shop, ordering my favorite sandwich and next to me are the strategically placed cookie baskets. When I go to this particular sandwich shop, I almost always get a cookie (oh who are we kidding, I ALWAYS get a cookie) because they make really delicious cookies. Strike that. I don’t know for a fact that ALL of their cookies are really delicious because I only ever get the Chocolate Chunk Cookie.
Today, I looked at the Chocolate Chunks. I looked at the Peanut Butters. I looked at the Oatmeal Raisins. That’s what I do, I practice equal opportunity when it comes to cookies. I give each cookie it’s chance to entice me and inevitably Chocolate Chunk always wins. But today, TODAY, I willingly picked out AN OATMEAL RAISIN and put it on the counter.
I don’t know what happened! I don’t know what came over me!
Here’s what I suspect: My choosing an Oatmeal Raisin over a Chocolate Chunk is a clear sign I’m getting old (well in addition to the other signs…like wrinkles and white hairs). Today it’s Oatmeal Raisin over Chocolate Chunk. Tomorrow, it’s the Weather Channel over VH1. Weak Tea with Lemon, over Vodka Tonic with Lime is next. And before you know it I’ll be getting up at 5 am on a Saturday to go have breakfast at Shoney’s!
This is where it starts my friends…this is where it starts.
6.11.2009
I Need Your Help
That’s right, I’m actually soliciting your opinions and wise words of advice.
To register or not to register? That is the question.
What is your opinion on the whole registering for stuff you want?
As a creator of such a registry, I have to admit, the idea makes me uncomfortable. Uncomfortable in a guilty sort of way. It just seems very demanding or bossy of me to put a bunch of things on a list that I am hoping people will buy for me to “celebrate” my decision to get married. *shudder*
Don’t get me wrong – I love gifts. I love giving gifts. I love getting gifts. I love seeing what kinds of gifts other people get. I am NOT against gifting. But shouldn’t a gift be something that the giver wants to give and not something that the receiver is instructing the gifter to give? Are those two things mutually exclusive? Are you confused yet? I am.
Because the gifter in me understands that it is nice (and convenient) to be able to give someone something that they really want/need without having to agonize over the decision or go all Columbo trying to figure out what it is they want. Ya know? If I give someone a toaster, but what they really needed was a blender, then essentially what I’ve just given them is an errand. And that’s no good.
On the other hand, I don’t want to seem presumptuous. I mean, I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to buy any kind of gift at all. After all, I’m 33 and Daniel is *gasp* almost 45, so it’s not like we’re just starting out and need to build a household full of toasters and stuff. Although since both of us are first time home owners, there are certainly things we are lacking that we will need to buy at some point (lawn mower comes to mind…)
Am I being stupid? The giver in me says yes to registries. If a registry is available, I typically choose an item from it to give as a gift; although I also sometimes add non-registry things to the gift as well. See? Even as a gifter, I don’t entirely like to be told what to do. It's like the registry is insulting my ability to choose an appropriate gift.
I know there are people who will want to give me and Daniel a gift in celebration of our marriage – I would want to do the same for my friends and families. So, if I don’t register then I run the risk of receiving 3 blenders and a dozen pink towels with little embroidered flowers on them – not that anyone would actually give me pink towels if they knew me at all . . . although now that I’ve said it, I’ll most likely get pink towels from some wise-ass.
So, do I just suck it up, be bossy, and tell people what to buy me?
Pro-Registry? Anti-Registry? Anyone? Anyone?
To register or not to register? That is the question.
What is your opinion on the whole registering for stuff you want?
As a creator of such a registry, I have to admit, the idea makes me uncomfortable. Uncomfortable in a guilty sort of way. It just seems very demanding or bossy of me to put a bunch of things on a list that I am hoping people will buy for me to “celebrate” my decision to get married. *shudder*
Don’t get me wrong – I love gifts. I love giving gifts. I love getting gifts. I love seeing what kinds of gifts other people get. I am NOT against gifting. But shouldn’t a gift be something that the giver wants to give and not something that the receiver is instructing the gifter to give? Are those two things mutually exclusive? Are you confused yet? I am.
Because the gifter in me understands that it is nice (and convenient) to be able to give someone something that they really want/need without having to agonize over the decision or go all Columbo trying to figure out what it is they want. Ya know? If I give someone a toaster, but what they really needed was a blender, then essentially what I’ve just given them is an errand. And that’s no good.
On the other hand, I don’t want to seem presumptuous. I mean, I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to buy any kind of gift at all. After all, I’m 33 and Daniel is *gasp* almost 45, so it’s not like we’re just starting out and need to build a household full of toasters and stuff. Although since both of us are first time home owners, there are certainly things we are lacking that we will need to buy at some point (lawn mower comes to mind…)
Am I being stupid? The giver in me says yes to registries. If a registry is available, I typically choose an item from it to give as a gift; although I also sometimes add non-registry things to the gift as well. See? Even as a gifter, I don’t entirely like to be told what to do. It's like the registry is insulting my ability to choose an appropriate gift.
I know there are people who will want to give me and Daniel a gift in celebration of our marriage – I would want to do the same for my friends and families. So, if I don’t register then I run the risk of receiving 3 blenders and a dozen pink towels with little embroidered flowers on them – not that anyone would actually give me pink towels if they knew me at all . . . although now that I’ve said it, I’ll most likely get pink towels from some wise-ass.
So, do I just suck it up, be bossy, and tell people what to buy me?
Pro-Registry? Anti-Registry? Anyone? Anyone?
6.01.2009
Get Outta Mah House!
Our contractors have had it good, man. G-O-O-D. For the past 5 weeks, they have had exclusive run of our house. No bothersome people or pets to work around, no furniture to worry about, and no schedules for them to deal with. Ideal circumstances under which to work.
All of that is about to change Friday morning when Daniel and I pull up with our moving truck full of furniture, our two cats, our work schedules and our lives. Our contractors' perfect little set-up is about to go down the terlit very quickly.
Which is why they should hurry the fuck up and get outta mah house!
Otherwise, we're going to be moving into this:
And this:
And this: Notice the lack of countertops
Right now, there is NO WAY all of our stuff will fit in addition to all of the construction crap strewn willy-nilly throughout the ENTIRE house.
Hopefully (fingers and toes crossed), MUCH will get done in the next 4 days. Today, the electrician is supposed to install all the new lighting, new receptacles, and upgrade some wiring. Our kitchen countertops are also supposed to be installed today. Our contractor is supposed to finish the kitchen floor and finish repairing the kitchen walls. Our kitchen appliances are supposed to be installed on Thursday.
That's a whole lotta supposin'.
In more productive news: This past weekend, Daniel and I sanded, primed and painted the hallway leading to the kitchen and the kitchen ceiling. Paint under our fingernails and in our hair has become an inevitable part of our lives. Tuesday night we will be sanding and priming the walls behind the refrigerator, and Wednesday, we will paint those walls in preparation for the refrigerator installation on Thursday.
You can see the color we'll be painting the kitchen walls just there above the window. It's not a terribly accurate color representation but, it's called Puddle and it's a purple-ish gray color. I love the names of paint color. Really. I delight in them. If I could find a way to make paint-naming my career, I so would! In addition to Puddle, we also bought cans of Castle Walk (for the dining room), Sweet Molasses (for the pink bathroom), and Gobi Desert (for the master bath and bedroom).
FUN FACT! My sister also, without prior knowledge or consultation, bought Gobi Desert for HER new bathroom. We're weird like that.
Anyway, cross your fingers that our contractors fully understand the ramifications of us moving in to their construction site in less than 4 days!
All of that is about to change Friday morning when Daniel and I pull up with our moving truck full of furniture, our two cats, our work schedules and our lives. Our contractors' perfect little set-up is about to go down the terlit very quickly.
Which is why they should hurry the fuck up and get outta mah house!
Otherwise, we're going to be moving into this:
And this:
And this: Notice the lack of countertops
Right now, there is NO WAY all of our stuff will fit in addition to all of the construction crap strewn willy-nilly throughout the ENTIRE house.
Hopefully (fingers and toes crossed), MUCH will get done in the next 4 days. Today, the electrician is supposed to install all the new lighting, new receptacles, and upgrade some wiring. Our kitchen countertops are also supposed to be installed today. Our contractor is supposed to finish the kitchen floor and finish repairing the kitchen walls. Our kitchen appliances are supposed to be installed on Thursday.
That's a whole lotta supposin'.
In more productive news: This past weekend, Daniel and I sanded, primed and painted the hallway leading to the kitchen and the kitchen ceiling. Paint under our fingernails and in our hair has become an inevitable part of our lives. Tuesday night we will be sanding and priming the walls behind the refrigerator, and Wednesday, we will paint those walls in preparation for the refrigerator installation on Thursday.
You can see the color we'll be painting the kitchen walls just there above the window. It's not a terribly accurate color representation but, it's called Puddle and it's a purple-ish gray color. I love the names of paint color. Really. I delight in them. If I could find a way to make paint-naming my career, I so would! In addition to Puddle, we also bought cans of Castle Walk (for the dining room), Sweet Molasses (for the pink bathroom), and Gobi Desert (for the master bath and bedroom).
FUN FACT! My sister also, without prior knowledge or consultation, bought Gobi Desert for HER new bathroom. We're weird like that.
Anyway, cross your fingers that our contractors fully understand the ramifications of us moving in to their construction site in less than 4 days!
5.26.2009
Well Ring-A-Ding-Ding
We have rings!
With the house renovation taking center stage in our lives right now, and on this blog, I haven't had much time to think about/talk about our upcoming nuptials.
But today, our rings arrived and I am more excited than I thought I'd be.
When Daniel and I decided to get married, I knew I didn't want anything even remotely resembling a traditional wedding. I am not and never have been on board the wedding train. I even refused Daniel's efforts to hook me up with an engagement ring - it's just not me, and fortunately, he understands that. He totally gets me. So, when I said I didn't want a wedding, he said, "we'll do whatever makes you happy...i just want you".
Rings, though...rings I want. I like the tradition of wearing circles of metal as a unifying symbol. Rings are a symbol of marriage, of partnership and commitment, and I like that.
So, I went about looking for rings. Initially, I really liked the idea of this concrete and steel ring, but the artist could only make it in one width. Plus, even though I like it now, I may not like wearing it when I'm a withered 82 year old. It seems kinda trendy...and I wanted something timeless.
But, I knew I didn't want a mass-produced ring you could just go to any jewelry store and pick up. I'm weird like that.
I don't even remember how I stumbled across this exquisite piece by turn-of-the-century, Danish metalsmith, Georg Jenson. This ring is no longer in circulation and I could only find a few online (all international dealers), but the mobius design caught my attention for it's simplicity and elegance.
I read more about the mobius strip, and the more I read, the more fitting it seemed; the more I loved it. Strong, simple design combined with mathematical theory (In case I've never mentioned it, Daniel is a HUGE math geek. Now you know.) representing "no beginning and no end". Perfect.
But, as I wasn't able to get my hot little hands on a couple of original Georg Jensen mobius rings, I started searching online for other mobius ring designs. Believe it or not, I had a difficult time finding what I wanted...until I stumbled across this wonderful artist:
Amanda Fisher is a metalsmith working out of Northborough, Massachusetts. You can look at her website here. She was awesome to work with. She went over every step of her process in creating our rings. Made us read about the different metal options to choose the right one for us. Sent us photos along the way at each step. And eventually mailed us these:
They are perfect. Perfect thickness and width and weight. Perfect color. We used a 14k palladium white gold. White gold is typically made with nickel. The palladium gives the gold a darker, steely-er color. Also, a lot of people have or develop allergic reactions to nickel...but not so with palladium.
This is Daniel's ring on my thumb - he has big fingers.
I love that they were hand-made. Just for us.
Very exciting.
With the house renovation taking center stage in our lives right now, and on this blog, I haven't had much time to think about/talk about our upcoming nuptials.
But today, our rings arrived and I am more excited than I thought I'd be.
When Daniel and I decided to get married, I knew I didn't want anything even remotely resembling a traditional wedding. I am not and never have been on board the wedding train. I even refused Daniel's efforts to hook me up with an engagement ring - it's just not me, and fortunately, he understands that. He totally gets me. So, when I said I didn't want a wedding, he said, "we'll do whatever makes you happy...i just want you".
Rings, though...rings I want. I like the tradition of wearing circles of metal as a unifying symbol. Rings are a symbol of marriage, of partnership and commitment, and I like that.
So, I went about looking for rings. Initially, I really liked the idea of this concrete and steel ring, but the artist could only make it in one width. Plus, even though I like it now, I may not like wearing it when I'm a withered 82 year old. It seems kinda trendy...and I wanted something timeless.
But, I knew I didn't want a mass-produced ring you could just go to any jewelry store and pick up. I'm weird like that.
I don't even remember how I stumbled across this exquisite piece by turn-of-the-century, Danish metalsmith, Georg Jenson. This ring is no longer in circulation and I could only find a few online (all international dealers), but the mobius design caught my attention for it's simplicity and elegance.
I read more about the mobius strip, and the more I read, the more fitting it seemed; the more I loved it. Strong, simple design combined with mathematical theory (In case I've never mentioned it, Daniel is a HUGE math geek. Now you know.) representing "no beginning and no end". Perfect.
But, as I wasn't able to get my hot little hands on a couple of original Georg Jensen mobius rings, I started searching online for other mobius ring designs. Believe it or not, I had a difficult time finding what I wanted...until I stumbled across this wonderful artist:
Amanda Fisher is a metalsmith working out of Northborough, Massachusetts. You can look at her website here. She was awesome to work with. She went over every step of her process in creating our rings. Made us read about the different metal options to choose the right one for us. Sent us photos along the way at each step. And eventually mailed us these:
They are perfect. Perfect thickness and width and weight. Perfect color. We used a 14k palladium white gold. White gold is typically made with nickel. The palladium gives the gold a darker, steely-er color. Also, a lot of people have or develop allergic reactions to nickel...but not so with palladium.
This is Daniel's ring on my thumb - he has big fingers.
I love that they were hand-made. Just for us.
Very exciting.
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