11.30.2006

The One Year Itch

Loved this Onion article, "Boyfriend Ready To Take Relationship To Previous Level":

Following a romantic three-day getaway to South Carolina's Hilton Head Island, 32-year-old Matthew Sullivan said he is now "more ready than ever" to take his 10-month relationship with girlfriend Carol Moag to the previous level.

"As you get older, you recognize what's really important to you," Sullivan said. "When I made the decision to get a lot less serious with Carol, I just felt this sense of peace. I can tell by the look in her eyes—that loving, longing gaze—that I must act now before I miss my chance."

11.15.2006

Bridezillas: The Complete First Season

It's been raining steadily in Seattle for the past two weeks. What better way to while away the hours than to run through my Netflix queue. Watching Bridezillas on DVD is a much better experience than watching it on my Comcast DVR (which in itself is inferior to Tivo - perhaps because it is "enhanced by Microsoft"). Like many talk shows, half the program time of Bridezillas seems devoted to previews and reviews pre- and post- commercial break. The show originally ran on Metro TV in NYC and New York Magazine has a good summary of the various personalities from the first season here. Season One appears to have been filmed in 2002 as a couple of the brides mentioned that 9/11 caused them to consider getting engaged.

Of all the Manhattan brides featured in Season One, I related most to Cynthia - then, a struggling actress. Cynthia has done the best in capitalizing on her brief and sometimes unflattering exposure. In 2005, She wrote and starred in a critically acclaimed, one-woman play called, Bridezilla Strikes Back. The bride whose sanity I questioned the most was Julia Swinton-Williamson. Julia was 43 at the time and spent her life savings (over $100k) on her wedding. It was evident that her maniacal obsession over her wedding (she spent two years planning her wedding and her only regret was that she hadn't spent three) was wearing on the patience of both her mother (who expressed relief that she only had one daughter) and her groom, Allan. Julia later sued the producers of Bridezillas for misrepresentation.

This should be required viewing for all prospective brides.

11.14.2006

Engagement Ring Advice for Grooms

I like this advice from Jonathan at mymoney on how much money to spend on an engagement ring:
So, how much should you spend on it? My answer is very simple - Spend whatever you can afford to make your wife happy. That means both time and money.
My only modification to this would be to spend up to an amount that you can afford to make your wife happy. X was willing to pay more for a different ring. But I love the ring that we've selected together. And my ring size is a 4.5 - I found out.

11.10.2006

Waist Management

X and I have both gained 10 pounds since we started dating seriously. We've both discussed eating healthier and exercising more. But, after viewing You On A Diet, X became serious about watching what he eats. He is now managing his daily calorie intake by using The Daily Plate. I'm thinking of doing the same. As the holidays are approaching, I'll have to dress up a little. And being 10 lbs slimmer would certainly help me find some cute clothes.

11.06.2006

Junebug Weddings Rocks!

I received an email informing me that I was a Junebug Wedding Contest Winner ($500 gift certificate to Tulip, one of my favorite Seattle boutiques). Yeah! This made up for my car getting towed last week and the $230 ticket/towing fee. Junebug has another great contest on their website this month:
Visit www.JunebugWeddings.com on or before Dec.15th and enter to win a luxurious spa package from Frenchy's Day Spa, including Frenchy's favorite manicure, pedicure, facial and one hour massage
X and I watched Hacking Democracy over the weekend - it's a compelling documentary and the NYT op-ed today calling for recounts in cases of close races couldn't have been more timely.

It's a rainy day here in Seattle but I have a lot to do today:

I finished my absentee ballot and will drop it off at the polling place tomorrow morning.

My goal for today is to make Martha Stewart's Mac & Cheese for dinner. It's the first time I've tried to prepare it and I hope everything goes ok. Since X is vegetarian, I'll have to substitute some tofu delicacy for the ham. I'm not sure how this dinner will help us live a longer life . . . Maybe if we quaff some red wine, it will make up for the calorie excess. I'll walk over to Madison Market, our local coop later to search out something suitable.

I need to figure out my ring size - I think I'm a 4.5 but I'm not too sure. And since X is ordering the ring off the internet, we want to be sure. We're leaning towards a platinum ring with 3.5 carat green moissanite gems. X and I discussed wedding/reception plans yesterday. We're thinking of having a Hindu Wedding Ceremony and Wedding Reception in New York on 9/15/07. My parents live in Long Island and X has relatives living in New Hampshire - so this should be convenient. We're also thinking of having a Seattle Reception on 9/23/07 for those of our friends who can't make it out to New York. I proposed having a champagne brunch and having all sorts of sparkling wine there - cremant, champagne, prosecco, sparkling red wine, etc