tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33622662012-02-03T02:55:48.592-05:00Me...thinking out loud. Still a brain dump, but since my brain is now almost always full of the same stuff, at least it's thematic.Elisenoreply@blogger.comBlogger4061100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-38763470108239584952010-06-12T12:54:00.002-04:002010-06-12T13:06:35.991-04:00

As I wipe the dust from artifacts of a forgotten life, packing them in boxes to be forgotten until next time, I am an inch from tears. I'm happy to be leaving (I don't like it here at all), but I spent five years as a nomad, and this is the first home I've had since leaving the place I grew up.I grow attached to placesto walls and walks and views,to Sunday morning bells,and the sounds a house

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-25878119397666667802010-01-26T22:45:00.002-05:002010-01-26T22:55:10.237-05:00

I consider this beverage to be a sort of magical elixir, without which many of my less-healthy vocal performances would not have been possible. When I first started making it, I had 20 weekly hours of scheduled singing, plus any practicing or just-for-fun singing I did on my own. High in vitamin c for if you're actually sick, perfect for a scratchy or tickly throat, and the thing that can carry

Elisenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-34115035886661755112009-04-11T16:58:00.004-04:002009-04-11T17:02:59.365-04:00

Easter egg n. 1. A dyed or decorated egg, traditionally associated with Easter. 2. A hidden feature in computer software, a DVD, or a video game.So, for anyone still hanging in, here is a special treat. My engagement ring and wedding band, together.More to come. Really.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-44373877887633826022009-03-03T22:57:00.007-05:002009-03-03T23:30:53.869-05:00

As tempted as I was to learn to sculpt sugar gum into tiny birds, as I mention here, there was no place for birds on our cake.But wintry, twiggy, and DIY, as mentioned here, it was indeed.Naked in full view:In the wild:Under attack:Going to the big bakery in the sky:Pound cake with raspberry preserve filling, after significant discussion. I wish I'd documented it, but back in October we got a

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-40644351448529752822009-02-22T13:09:00.002-05:002009-02-22T13:13:37.876-05:00

I learned during my brief stay at Zen Center that it is considered un-Zen to cook with a microwave, because you're supposed to appreciate every step in a process... every thing you do. So, thought experiment: if I really enjoy using my food processor and appreciate its quick efficiency (it is a better chopper than I), is it a Zen experience, even though it's technically a short cut?

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-29468780139456584182009-02-20T21:17:00.009-05:002009-02-20T23:22:58.970-05:00

Buckle up, mouseketeers. I think I'm going to take this time to wrap up talking about the decor and other visual elements. It will be fun. I promise. Though now that I look at all the photos, I think this may take two posts.Centerpieces:My little sister stayed with us for about a week back in early September and in addition to helping with the invitations and finding my mom's (lovely) dress,

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1727395489607844252009-02-15T15:58:00.002-05:002009-02-15T17:01:21.733-05:00

We are both oldest children, and the significance of that cannot be dismissed. No matter how slight the expectations projected onto us by our parents, it has been our (spoken or unspoken) responsibility to set the bar and be an example since before we can even remember. Whatever the success metric, we pressure ourselves to meet it. I wonder whether I would be as free-spirited and brave as they

Elisenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-815270030257350292009-02-09T08:21:00.003-05:002009-02-09T08:21:01.168-05:00

I had always intended to do my own makeup and, through my own (gasp!) bad project management in failing to properly secure my fantastic hairstylist for the wedding, also ended up doing my own hair. So a couple of weeks before the wedding, I did a test run.The photos below are from before my stylist gave me a lesson in how to do the tiara myself, but you'll see those results soon enough. This

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-48981068693940219442009-02-08T12:54:00.006-05:002009-02-09T08:12:01.495-05:00

I'm not sure how many of these we brought with us, but I know it was a lot. Most of the wedding party had copies, the photographer, the day-of coordinator, we definitely had a copy for the DJ (though he didn't arrive until most of the way through cocktail hour, so I'm not sure whether he received one), and of course many spares.The Alex and Karen optionally called at 5pm were our fabulous first

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-17953946775857410522009-02-07T19:17:00.011-05:002009-02-07T20:17:17.564-05:00

Us and MaggiLet me share with you the fantastic readings done by our dear friend Maggi, who Peter and I have known since our days at Drexel. We gave her some general guidelines (no God, marriage-equality-friendly, less than 2 minutes, etc.) and asked her to select for herself. The results exceeded any of our hopes. I had started to tear up when I first walked down the aisle, but then I got my

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-65771156228525229032009-01-27T17:56:00.003-05:002009-02-04T13:08:24.420-05:00

If things get slow (which they haven't...I think only Americans run around Paris like crazy people trying to fit a zillion activities into their scheduled stay) or when I get home, I will blog the following:-hair and makeup trials and DIY-the completion of the boutonnieres-the card box (which was a "DIMP" or "Do It Mom, Please?" project)-table numbers and what befell our centerpieces-final

Elisenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-29044390049602097082009-01-26T18:22:00.004-05:002009-01-26T18:26:58.521-05:00

While it's probably not entirely true that the atoms in the human body turn over into new ones every seven years, if it were, there would not be an atom in my body that hasn't known you it's entire life. We've been through so much and learned so much about ourselves that it's almost like being an entirely new person. Our love is not a storybook story. It is richer, dynamic, and thoroughly

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-16396379813884144542009-01-21T08:02:00.003-05:002009-01-21T08:27:45.603-05:00

Obviously, we're married. And aside from the wicked double-boob I've got going on in this photo (which appears to be absent from the other photos we've seen, but this one is otherwise the cutest) this photo gives a pretty good idea of what the day was like, for us.The venue and staff were fantastic, my minimal decor and gung-ho helper team worked beautifully in the space, the cake looked just as

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-59917417328246200252009-01-09T22:57:00.013-05:002009-01-10T20:22:09.092-05:00

I guess it's about how you'd expect, with 8 days to go. People who accepted are canceling, bridesmaids are attempting to get themselves kicked out of the wedding, but overall we're very excited. I have just one significantly outstanding project, which is...pretty much anything that would sit on a table, other than consumables. Centerpieces, table numbers, card box. In theory, those were to

Elisenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-19033465417060748132009-01-02T08:36:00.003-05:002009-01-04T13:05:52.767-05:00

Oh-kay. I still, sadly, am not finished with the boutonnieres, but here are the latest in the series:I'm hoping I take to compulsively making boutonnieres as a form of stress therapy, over the next two weeks.I did finish up the bouquet. I mention in my original post about the bouquet that I was having trouble bundling it without it getting sort of crushed-together and indistinguishable. I was

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-71963789867460677742009-01-01T13:36:00.008-05:002009-01-01T16:01:58.283-05:00

There are, unbelievably, just over two weeks to go. There's a great lot going on, but let's take a deep breath and catch up on a few things I've been sitting on.Final seating chart:Also, first program prototype. Two pieces of vellum printed on one side each:Then die-cut and nested like so:Resulting in this two-sided wonder of translucency:I thought it would be amusing to provide our guests with

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-36058113851479264702008-12-24T12:37:00.002-05:002008-12-24T12:39:54.407-05:00

Dear Obese Mass-Transit Passenger,First, let me say that I do not hate you for being obese. Perhaps you have a thyroid problem or perhaps you have made a conscious decision to prioritize the enjoyment of food over your physical well-being. Or perhaps you are the fourth South Philly man I have seen that could be 8.5 months pregnant. With twins. Whatever the case, I do not hate you for being

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-85494719382652653412008-12-09T13:30:00.003-05:002008-12-10T01:36:27.903-05:00

-you haven't even considered that you could be crazy.-you can draw a perfect circle.-you hatch a plan to die-cut your programs.This has been a public service announcement from the bell jar.Thank you.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-60549593911447028512008-12-07T13:42:00.014-05:002008-12-08T00:02:58.125-05:00

I've been seriously slacking here, and a lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. When last I posted, I was waiting to be whisked away for bachelorette weekend at a shore house, which was 36 hours of Rock Band, karaoke, wine, cheese, tax-free outlet shopping, and movies with some of the bestest people in the world. They = awesome.Thanksgiving was interesting as Mom agreed to give up her "&

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-23694581692110103142008-11-21T17:48:00.002-05:002008-11-21T18:05:56.614-05:00

As we enter the home stretch (less than 2 months to go!), I feel increasingly as though everything is under control. And also as though it will come crashing down into a pile of twitching nuptial rubble at any moment. With me at the bottom.I'm sure part of this has to do with my amazingly fickle partner in crime who, despite any decision we might have collectively made months ago, could on a

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-41415393760537209802008-11-12T23:33:00.005-05:002008-11-16T11:52:43.879-05:00

As we approach the T-minus-two-months mark, I feel like I haven't crossed so many things off of my list since the 4 month mark. My dress alterations - with seamstress; final fitting scheduled.Fiance's tux - initial foray with solid results completeAttire for male attendants - initial foray with somewhat less solid results completeThe rehearsal dinner - um.... we think it will be the Thursday

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-61912278262262364702008-11-01T16:48:00.003-04:002008-11-01T17:38:23.391-04:00

I take my job a bit too seriously. It's probably true in many senses, but the one I mean to use is that I let it flavor my thinking and strategy in many other areas of my life. So naturally, our wedding would need to have an online destination associated with it, full of useful content and social networking for our guests while giving them answers to wedding FAQs (how do we get there? where

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-60698793898384944052008-11-01T16:32:00.004-04:002008-11-01T17:39:55.218-04:00

A quick update for anyone interested (and you know you are):-There have been a total of 9 postal delivery days that we could possibly have received responses.-On one of those 9 days, we received none.-Today, day 9, we received the first RSVP from someone biologically related to either the bride or the groom.-Of 62 invitations sent, we have received 17 responses, equaling just over 27%-32 of 104

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-66144986651629838582008-10-25T19:09:00.006-04:002008-11-09T22:29:07.353-05:00

The final week of invitation assembly was, I won't lie, grueling. It was still loads of fun, and really not much work in relation to the value of the product, and I don't regret a minute of it. But yes, it was hard.On Monday night, when we first got back from Vermont, I put the finishing touches on files for printing. That's pretty light lifting. But the second night, I stayed late at the

Elisenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-91058184492695690222008-10-24T00:47:00.007-04:002008-11-09T22:28:46.716-05:00

What's new:-the invites are done after a grueling and family-assisted push that lasted from Monday the 13th through Saturday the 18th-most of them went in the mail on the afternoon of this past Monday-they weighed in at exactly 1.00 oz. allowing me to send them with 42 cent stamps-many arrived at their destinations on Tuesday, including the one I sent to our house-we got our first RSVP

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-3737294991907179112008-10-14T00:06:00.008-04:002008-10-25T19:10:03.170-04:00

I photographed one of my best friends' wedding in Vermont, this weekend, and a lot of the last couple of weeks have been prepping for the trip (including getting lots of other stuff out of the way). With her permission, I'll be posting some of the results here.For starters, though, please see this photo of Fiance in his "traveling hat" outside of our B&B, the morning of the wedding:Meanwhile,

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-12991809193174197532008-09-27T17:28:00.016-04:002008-09-27T22:34:17.312-04:00

Okay, I've been on a quick vacation from wedding-land for the last 10 days dealing with health issues, birthdays, and generally scraping my life back into a more cohesively shaped pile of goo after the whirlwind that had been the past month (or more) of late nights at work. Envision this like the making of scrambled eggs.So without further ado, if you didn't note my engagement ring from my "

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-22362226759023706672008-09-17T22:16:00.005-04:002008-09-20T11:08:32.880-04:00

As of today there are only 4 months until the wedding.Big things still on the to-do list:My dress alterationsFiance's tuxAttire for male attendantsThe rehearsal dinnerContract signing for shuttlesContract signing for ceremony musicianCocktail hour musician(s)Finish learning to danceHoneymoon plans (and Peter's passport)Wedding bands!Select readings for the ceremonyAsk readers to

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-69032245654432128062008-09-15T00:26:00.004-04:002008-09-15T16:29:18.815-04:00

I don't think that I'd ever been familiar with the concept of an "inspiration board" before I started wedding-planning. I'm familiar with the concept of collage, and I've seen what we call "mood boards" in the design industry which are similar, but usually a little bit more literally related to the final product, since the result of that is a design, rather than an event. Anyway, here are my

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-88447973447254788712008-09-10T22:43:00.008-04:002008-09-11T00:15:08.115-04:00

Okay, at long last the great invite caper. For previous posts on invitations, try this. This was phase one of construction, which centered around the core structural component. After this will come the vellum overlay and inserts.Here we go:This is my sister and the table covered with our initial crafting equipment. You can see the bone scorer, precut stardream-type cardstock, the first folded

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-22155044897988445852008-09-07T18:11:00.005-04:002009-07-16T10:36:11.164-04:00

It's been an insane week, around here. Insane. My sister sure picked a great week to stay with us, as I have practiced probably the worst hostessing of my entire life. At least I hope it doesn't get any worse.In any event, she helped me get started on the mass-production of our invitations (which I will get into in another post, soon!), and shouldered the responsibility for MoB-wrangling,

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-92009246411782026572008-09-01T11:02:00.011-04:002008-09-01T14:59:04.322-04:00

I've recently said that if I were exposed to solar radiation and one of my existing abilities were enhanced into a super-power, I would have amazing spacial perception and be able to judge sizes and distances and to fit most anything into most anything else. What this means in real life is that I love all kinds of puzzles, I'm very visual, and I can pack a car trunk like nobody's business.Even

Elisenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-43443134260511480502008-08-30T17:01:00.004-04:002008-09-01T10:58:56.928-04:00

Previously in this series:http://tamrissa.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html#8467464393514218542">Part 1 - First ImpressionsPart 2 - The Shell GameSo, Peter walked us back to the dorm after the winter formal, and a kissed him good night on the cheek. A few days later, I realized that my boyfriend really wasn't even a part of my life and, hello, he'd actually already broken up with me twice and

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-58642700188772748262008-08-28T23:35:00.026-04:002008-08-29T23:05:33.314-04:00

Below, see the 12 pairs of shoes I have either returned or am about to return all of which were purchased in search of the perfect wedding shoe:And perfect pair #13:Oh, DKNY Blyss, how do I love thee? PS. I did also purchase these awesome Nine West rain boots that I fully plan to wear with my dress any time I am outside of the wedding venue. But they were never seriously in contention for being

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-87051945999946203172008-08-28T07:57:00.008-04:002008-08-28T22:34:43.698-04:00

You might think from my first post on the subject that it was love at first sight and the rest is history. But is it ever really that simple?Despite having declared my intention to marry Peter, it was early in freshman year and I did in fact still have a boyfriend held-over from my high school theater days. And I was a dutiful and perfectly-behaved girlfriend, and while I didn't eschew the

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-56264557848250837272008-08-24T22:43:00.006-04:002008-08-25T08:14:15.441-04:00

We have just under 21 weeks to go. That's a bit under 5 months. Whew, okay, deep breaths.photo by Faith West c/o Conroy CateringWe met with one of our fabulous event planning team over at Glen Foerd Mansion, today to hammer out some of the details of the event. We started by discussing the bar. She definitely knows how to put us in a good mood. Turns out that if we use liquors included in

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-84674643935142185422008-08-23T14:52:00.010-04:002008-08-25T08:09:04.131-04:00

I could rush the story, but I won't, so settle in.It was the first week of freshman year, 2001. At Drexel, that meant the tail end of September. My new roommate, a graphic design major from California, and I, a photography major from New Jersey, were becoming fast friends along with a classmate of hers, a charming young gentleman from elsewhere in PA. (As an interesting aside, all three of us

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-10105819659495798772008-08-19T21:29:00.015-04:002008-08-19T23:11:48.194-04:00

I have been known to over-dramatize, on occasion. In fact, there was no debate whatsoever (at least not yet). The cake has been left entirely up to me (this takes a brave man, and you'll see why in a moment), since I once mentioned early in our engagement that I'd always dreamed of a multi-leveled, sky-bridged, fully populated wedding cake complete with a flowing fountain of champagne lit by

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-170114563425376062008-08-19T01:15:00.001-04:002008-08-19T01:17:17.769-04:00

Also, I've updated my publishing format to show everything back through the all-important 7/31 posts on the main page.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-83026830626837343072008-08-19T01:11:00.003-04:002008-08-19T01:14:59.090-04:00

(advance apology for lack of embedded photos...we are too far in the dress recap for me to post anything revealing that fiance might accidentally see.)So back home, and this was definitely THE dress. Much online shopping was done, comparison of sites (definitely include shipping and taxes when considering these things), and I could have had a shop near me order the dress, but I would have had to

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-32663705382903272352008-08-18T13:41:00.004-04:002008-08-18T13:41:01.139-04:00

So, I fell in love with a dress named Selena (ominously sharing the name of an evil ex-girlfriend of fiance's), but she was just too pricey and I wasn't crazy about the colors she came in. (me trying her on here) I look fine in white, but I think I was looking for something a little special. Ivory wasn't cutting it, and while the light gold was gorgeous, I'm not much for wearing gold of any

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-39797843743570432462008-08-18T00:50:00.002-04:002008-08-18T00:50:00.328-04:00

The dress hunt was strenuous, but I pursued with a mission, knowing that so many elements of the wedding would be built around the tone set by the gown. I first went shopping the weekend after I got engaged, and I brought with me my MOH and a good friend from work who would eventually be added to the bridal party. I really had no idea what I wanted, so we went to a nearby David's Bridal with

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-85722094740312763792008-08-17T11:26:00.000-04:002008-08-17T11:49:27.673-04:00

Round trip non-stop airfare for two from Philadelphia to London: $1,443Round trip Eurostar train tickets for two from London to Paris: $384Getting Fiance to go to the post office to get his passport: impossibleAnyone get their passport recently who can give me an accurate idea of how long it will really take for him to receive his...after he puts in all the paperwork?

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-32933304451493763712008-08-17T09:45:00.009-04:002008-08-17T10:22:38.798-04:00

Fiance and I have been living together for over 4 years, and when we first moved in together, I'd been living by myself and had basically everything needed to stock a small household. Sure, we bought some new stuff when we moved, and my parents supplied a few "housewarming" items, but it wasn't anything we couldn't have lived without. We have no plans to ever eat off of fine china, our towels

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-77590388664605426102008-08-14T08:34:00.000-04:002008-08-14T08:37:01.865-04:00

Time, energy, money, thought, breath, paper, perfectly good milk, whatever.When Fiance and I suddenly (but not unprovokedly) decided that we rather want to move out of our rented house in a timeframe resembling RFN (right...now), there was a lot of people to talk to, a lot to arrange, and a lot to think about. One of the smaller and more irritating realizations that followed was that the 300

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-40620374374751641432008-08-13T21:40:00.011-04:002008-08-13T22:32:23.602-04:00

Aka: Also Not InvitationsAs I mentioned previously, I'd considered having flowers for just the attendants, but eventually decided that they wouldn't really fit in stylistically with anything else we have going on. What obviously followed hot on the heels of that decision was some serious muddling over what the various parties should have in their hands, if anything. In a

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-13879927248812313912008-08-12T23:33:00.010-04:002008-08-13T01:57:16.190-04:00

Okay, I lied a bit about the step by step instructions on the invites coming soon. We're currently a little over 5 months away from the wedding, and there's actually a good bit of invitation content that is still tbd including the accommodations and menu! Since we won't be able to determine our final start time until 3 months before the wedding (we want to adjust the standard start time, but

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-80829237511603507172008-08-10T19:04:00.003-04:002008-08-10T19:27:21.785-04:00

There is hate on our street, and it looks like poorly scrawled marker on my front door.And we will leave it there.I will still smile at my neighbors, even though we do not talk, perhaps even more so, now that I am so very sorry for them.Their children will eventually work up the courage to ask me what it means, and I will say that while I am happy to tell them what it means to me, they should

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-43505414638656152262008-08-08T10:54:00.006-04:002008-08-08T11:33:29.393-04:00

Ah, self-improvement, and the sick and twisted ways it manifests for brides-to-be. Obviously, many want to lose weight, and two other big ones are teeth whitening and growing long hair. But then there are the smoothing, shaping, waxing, contact lenses, and laser hair removal that live on some people's lists.For Fiance and I, it's more about getting into good health and resolving some

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-43486874606587847952008-08-05T12:18:00.006-04:002008-08-05T19:55:27.052-04:00

The paper is in! So I'd better get on with telling the rest of the process. The pieces of the invitation were decided to be (in descending order of anticipated size): Directions, Menu, Accommodations, Website. The Response Card would be included as a separate card, along with its envelope. I'd originally pushed for eliminating the paper RSVP in favor of online and telephone response, but

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-90738095739871395502008-08-04T13:17:00.003-04:002008-08-04T22:43:53.401-04:00

Fiance and I are very musical people. He's a singer-songwriter trying to make it big when not working his 9-5, and I have 3 years of piano instruction, 5 years of dance, 6-7 years of voice, 9 years of clarinet, and nowhere to perform. Before we even started dating, he was serenading me digitally, and when he proposed, it was to one of our favorite songs (this is a much cooler story than you

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-37466210125864102852008-08-03T14:08:00.004-04:002008-08-03T15:12:23.646-04:00

In my previous post, I refer to my sponsor (dad). He is actually the only contributor to our wedding, aside from fiance and myself, but he doesn't know that, and I don't really plan to enlighten him. He seems to assume that the future in-laws are chipping in, but in the final tally, I think it will come down to 50% us, 50% him. Let me tell you, the "hosting" situation along with our collective

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-38914363881292043822008-08-02T18:20:00.022-04:002008-08-13T02:36:51.959-04:00

It's all about choosing your battles. Get a wedding planner: no; inclusive venue: yes. Hire a florist: no; DJ: yes.When it came to invitations, despite my lack of serious print collateral production, the answer was "DIY here I come!" Now, I'd made concert programs, promotional posters, various cd booklets, and so forth before, but almost all to have professionally produced. As an art student

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-59040713622480051972008-07-31T20:52:00.021-04:002008-08-01T13:22:31.752-04:00

Because your female attendants are 20-something, it probably won't be perfect for any of them, so you're aiming for really good on all of them, and they have professed no hopes of wearing the dress again.Mom, on the other hand, needs something age-appropriate but not frumpy, shouldn't settle for something less than lovely as we're picking it just for her, and will hopefully be able to wear it to

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-34270199780650694232008-07-31T19:55:00.004-04:002008-08-13T02:39:01.436-04:00

Two years and change is a really long time - and unfortunately, I'm back with an ulterior motive. When I started to plan my wedding, I thought that I'd be one of the more organized, punctual, proactive, efficient, and generally with-it brides-to-be out there. Not that I was as deluded as he was that we'd have everything done after the first few months, but I figured that when project managers

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1146838975527205002006-05-05T09:13:00.000-04:002006-05-05T10:22:55.580-04:00

I am all for celebrations...celebrations of life and love and achievement. When you celebrate your own birthday, it's really just an occasion for a party, but on other peoples' birthdays, you get the opportunity to remember and be thankful for the wonderful people in your life and to celebrate the very fact that they exist.And I am grateful.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1139762445806941762006-02-12T11:41:00.000-05:002006-02-12T11:41:29.593-05:00

At 9:15 I woke up, and by 9:17, my teeth were brushed, my contacts were in, and I was checking the time. By 10:15, I'd started my first load of laundry, wiped down the leather couch and removed some blue ink from it, washed the dishes in the sink, eaten breakfast, and washed those dishes too. By 11:30, the front walk had been shoveled (despite some kind soul clearing 10 inches of accumulation

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1132173193684555442005-11-16T15:32:00.000-05:002005-11-16T15:33:13.696-05:00

I wish I could just travel back to last Wednesday to give a few people a little advice. I’d tell my boss to take the day off and go to his mother, and then I’d tell him to keep his son home, make him rest, and feed him vitamin C. I’d tell myself not to go to that party so I could keep a friend. I’d tell my co-worker to get herself checked out right away. I’d tell Mary not to take Lincoln

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1128803934087026012005-10-08T16:38:00.000-04:002005-10-08T16:38:54.093-04:00

First homemade soup of the season. Thinking of you.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1128533673361375022005-10-05T13:34:00.000-04:002005-10-05T13:34:33.370-04:00

I love group performance art. Theater, music, dance. Like I’ve said before, I have no artistic impulses ripping themselves from my screaming flesh. It’s fun, but equally importantly, it’s productive. When you rehearse with a group, the goal is almost always to put on a performance, else why spend everyone’s time? If you sing or play an instrument solo, in your own home, it’s entirely likely

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1128530780714172832005-10-05T12:46:00.000-04:002005-10-05T12:46:20.720-04:00

The occasions on which I have run up against my own limitations are so few, far between, and happen under such extraordinary circumstances, that I’m not entirely sure what those limits are. I am a multitasking superpower. Am I confident because I think I am capable of anything or just because I don’t know enough to make me timid? Does that make me innocent?Whatever the value of bravery, I hope

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1128088293388505482005-09-30T09:51:00.000-04:002005-09-30T09:51:33.396-04:00

When I was a senior in high school, I was invited to the senior awards ceremony. Along with all my friends, so it was no big deal; it was the ceremony for awarding all sorts of different scholarships that the students had received that year. Some people got money, some just got certificates, but my friends all received the same award; they were presidential scholars or something like that, and

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1127401455324139982005-09-22T11:03:00.000-04:002005-09-22T11:04:15.333-04:00

I’ve been remembering some friends that I knew from high school. Mostly people I was in marching band with, and how we didn’t think very much of the ones who wanted to be music teachers. But the reason for this was that we had never really had any good music teachers. The marching band director also taught the beginners, back in the 5th grade, and honestly, I think he was more suited to the

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1127307931080498192005-09-21T09:04:00.000-04:002005-09-21T09:05:31.086-04:00

I would like, if I may, to relate a thought experiment that I observed over the summer. It was given by an ethics professor who bears an uncanny resemblance to Buzz Lightyear, and it went as follows.You are participating in an experiment. You are seated at a table in a room with another person of the same age, race, gender, social class, whatever, as yourself. For all intents and purposes,

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1127139885790373012005-09-19T10:23:00.000-04:002005-09-19T22:40:18.193-04:00

Finding her was like finding a part of myself that, for eighteen years, I had never known was missing. It was a wonderful surprise. People have left my life before…people who were important to me, but in time, the space they left behind filled with other people and pursuits. With her, it’s different. Even now, two years after she left me and this city for Costa Rica and the misty coasts of

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1126993308679657042005-09-17T17:29:00.000-04:002005-09-17T17:41:48.686-04:00

Life has become deceptively simple. Soon the rhythm of work, rest, and sleep will be natural to me, more entirely than ever before. I work on the 21st floor, and it is grey. The printer is next to the window, and I stand waiting for ink to make numbers to make sense, but the blinds have been shut for the last three days.Walking (and the acquisition of ever more belongings) has become the

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1122669074461748472005-07-29T16:30:00.000-04:002005-07-29T16:31:14.466-04:00

You are my fundamental orienting principle.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1105826372642216382005-01-15T16:58:00.000-05:002005-01-15T16:59:32.643-05:00

The flavor of honey, elusive like smoke.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1105713633633214072005-01-14T09:34:00.000-05:002005-01-14T09:40:33.633-05:00

I've been collecting pieces of life.the way the breath of a dog fogs in the airthe elegant slump of my oil painting instructor as both of his long arms meet under the seat of his chairto have a fever of 103.5 degreesall the moisture in the entire city coalescing on my front windows and in my refridgeratorto be disheveled and singing loudly on my way home in the January like springfinally getting

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1103551497934226762004-12-20T08:56:00.000-05:002004-12-20T09:04:57.933-05:00

It's a cold cold cold emptiness. Gusts of wind-chill drive cruelly tinkling shards of ice into my stone walls, while the sun looks the other way. Last night, the windows rattled woodenly like footsteps that would not come as I lay huddled under the blankets. On my half of the cold bed, I thought I would not sleep. I thought I would freeze, tears still warm on my cheeks. But I must have slept

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1103262314803871762004-12-17T01:34:00.000-05:002004-12-17T00:45:14.803-05:00

Sure, it's a little late to be talking about Tuesday. But Tuesday was worth talking about at the time, and it's still worth talking about.It was, quite honestly, a glowing emotional achievement. I sat through roughly five minutes of vehement, repetitive verbal abuse from a professor who really seemed to take a somewhat inappropriate amount of pleasure from humiliating me in front of my

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1102670271406343072004-12-10T04:14:00.000-05:002004-12-12T00:55:25.923-05:00

I dreamed of the long walk home under predawn skies paved with rain. A chain-link fence dripping across the peach pale landscape that is Philadelphia at night.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1102261930575170722004-12-05T10:28:00.000-05:002004-12-05T10:52:10.576-05:00

There's nothing entirely like the rush of performing to an audience. A real audience provides to the performers excitement, nerves, and a sudden, strong desire to prove themselves. It's this last that sometimes lends the performers a reckless sponstaneity paired with the instinctual concentration of a predator.This is what we felt last night. Our soloists broke out of their timidity to a new

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1101763448933171272004-11-29T16:19:00.000-05:002004-11-29T16:24:08.933-05:00

I imagine that I am much like an athlete, bedridden this long year. As winter returns, I am struggling to sit up...to stand...eventually to walk and to run again. Muscles complain with strain and disuse, but force of will can gather them to function, once more. I will learn to run faster and jump higher than I ever did before, but for now, even lifting my head on my own neck is an

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1101667198135866412004-11-28T13:18:00.000-05:002004-11-28T13:39:58.136-05:00

My shoulders ache with the buzz of trainwheels. Through the window there were trees growing through standing water and train tracks. A dull muffling sleepiness hung over me the whole way home.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1101597774782166222004-11-27T18:22:00.000-05:002004-11-27T18:22:54.783-05:00

And welcome back.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1072191177810150882003-12-23T09:52:00.000-05:002003-12-23T09:53:56.373-05:00

I find myself longing for places I've never been. Not because I crave adventure, but because I feel like home is somewhere else...someplace with high ceilings, tall windows, afternoon sunlight and lazy fans. There should be warmth and a bright glow like overexposed film. Hugely empty rooms. In the mornings, thick grass and cool moss under a sky so full of fog that it sinks down to brush the

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1066829635008286512003-10-22T09:33:00.000-04:002003-10-22T09:33:54.683-04:00

Ah. But if life isn't a quiet blur. I am sorry. I will try.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1064666602653204742003-09-27T08:43:00.000-04:002003-09-27T08:43:22.236-04:00

I know I've said this before, but what it feels like to me is as if I have a void...a vacuum in the middle of my chest. It swells, if nothing can swell, threatening to pull in my sternum, my spine, then out to my collarbone and my shoulder blades, my shoulders themselves, and at the very worst, all the way out to my fingertips. And all of this just wants to collapse. I wonder that these are

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1064490618526673382003-09-25T07:50:00.000-04:002003-09-25T07:50:17.953-04:00

It's hardly life, really. It's more like survival. I need to choose what to feel and what to ignore, and sometimes I get it wrong. When I do, I find myself a little huddled heap of humanity, sobbing for some stupid reason. But I teach myself not to care. It's all for the better. Thankfully, classes have started up again to provide a welcome distraction. I once again feel horribly artistic

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1062592765555940022003-09-03T08:39:00.000-04:002003-09-03T08:39:25.486-04:00

And then the day after labor day. Wind-sweet, grey-wet, and chilly. The perfect start to fall. Summer-green leaves all around me threaten to change color and drop to the ground before my very eyes, and I can't help but want a long grey wool skirt, as I've wanted for the past two or three falls. This year I may finally get one. I'm told that we're expecting a cold fall and a colder winter,

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1062220454762327632003-08-30T01:14:00.000-04:002003-08-30T01:14:14.843-04:00

Wind to thy wings, sister.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1061989232048067752003-08-27T09:00:00.000-04:002003-08-27T09:00:32.030-04:00

It feels as if my life is too big to fit into my body. It's week ten of a ten week term, and next week are final exams...though honestly, week ten is much harder. Finals are simple. You show up and you give them the right answers. Week ten is the week of preparation and intense intense work. Some might call this studying. I prefer to call it 'freaking out.' I have some amount of reading to

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1060315144089517732003-08-07T23:59:00.000-04:002003-08-07T23:59:04.106-04:00

There is so much life to live and only so much time in which to write about it all. It's been a slow, sweet haze of contentment and humidity.I picked up my seemingly-larger-than-usual group on Monday. Alas...cajoled once more into giving the campus tour to this week's mob of engineering-camp kids. And it started out fabulously. They laughed at my jokes, they were willing to talk to me, tell

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1059326943626482342003-07-27T13:29:00.000-04:002003-07-27T13:29:16.773-04:00

Congrats to all the thonners and all their sponsors for raising over 90 thousand dollars! 432 bloggers made it through the night and 3007 different people sponsored them. The average sponsor donated 30 dollars and 80 cents. (Haha! I am a sponsor of above average generosity!)Though the Blogathon event is over, you can still donate, so browse the thonners' sites and donate five bucks to whoever

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1059135499131824022003-07-25T08:18:00.000-04:002003-07-25T08:18:38.176-04:00

Hey, guys, for those of you who've been living under a rock and (absurdly) counting on me to get you your news...Blogathon is going down this weekend. We start about 24 hours from now, and though I'm not blogging for the 24 hrs, Peter is. I'll be appearing on his guest commentary sidebar and my talents will appear on a few of his tunes. If you're not familiar with the way he does blogathon, he

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1058887527850440282003-07-22T11:25:00.000-04:002003-07-22T11:25:53.593-04:00

Dreams featuring Aku from Samurai Jack who was casting curses at my request. When I attempted to destroy him, he turned into rust on the inside of a tin can. I knew it was him, however, and attempted to wash him out of the can and down the drain, but somehow, I couldn't ever get all of him out. There kept on being more dust or rust or slime in the bottom of the can, despite my constant washing

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1058812611716181212003-07-21T14:36:00.000-04:002003-07-21T14:36:51.763-04:00

We had been shopping for not such a long time, but I began to feel tired. Maybe tired wouldn't be the word for it, exactly. I felt droopy. Like wilted spinach. My eyes, dry and sandy, wanted to close themselves down, and my feet resisted all movement. My entire body felt warm and slightly swollen, though it was not. My neck was weak. I scuffed the floor as I walked, trying to interest

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1058275757137177392003-07-15T09:29:00.000-04:002003-07-15T09:29:17.096-04:00

Among other things, there were girls dancing. They were young. Probably eleven or twelve. And they danced. It was after ten on a summer night, and I was driving. I saw them on Powelton somewhere within the traffic light-stop sign-traffic light-traffic light stretch, and they were on the north side of the street. I had my radio on, and despite my open window, I could not hear their music.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1057688573418823052003-07-08T14:22:00.000-04:002003-07-08T14:22:53.426-04:00

Useless little pieces. Chunks of time. I succeed in doing nothing. A quiet futility.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1057590542704574842003-07-07T11:09:00.000-04:002003-07-07T11:09:02.756-04:00

I'm very confused and disoriented. It's summer, but I'm in class. I'm working. I've seen someone as distressed or more distressed than I was with a living situation. And I knew she felt trapped, but I felt trapped with her, and so I was not kind to her. I want to do nothing. I'll do anything to make him happy. I saw, for the first time in a long time, where the water meets the sky in a

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1057151461824188122003-07-02T09:11:00.000-04:002003-07-02T09:11:01.900-04:00

A quiet blur of time and warm tears, the past week came and went. On Friday, some parents complimented me on the campus tour that I gave in the 95 degree heat. Later that night, watching my friends brain damaging themselves, I was feeling a strong mixture of disgust and terror. I could have told them that some people die the absolute first time they decide to breathe something other than air,

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1056637107506954852003-06-26T10:18:00.000-04:002003-06-26T10:19:01.593-04:00

Movement is red brick sidewalks mortared with moss, pushing skywards with the rising power of tree roots. It is fuzzy grape leaves, vines around fence and trellis, but smelling like drought. It is the shining runes that appear on concrete when the rain falls faster than it can be drained. Movement is about ignoring the mosquito bite on my left foot between the big toe and the second one, right

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1056342041089594282003-06-23T00:20:00.000-04:002003-06-23T00:20:41.146-04:00

He has my metronome. And my clarinet. And though I willingly lent him these things, I wonder what, exactly it is that I've given away. He has my metronome. Now how am I supposed to keep time?

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1056151785067390272003-06-20T19:29:00.000-04:002003-06-20T19:29:45.070-04:00

The universe is telling me not to shop at Old Navy. Every time I go into one and pick out some stuff and get in line at the register, I find that I don't have my wallet. Then again, maybe it's just my subconscious good sense.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1055720909856313942003-06-15T19:48:00.000-04:002003-06-15T19:49:22.206-04:00

Oh and by the by, check out this pic of my solo at the TMs concert. Oh yeah. That diva in the middle is me. Lemme know if you have any trouble opening it.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1055717409035552832003-06-15T18:50:00.000-04:002003-06-15T18:50:08.910-04:00

Soft quiet wet heat on a Saturday night, and the steady clicking of the ceiling fan. Asian-style dining. Nothing to do but shop. Note to self:"Looking in a broken mirror."

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1055307643738684812003-06-11T01:00:00.000-04:002003-06-11T01:18:11.346-04:00

Also: I just took an online version of the Meyers-Briggs test and it says that I'm an Extroverted Sensing Feeling Judging type with "strength of preferences %" 1, 11, 33, and 22 respectively. Meaning that I'm just barely qualified as an extrovert, somewhat of a sensing type, a "moderately expressed feeling personality" etc. And here's what Joe Butt has to say about that. Whoever he is. I

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-1055306715325251572003-06-11T00:45:00.000-04:002003-06-11T00:45:15.900-04:00

My life is amazing...and floating...and wonderful. I have no phone, no tv, and of course, no internet. When is life ever easy? :) But there are no distractions, and I never have to wash anyone's dishes but mine and Peter's. There is only work and clean. Soon there will only be clean, read, play guitar. Actually...that'd be now. Right. Work is done. Clean, read, play guitar, try to get

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362266.post-952015982003-06-02T14:22:00.000-04:002003-06-02T14:22:29.900-04:00

I can afford to be so mild-mannered and chill when I know I'm leaving this house tomorrow. Life: never simple, but often good anyway.

Elisenoreply@blogger.com0