How Do You Afford Your Rock N Roll Lifestyle?

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tuesday wine drunk

I've had more alcohol in the past 6 days than in the last month. That doesn't really say a lot because until this weekend I had maybe 3 glasses of wine.

Now it's Tuesday night and I can't seem to stop drinking this lovely, bright flavored wine with a bit of effervescence. Indeed. Nothing like a good Vinoh Verde, I always say.

I spent this last weekend with my sister, alternately watching baseball, eating lovely food, drinking martinis/beer/wine/port, shopping in stores, creating a registry and trying on wedding dresses. I feel so obsessed with and yet detached from this whole wedding planning process-- I'd really like a location picked and venue booked before I move. But at the same time, the truth is when it comes to my personal life lately I've been super lazy. And I don't want to spend a lot of money. But I want there to be good food. And cocktails and dancing. Chicago or Virginia? 2, 5, or 7 bridesmaids? Because, really, I can come up with more than 7 girls I'd like to be in the wedding. Reasonable, slightly unreasonable, or absolutely ridiculous?

I want it to be a party. Not like all the other weddings people have attended. I hate the bouquet toss, so none of that. They -always- have to call the girls out to come up to "try" to catch it. Meh. No thanks. Even HotCop isn't doing it (I hope.). In the Yellow Dress wedding, they did ALL the rituals. The bouquet toss, the garter toss, the cake smashing. I bitched about it to her. Are we going to have that? she half asked me, half asked P-har. Do YOU like the bouquet toss? I asked.

Oh HELL no.

Well, then...

P-har seems to think guys like the garter toss, so who knows. To me it seems a little... low brow? Old fashioned? I don't know. Off. Not me. (I'm not sure this is my decision tho.)

Of course, we've been engaged all of 2 1/2 weeks. Minds may be changed about any of this at any point in this process.

However, I've already had dreams that some girls I haven't talked to since high school were in the wedding (we went to get our hair done) and that either Lil Kim or Foxy Brown offered sage marital advice. Also a dream where Snoop Dogg did my highlights so I had to have a blood test. I really should stop reading WashingtonPost.com articles about Suge Knight.

the big announcement

Last weekend I flew to Denver. Joe and I looked at houses and put an offer down on a townhouse. That is an anticlimatic description of a very stressful process we went through. Then we flew the VEGAS for a much-deserved vacation.

Our original plan for Friday night was to have dinner at the Brazilian Steak house in the Mirage- Samba. The week before we went, though, my sister reccommended Aureole in Mandalay Bay, and Joe knew better than to disagree with my change of heart. I wanted to go to Aureole, despite the fact that way back in 05, before we were dating, Joe flew out to Vegas during GAMA and we ate at Samba.

Practically the whole way to dinner in the cab, Joe was on the phone with the realtor. We made it to the restaurant, and he had to call the guy again, to confirm plans. This was our Special Dinner. I was pissed.

After dinner, it was decided we would go see the fountains in front of the Bellagio. Joe let me think it was my idea. I bitched and complained the whole walk over. My feet hurt, I'm tired. As we crossed the overpass, having almost made it, we could see the Fountains blasting. "Look! Aren't you excited?" he asked.

NO WAY, I complained. This has happened to me before. I've been to Vegas twice, and never seen the fountains. I just know they aren't going to go off again.

We finally made it to the area. We waited the 15 minutes for the show to start again and I started to feel better as we watched. After the show, Joe looked at me and told me there was another reason he wanted to go to the fountains-- and proceeded to ask cranky, whiny, jet-lagged me to marry him. I said yes!

HotCop and Joe conspired to pick a ring for me, because Joe and I hadn't ever talked about settings or antyhing. HotCop and I had, though. Endlessly! Here is a pretty good picture of it, although you can't really see what it looks like. Beware the look of a hungry girl eating salsa.

Here is one of two pictures we have together from the trip. The other is one of those damn souvenir pictures they charge you an arm and a leg for. This is outside the theatre where we saw LOVE-- the Cirque du Soleil show with Beatles music.

i guess she really is getting married

HotCop's Friend shower was today (my mom and I will throw her a Church Ladies shower later this summer). I'm posting this photo even though it will break my template, it's my favorite of the day. I took it while I was driving. Very HotCop.