We only have a few days left before the wedding, so I was happy to go and get my wedding hair trial done earlier this week. I went over to Seattle one morning with my mom and nieces, and arrived just a little early for my appointment at the Etherea Salon. From the moment I arrived there was trouble.
To start, the stylist seemed harried. He was very concerned about having enough time to get the hair done even though I warned them when I called that I have "challenging" hair. First he told me that he really only does one wedding "do" and that it was the best choice because it would stay put all day. Then he said that I would have to have my hair straightened if he was going to have any chance of putting it up in the time allowed. Then, as if all that weren't enough, he started to use the Aveda products on my hair.
I have never been a huge fan of Aveda products because of their smell, but some are worse than others. The Brilliant Oil is actually very nice. However, some of the products have a distinctive, unpleasant smell. I think it may be things that include Sap Moss, but I'm not completely sure. From the moment he sprayed this smell on my hair, I knew I was in trouble. After a day of smelling my own hair, I decided I couldn't go through my wedding smelling this way. Who wants to associate the day of their wedding with an awful smell?
Therefore, I did something kind of unusual for me. I jumped ship. I called another salon, made appointments with them, and cancelled our time at the smelly place. Now there is not enough time for another trial, so I'm placing all my faith in the new stylist. I guess I'm thinking almost anything would be better than what I had. Wish my hair luck.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Bachelorette!
There is no question about it; my friends are awesome! On a recent day, they took me out for a bachelorette party that I will not soon (ever!) forget. First, three (CC and KD and I) of us started out by meeting up for buffet lunch at one of my favorite Indian Places. Once we were finished filling up on sinfully delicious food, we spent a pleasant hour looking at cars (not for me!) before the next event.
By late afternoon, we arrived at the salon, and began our nail treatments. I have recently discovered a fondness for pedicures, so it was quite fun to choose a new nail color and get my feet bathed and massaged. It was during the pedicure when something very exciting happened. KM arrived! From all the way across the country! It was SO good to see her after three months away. At that point, our little gang of four was all set.
Once our nails were beautified, we all set off for the big city for the rest of our adventure. The 520 bridge was closed, so we did hit some traffic getting over, but that didn't matter to me because I got to use the time catching up with KM. A lot can happen in three months, so we had plenty to chat about as the cars crept along. Eventually we did reach Seattle, check into our hotel (the 31st floor with a fabulous view of the water!), put on our fancy clothes, and run to our dinner reservation.
Lola restaurant has been one of my favorite Seattle landmarks for a few years now. That was where we had dinner the night before M proposed. Besides being sentimental about it, the food there is absolutely fantastic. Greek food is usually good, but this place takes it to high art. The menu is constantly changing, so it is impossible to state a favorite. However, every single time I've gone in, I have had an excellent meal. This visit was no exception, and the cherry and Haloumi cheese skewers cooked in ouzo vied with the eggplant (which I usually don't like) tagine as the most delicious things on my plate. More and more ladies joined us until we had a table of eight enjoying the food.
As if tasty food and friendly company were not enough, there was a bonus. Two of my sneaky friends saw the locally famous owner of Lola, Tom Douglas, heading through the restaurant. Without my knowing, they arranged to have him come to our table! He was very friendly and congratulated me, posed for pictures, told us the story of Lola, and gave M and me a signed copy of his new cookbook. It was quite exciting for the food geeks in the group, and I think maybe M was impressed when I got home and told the story. We always see a celebrity when we do bachelorettes, and this one was no exception.
After leaving Lola, we returned to the hotel, and my incredibly kind friends gave me a lingerie shower. It was lovely and thoughtful and incredibly generous of them, and I got some beautiful things. M is going to have quite a show on our honeymoon, and that is all I'm going to say about that!
Next we headed out for drinks and dessert at a place called The Purple Cafe. We often go there after the symphony, so we were prepared for the extensive menu of two and three bite desserts. We ordered all 14 items from the menu, and I got a lovely, fizzy glass of champagne. There was much trading of plates and conversation. The party only broke up as it got too late for many people to leave their cars parked any longer.
It was quite late when the original four girls got back to the hotel. We changed into our PJ's, had a brief pillow fight just so we could say we did, and then settled in to tell bedtime stories about the handsome and successful man, CC, was going to meet. It was hilarious, and a great way to end such a memorable day.
Thanks a million times to my kind and wonderful friends for giving me such a remarkable time. It will certainly go down in my personal history as a much-cherished event.
By late afternoon, we arrived at the salon, and began our nail treatments. I have recently discovered a fondness for pedicures, so it was quite fun to choose a new nail color and get my feet bathed and massaged. It was during the pedicure when something very exciting happened. KM arrived! From all the way across the country! It was SO good to see her after three months away. At that point, our little gang of four was all set.
Once our nails were beautified, we all set off for the big city for the rest of our adventure. The 520 bridge was closed, so we did hit some traffic getting over, but that didn't matter to me because I got to use the time catching up with KM. A lot can happen in three months, so we had plenty to chat about as the cars crept along. Eventually we did reach Seattle, check into our hotel (the 31st floor with a fabulous view of the water!), put on our fancy clothes, and run to our dinner reservation.
Lola restaurant has been one of my favorite Seattle landmarks for a few years now. That was where we had dinner the night before M proposed. Besides being sentimental about it, the food there is absolutely fantastic. Greek food is usually good, but this place takes it to high art. The menu is constantly changing, so it is impossible to state a favorite. However, every single time I've gone in, I have had an excellent meal. This visit was no exception, and the cherry and Haloumi cheese skewers cooked in ouzo vied with the eggplant (which I usually don't like) tagine as the most delicious things on my plate. More and more ladies joined us until we had a table of eight enjoying the food.
As if tasty food and friendly company were not enough, there was a bonus. Two of my sneaky friends saw the locally famous owner of Lola, Tom Douglas, heading through the restaurant. Without my knowing, they arranged to have him come to our table! He was very friendly and congratulated me, posed for pictures, told us the story of Lola, and gave M and me a signed copy of his new cookbook. It was quite exciting for the food geeks in the group, and I think maybe M was impressed when I got home and told the story. We always see a celebrity when we do bachelorettes, and this one was no exception.
After leaving Lola, we returned to the hotel, and my incredibly kind friends gave me a lingerie shower. It was lovely and thoughtful and incredibly generous of them, and I got some beautiful things. M is going to have quite a show on our honeymoon, and that is all I'm going to say about that!
Next we headed out for drinks and dessert at a place called The Purple Cafe. We often go there after the symphony, so we were prepared for the extensive menu of two and three bite desserts. We ordered all 14 items from the menu, and I got a lovely, fizzy glass of champagne. There was much trading of plates and conversation. The party only broke up as it got too late for many people to leave their cars parked any longer.
It was quite late when the original four girls got back to the hotel. We changed into our PJ's, had a brief pillow fight just so we could say we did, and then settled in to tell bedtime stories about the handsome and successful man, CC, was going to meet. It was hilarious, and a great way to end such a memorable day.
Thanks a million times to my kind and wonderful friends for giving me such a remarkable time. It will certainly go down in my personal history as a much-cherished event.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wedding Countdown
This morning M and I went out to our local city hall and got... drum roll please... A MARRIAGE LISENCE!!! It was a VERY trippy feeling to fill out the papers and swear we weren't fibbing. We had to promise that everything on the form was true and also that we were not diseased or related. It's getting more and more real all the time. After nearly six years together, it's about time :)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
One Day Sale
A few days ago, when I went to get the mail, I noticed a flyer for a major department store. In large, cheerful letters, the flyer announced a "One-Day-Only" sale event! Then, in slightly smaller text it said something like: Saturday, July 9th from 9am to 11pm and Sunday, July 10th from 11am to 6pm. I guess the definition of "one day" has changed slightly since I last checked.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Wall-E
What a cute, funny, interesting little movie! M and I went to the late show the other night, and I was amazed to see a theater full of adults going to see an animated movie. Pixar has really built up a reputation for making "cartoons" into something worth seeing. Wall-E did not disappoint. The first half was mostly just there to be cute, but there were some good funny moments. However it was the second half that I found really entertaining. The most surprising part was the edge of social commentary about certain human tendencies. The credits at the end were almost worth the price of admission on their own. My only complaint about the experience was the fact that one robot was obviously made to look like an I-Mac. Ugh! I guess you would have to expect that from a bunch of Apple people.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Wedding Madness
Well it is only about two weeks until the wedding, but don't worry, the pressure isn't starting to get to us or anything. The millions of small tasks that need doing aren't weighing on my mind, and I am absolutely certain that I haven’t forgotten anything important. I'm completely confident that the weather will be perfect, the guests will behave beautifully, my hair will look stunning, and all the vendors will arrive prepared and on time. After all, what could really go wrong? No, no that crazed, maniacal laughter is not me! That's someone else! Really! Like I said, I'm completely relaxed and confident.
Friday, July 11, 2008
No More Garden Box
For the last two years M and I have been re-affirming our yuppy-ness by having a garden box delivered each week. It was like Christmas on a small scale. Each week I got to open the flaps on that plastic crate and see what crispy, sweet, flavorful presents were inside. Fruit actually smelled like fruit, and carrots tasted like carrots. It was really something of a revelation.
Pioneer Organics offered a service where you got to choose your own goodies. I loved going on their very useable website and picking all sorts of tasty, organic, and mostly local items. Not everything was always perfect. Things were occasionally green or bruised, but no more than what you would find in the grocery store. The prices were often high, but since most of the produce was such good quality it seemed worthwhile. We ate so many more fresh things when we had the box coming all the time.
Unfortunately, everything passes, everything changes. Our dear Pioneer was bought out by a rival company called Spud! In many ways Spud! offers the same type of service, but not everything was the same. For example, you could not exactly choose your own items, and when they did arrive they were often not up to the quality standards we were used to getting. Price was also an issue, and the day we received a cauliflower that was the size of a softball and cost $4, we were done. We'll just have to be twice a diligent about getting out to the farmers' markets now.
Pioneer Organics offered a service where you got to choose your own goodies. I loved going on their very useable website and picking all sorts of tasty, organic, and mostly local items. Not everything was always perfect. Things were occasionally green or bruised, but no more than what you would find in the grocery store. The prices were often high, but since most of the produce was such good quality it seemed worthwhile. We ate so many more fresh things when we had the box coming all the time.
Unfortunately, everything passes, everything changes. Our dear Pioneer was bought out by a rival company called Spud! In many ways Spud! offers the same type of service, but not everything was the same. For example, you could not exactly choose your own items, and when they did arrive they were often not up to the quality standards we were used to getting. Price was also an issue, and the day we received a cauliflower that was the size of a softball and cost $4, we were done. We'll just have to be twice a diligent about getting out to the farmers' markets now.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Hooray for High Gas Prices
Recently, NPR had yet another piece about how high gas prices are changing the behavior of consumers. This time they were discussing the massive shift in priorities when the average person goes to buy a new car. Four years ago it seems that fuel efficiency was, on average, the 28th most important factor considered by purchasers of new cars. Today that has changed quite a bit, and while no one has yet had time to do another survey (that I could find) the proof is in the proverbial pudding. The Toyota Corolla has unseated the Ford F-150 pick-up series to become the best-selling car in America.
I am old enough to remember a time when gas occasionally went down to $.99 per gallon, and certainly older people remember paying even less. In comparison, the $4.41 I paid last week is quite the shock. However, economists have long said that the only true way to change the behavior of the masses is to hit them where it hurts. In that sense the high prices seem to be working wonders. For the first time in more than 20 years, people are driving less than they did at the same time last year. Public transit ridership is up around the country, and there actually seems to be a bike shortage in some parts of the country.
Don't get me wrong, I hate paying those high prices for fuel. My little tank costs more than $40 to fill, and even with my efficient car (about 36-38 mpg) I still feel the pinch. Nevertheless, high gas prices HAVE to be a good thing when they produce results like those above.
I am old enough to remember a time when gas occasionally went down to $.99 per gallon, and certainly older people remember paying even less. In comparison, the $4.41 I paid last week is quite the shock. However, economists have long said that the only true way to change the behavior of the masses is to hit them where it hurts. In that sense the high prices seem to be working wonders. For the first time in more than 20 years, people are driving less than they did at the same time last year. Public transit ridership is up around the country, and there actually seems to be a bike shortage in some parts of the country.
Don't get me wrong, I hate paying those high prices for fuel. My little tank costs more than $40 to fill, and even with my efficient car (about 36-38 mpg) I still feel the pinch. Nevertheless, high gas prices HAVE to be a good thing when they produce results like those above.
Friday, July 04, 2008
4th of July, 2008
Happy 4th of July!
I recently heard a snippet of an interview on NPR that I really enjoyed. I didn't catch the name of the speaker, but the main point he was making at the time was so great I just had to repeat it today. To paraphrase heavily, he said that, traditionally, liberals have criticism of the system down to a science, but they forget or even refuse to think about the positives of our country. Conservatives, on the other hand, are such shouting nationalists that they forget or even refuse to engage in reflection about the negatives. True patriotism, according to this mystery guy, is in remembering to celebrate the good while still addressing the bad. "Yeah, no duh" you may be thinking, but I still think it bears repeating.
I recently heard a snippet of an interview on NPR that I really enjoyed. I didn't catch the name of the speaker, but the main point he was making at the time was so great I just had to repeat it today. To paraphrase heavily, he said that, traditionally, liberals have criticism of the system down to a science, but they forget or even refuse to think about the positives of our country. Conservatives, on the other hand, are such shouting nationalists that they forget or even refuse to engage in reflection about the negatives. True patriotism, according to this mystery guy, is in remembering to celebrate the good while still addressing the bad. "Yeah, no duh" you may be thinking, but I still think it bears repeating.
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