Tag: Friends

Family, Friends, Humor, Life, Work October 8, 2010

TGIF, etc.

“There aren’t enough days in the weekend.”
– Rod Schmidt

Today I realized that, what with the insane week I’ve had at work/home/any other plane of existence that temporarily escapes me, I could not – for the life of me – remember whether or not I’d paid our October rent! On my lunch break I scampered over to our flat’s managers. She answered the door in her pajamas with scary hair and a sick-to-her-stomach looking face. Turns out, she’s pregnant and was having a miserably week to – and apparently so were a lot of other people living in our building because she waived the $15 late fee, citing life.

Excellent.

Also! Today was the first day I’ve worn a coat to work. It’s Fall! It’s my sister-in-law’s birthday so we’re going to her house this evening for cake. Tomorrow I get to play with Fairy and GS (whom I haven’t seen in weeks) for a lovely Ladies Only Afternoon. Last night I wore my chenille house slippers and made my first real cup of tea in a long time (with a teapot, as it was intended to be). J. is playing with the guys tonight so I think I will make a steaming pot of corn chowder and watch a movie.

The week’s almost over, poodles! Chins up!

Friends, Humor, Marriage, Wedding September 9, 2010

Le Reception!

“When the bride is one with her lover, who cares about the wedding party?”
– Kabir

I left work at 12 on Thursday to head an hour north to Marie’s home to set up for the reception. I didn’t get home until nearly midnight. It was quite the event!

Sadly I’m afraid I didn’t really get on with the other bridesmaids and attendants. Nothing malicious, you understand! It’s just that not a lot can trump shared history and the other girls had heaps of it. I did overhear one girl say that she had known Marie longer than me and should have been a bridesmaid instead, which sort of was a downer, but one I didn’t take too seriously as there was probably some truth to that. They’d all grown up together in the same neighborhood, lived together for years at school, etc. By comparison I was a babe in arms, as far as Marie’s friendship was concerned! But then again, she asked me (hurrah!) and I was resolved to be the best damned bridesmaid the world has ever seen.

So, after a couple awkward failed attempts to join conversations about people I didn’t know, I contented myself with jumping up and down on lantern stakes to drive them into the turf, setting up tables, hanging garlands, whipping up massive gauzy decorations, organizing boys for heavy lifting, carting gifts about, and arranging flowers – all of which suited me perfectly.

There a few mishaps, the boys recruited by the groom (severely underestimating the amount of work that needed to be done) didn’t show up as early as we would have liked. And that darling other bridesmaid up there? Well, we sort of had to construct her dress from the pieces of two or three other dresses. What you can’t tell in that picture is that it is fearfully and wonderfully made – the safety pins colored with sharpies, the cinching, the half dozen people draping fabric and wrapping ribbon – it was quite the project! But it was a great joke because it turned out so well, no one but those involved were the wiser.

In fact, everything turned out gorgeously, we were thrilled. And more importantly, so was the glowing bride!

*Hopefully I’ll be able to get more pictures of the day from Marie when she gets back from her honeymoon. Congratulations, love!

Friends, Humor, Wedding September 8, 2010

Marie’s Shower

“Is there anything better than drunken sailor bowling?”
– Shower Guest

As it was a tea party, her Majesty arrived arrived in grand style with the latest in fashionable hat-wear:

The guests were entertained with all manner of wit, games, and conversation (how’s this for a coincidence! One of the guests was a girl who I knew at five years old and met in Germany. She’s now living in the States and pregnant with her second child…small world, n’est pas?):

And the food was the height of luxury, each item accompanied with a quote specific to the food it graced. My favorite: “Cheese is milk’s leap towards immortality.”

Family, Friends, Humor, Life, Weekend September 7, 2010

Ducklings, I Haven’t Forgotten You…

“I’ve got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom.”
-Thomas Carlyle

This past week/weekend:

-Marie had a bridal shower, reception, wedding, and luncheon (Wed., Thurs., and Friday respectively)
-We had our school’s Football season opener (and won!)
-Labor Day, several hours of which I spent throwing nieces and nephews around on a trampoline
-I bought food for the first time in over a week
-Ate a full meal…which seemed like the first time in over a week
-I didn’t sleep more than five hours a night, and apparently started grinding my teeth in my sleep (according to J.)
-Fall showed up. Seriously. I turned around and there it was with sweaters, boots, and temperatures plummeting thirty degrees. Unlike most people I know, I’m thrilled because Fall is my favorite season
-Had a perma-migraine

brains... — Weddings, even fabulous ones like Marie's, can have unforeseen consequences.

So instead of updating you as was clearly my duty and your right, my loves, I spent last night in flannel pajama pants, dosed with pain killers, and watching Emma – not sharing pictures from the wedding. Every once and a while I lurched to the kitchen for sustenance, but only at moments of near death. Apologies, but I really wasn’t fit for anything else.

I’ll get them up today, I promise. And I’ll never neglect you like that again.

Friends, Humor, Wedding September 1, 2010

The Queen of Hearts…

“There is no use trying,” said Alice, “one cannot believe impossible things.”
“I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!”
– Lewis Carroll

Marie’s shower is tonight! I’ve been up late two days baking and Hennessy wonderfully let me shop on her Costco card yesterday to procure sundry necessities. Trying to figure out the menu and organize it within budget and time (that lived up to my grandiose schemes for my friend, she isn’t named after Marie Antoinette for nothing!) was difficult, and at one point I despaired and thought it impossible…

But then I found these, and I knew it was going to the social event of the season!

Heart Crackers — Queen of Hearts, indeed!

Food, Friends, Fun, Humor, Wedding August 10, 2010

Tea. Party. (No, not that kind!)

“There is no Latin word for tea? Upon my soul, if I had known that I would have let the vulgar stuff alone.”
– Hilaire Belloc

Remember when Marie got engaged the Great Bridesmaid Dress Affair that followed? Well the dresses have been chosen and they are to die for (check them out here). And then think of that metallic green monstrosity with the horrid bow on the bum that your sister/university roommate/friend/sister-in-law made you don and weep. Having friends with excellent taste is a great comfort.

Now, with dates set, gown ordered, and food presumably taken care of, it falls on us, the bridesmaids, to throw the most fabulous fête ever conceived by man. This is going to be so grand and event that it’s taking three of us, coordinating from three separate states to get it going.

And what else would it be, than a traditional English Tea Party, dragged into the 21st century? I’m in charge of food and sundry other tasks (as I’m currently the only one in the same state as the bride).

And, as Marie reads this blog, the following information will be have to be somewhat censored. The menu will include (nothing to see here) and (move along) and of course (nuh-uh). The decorations will be done all in (bleep) and (sound effect from Deadliest Catch), isn’t that gorgeous? The girls and I have come up with a fantastic (lalalalala!) so we can (ahem) and Marie can enjoy the (sshhnnkk! Message for you, sir!).

Doesn’t it sound fabulous?

Friends, Humor, Work July 26, 2010

Addendum

“I do not believe they’ve run out of surprises.”
– Larry Niven

Whilst this has been going on, Red has been dealing with a bad employee who has been showing up late, being rude to co-workers and patrons, and refused to learn her responsibilities. Last Thursday, Red took her aside and cautioned her that her behavior would have to change and she stormed out. Today she simply didn’t come in and fired off an email to Red two hours after she was due to start work saying that she couldn’t work in the “volatile situation” that we had put her in.

“Volatile!” exclaimed Luthor incredulously. “We get ice cream here!”

Well said, Luthor. Well said.

dog_and_ice-cream — Small Dog forgot entirely to take ice cream into account!

Friends, Humor, Work July 22, 2010July 22, 2010

We Run This Place

“By Thursday morning we’d gotten over the worst of it.”
– William Scranton

secretaries — None of us have quite managed "Cool" today.

So, Wise is pregnant (congratulations!) and a bit under the weather, Susie and I have both injured our knees (with absolutely no clue as to how), and Hennessy managed to stab herself in the nose with her fingernail in her sleep last night.

We’re the walking wounded.

Friends, Humor, Travel July 7, 2010July 7, 2010

I’m About to Say the Sooth!

“The oracle says Spain over Germany. Discuss.”
“I’m sorry but I have to say German over Spain. Spaniards eat a lot of octopus…the animal is afraid of saying they will lose, as it might end up on a barbecue.”
“True. I had not sufficiently taken into account culinary pressures.”
– C. and Francois, Facebook conversation

The Romans used to slash creatures open and observe their livers and kidneys to tell the future. By comparison, Paul the Oracle Octopus is less gruesome. I’m sort of hoping Spain trounces Germany just so his status as a prophetic cephalopod is confirmed.

Unfortunately for the tentacled sucker in question, I have an everlasting hatred of the name Paul. On a train ride from Holyhead, Wales to London, AbFab, Elizabeth, Kiri, Marie and I were seated with an odd couple. They smoked like chimneys, drank like fish, and swore like sailors. They both had saggy skin covered in tattoos while she had mad, frizzled hair and he was horrifically bald. Apparently she was married to another person but the man with her, named Paul, was her lover. There’s no accounting some people’s taste.

When we changed trains at Crewe the girls and I were happily esconced in our new car when Paul passed us coming down the corridor. Suddenly something landed in my lap. I looked down and saw a twisted up piece of paper and thought he’d dropped it, but he moved on before I could hand it back. Unfortunately when I unfurled it, it was his name and number.

Commenced five women gagging enthusiastically and shuddering all the way to London. They teased me to no end.

Paul the octopus looks cuddly by comparison.

Friends, Humor, Life, Sad July 5, 2010

Keep Calm: An Emotional Evolution Since Yesterday

“Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends.”
– Virginia Woolf

Happy independence to me…from Venice. She and Val are on their way East (though if Facebook updates are anything to go off of, they are already having a horrid time of it). Since her departure, I’ve been going through the most frightful emotional rollercoaster, best illustrated by the following series.