An Assortment Of Horrible Pictures from Saturday Night

Dennis rented out a PARTY BUS for his birthday on Saturday.  Literally, a bus.

And you know it was a fun night when all of the pictures are really, really unflattering:

(Willis couldn't come, boo.  Bad for Willis.  Good for creepy dude who wouldn't stop hitting on MKam) 

(Last known photo of Melanie's iPhone)

(Dennis is going to kill me for this one)

(Please note the cord everyone is holding onto "for safety")

(Hanging out the windows, singing Jay-Z as we roll through Times Square)

 (Beautiful, shiny-faced, smeared-makeup love)

 (Dan obliges a request to show us your tits)

(Beautification)

 (Beautification)

Yeah... that happened 

So did that...

Thank you, Dennis, for arranging this very fun and most likely illegal outing.  Whooooooo!

Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I've heard stories of "post-wedding depression," wherein brides crash back to earth with nothing to do after devoting one to two years of their lives to planning a party. These stories mystify me. But just because I am of the opinion that married life beats engaged life, hands down, doesn't mean I'm not going to BREATHLESSLY tune in for every step of KATE 'N' WILLS!!!!!!!!!!!! Y'ALL, WE'RE GETTING A ROYAL WEDDING!!!!!!!!! And the bride isn't a vaguely exploited 19-year-old public virgin sacrifice! They really like each other! She's a commoner! They met in college! She has incredible hair (incredible enough to make up for his)! THIS IS LIKE CHRISTMAS.

On Coolness

I think sometimes the Rolling Stones distract us from how cool The Beatles were.

I've only recently come to appreciate George.

Meghan and Dan: The Marrying: Part 3a (The Ceremony: Prelude)

My, it's been awhile, hasn't it?  Well, to continue with the recaps... 

While the family was taking photos, our guests were assembling in the Conservatory. The Madison Hotel includes champagne and strawberries for everyone pre-ceremony, which is baller, and an oft-mentioned detail when people gushed about our ceremony.  Is that sad?  No.  It is awesome.

The stage was set: a candle for Dan's dad, roses for his babcia, bread & salt & wine for our nod to Polski-ism, rose petals for a nod to Irish-ism, and some flowers that my mom picked up in her morning tornado because the table looked bare.

The boys had to dig into our candle so it would stay lit.

Barbie kindly saves Grace's seat.

The boys filed in, followed by the vital parentals... and our blushing groom.

Next up... the ladies. Hope you're as excited as this guy.

Flower girl Grace:

Grace hilariously and adorably dropped one petal on her walk down the aisle.  

Said my sister, "I think sometimes we forget she's three."

The 'maids:

The maids o' honor:

And then...

AND THEN...

If you want the full effect, this song began playing...

(for most music choices, Dan and I were hella decisive, but I listened to approximately infinity songs for this twenty-second walk).

Time for the bride.

It's no secret that I broke down and started crying almost immediately.  I wasn't expecting that, but yeah, what can I say.  Turns out I do have a heart.

The waterworks continued...

And continued...

(Thank lordy my mom gave me that hankie before the ceremony).

And continued...

And then finally, after eight months of planning, ~four years of dating, and twenty-eight years of living, Dan and I were ready to get Married.

 images courtesy Inbal Sivan

It's Almost Here It's Almost Here It's Almost Here

I go nuts every time I see a poster for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I, which means I go nuts every morning, because they're evvvverywhere.

Variety just gave it a great review, including this hilarious line:

Tasked with finding and destroying the remaining Horcruxes (accursed objects containing fragments of Voldemort's soul), the central trio must track elusive leads, decode arcane symbols and research unfamiliar names in the wizarding world, all rattled off so quickly at times that even those familiar with the text may be in need of a flow chart.

That's so cute the way they explained what Horcruxes are. There are still people who don't know this???? Also, Mr. Reviewer, I will not need a flow chart to keep track of the characters. I am an American, okay? Good grief.

Recently Percolating...

Dan and I don't have a real bed - and I want one.  Me me me!  Gimme gimme gimme!  My problems are so serious.  I'm like a character from It's Complicated.  Anyway, I checked out options on my last IKEA trip, but nothing there really spoke to me (also nothing would fit in the car).  After some internet sleuthing, I began to think I could make one.  Well, not a whole bed.  But a headboard.  I could do that.

The relentlessly chipper John and Sherry of YoungHouseLove made one out of a wooden art frame, usually meant for canvas:

Looks nice and sounds easy, but we want something to lean against.  This is a little flimsy for our purposes.

Then I found this one on Design*Sponge.

Holy.  Crap.

The writer made that!  By herself!  There's a how-to video and everything.  PLUS, her cat looks just like Bianca.  SOLD.  DONE.  DOING IT.

I am not yet sure where I will obtain the necessary large piece of wood, craftsman to cut said wood, swaths of fabric, or two-inch upholstery foam.  But it's going to happen.  Probably just in time for us to move.

WunderGlo

I didn't know Gloria very well in college, but I always knew of her - she was a visible person on campus (class president, always organizing stuff, huge basketball fan) and everyone just liked her, even if they didn't know her.

Anyway, she's currently undergoing treatment for stage IV colon cancer, and is writing a very inspirational blog about it here.  She's pretty amazing.

We're Hot! We're Cold! We're Yes! We're No!

I randomly got put on the list for a free Katy Perry show last night, and before even checking to see if he was in the time zone, put Dennis down as my +1. Somehow, everything worked out, and we found ourselves in the Roseland Ballroom for some teenage dreamin'.

The songstress emerged from a giant cake into a wild Candyland set. She wore a skintight latex dress. I want her trainer.

Best part? Katy Perry show = crowd of mostly teenage girls = I could see! That never happens. (Example: below, Lady Gaga, August 2010, which I never even blogged about because it was two hours of some dude's back. Heartbreaking).

The concert was really fun. Really high energy, great band, great backup, great set, and - who knew - she can sing. I figured I'd be the jaded older hipster person in my work-appropriate sweater and trench coat, but I was jumping up and down, screaming along to "California Gurls" like it was still summertime.

Also I think Russell taught her about Mystery's "peacocking" theory. (Russell Brand is a total peacock. I just realized this).

Thanks for the show, Katy! And the MTV tickets department! And the new phone this whole thing was promoting that I will likely never buy!

Images

I WANT

via Gizmodo

Halloween Proper

For Halloween proper, I went, as I do every year, to our friend Roach's for the parade - his apartment conveniently hangs over the route and he can never move.

Usually, Halloween is on a weekday, so I just wander over to his place after work, before humanity descends and the barricades go up. I had forgotten what happens when you decide to take the train from Brooklyn a half hour after the parade's start time.

It took forty minutes to get from the subway to Roach's building (usual travel time: 60-120 seconds). One restaurant - it's new, obviously - had left its outdoor seating out, creating a massive crush of angry and largely drunk New Yorkers. But I got there.

Adam showed up dressed as Wesley Snipes from White Men Can't Jump.

Dan, depending on how you look at it, went as either Ameet in 2008, or a Mexican. I was a lame but sexy lumberjack. UPDATE: apparently my sister dressed up as a lumberjack for Halloween as well. GROUP BRAIN.

(above, Dan's inspiration: Ameet from two years ago).

Adam M., however, took the prize, dressing up as the BP Oil Spill. This is a hard costume to get right and he nailed it. Note the collection of sea creatures from Babies "R" Us, the eyes of which he painstakingly blacked out with electrical tape.

Happy Halloween!