I'm not a private investigator, but I'd like to believe that I could be one.
My first foray into intensive online searches was in college, when one of my professor gave the class a list of tricky questions (the one that comes to mind is, "What is that smell when it rains?" but there were other more concrete questions, like questions about female pilots during WWII and questions about newsworthy events in the 20s) and set us loose in the library to find as many (accurate) answers as we could.
That day, I developed a deep and personal love for Google, and that love has continued to grow over the years.
I find that my online searching skills have practical purposes. My friend TA wanted to catch up with an old friend from high school but knew only his name and that he might be a teacher. I found the guy's email address online, and they were able to catch up.
Now before you think that I'm a borderline cyber-stalker, I need to point out that I use my powers for good. Or at least for curiosity. Don't you ever wonder, "Gee, I wonder where so-and-so is now--I wonder what they're up to?" A lot of times, Google knows.
But sometimes Google doesn't know, or it gives you search results for other people with the same name. If you don't have additional filtering criteria, you're out of luck.
Or are you? Recently, I discovered another tool to add to my PI arsenal--www.theknot.com. You can type in someone's first and last names and find out if they registered at any affiliated stores. The listings sometimes include the state in which their wedding took (or will take) place, and that information is very helpful for narrowing down search results when a person has a common name. Sometimes the listing also has the person's wedding date.
A couple weeks ago, my friend LS and I were talking about a guy we used to work with--we heard he got engaged but didn't know anything else. Naturally, I turned to the knot, and I found out that his wedding was in 10 days! Quelle coincidence! I emailed over my congrats and shared my own happy news with him.
So if you find yourself bored, fear not--entertainment awaits at the knot.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Scary dreams put to rest
This weekend I had my trial appointment for hair and make-up, and my scary dreams are now put to rest--the appointment was great, and I am really happy with the outcome.
I had never had my make-up done by a professional, and I was hoping to pick up some tips, but I wasn't facing the mirror and had my eyes closed for a lot of it (it's tough to watch someone put on your eye make-up), so I don't think I learned anything.
I had been concerned about the cleanliness of the make-up tools--for example, I didn't want a mascara brush that had touched someone else's eye to touch my eye, as well. Luckily, the make-up artist had a bag of mascara brushes, and she uses a new brush for every person. And she was disinfecting or wiping off the different brushes and applicator tools as she went, and that made me feel much more comfortable.
The end result was me, just with a bit more make-up than usual, but I think most of it was subtle (except perhaps my eye make-up, but a bride's eyes are supposed to be dramatic).
The hairdo turned out great, too, and I wore it the whole day without even a twinge of a headache. I also took a longish nap (the appointment was at 7:30 AM--too early for a weekend!), and it stayed put without being helmet-head-like. Bravo to the stylist.
I'm very pleased with how my hair and make-up will look for the big day, and I'm so glad I decided to do a trial run--now I know that my hair and make-up will look great.
This weekend, we also finalized our cake order. We're getting a mix of milk chocolate and white chocolate cupcakes, topped with buttercream frosting and a raspberry. Ben chose the flavor for our wedding cake (which will basically just be for show--we'll be cutting the very-small top tier and taking the slightly larger bottom tier home with us for freezing), which will also be milk chocolate with white chocolate frosting. The cake will have a beachy-theme with shells and brown sugar (which is supposed to look like sand).
I had never had my make-up done by a professional, and I was hoping to pick up some tips, but I wasn't facing the mirror and had my eyes closed for a lot of it (it's tough to watch someone put on your eye make-up), so I don't think I learned anything.
I had been concerned about the cleanliness of the make-up tools--for example, I didn't want a mascara brush that had touched someone else's eye to touch my eye, as well. Luckily, the make-up artist had a bag of mascara brushes, and she uses a new brush for every person. And she was disinfecting or wiping off the different brushes and applicator tools as she went, and that made me feel much more comfortable.
The end result was me, just with a bit more make-up than usual, but I think most of it was subtle (except perhaps my eye make-up, but a bride's eyes are supposed to be dramatic).
The hairdo turned out great, too, and I wore it the whole day without even a twinge of a headache. I also took a longish nap (the appointment was at 7:30 AM--too early for a weekend!), and it stayed put without being helmet-head-like. Bravo to the stylist.
I'm very pleased with how my hair and make-up will look for the big day, and I'm so glad I decided to do a trial run--now I know that my hair and make-up will look great.
This weekend, we also finalized our cake order. We're getting a mix of milk chocolate and white chocolate cupcakes, topped with buttercream frosting and a raspberry. Ben chose the flavor for our wedding cake (which will basically just be for show--we'll be cutting the very-small top tier and taking the slightly larger bottom tier home with us for freezing), which will also be milk chocolate with white chocolate frosting. The cake will have a beachy-theme with shells and brown sugar (which is supposed to look like sand).
Friday, July 27, 2007
What's the deal with the title?
You might be wondering about the title of this blog. If you're familiar with Queen, then you're likely familiar with the song.
The song is sort of a running joke between B and me, if you count his suggesting it repeatedly as our recessional song and my greeting his idea with a pointed stare and raised eyebrow as a joke. In other words, I was doing my best to convince him that we need a more appropriate song for our recessional, and that "Another One Bites the Dust" was not the first song we wanted played about us after we got married, no matter how funny it might be.
The song is sort of a running joke between B and me, if you count his suggesting it repeatedly as our recessional song and my greeting his idea with a pointed stare and raised eyebrow as a joke. In other words, I was doing my best to convince him that we need a more appropriate song for our recessional, and that "Another One Bites the Dust" was not the first song we wanted played about us after we got married, no matter how funny it might be.
But that didn't mean I couldn't use it as the title of our wedding blog.
I'm not sure what will happen to the blog after we get married. I've tried to keep most of the posts focused on the wedding to avoid the hour-by-hour life chronical--nobody needs to know how many times I brush my teeth every day.
If I have sufficient material, I might change the focus to newlywed life, though as I mentioned before, I'm hoping nothing will change, so maybe there won't be enough material, and I will end up discussing the antics of love-deprived starlets or how awesome Grey's Anatomy is (I took a quiz on their website and apparently I am most like Callie--I didn't think I liked Callie that much--perhaps I ought to reevaluate that stance).
Anyway. The blog will continue to be a wedding-planning blog until the wedding, and maybe we'll even be able to update it while we're in France. And after that, it's anyone's guess.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Multi-tasking while showering
I usually shower twice every day, in the morning and at night. The evening shower is more to relax and get into the calm, pre-bed mindset, but lately, my evening shower has been serving a functional purpose--well, several purposes.
First of all, the tooth whitening continues. Yes, I started my tooth whitening over a month ago, and I did say that the whitening would take only a week. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be that simple.
The first trays did not go all the way up to my gums, and the problem was with the mold that was taken of my mouth that day. (The dentist office was perplexed as to how it happened, and my knowledge of the dental arts is limited, so I couldn't offer an explanation, either.) I had to make another appointment to have another mold taken, and then I had to make another appointment to pick up the new trays and make sure that they fit (they do). And of course my dentist is open only during banking hours, so I had to wait until I could work at home for both appointments.
But now that's done, and I'm back to the whitening process. I've been doing one round (for lack of a better word) per day rather than the optimal two, and some days I have to skip due to user error. (Too much gel in the trays irritates your gums, and it's best to give them time to recover.) I am nearly 2/3 of the way through my gel, but I probably won't use all of it so I can save a tube for touch-up whitening in a year or two.
I wear the trays during my evening shower, and I've recently introduced another activity to shower time--practicing French. A coworker lent me a 1-hour learn-to-speak-French CD that I've been listening to (and practicing along).
If you think speaking French is hard, you really ought to try it while wearing gel-filled trays in your mouth. And if you're like me, you speak your second-learned foreign language with an accent from your first-learned foreign language, so I am speaking French with both Spanish and American accents as well as a tray-induced lisp.
Watch out, France--here I come.
First of all, the tooth whitening continues. Yes, I started my tooth whitening over a month ago, and I did say that the whitening would take only a week. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be that simple.
The first trays did not go all the way up to my gums, and the problem was with the mold that was taken of my mouth that day. (The dentist office was perplexed as to how it happened, and my knowledge of the dental arts is limited, so I couldn't offer an explanation, either.) I had to make another appointment to have another mold taken, and then I had to make another appointment to pick up the new trays and make sure that they fit (they do). And of course my dentist is open only during banking hours, so I had to wait until I could work at home for both appointments.
But now that's done, and I'm back to the whitening process. I've been doing one round (for lack of a better word) per day rather than the optimal two, and some days I have to skip due to user error. (Too much gel in the trays irritates your gums, and it's best to give them time to recover.) I am nearly 2/3 of the way through my gel, but I probably won't use all of it so I can save a tube for touch-up whitening in a year or two.
I wear the trays during my evening shower, and I've recently introduced another activity to shower time--practicing French. A coworker lent me a 1-hour learn-to-speak-French CD that I've been listening to (and practicing along).
If you think speaking French is hard, you really ought to try it while wearing gel-filled trays in your mouth. And if you're like me, you speak your second-learned foreign language with an accent from your first-learned foreign language, so I am speaking French with both Spanish and American accents as well as a tray-induced lisp.
Watch out, France--here I come.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Congrats on your engagement - now face your mortality
An engagement is a milestone to celebrate, but I'm learning that it's also a time to start planning for a future other than your own. In other words, it's a time to face your mortality--and plan for it.
Morbid? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely. Following the there-are-only-two certainties-in-life rule, it's never too early to plan for the future. I'm not advocating buying real estate in the nearby cemetary, but there are a few steps that I need to do to get all of my ducks in a row.
For example, today I passed in paperwork to designate Ben as the primary beneficiary for my 401k account. Before we get married, I plan to roll over the 401k account from my last company into my current account (just to simplify things).
Then there is the matter of wills. Neither of us has a will, but I plan to correct that issue soon. You can buy do-it-yourself will-making software, and it will be sufficient for our purposes. We also have to figure out if it's necessary (and if so, how to do it) to add my name to the title of the condo.
I guess we've avoided these adult responsibilities long enough--they won't be fun, but they will provide peace of mind to both of us, and that's what we're going for.
Morbid? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely. Following the there-are-only-two certainties-in-life rule, it's never too early to plan for the future. I'm not advocating buying real estate in the nearby cemetary, but there are a few steps that I need to do to get all of my ducks in a row.
For example, today I passed in paperwork to designate Ben as the primary beneficiary for my 401k account. Before we get married, I plan to roll over the 401k account from my last company into my current account (just to simplify things).
Then there is the matter of wills. Neither of us has a will, but I plan to correct that issue soon. You can buy do-it-yourself will-making software, and it will be sufficient for our purposes. We also have to figure out if it's necessary (and if so, how to do it) to add my name to the title of the condo.
I guess we've avoided these adult responsibilities long enough--they won't be fun, but they will provide peace of mind to both of us, and that's what we're going for.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
But--will anything change?
I recently read an article that discussed the concept of a disposable marriage (that wasn't their terminology, but that's how I viewed it). The idea was that if two people get married and then realize that they made a hasty decision and aren't compatible for a lifetime commitment, they can divorce and basically reset their lives as long as they don't have children. I am not endorsing this idea, but one concept that I took away from the article was that most of the people with quickie marriages expected that their lives would change dramatically after they got married.
In one situation, a woman expected her workaholic fiance to suddenly become a 9-to-5er after the honeymoon. Needless to say, her expectations weren't met.
Another woman got married because she thought it was the next logical step in the relationship and that if she got married, all of the problems in the relationship would be fixed. You don't need to be married to know that that is a flawed plan.
It seems to me that if you go into marriage with the expectation that everything will change (the unstated implication here is of course that the changes will be for the better), you are setting yourself up for disaster. If everything doesn't change, you're disappointed. If everything does change, what do you do if you don't like the changes?
I'm not approaching our marriage with the idea that everything will change--in fact, I'm expecting the opposite--that very little will change. Other than financial changes (merging accounts and all of that), nothing else is coming to mind. I asked B for his opinion, and he also thinks that our lives together will continue on as before with very few changes.
Phew.
In one situation, a woman expected her workaholic fiance to suddenly become a 9-to-5er after the honeymoon. Needless to say, her expectations weren't met.
Another woman got married because she thought it was the next logical step in the relationship and that if she got married, all of the problems in the relationship would be fixed. You don't need to be married to know that that is a flawed plan.
It seems to me that if you go into marriage with the expectation that everything will change (the unstated implication here is of course that the changes will be for the better), you are setting yourself up for disaster. If everything doesn't change, you're disappointed. If everything does change, what do you do if you don't like the changes?
I'm not approaching our marriage with the idea that everything will change--in fact, I'm expecting the opposite--that very little will change. Other than financial changes (merging accounts and all of that), nothing else is coming to mind. I asked B for his opinion, and he also thinks that our lives together will continue on as before with very few changes.
Phew.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Wedding dreams
During the first few weeks after B and I got engaged, my nights were characterized by crazy, ridiculous, stressful wedding dreams. I was late to the ceremony. I forgot to eat breakfast. The limo (hello, we're not even getting a limo) broke down. It was, quite simply, nightmarish.
Those first few weeks were the most stressful from a planning perspective, and eventually I calmed down and most of the dreams went away. They still return on occasion, though.
This week, I dreamt that I went to a salon for my trial hair and make-up appointment. The whole point of the trial run is to prevent hair and make-up nightmares from becoming a reality on the big day. But apparently it's been something that has me concerned because sure enough, my stress came out in full force in my dream.
The saddest part of the situation is that in hindsight, the dream wasn't that bad at all. The woman who did my make-up didn't do a good job, and I ended up looking like myself but with a lot of black eyeliner around my eyes. But it felt catastrophic at the time, and I'm pretty certain that I told the woman (in my dream) that she hadn't made me pretty enough. (Yes, I am ducking in embarassment right now.)
Unfortunately for him, B has also been bitten by the bad-wedding-dream bug, and this week he dreamt that he was late for the ceremony. He did point out, however, that he did make it, so the dream technically had a happy ending. My wedding dreams don't have a happy ending, unless you consider the dream ending a happy ending (and it is, though not in any kind of a satisfying way).
Maybe it's like that old theater adage--bad rehearsal, good opening (or whatever it is). Stressful wedding dreams, fabulous wedding day?
Those first few weeks were the most stressful from a planning perspective, and eventually I calmed down and most of the dreams went away. They still return on occasion, though.
This week, I dreamt that I went to a salon for my trial hair and make-up appointment. The whole point of the trial run is to prevent hair and make-up nightmares from becoming a reality on the big day. But apparently it's been something that has me concerned because sure enough, my stress came out in full force in my dream.
The saddest part of the situation is that in hindsight, the dream wasn't that bad at all. The woman who did my make-up didn't do a good job, and I ended up looking like myself but with a lot of black eyeliner around my eyes. But it felt catastrophic at the time, and I'm pretty certain that I told the woman (in my dream) that she hadn't made me pretty enough. (Yes, I am ducking in embarassment right now.)
Unfortunately for him, B has also been bitten by the bad-wedding-dream bug, and this week he dreamt that he was late for the ceremony. He did point out, however, that he did make it, so the dream technically had a happy ending. My wedding dreams don't have a happy ending, unless you consider the dream ending a happy ending (and it is, though not in any kind of a satisfying way).
Maybe it's like that old theater adage--bad rehearsal, good opening (or whatever it is). Stressful wedding dreams, fabulous wedding day?
Thursday, July 19, 2007
The dress has landed
I received the good news yesterday by mail--my dress has arrived safely in the US from its international travels and is almost ready to come home to me. But first, she must be altered.
I called to make an alteration appointment and tried to explain that I would not be bringing my shoes with me because I had not yet purchased shoes. The sample size I tried on just barely touched the floor, and it was a size 12, so the woman who was helping me explained that after my dress was altered to fit around my torso, she would likely hit in the right place and wouldn't need hemming at all. Great! Considering hemming costs 1/4 the price of the dress itself, I was eager to prevent that expense from being added to my budget.
I tried to explain my frugal cleverness to the woman on the phone, saying that I would wear flats, 1" heels, or 2" heels, whatever it takes so the hemline hits in the right place without hemming. She didn't get it. I offered an explanation from the price angle--again, no comprehension. Eventually I gave up and just made an alteration appointment--I have to assume that the seamstress has encountered similarly frugal brides and will understand what I'm saying.
The earliest fitting I could get is in 2 weeks--a bit of a tight squeeze but I have to assume that everything will work out ok. And they said I could come in earlier to try her on, which I might have to do if I start getting homesick for my dress.
I called to make an alteration appointment and tried to explain that I would not be bringing my shoes with me because I had not yet purchased shoes. The sample size I tried on just barely touched the floor, and it was a size 12, so the woman who was helping me explained that after my dress was altered to fit around my torso, she would likely hit in the right place and wouldn't need hemming at all. Great! Considering hemming costs 1/4 the price of the dress itself, I was eager to prevent that expense from being added to my budget.
I tried to explain my frugal cleverness to the woman on the phone, saying that I would wear flats, 1" heels, or 2" heels, whatever it takes so the hemline hits in the right place without hemming. She didn't get it. I offered an explanation from the price angle--again, no comprehension. Eventually I gave up and just made an alteration appointment--I have to assume that the seamstress has encountered similarly frugal brides and will understand what I'm saying.
The earliest fitting I could get is in 2 weeks--a bit of a tight squeeze but I have to assume that everything will work out ok. And they said I could come in earlier to try her on, which I might have to do if I start getting homesick for my dress.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
My unveiling
Usually, people understand when you decide to skip certain wedding traditions. For example, no one has fallen down crying when I explain that I am not tossing my bouquet. I don't want to put any of my single female friends in a position where they feel like their romantic status is being put on display or questioned. It's hard enough going to events solo--announcing to the whole room that you're alone is way worse.
So there will be no bouquet toss. And obviously there won't be anything garter-related--I've never worn a garter in my life, and my wedding day seems like an inopportune time to don what looks like a rather uncomfortable and purposeless cloth-covered rubber band on my leg.
No one is putting up any arguments to include the bouquet toss and the garter...whatever that tradition is...but the veil seems to be a bit more touchy. Even the women in the bridal shop were horrified that I wasn't planning to wear a veil. "Just wear a small one," they said. "It doesn't have to cover your face--just something to wear in your hair." Apparently, a bride isn't a bride unless she's wearing a veil.
I did some research online, and the website I consulted said that a veil denotes the subordination of a woman to a man, and the lifting of the veil symbolizes male dominance. Eh-heh. If the bride takes the initiative in lifting the veil, she is showing more independence. (More independence than what, one is prompted to ask. More independence than a lowly subordinate female? Or is it an official declaration of equality? This symbolism mumbo-jumbo isn't working for me.)
I haven't tried on any veils, so I can't say for certain that I am anti-veil for myself, but I am definitely opposed to the theory behind the tradition. Wearing a non-functioning veil (one that hangs down your back and doesn't even cover your face) is as close to being a clothing knick-knack as you can get.
And we all know how I feel about knick-knacks.
So there will be no bouquet toss. And obviously there won't be anything garter-related--I've never worn a garter in my life, and my wedding day seems like an inopportune time to don what looks like a rather uncomfortable and purposeless cloth-covered rubber band on my leg.
No one is putting up any arguments to include the bouquet toss and the garter...whatever that tradition is...but the veil seems to be a bit more touchy. Even the women in the bridal shop were horrified that I wasn't planning to wear a veil. "Just wear a small one," they said. "It doesn't have to cover your face--just something to wear in your hair." Apparently, a bride isn't a bride unless she's wearing a veil.
I did some research online, and the website I consulted said that a veil denotes the subordination of a woman to a man, and the lifting of the veil symbolizes male dominance. Eh-heh. If the bride takes the initiative in lifting the veil, she is showing more independence. (More independence than what, one is prompted to ask. More independence than a lowly subordinate female? Or is it an official declaration of equality? This symbolism mumbo-jumbo isn't working for me.)
I haven't tried on any veils, so I can't say for certain that I am anti-veil for myself, but I am definitely opposed to the theory behind the tradition. Wearing a non-functioning veil (one that hangs down your back and doesn't even cover your face) is as close to being a clothing knick-knack as you can get.
And we all know how I feel about knick-knacks.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
A packed honeymoon itin
Last night, B and I watched the France edition of the Europe to the Max travel series with host Rudy Maxa. I think there might be a requirement that all travel documentaries feature bad music, and this documentary was certainly not the exception to that rule, but it had lovely cinematography, and I felt like I was in France for 2 hours. The documentary got us both very excited about our trip.
Our itinerary is complete, though I'm sure we'll make changes to it as necessary when we're in France, depending on weather and our moods and any number of other factors. While in Paris, we're doing day trips to the Loire Valley, the Champagne region, Versailles, and maybe Disneyland Paris. While in Nice, we're doing day trips to Monaco, Provence, Biot (a town that makes bubbled glass--what lovely souvenirs to bring home and use every day and remember your honeymoon), Antibes (though if we're carrying a set of glasses, we might have to skip this), and Cannes (maybe--the travel books don't go overboard with praise for this town, so it might be skippable).
We're going to try to visit the major museums and other tourist attractions in each city, but I would rather see Paris from the streets than inside a climate-controlled vault, so I'm ok with keeping our museum visits to a minimum. I just want to walk around and take lots of pictures and try to experience as much of the city as we can.
I recently read an article that said that French winemakers are concerned about this year's harvest. Apparently, it's been raining almost nonstop since April, and the grape vines are growing mold. How sad! On the positive side, it can't rain for 6 months straight, so maybe we can look forward to dryer weather during our stay.
Our itinerary is complete, though I'm sure we'll make changes to it as necessary when we're in France, depending on weather and our moods and any number of other factors. While in Paris, we're doing day trips to the Loire Valley, the Champagne region, Versailles, and maybe Disneyland Paris. While in Nice, we're doing day trips to Monaco, Provence, Biot (a town that makes bubbled glass--what lovely souvenirs to bring home and use every day and remember your honeymoon), Antibes (though if we're carrying a set of glasses, we might have to skip this), and Cannes (maybe--the travel books don't go overboard with praise for this town, so it might be skippable).
We're going to try to visit the major museums and other tourist attractions in each city, but I would rather see Paris from the streets than inside a climate-controlled vault, so I'm ok with keeping our museum visits to a minimum. I just want to walk around and take lots of pictures and try to experience as much of the city as we can.
I recently read an article that said that French winemakers are concerned about this year's harvest. Apparently, it's been raining almost nonstop since April, and the grape vines are growing mold. How sad! On the positive side, it can't rain for 6 months straight, so maybe we can look forward to dryer weather during our stay.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
"Just email me your credit card number..."
Part of the reason I want to go to France is to experience a new culture. However, like a lot of Americans, I am finding certain cultural differences to be...frustrating.
For example, several months ago I booked a room in a French hotel (and later cancelled it), and they asked me to confirm the reservation by emailing my credit card number and expiration date. Eh-heh. Je pense que non.
I solved the problem by calling the hotel in France using a phone card I've had since college. The card miraculously still had minutes.
I thought the concept of emailing a credit card was isolated to the security-ignorant hotel, but when I reserved an afternoon excursion touring several chateaux in the Loire Valley, the request to email my credit card number was repeated.
It made me wonder--what are these businesses thinking when they ask me to email a credit card number? More disturbing still--how many other Americans have accommodated the request, putting their identity at risk and risking that all of their funds will be cleaned out while they are on vacation. Obviously a sizeable number have emailed their numbers, or companies would no longer make such absurd demands.
I'd like to step on my soap box for a moment and encourage everyone to never email information that might compromise their identity or financial information. Additionally, I'd like to make a request on behalf of the naive and ask that no one request that anyone email confidential information.
(I've stepped off my soap box--for now.)
I ended up calling the Loire Valley excursion company. The first phone call was interrupted when my phone card ran out of minutes (I retract the previous miracle statement), so I had to call and recharge, earning a whopping 10 minutes for $10 and a $1.50 service charge.
I'd like to step back on my soapbox and ask that all "service charges" and "convenience charges" be renamed to something more apropos, like "annoyance charge" or "gouging charge."
Perhaps someone ought to take away my soapbox. This ranting could go on for a while.
For example, several months ago I booked a room in a French hotel (and later cancelled it), and they asked me to confirm the reservation by emailing my credit card number and expiration date. Eh-heh. Je pense que non.
I solved the problem by calling the hotel in France using a phone card I've had since college. The card miraculously still had minutes.
I thought the concept of emailing a credit card was isolated to the security-ignorant hotel, but when I reserved an afternoon excursion touring several chateaux in the Loire Valley, the request to email my credit card number was repeated.
It made me wonder--what are these businesses thinking when they ask me to email a credit card number? More disturbing still--how many other Americans have accommodated the request, putting their identity at risk and risking that all of their funds will be cleaned out while they are on vacation. Obviously a sizeable number have emailed their numbers, or companies would no longer make such absurd demands.
I'd like to step on my soap box for a moment and encourage everyone to never email information that might compromise their identity or financial information. Additionally, I'd like to make a request on behalf of the naive and ask that no one request that anyone email confidential information.
(I've stepped off my soap box--for now.)
I ended up calling the Loire Valley excursion company. The first phone call was interrupted when my phone card ran out of minutes (I retract the previous miracle statement), so I had to call and recharge, earning a whopping 10 minutes for $10 and a $1.50 service charge.
I'd like to step back on my soapbox and ask that all "service charges" and "convenience charges" be renamed to something more apropos, like "annoyance charge" or "gouging charge."
Perhaps someone ought to take away my soapbox. This ranting could go on for a while.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
A one-bag mentality
My best friend CDL has mastered the one-bag mentality for traveling. No matter where she goes or how long she's staying, she always manages to pack everything into a single bag and never checks luggage. I, on the other hand, am notorious for overpacking.
Take, for instance, the cruise vacation that B and I took last year. The cruise was 7 days long, and we tacked on an extra two days beforehand to make it a 9-day trip. I fit most of my stuff in one bag, but the bag was Big Suitcase. And she wasn't light. I packed two outfits for every day because I needed daytime wear as well as evening wear (for dressing up for dinner). We also packed water so we wouldn't have to buy it on board or in port. Oh, and we brought some cans of coke. And snacks. And emergency lunches (you never know what you're going to get for food in Mexico and Jamaica).
Several porters commented on the weight of my luggage. I chose to ignore them but have decided perhaps I ought to change my tactics for our honeymoon. We'll be carting our suitcases around a fair amount (at the airports and in the train stations and in transit from Paris to Nice and back again).
I stumbled upon a website dedicated solely to the concept of the one-bag mentality, and I liked the theory behind it. Pack an item and wear it several times--not rocket science, but certainly not a theory I've ever prescribed to.
The site advocates the creation of a packing list, which I've used for a long time, and it simplifies packing a lot. Of course, if your packing list is several pages long, you've defeated the purpose of its creation. The idea is that if an item isn't on the list, you're not allowed to bring it, thus preventing the "Well, maybe I ought to bring [item x]--you never know when you'll need one of those!" conundrum.
I've created my one-page packing list (of course, it's created in Excel, and you can make just about anything in Excel fit on one page--whether the text is legible is a separate issue), and I'm going to try to stick with it when I pack. It won't be easy, but I'll be glad I did it when we land in France and have to schlep our stuff all over the place.
I feel it's necessary to point out that while I agree with the theory, the actuality of not checking luggage is simply not an option. I'll simply...pack less. :)
Take, for instance, the cruise vacation that B and I took last year. The cruise was 7 days long, and we tacked on an extra two days beforehand to make it a 9-day trip. I fit most of my stuff in one bag, but the bag was Big Suitcase. And she wasn't light. I packed two outfits for every day because I needed daytime wear as well as evening wear (for dressing up for dinner). We also packed water so we wouldn't have to buy it on board or in port. Oh, and we brought some cans of coke. And snacks. And emergency lunches (you never know what you're going to get for food in Mexico and Jamaica).
Several porters commented on the weight of my luggage. I chose to ignore them but have decided perhaps I ought to change my tactics for our honeymoon. We'll be carting our suitcases around a fair amount (at the airports and in the train stations and in transit from Paris to Nice and back again).
I stumbled upon a website dedicated solely to the concept of the one-bag mentality, and I liked the theory behind it. Pack an item and wear it several times--not rocket science, but certainly not a theory I've ever prescribed to.
The site advocates the creation of a packing list, which I've used for a long time, and it simplifies packing a lot. Of course, if your packing list is several pages long, you've defeated the purpose of its creation. The idea is that if an item isn't on the list, you're not allowed to bring it, thus preventing the "Well, maybe I ought to bring [item x]--you never know when you'll need one of those!" conundrum.
I've created my one-page packing list (of course, it's created in Excel, and you can make just about anything in Excel fit on one page--whether the text is legible is a separate issue), and I'm going to try to stick with it when I pack. It won't be easy, but I'll be glad I did it when we land in France and have to schlep our stuff all over the place.
I feel it's necessary to point out that while I agree with the theory, the actuality of not checking luggage is simply not an option. I'll simply...pack less. :)
Monday, July 9, 2007
Invitations almost ready to go
We knew that creating our invitations ourselves would be difficult. I don't think we were prepared for the amount of work that went into their creation, but we're both glad that we did it (and even more glad that we're almost finished). Making them ourselves saved us a lot of money, and it allowed us to personalize our wedding.
One remaining invitation task is related to hotels. We will include hotel cards in our invitations, as many guests are from out of town and might want to stay over before or after the wedding. I've started calling hotels to arrange for room blocks, and luckily, most have plenty of rooms available. Unfortunately, a lot of hotels require 2-night minimum stays if you're staying over on Saturday--kind of inconvenient, although some hotels can be flexible with this policy, and there are hotels that are a bit further away that offer more lenient booking policies.
We've selected two hotels in different price ranges at which to do room blocks, and we're also offering two additional suggestions. Of course, there are *tons* of hotels and B&Bs nearby, and we want our guests to feel free to book wherever they want as they might have a preferred location.
Assuming we can get the hotels wrapped up this week (and then create the hotel cards), we'll be good to go for sending the invites out this weekend. Woo hoo! Can't wait to check that one off the list.
One remaining invitation task is related to hotels. We will include hotel cards in our invitations, as many guests are from out of town and might want to stay over before or after the wedding. I've started calling hotels to arrange for room blocks, and luckily, most have plenty of rooms available. Unfortunately, a lot of hotels require 2-night minimum stays if you're staying over on Saturday--kind of inconvenient, although some hotels can be flexible with this policy, and there are hotels that are a bit further away that offer more lenient booking policies.
We've selected two hotels in different price ranges at which to do room blocks, and we're also offering two additional suggestions. Of course, there are *tons* of hotels and B&Bs nearby, and we want our guests to feel free to book wherever they want as they might have a preferred location.
Assuming we can get the hotels wrapped up this week (and then create the hotel cards), we'll be good to go for sending the invites out this weekend. Woo hoo! Can't wait to check that one off the list.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Dollar vs Euro, head to head
Honeymoon planning has continued in spite of the flurry of wedding-related activities. I've mostly completed the day-to-day itinerary and am finalizing a few reservations with tour companies and sites that we want to visit. We've purchased a few necessary supplies, including money belts, those dorky passport/boarding pass holders to wear in the airport (mine is in a zebra print, which makes it both wicked cool and extremely dorky at the same time), packing cubes to make clothing organization a breeze (so awesome I might need to buy more), and a bag for "our" (i.e. my) cosmetic-type items and B's 1 or 2 necessary items.
One remaining issue is the matter of converting dollars to euros. In the olden days (that is, the last time I went to Europe, about 7 years ago), using your credit card was the best way to purchase everything because your credit card gave you a better rate than banks at which you could exchange cash or traveler's checks. Credit and debit cards are still generally best for purchases, but some credit card companies add surcharges to purchases. And since some businesses accept only cash, we needed to figure out how to get some. The situation required further research.
We enquired about exchange rates when we opened our joint checking account, and the woman who helped us wasn't able to give us exact information, so I called the number on the back of my card. I was transferred all over the place and placed on hold for a period of time, but after speaking with 3 people, I finally found out what I needed to know.
One remaining issue is the matter of converting dollars to euros. In the olden days (that is, the last time I went to Europe, about 7 years ago), using your credit card was the best way to purchase everything because your credit card gave you a better rate than banks at which you could exchange cash or traveler's checks. Credit and debit cards are still generally best for purchases, but some credit card companies add surcharges to purchases. And since some businesses accept only cash, we needed to figure out how to get some. The situation required further research.
We enquired about exchange rates when we opened our joint checking account, and the woman who helped us wasn't able to give us exact information, so I called the number on the back of my card. I was transferred all over the place and placed on hold for a period of time, but after speaking with 3 people, I finally found out what I needed to know.
- We can take money out of an ATM in France, but we are charged a conversion fee of 3%. If we don't use an ATM of the French bank that is affiliated with ours, we are charged a $5 international transaction fee.
- We can order euros from our bank before we leave. Our bank charges a $7 delivery fee, and a 1% fee is charged over what the euro is currently trading at.
- Any purchases made with the debit card attached to our account are subject to a 1% fee.
So it turns out that it's more economical to buy euros in the States than it is to withdraw them directly from the ATM in France (if we're talking about amounts excessive of $350, if my math is correct...). I would have expected ATM withdrawals to offer a better exchange rate, so I am very glad that I asked.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Insuring a fabulous wedding and honeymoon
While I was still in the early stages of wedding planning, my friend TA sent me a link for wedding insurance, which protects against lost deposits, damage, military leave, severe weather, no-show vendors, and serious illness, among other catastrophes (though not against one's own cancellation of the nuptials--you're on your own for that one).
I opted not to buy the insurance then but decided to reconsider after a fit of paranoia featuring a lot of What-Ifs that cannot be written for fear that I will jinx the event. I decided to buy the coverage because it will provide peace of mind about the day, and now when I start thinking about hurricanes, I won't be as worried as I was before.
I also purchased vacation insurance for our honeymoon. For a very reasonable fee, we were able to insure the money we spent for flights and train tickets, and the insurance also provides us with great features, including payments if our luggage is delayed more than 12 hours or if we ourselves are delayed more than 8 hours. There's also additional medical coverage and a cancel-for-any-reason clause.
We're obviously expecting that both wedding and honeymoon will go on as planned without any problems, but it's good to know that we're covered--just in case.
I opted not to buy the insurance then but decided to reconsider after a fit of paranoia featuring a lot of What-Ifs that cannot be written for fear that I will jinx the event. I decided to buy the coverage because it will provide peace of mind about the day, and now when I start thinking about hurricanes, I won't be as worried as I was before.
I also purchased vacation insurance for our honeymoon. For a very reasonable fee, we were able to insure the money we spent for flights and train tickets, and the insurance also provides us with great features, including payments if our luggage is delayed more than 12 hours or if we ourselves are delayed more than 8 hours. There's also additional medical coverage and a cancel-for-any-reason clause.
We're obviously expecting that both wedding and honeymoon will go on as planned without any problems, but it's good to know that we're covered--just in case.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Programs are finished...mostly
Because we're creating all of the paper products related to the wedding, including save the date cards, invitations, response cards, etc., it seemed only right that we would also create the programs.
The internet offers lots of wording suggestions for invitations and save the date cards but came up short on the wording for programs. The sites I did find were too rigid for my tastes and tried to dictate the information that I "must" include in the program. Sniff. As if an indie bride would fall for such nonsense.
My original plan for the programs involved a minimalist style (in other words, as little text as possible), but I realized that we have too much information to impart on a single card, so I had to break down and use a single page (printed on both sides and folded) for each program.
On the positive side, we won't have to matte and glue the programs as we did for the other paper items--thank goodness. I fear that I have already been exposed to too many rubber cement fumes and that several more hours in front of a rubber cement jar would push me over the edge.
We have all of the information we need for the programs except the names of the readings. I've been slacking in that department, and waiting for the right reading to come to me has thus far been unproductive. I decided I ought to do some research, and my first stop was a modern poetry book. Before anyone jumps to conclusions and assumes that my English degree imparted a deep appreciation for poetry, let me tell you that I much prefer literature over poetry, and the only reason I own poetry books is because I had to buy them for classes. Anyway, apparently love and the appreciation of love have fallen out of favor with poets over the last 200 years because even the poems that started out romantic-sounded ended with a "And then you ran over my jerboa, so I microwaved your iPod" type of theme. Not what we're looking for.
My next stop was my old Norton anthology (which, sadly, has not been opened since my soph-year Brit Lit class--I'm amazed how much information is crammed in the 2000+ pages--several novels, in fact) and perused the romantic-sounding titles. The pickings were much better, and I found several potentials. Unfortunately (and this is what bothers me about poetry), a poem can seem effusively positive and upbeat but is actually mocking the subject it pretends to appreciate. We're going to have to do a thorough reading of all candidates and pay very close attention to the footnotes.
I found still more options on the internet, and our JP provided us with paper copies of a few readings she has collected over the years. I'd rather choose readings that have special meaning to us rather than to others, but at this point, I'm not sure if we can be that choosy. If we haven't come across anything obvious, then perhaps the less obvious options are the best.
The internet offers lots of wording suggestions for invitations and save the date cards but came up short on the wording for programs. The sites I did find were too rigid for my tastes and tried to dictate the information that I "must" include in the program. Sniff. As if an indie bride would fall for such nonsense.
My original plan for the programs involved a minimalist style (in other words, as little text as possible), but I realized that we have too much information to impart on a single card, so I had to break down and use a single page (printed on both sides and folded) for each program.
On the positive side, we won't have to matte and glue the programs as we did for the other paper items--thank goodness. I fear that I have already been exposed to too many rubber cement fumes and that several more hours in front of a rubber cement jar would push me over the edge.
We have all of the information we need for the programs except the names of the readings. I've been slacking in that department, and waiting for the right reading to come to me has thus far been unproductive. I decided I ought to do some research, and my first stop was a modern poetry book. Before anyone jumps to conclusions and assumes that my English degree imparted a deep appreciation for poetry, let me tell you that I much prefer literature over poetry, and the only reason I own poetry books is because I had to buy them for classes. Anyway, apparently love and the appreciation of love have fallen out of favor with poets over the last 200 years because even the poems that started out romantic-sounded ended with a "And then you ran over my jerboa, so I microwaved your iPod" type of theme. Not what we're looking for.
My next stop was my old Norton anthology (which, sadly, has not been opened since my soph-year Brit Lit class--I'm amazed how much information is crammed in the 2000+ pages--several novels, in fact) and perused the romantic-sounding titles. The pickings were much better, and I found several potentials. Unfortunately (and this is what bothers me about poetry), a poem can seem effusively positive and upbeat but is actually mocking the subject it pretends to appreciate. We're going to have to do a thorough reading of all candidates and pay very close attention to the footnotes.
I found still more options on the internet, and our JP provided us with paper copies of a few readings she has collected over the years. I'd rather choose readings that have special meaning to us rather than to others, but at this point, I'm not sure if we can be that choosy. If we haven't come across anything obvious, then perhaps the less obvious options are the best.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Yes, M, you will have a wedding gown
I started getting antsy about my wedding gown recently, and more specifically, when my wedding gown would arrive at the store (and would it arrive in time for the necessary alterations).
I ordered it about 3 months ago and have almost forgotten what it looks like. Our dance instructor asked how wide the skirt was (because that's a concern when you're dancing--you don't want it to be stepped on), and I couldn't remember. Sad.
Here's what I do remember: It's white. It's strapless. It has about an inch of beading on the top, and the beading continues down the back, which is corset style (I'm picturing a Scarlett O'Hara scene when I'm getting dressed--just find me a bed post, and a 22" waist will be mine!). The waist has some rouching on the left side. That's about all I remember. Oh, except that the ladies at the wedding gown store measured my hips 3 times because they didn't think that someone with a size-4 torso would also have size-10 hips. Sadder.
So the gown is going to require some alterations. I have already decided that I will wear whatever size heel is necessary to guarantee that I won't have to have the hem taken up because for some reason, hem alterations are the most expensive. Unfortunately, my tried-and-true duct tape hemming method probably isn't acceptable for a wedding gown. Although you can buy white duct tape...
Anyway, I called the bridal shop yesterday, and the shop called the dress manufacturer, and my dress is almost finished! It will be shipping shortly (I think from China--how long do you suppose it takes a dress to travel from China? Only time will tell...), and they said it will likely arrive before its projected arrival date of August 1. Phew.
So yes, I will have a dress. And it will be white and perfect. I hope. :)
I ordered it about 3 months ago and have almost forgotten what it looks like. Our dance instructor asked how wide the skirt was (because that's a concern when you're dancing--you don't want it to be stepped on), and I couldn't remember. Sad.
Here's what I do remember: It's white. It's strapless. It has about an inch of beading on the top, and the beading continues down the back, which is corset style (I'm picturing a Scarlett O'Hara scene when I'm getting dressed--just find me a bed post, and a 22" waist will be mine!). The waist has some rouching on the left side. That's about all I remember. Oh, except that the ladies at the wedding gown store measured my hips 3 times because they didn't think that someone with a size-4 torso would also have size-10 hips. Sadder.
So the gown is going to require some alterations. I have already decided that I will wear whatever size heel is necessary to guarantee that I won't have to have the hem taken up because for some reason, hem alterations are the most expensive. Unfortunately, my tried-and-true duct tape hemming method probably isn't acceptable for a wedding gown. Although you can buy white duct tape...
Anyway, I called the bridal shop yesterday, and the shop called the dress manufacturer, and my dress is almost finished! It will be shipping shortly (I think from China--how long do you suppose it takes a dress to travel from China? Only time will tell...), and they said it will likely arrive before its projected arrival date of August 1. Phew.
So yes, I will have a dress. And it will be white and perfect. I hope. :)
Monday, July 2, 2007
Finding a home for homeless stuff
This weekend, just over a year since moving in, B and I decided to take back the third-floor loft and reclaim it as a livable space and not a dumping ground for otherwise-homeless stuff.
We were concerned that we were outgrowing our space already--quelle horreur!--but it turned out that we were lacking adequate storage space. With limited outdoor storage and no basement, we had no place to put stuff that we don't need every day but still want to be readily accessible. It was time to start using our attic.
You might be thinking, how could a 3-story condo possibly have an attic? Well, it's not a real attic. It's the crawl space above the ceiling but below the roof, and you need a ladder to get up there--and we didn't have a ladder. We made a trip to Home Depot and remedied the ladder situation.
We were able to move our holiday decorations, toys (yes, we have toys), wires, camping equipment (yes, we own camping equipment, though no, we have never gone camping), and miscellaneous other items up there and out of the way. Now the loft looks messier than ever (isn't it strange how you have to achieve the tornado look in the cleaning process before the organization can improve), but the volume of stuff in the room is significantly lower. After we find homes for all of the small items, the room might actually allow us to walk around in it without tripping over air conditioners, golf clubs, and framed prints.
We were concerned that we were outgrowing our space already--quelle horreur!--but it turned out that we were lacking adequate storage space. With limited outdoor storage and no basement, we had no place to put stuff that we don't need every day but still want to be readily accessible. It was time to start using our attic.
You might be thinking, how could a 3-story condo possibly have an attic? Well, it's not a real attic. It's the crawl space above the ceiling but below the roof, and you need a ladder to get up there--and we didn't have a ladder. We made a trip to Home Depot and remedied the ladder situation.
We were able to move our holiday decorations, toys (yes, we have toys), wires, camping equipment (yes, we own camping equipment, though no, we have never gone camping), and miscellaneous other items up there and out of the way. Now the loft looks messier than ever (isn't it strange how you have to achieve the tornado look in the cleaning process before the organization can improve), but the volume of stuff in the room is significantly lower. After we find homes for all of the small items, the room might actually allow us to walk around in it without tripping over air conditioners, golf clubs, and framed prints.
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