This week, I finally began officially planning our honeymoon. I booked our airfare and most of our lodging. Here is our plan:
8/4 Fly out of Newark into Portland, Oregon on an early evening flight. We'll get to Portland at 9pm Monday night and we'll be staying in Portland through Friday.
8/8 After driving to Mount Hood, we'll head up to Seattle, where we will stay until Monday.
8/11 We'll spend this night at North Cascades National Park. We'll we'll actually be staying at an inn nearby. North Cascades looks gorgeous! There are glaciers and all!
8/12 British Columbia, we arrive! We'll spend two nights in Vancouver.
8/14 Two nights in Victoria on Vancouver Island. We'll be staying at an amazing little inn right by the ocean and a huge nature preserve.
8/16 Back to Seattle for one night.
8/17 Fly out of Seattle back home.
Using Trip Advisor, I was able to find some amazing bed and breakfasts for us to stay in. We will be going in a little over five months!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
In anticipation of a real snow day!
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Sort of. Well, my mom got the name Marisa from the actress Marisa Berenson but I'm not named after her. My Hebrew name is Naomi Rifka. Naomi is for my great uncle Nat and Rifka is for somebody but I don't remember who.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
When Susan and Tim got engaged!
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING
Sometimes
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT?
Duh. None.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Not yet.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I think so.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
I love sarcasm.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE TONSILS
Yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Maybe in my younger, crazier days. But, no.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL?
Special K with berries or kashi.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM Off?
No.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Eh. So-so.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM?
Mint chocolate chip. Cookie dough.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
I'm observant. I can tell a lot about a person soon after meeting them but I can't think of one thing.
15. RED OR PINK?
Depends on my mood. I do love pink though.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My lack of organization.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST
I miss my friends who I can't see that often. I miss my Shayla.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
If you want to do a survey, go ahead and do this one.
19. WHAT COLOUR PANTS AND SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Tealish sweater. Brown pants.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
2 fun size twix bars
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Andy on the speakerphone.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
lime green
23. FAVOURITE SMELLS?
The ocean. Fresh baked bread. Chocolate chip cookies hot from the oven.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Andy
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Of course or why would I spend the rest of my life with him?
26. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Umm...baseball, I guess.
27. HAIR COLOUR ?
Blondish.
28. EYE COLOUR?
Hazel green.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No.
30. Your favorite food?
Indian. Thai. Ethiopian. Dark chocolate.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings!!!!
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Princess Bride
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Well, I like cold weather better than hot. But I do like my summers off so it's a toss up, I guess.
35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Love 'em both!
36. FAVOURITE DESSERT?
Anything chocolaty. Tiramasu!
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Jenn.
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND ?
Most everyone else.
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
"Life and Times of the Thunder Bolt Kid."
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
WFUV.org
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT?
Didn't watch last night, but tonight, watched The Martha Stewart Show!
42. FAVOURITE SOUND
The sounds of the beach. The ocean surf crashing and the seagulls calling. Norton's snoring.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
The Beatles!
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
US Virgin Islands
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Not really sure.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Edison, NJ.
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
I dunno.
Sort of. Well, my mom got the name Marisa from the actress Marisa Berenson but I'm not named after her. My Hebrew name is Naomi Rifka. Naomi is for my great uncle Nat and Rifka is for somebody but I don't remember who.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
When Susan and Tim got engaged!
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING
Sometimes
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT?
Duh. None.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Not yet.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I think so.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
I love sarcasm.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE TONSILS
Yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Maybe in my younger, crazier days. But, no.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL?
Special K with berries or kashi.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM Off?
No.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Eh. So-so.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM?
Mint chocolate chip. Cookie dough.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
I'm observant. I can tell a lot about a person soon after meeting them but I can't think of one thing.
15. RED OR PINK?
Depends on my mood. I do love pink though.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My lack of organization.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST
I miss my friends who I can't see that often. I miss my Shayla.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
If you want to do a survey, go ahead and do this one.
19. WHAT COLOUR PANTS AND SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Tealish sweater. Brown pants.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
2 fun size twix bars
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Andy on the speakerphone.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
lime green
23. FAVOURITE SMELLS?
The ocean. Fresh baked bread. Chocolate chip cookies hot from the oven.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Andy
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Of course or why would I spend the rest of my life with him?
26. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Umm...baseball, I guess.
27. HAIR COLOUR ?
Blondish.
28. EYE COLOUR?
Hazel green.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No.
30. Your favorite food?
Indian. Thai. Ethiopian. Dark chocolate.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings!!!!
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Princess Bride
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Well, I like cold weather better than hot. But I do like my summers off so it's a toss up, I guess.
35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Love 'em both!
36. FAVOURITE DESSERT?
Anything chocolaty. Tiramasu!
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Jenn.
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND ?
Most everyone else.
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
"Life and Times of the Thunder Bolt Kid."
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
WFUV.org
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT?
Didn't watch last night, but tonight, watched The Martha Stewart Show!
42. FAVOURITE SOUND
The sounds of the beach. The ocean surf crashing and the seagulls calling. Norton's snoring.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
The Beatles!
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
US Virgin Islands
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Not really sure.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Edison, NJ.
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
I dunno.
Last Night's Eclipse
Anyone see the lunar eclipse last night? It was really awesome! I think it was the first lunar eclipse I've ever witnessed. If you missed it, I'm sorry, because you won't have another chance to see a lunar eclipse until the year 2010.
The moon had a reddish tint and if you looked to either side, you could see the star Regulus on one side and Saturn on the other. Of course, I couldn't tell which was which.
I told my third graders about it yesterday and a few of them were lucky enough to be able to stay up until 10:00 to see it! I remember when I was in third grade, we had a solar eclipse. Well, my teacher told us that we would become blind if we looked at it. I remember feeling terrified that whole day to look anywhere near the sky lest I become blinded! It's nice knowing that it's not harmful at all to look at a lunar eclipse!
(Photo credit: I got the photo from this page and it was shot by Hal Laurent from East Baltimore.)
New Babes
Kayla turned 3 weeks old yesterday! It's amazing how during those first few weeks and months, babies change so much! Here's a cute photo of her sleeping on her changing table from this past weekend.
Here's a promised photo of Vincent Joseph! This was taken Monday while they were still in the hospital. Mom, Dad and Vincent went home on Tuesday and are doing well, albeit a lack of sleep!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
AccuWAIT!
In the year 2008, how can seemingly intelligent people still fall into these crazy fad diets? I have a coworker who does the Accu-Weight Loss program. She has a bead behind her ear, which is the acupuncture aspect of the diet. She is supposed to rub this bead to keep focused. Here are some of the rules of the diet.
1. Only eat between noon and 6pm.
2. For two days, you can only consume whole milk products. You must have 2.5 cups of milk and/or yogurt. Thats all you eat on your milk days!
3. The next two days, you consume vegetables only. You get 2 servings of fruit and up to 1.5 lbs of veggies. Thats all you eat on your veggie days!
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until you get to your goal weight.
So, basically, you are starving your body on this diet. There are no whole grains and there are no sources of protein other than the milk. Our bodies work best when we combine many different healthy foods and eat them in moderation. I like Weight Watchers the best but in my opinion, the best diet is not really a diet but a plan you can live with permanently!
Anyone ever hear of this crazy diet?
1. Only eat between noon and 6pm.
2. For two days, you can only consume whole milk products. You must have 2.5 cups of milk and/or yogurt. Thats all you eat on your milk days!
3. The next two days, you consume vegetables only. You get 2 servings of fruit and up to 1.5 lbs of veggies. Thats all you eat on your veggie days!
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until you get to your goal weight.
So, basically, you are starving your body on this diet. There are no whole grains and there are no sources of protein other than the milk. Our bodies work best when we combine many different healthy foods and eat them in moderation. I like Weight Watchers the best but in my opinion, the best diet is not really a diet but a plan you can live with permanently!
Anyone ever hear of this crazy diet?
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Wedding Registering Madness
I couldn't wait to begin the whole registering process back when we got engaged last Spring. Everything we had for the kitchen pretty much was either hand me downs from Eric's parents, my parents, college leftovers, and other stuff I got really cheap.
Our first registry was created at Williams-Sonoma. We figured it would be easy because it was a small store. We registered for a handful of things there. And we got some of them as engagement gifts.
Then we began a Fortunoff registry as oppose to a Macy's registry. My mom said Fortunoff was better. From visiting either store, they seemed the same to me. So we registered for our "fine stuff" at Fortunoff.
We registered for much of our everyday stuff at Bed Bath & Beyond.
We were done. Or so Eric thought. Then these things happened.
1. Martha Stewart came to Macy's!
2. I realized Macy's has a better website than Fortunoff.
3. Rumors began floating of Fortunoff going belly-up. (Okay, it seems as this point that Lord & Taylor is buying them out.)
4. I visited Crate & Barrel the other day, in search of the perfect everyday glasses, and decided we must register here!
So we decided to abandon the Fortunoff and Williams-Sonoma registry in favor of having only three registries--Crate & Barrel, Macy's, and Bed Bath & Beyond.
So yesterday, Eric and I went to Crate and Barrel to register there. It was amazing. We didn't argue. Not once. We always argue when it comes to registering. So if you're looking to buy us a gift, please don't shop at Fortunoff or Williams-Sonoma because you won't find much left there!
Our first registry was created at Williams-Sonoma. We figured it would be easy because it was a small store. We registered for a handful of things there. And we got some of them as engagement gifts.
Then we began a Fortunoff registry as oppose to a Macy's registry. My mom said Fortunoff was better. From visiting either store, they seemed the same to me. So we registered for our "fine stuff" at Fortunoff.
We registered for much of our everyday stuff at Bed Bath & Beyond.
We were done. Or so Eric thought. Then these things happened.
1. Martha Stewart came to Macy's!
2. I realized Macy's has a better website than Fortunoff.
3. Rumors began floating of Fortunoff going belly-up. (Okay, it seems as this point that Lord & Taylor is buying them out.)
4. I visited Crate & Barrel the other day, in search of the perfect everyday glasses, and decided we must register here!
So we decided to abandon the Fortunoff and Williams-Sonoma registry in favor of having only three registries--Crate & Barrel, Macy's, and Bed Bath & Beyond.
So yesterday, Eric and I went to Crate and Barrel to register there. It was amazing. We didn't argue. Not once. We always argue when it comes to registering. So if you're looking to buy us a gift, please don't shop at Fortunoff or Williams-Sonoma because you won't find much left there!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Three Day Weekend
I love three day weekends. Even if I do have to go to the dentist tomorrow.
Today we're seeing Kayla again so I'll post more photos today or tomorrow!
And speaking of babies, Kayla's not the "baby" of the family any longer!
My cousin, Andrea, and her husband, Frank, became first-time parents this morning! They had a little boy, Vincent. It all just happened so I don't have any other details as of yet but its very exciting!
Yesterday, Eric and I explored the little town of Andover. It's ten minutes from where we live and it's home to tons of antique shops. We had a delicious lunch at a cute little coffee house called the Gristmill Cafe. We spent some time wandering around the shoppes in town and bought a couple cute things.
Then last night, Eric got yet another birthday dinner. We had Ethiopian lentils and Ethiopian green beans and potatoes. The green beans and potatoes were a new recipe and they came out pretty good! All in all, it was a healthy and delicious meal!
After dinner, we watched The Princess Bride. It's a movie that I had never seen before but it's one of Eric's favorites. It was a cute movie.
Today we're seeing Kayla again so I'll post more photos today or tomorrow!
And speaking of babies, Kayla's not the "baby" of the family any longer!
My cousin, Andrea, and her husband, Frank, became first-time parents this morning! They had a little boy, Vincent. It all just happened so I don't have any other details as of yet but its very exciting!
Yesterday, Eric and I explored the little town of Andover. It's ten minutes from where we live and it's home to tons of antique shops. We had a delicious lunch at a cute little coffee house called the Gristmill Cafe. We spent some time wandering around the shoppes in town and bought a couple cute things.
Then last night, Eric got yet another birthday dinner. We had Ethiopian lentils and Ethiopian green beans and potatoes. The green beans and potatoes were a new recipe and they came out pretty good! All in all, it was a healthy and delicious meal!
After dinner, we watched The Princess Bride. It's a movie that I had never seen before but it's one of Eric's favorites. It was a cute movie.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Eric v. Abe
Today seemed like a fitting day to compare Eric M. Munkee to Abraham Lincoln. A fun fact that you may be unaware of is that they happen to share the same birthday! Yes, it's true. Did you know that they have other similarities, too?
Eric loves KFC and while I doubt Abe ever had the opportunity to try their hot wings, he was born in Kentucky. Abe also bears a remarkable likeness to the colonel.
Eric loves KFC and while I doubt Abe ever had the opportunity to try their hot wings, he was born in Kentucky. Abe also bears a remarkable likeness to the colonel.
Did you know that Abe was the first president to wear a beard? I think that Eric may very well be one of the first Asians to sport one too!
Abe served as captain of the military. While Eric is by no means affiliated with any sort of military, he is captain of his Strat-o-Matic hockey team, the East Coast Earthquakes. At least, I think that's what his team is called.
Did you know that Honest Abe "clerked" in a shop? As a teenager, Eric never worked in a supermarket as a cashier or grocery bagger. He blames his inability to bag groceries properly on this key fact.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Happy Birthday, Munkee!
Today is Eric's 33rd birthday. Happy Birthday to the love of my life!
On Sunday, we invited Eric's parents and my family over for dinner to celebrate Eric's birthday. It was a wonderful day.
Here's the cake that I baked for Eric. It's a stadium cake! I used the stadium bundt cake pan that we received as an engagement gift. The football cookie in the middle was a gift from Ashley and Joe. Even though I did not think we had any use for a stadium bundt cake pan, it's not a bad thing to have. The cake was definitely a hit!
On Sunday, we invited Eric's parents and my family over for dinner to celebrate Eric's birthday. It was a wonderful day.
Here's the cake that I baked for Eric. It's a stadium cake! I used the stadium bundt cake pan that we received as an engagement gift. The football cookie in the middle was a gift from Ashley and Joe. Even though I did not think we had any use for a stadium bundt cake pan, it's not a bad thing to have. The cake was definitely a hit!
Saturday, February 09, 2008
No More Polaroids
I read online today that Polaroid is shutting down the instant photography aspect of their business. They've already ceased production of instant cameras and will stop manufacturing the film for them (though they do have enough film to last through 2009).
How sad. I admit it. I haven't owned a Polaroid camera in years. Back in 2000 or so, I had one of those Polaroid sticker cameras. They were very popular at the time!
No matter your age, there's still something magical about holding that Polaroid photo in your hand waiting for it to develop.
When my friends took me out for Hibachi on my 29th birthday, I received a birthday Polaroid souvenir. It's still on my refrigerator.
Here's a "vintage" Polaroid commercial from 1979.
How sad. I admit it. I haven't owned a Polaroid camera in years. Back in 2000 or so, I had one of those Polaroid sticker cameras. They were very popular at the time!
No matter your age, there's still something magical about holding that Polaroid photo in your hand waiting for it to develop.
When my friends took me out for Hibachi on my 29th birthday, I received a birthday Polaroid souvenir. It's still on my refrigerator.
Here's a "vintage" Polaroid commercial from 1979.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Isn't she lovely?
Look at this funny babe, one hour after birth. Isn't she precious?
Kayla's first picture with Grandma
Kayla and her favorite aunt!
Kayla's first picture with Grandma
Kayla and her favorite aunt!
Sunday, February 03, 2008
PuppyBowl IV
I watched some of the SuperBowl with Eric. Because I had to. But on commercials, we watched the PuppyBowl. The PuppyBowl, in my opinion, was so much better than the SuperBowl. It was sooo cute!!! There were no winners. There were no losers. Just puppies playing on a fake football field.
And, during half-time, there was a kitty show.
You can even go on their website and vote for the MVP.
And, I found out that all the puppies and kittens come from shelters. Eric says we can't get one though. :(
A Big Day
Well, today was a big day. Not JUST because the Giants won tonight's Superbowl.
Today marks the one year anniversary of my first date with Eric. One year ago today, I never would have believed it if somebody had told me I was going to marry that guy. It was a good date. I liked Eric's sense of humor. He seemed like a nice enough guy and we got along well.
The next day was Superbowl Sunday, but instead of watching the game, I was spending the day with a girlfriend. We made pizza and brownies and watched a movie instead. While I was there, I had gotten an email from Eric asking me out for another date.
I asked my girlfriend what she thought. Should I go out with him again? She and I decided, why not? First date went well. Might as well give it a try.
Tonight, I want to thank that dear friend. That first date turned out to be the love of my life.
And six months from today, we'll be married.
And wedding plans are moving along...yesterday we had our second premarital counseling session with the rabbi AND we picked out our wedding rings! We've found a new videographer since the whole Celebration Studios nightmare. And we've contracted somebody to design custom invites for us! Yippee!
Today marks the one year anniversary of my first date with Eric. One year ago today, I never would have believed it if somebody had told me I was going to marry that guy. It was a good date. I liked Eric's sense of humor. He seemed like a nice enough guy and we got along well.
The next day was Superbowl Sunday, but instead of watching the game, I was spending the day with a girlfriend. We made pizza and brownies and watched a movie instead. While I was there, I had gotten an email from Eric asking me out for another date.
I asked my girlfriend what she thought. Should I go out with him again? She and I decided, why not? First date went well. Might as well give it a try.
Tonight, I want to thank that dear friend. That first date turned out to be the love of my life.
And six months from today, we'll be married.
And wedding plans are moving along...yesterday we had our second premarital counseling session with the rabbi AND we picked out our wedding rings! We've found a new videographer since the whole Celebration Studios nightmare. And we've contracted somebody to design custom invites for us! Yippee!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Kayla Ruth
Monday, January 28, 2008
NKOTB Reunion!!!!
Okay, I'm not making this up. I'm hearing New Kids on the Block are going to be reuniting! Apparently, there will be some kind of official announcement next month. The NKOTB website is up and running with some old video from the 90's that I couldn't get to work very well.
Anyone else kind of excited about this??? I'm going on thirty but an announcement like this makes me feel eleven years old again!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Reason #458 Why I don't Like Mainstream Radio
The other day, I happened to be flipping back and forth between radio station. I briefly stopped on a former favorite station of mine to listen to one of those hysterical music contests. You know, listen to 1-2 notes and name the song. It was ridiculous.
Anyway, the DJ makes some comment about a David Bowie song, which in his opinion, is a great song.
Then he mentions on the air how he'll talk to his station manager about getting this particular song.
I guess its not on their top 20 approved playlist. I like my public music stations because the dj's can play whatever they'd like! The other day, the morning dj pulled out some old, obscure record album from the sixties! Apparently, nobody still plays records on the air but this dj did! She made a comment about "hoping it would work!" And it did!
Anyway, the DJ makes some comment about a David Bowie song, which in his opinion, is a great song.
Then he mentions on the air how he'll talk to his station manager about getting this particular song.
I guess its not on their top 20 approved playlist. I like my public music stations because the dj's can play whatever they'd like! The other day, the morning dj pulled out some old, obscure record album from the sixties! Apparently, nobody still plays records on the air but this dj did! She made a comment about "hoping it would work!" And it did!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Movie Madness
It seems that I'll either go forever without seeing a movie or I see a bunch in a short duration of time. In the past week, I saw three good movies, all rented from Netflix.
A week ago, I saw Freedom Writers. It was a riveting film. You've all heard of that one. I would certainly recommend it.
Monday, we were going to see Juno. But with the whole Norton fiasco, we really couldn't leave him for even a couple hours. Plus, I pulled something in my back on Sunday. I'm still trying to recover, though I am feeling a lot better. Much of my time was spent on the couch this week!
So instead of Juno, we watched Waitress. Have you heard of it? A hit at last year's Sundance. Bittersweet and comedic both. Keri Russell plays the main character. The talented Adrienne Shelly wrote, directed and also starred in the movie before being murdered in her apartment by her contracter. What a sad story. Bittersweet. We really liked the movie though. It made us smile and feel, too. Rent it. I think you'll enjoy.
A couple months ago, I heard a particular song from a soundtrack I couldn't recall on one of my beloved public radio stations, WFUV. I loved the song so I spent months hoping to stumble across it on iTunes.
And guess what? The other day I found it! The song, Falling Slowly, is from the soundtrack to the movie, Once. And the song was nominated for an Academy Award also! So guess what? I rented the movie and bought the sountrack. It's a modern day musical filmed more like a documentary than your traditional romantic comedy. In a nutshell...
Boy is a street musician in Dublin. He fixes vacuums by day. He has an ex in London.
Girl is a Czech street vendor (living in Dublin). She lives with her mother and young daughter. She has a husband in the Czech Republic.
We spend a week with these two characters as they develop a friendship and "write, rehearse and record songs together." Their music is simple and lovely. His beaten-up acoustic guitar and her piano melodies. The chemistry is real and the story is touching.
I won't tell you what happens. See for yourself.
Wanna see Alvin sing the same song?
A week ago, I saw Freedom Writers. It was a riveting film. You've all heard of that one. I would certainly recommend it.
Monday, we were going to see Juno. But with the whole Norton fiasco, we really couldn't leave him for even a couple hours. Plus, I pulled something in my back on Sunday. I'm still trying to recover, though I am feeling a lot better. Much of my time was spent on the couch this week!
So instead of Juno, we watched Waitress. Have you heard of it? A hit at last year's Sundance. Bittersweet and comedic both. Keri Russell plays the main character. The talented Adrienne Shelly wrote, directed and also starred in the movie before being murdered in her apartment by her contracter. What a sad story. Bittersweet. We really liked the movie though. It made us smile and feel, too. Rent it. I think you'll enjoy.
A couple months ago, I heard a particular song from a soundtrack I couldn't recall on one of my beloved public radio stations, WFUV. I loved the song so I spent months hoping to stumble across it on iTunes.
And guess what? The other day I found it! The song, Falling Slowly, is from the soundtrack to the movie, Once. And the song was nominated for an Academy Award also! So guess what? I rented the movie and bought the sountrack. It's a modern day musical filmed more like a documentary than your traditional romantic comedy. In a nutshell...
Boy is a street musician in Dublin. He fixes vacuums by day. He has an ex in London.
Girl is a Czech street vendor (living in Dublin). She lives with her mother and young daughter. She has a husband in the Czech Republic.
We spend a week with these two characters as they develop a friendship and "write, rehearse and record songs together." Their music is simple and lovely. His beaten-up acoustic guitar and her piano melodies. The chemistry is real and the story is touching.
I won't tell you what happens. See for yourself.
Wanna see Alvin sing the same song?
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Cat is out of the Bag
I didn't want to detail the scandal surrounding the previously mentioned wedding vendor. However, we got our money back and it's all over the news so I'm ready to spill the beans!
After Eric and I got engaged, one of the first things we made sure to do was find a photographer. We met with somebody from Celebration Studios, a tri-state wedding photography and videography company. Celebration was referred to me by a coworker whose daughter is getting married a month before we are. They were recommended to her by some other happy clients.
CS had many different locations all throughout NJ, NY and Philadelphia. We met with Karen Towerton from the Montclair office. She offered us a phenomenal package which included a videographer too! I should have realized it might be too good to be true.
The catch? If you pay up front, you get a 20% discount. The red flags should have popped up then. Over lunch that day, we decided to book this company. We were later able to choose our photographer based on an online gallery of some samples of different photographers' work. We then met him in person and were really excited about his style and thought he'd do a wonderful job shooting our wedding.
Things were fine until last month, while perusing message boards on The Knot, I came across some negative feedback about CS. I was shocked. The more I dug, the more information I unearthed. Brides and grooms, married for 1, 2, 3, even 4 years, still waiting for wedding albums, videos, proofs, all paid in full. Some turned in baby pictures to be used as a montage for their videos. Phone call after phone call, email after email, they were fed lie after lie. And by late fall, it was impossible to get a hold of anybody by phone.
Celebration Studios was going to be "new and improved," or so they claimed. They were just backlogged. Their design center was closed in order to restructure things, to make it better, they claimed. It was supposed to reopen January 2nd. However, on that day, a sign was on the door at the center in Clifton, promising a reopen by January 31st.
However, just a couple days later, there was a for lease sign hanging in the window.
It was that week, I started to really get frightened. I started spending every waking minute on the Wronged by Celebration Studios yahoo group. I found out CS stopped paying their photographers and videographers. Some are owed $10,000 or more. They quietly closed each and every office. Sales staff quit. Basicallly within the course of a week, there was nobody left working for this guy.
Except one office actually didn't close. Their Philadelphia office became Accent Studios. Marc Schwartz, the owner of CS, claims it's an unaffiliated business. Then why did it not only have an identical website until people caught on? Why is it owned by Marc's girlfriend, Shani Whittemore? Clients of CS claim that they booked with CS, yet their credit card statements say Accent.
Schwartz is claiming to have no money left. His lawyer says he's going to be filing bankruptcy. Then he won't have to pay back anybody. But where did all this money go? There were SO many shady dealings. It's been all over the news. Check out these links if you're curious.
By the way, we're sooo lucky that we disputed our charges with the credit card company. We got every penny back that we paid that scamming CS! Not everyone was so lucky though. Hundreds of brides and grooms may never see those pictures and albums they paid so much for. My friend was telling me about her coworker who hired CS to shoot her wedding this weekend. She paid up front. In cash. Even though she has retained a lawyer, she'll never see that money again. People have been filing criminal complants and there are a couple class action law suits that are forming against Schwartz.
And we found an awesome photographer to boot. We really did our research this time. His name is Josh Lynn and we can't wait for him to shoot our wedding!
Links
After Eric and I got engaged, one of the first things we made sure to do was find a photographer. We met with somebody from Celebration Studios, a tri-state wedding photography and videography company. Celebration was referred to me by a coworker whose daughter is getting married a month before we are. They were recommended to her by some other happy clients.
CS had many different locations all throughout NJ, NY and Philadelphia. We met with Karen Towerton from the Montclair office. She offered us a phenomenal package which included a videographer too! I should have realized it might be too good to be true.
The catch? If you pay up front, you get a 20% discount. The red flags should have popped up then. Over lunch that day, we decided to book this company. We were later able to choose our photographer based on an online gallery of some samples of different photographers' work. We then met him in person and were really excited about his style and thought he'd do a wonderful job shooting our wedding.
Things were fine until last month, while perusing message boards on The Knot, I came across some negative feedback about CS. I was shocked. The more I dug, the more information I unearthed. Brides and grooms, married for 1, 2, 3, even 4 years, still waiting for wedding albums, videos, proofs, all paid in full. Some turned in baby pictures to be used as a montage for their videos. Phone call after phone call, email after email, they were fed lie after lie. And by late fall, it was impossible to get a hold of anybody by phone.
Celebration Studios was going to be "new and improved," or so they claimed. They were just backlogged. Their design center was closed in order to restructure things, to make it better, they claimed. It was supposed to reopen January 2nd. However, on that day, a sign was on the door at the center in Clifton, promising a reopen by January 31st.
However, just a couple days later, there was a for lease sign hanging in the window.
It was that week, I started to really get frightened. I started spending every waking minute on the Wronged by Celebration Studios yahoo group. I found out CS stopped paying their photographers and videographers. Some are owed $10,000 or more. They quietly closed each and every office. Sales staff quit. Basicallly within the course of a week, there was nobody left working for this guy.
Except one office actually didn't close. Their Philadelphia office became Accent Studios. Marc Schwartz, the owner of CS, claims it's an unaffiliated business. Then why did it not only have an identical website until people caught on? Why is it owned by Marc's girlfriend, Shani Whittemore? Clients of CS claim that they booked with CS, yet their credit card statements say Accent.
Schwartz is claiming to have no money left. His lawyer says he's going to be filing bankruptcy. Then he won't have to pay back anybody. But where did all this money go? There were SO many shady dealings. It's been all over the news. Check out these links if you're curious.
By the way, we're sooo lucky that we disputed our charges with the credit card company. We got every penny back that we paid that scamming CS! Not everyone was so lucky though. Hundreds of brides and grooms may never see those pictures and albums they paid so much for. My friend was telling me about her coworker who hired CS to shoot her wedding this weekend. She paid up front. In cash. Even though she has retained a lawyer, she'll never see that money again. People have been filing criminal complants and there are a couple class action law suits that are forming against Schwartz.
And we found an awesome photographer to boot. We really did our research this time. His name is Josh Lynn and we can't wait for him to shoot our wedding!
Links
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Absolutely Absurd!
Our lovely state of NJ is in debt. And a lot of it. $32 billion dollars in debt. Sounds pretty much typical for this country.
Our esteemed Governor Corzine came up with a plan a couple days ago to relieve us of this debt.
What a joke.
Many of our New Jersey roads are toll roads. Corzine's plan is, beginning in the year 2010, increase said tolls by 50%. And every four years, increase the tolls by another 50%...
He also proposes to add tolls to a stretch of Route 440, which is now toll-free.
Corzine thinks this pretty much only affect commercial vehicles and out-of-state traffic.
Well, he's dead wrong. Many, many, many of New Jersey residents commute to work on a daily basis on these toll roads! I'm fortunate that with the move, I don't have to travel the toll roads any longer. But prior to this year, I traveled the Garden State Parkway to work on a daily basis. I paid $2.10 a day in tolls, a total of $42.00 a month. Here's how the increase, if approved would affect a commuter, like myself, on a yearly basis.
Year Monthly Toll Expenditure
2007 $42.00
2010 $63.00
2014 $94.50
2018 $141.75
2022 $212.62
2026 $318.94
That's almost an increase of 10 times over a twenty year period. Gee, lets stop and think. Add that to the increased prices of gas, property taxes that never stop rising, and the astronomical cost of living in this state.
This plan would pay off half of New Jersey's debt. Tell me, how is it our responsibility to clean up the mess that others have left???
Just needed to vent.
Our esteemed Governor Corzine came up with a plan a couple days ago to relieve us of this debt.
What a joke.
Many of our New Jersey roads are toll roads. Corzine's plan is, beginning in the year 2010, increase said tolls by 50%. And every four years, increase the tolls by another 50%...
He also proposes to add tolls to a stretch of Route 440, which is now toll-free.
Corzine thinks this pretty much only affect commercial vehicles and out-of-state traffic.
Well, he's dead wrong. Many, many, many of New Jersey residents commute to work on a daily basis on these toll roads! I'm fortunate that with the move, I don't have to travel the toll roads any longer. But prior to this year, I traveled the Garden State Parkway to work on a daily basis. I paid $2.10 a day in tolls, a total of $42.00 a month. Here's how the increase, if approved would affect a commuter, like myself, on a yearly basis.
Year Monthly Toll Expenditure
2007 $42.00
2010 $63.00
2014 $94.50
2018 $141.75
2022 $212.62
2026 $318.94
That's almost an increase of 10 times over a twenty year period. Gee, lets stop and think. Add that to the increased prices of gas, property taxes that never stop rising, and the astronomical cost of living in this state.
This plan would pay off half of New Jersey's debt. Tell me, how is it our responsibility to clean up the mess that others have left???
Just needed to vent.
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