100% Percent Chance of Joy (Down from Forty Percent Chance of Rain)

2008-06-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

Who Says You Can't Wear A Wedding Dress Twice?If you don't go for all the white crap- you can. Tiara and earrings by Anaica. Hadn't been stared at like that since the wedding. Oh such an effort to be a princess, much less a girl for an evening.We have to get David a real costume- one he owns. Maybe I'll have a life and actually be able to attend a Ren Faire this year! Well, happy unexpected post!

2008-03-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

Happy First Wedding Anniversary to Us!We decided the best tradition for this blog was to given it annual updates on our wedding anniversary. We took a long, glorious weekend in Mendocino where we journeyed last January to write our vows (scour the internet) by the fire at the Mendocino Hotel while it drizzled rain outside.This weekend, we were welcomed on Friday evening with a glorious sunset, we

2007-07-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

Closing Out A Journey, SensuouslyA lovely product that's out there in the world has taken our photographer's work and turned it into amazing gifts for family. The 7 x 7" book I designed arrived today as a birthday gift for my Mom. It's a chronology of amazing photos of our wedding day that Margaret took. For a Beta, these folks have figured A LOT out. My apologies to readers of both my blogs,

2007-07-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

Ars Longa, Vita BrevisWe headed way out today to see the Artist’s Self Portraits from the Uffizi exhibit today. The Dulwich Picture Gallery is intimate and perfect setting for a very interesting exhibit. Johann Zoffany’s portrait contains a book with this Latin phrase on its cover: art is long-lasting, life is short. We’ll see if Google actually makes that possible (by continuing to host this

2007-07-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

Travel Zen“They were desperate for a smoke so they decided to walk.” I overheard this on the Tube stop we got let off at by our cab driver. It seems when various countries implement their no-smoking laws, I tend to be around. I’m also typically around if there is a cold front that’s moved in- I like to keep the climate suited to my needs (no weather powers in Europe though!). Our journey today

2007-07-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

Gràcia, El Born and Art Nouveau Nirvana When we travel, we make a genuine effort to get off the beaten tourist track so we can really take a peek at how and where the real people live. Along with a trip up to Park Güell, we had a decadent Lebanese mezze platter for two in Gràcia, a village that became part of Barcelona in 1897. It is a lovely Middle Eastern district.A tour of the Palau de la

2007-06-30T22:55:00.000-07:00

Wave to AndorraWe took the scenic route through the French Pyrenees to get back to Barcelona today (instead of the coastal route through Perpignan). When we realized just what an effort it would be to pop into Andorra (after starting so late in the day once lunch was done) we regrettably decided to skip crossing the border into Andorra in order to arrive Barcelona at a sane hour. Our ventures

2007-06-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

Pech Merle and the Marzipan EntremetThe most amazing pre-historic experiences to be had by visiting Pech-Merle, a cave in the Lot that features the cave paintings 15-25,000 years old. Yes, we are in the general region of France that we could have paid a visit to Lascaux, but it’s a tour of a replica. The real Lascaux has been closed to the public since 1955 because signs of deterioration were

2007-06-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

Local Specialties, Imported TroubadoursOur guest chef at Latitude, who comes to us from Berkeley, cooked up some incredible foods during the week. But we have also enjoyed many local specialties that are specific to the Lot region. Croustillot: The crust is quite robust and has a tasty flavor that isn't burned but it borders on it (at least to the palette not used to critical bread evaluation).

2007-06-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

Albi and Unpronouncable French EndroitsToday was a free day for everyone to visit local attractions of their choice. David and I took a wandering route to Albi, a rather major metropolitan area, to the Toulouse-Latrec museum. We drove via Cornusson, passing by the Abbaye de Beaulieu was founded there in 1144 by the Clairvaux monks. The signs shifted to both French and Occitan as we drove. The

2007-06-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

Medieval Food, Medieval PlacePart of our week included mini-lectures on Medieval food practices and it’s fascinating to learn how closely food was aligned with religious and moral values (with lifestyle consequences). In the 2nd century AD, Galen created a system of food that governed Medieval eating and cuisine for the time. Much of the diet was the same compared with what we eat today except

2007-06-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

Creatures of the Vallee du Lot (The Lot Valley)The shushhh of rain and the mist that comes up over the river is Mother Nature’s meditative white noise. This is the rainy and gorgeous view from the mill’s roof window. The locals who maintain the Mill and its grounds year round tell me we are 6 degrees Celsius below normal temperatures and that for June, rain is never a worry. The weather is a most

2007-06-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

A River of Thousands of Years This is an amazing place to wake up in. Our first group adventure was to visit the local market in a nearby town. The market boasts an incredible spread of local fruits, meats, vegetables, cheeses, wine, honeys, oils and other regional products. From now through June 29th, 11 of the 19 visitors (mostly Bay Area residents) are singing during the week. The practice and

2007-06-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

St. John vs. St. Graciela About 2 hours before the scheduled commencement of our drive to southern France today, we discovered that the downtown Barcelona garage where we had the car was closed in celebration of St. John (Barcelona’s Solstice weekend started today). We were also scheduled to pick up Shira, the teacher of the workshop on our way out.In talking with locals, David discovered

2007-06-22T05:06:00.000-07:00

CataloniaOur first time in Spain. Nothing markedly different than Europe but Catalan has a Portguese and French quality to it that is more sensual than Spanish. David says, "crowded, a little overwhelming but otherwise a great city with delicious food." We spent the day tooling around the Eixample [Ehshampluh] where our bed and breakfast was located. Visits to Gaudi's famous Casa Batlló and Casa

2007-06-21T01:45:00.000-07:00

Lluna de Mel Anniversari Natalici (“Honeymoon Birthday” in Catalan)Today is David’s 41st birthday. After waking up in a lovely marble-floored house where our kind hostess runs a guesthouse in Tessera outside Venice, we took in the agrarian farmland as a desperately needed breather from the suffocating humidity and humanity of Venice.

2007-06-18T01:36:00.000-07:00

Ancient Water, Venetian Water On our way to Italy today, we visited Postojnska Jama (Postojna Cave), the world’s third largest cave behind Carlsbad and Mammoth in the states. Pictures were unfortunately not allowed inside, but it was as awesome as Blanchard Springs in Arkansas. Did you know that caves are, as this had been, safe places

2007-06-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

Sacred WaterAfter a walking tour of Ljubljana this morning, we headed into the Julian Alps to see Lake Bled. Its waters are a divine Carribbean/Amalfi coast blue. A dip of my ailing left foot left a pain-free warm tingle the rest of the day. After all these days along the Dalmatian coast along the Adriatic, it was here in the north when I finally came upon my first Dalmatian swimming in Lake

2007-06-15T23:38:00.000-07:00

Fresh WatersOur lunch in Makarska yesterday made last night a rough one. I was running a fever fighting off something awful that no doubtedly came from bad food. We spent 6 hours on the bus today with two one hour stops and I began to get really loopy (this is probably when I’m most zany or fun, depending on your perspective). Our guide Martin can talk about local villages and history for 20

2007-06-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

Aspilatos and Diocletian’s PalaceWe headed north today along the Adriatic coast past the Naredva River Valley and Bacina Lakes with a stop in Makarska on the Makarska Riviera. In passing through Croatia, you spend about 15 minutes passing through Bosnia-Hercegovina. We ended in swanky Split, the site of Emperor Diocletian’s palace as well as a popular locale for modeling agency scouts to find

2007-06-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

The Walled City of Hrvatska (Croatia) DubrovnikWe walked the walls today- it was hot and muggy and wonderful exercise to look out on the Adriatic from many vantage points. It was so hot a long afternoon siesta was the reality. In the evening, we came upon some Croatian barbershop of sorts on the streets of the city- it was a lovely and splendid way to taste music of Croatia. All the fish we have

2007-06-12T05:55:00.000-07:00

Eine Kleine BoatMusik in Croatia's Mini-Europe Spoken English as I know it is leaving me. After several days with Martin, our Slovenian accented guide along with other local guides such as Ljubisa in Belgrade, I have to stop myself from saying over lunch to Dave, “Is nice, yes?” I am sponging up the accents of the natives, despite the other Americans on the tour. Our day included a

2007-06-11T17:22:00.000-07:00

Montenegran MuscleWe flew from Belgrade to Podgorica, Montenegro today- a short hour-long flight. After that, we were on a marathon bus ride up into the black mountains. At first Podgorica seems like the Caribbean- lots of scrub brush and arid land- but the terrain quickly gets really steep. We headed some 8K feet up into the

2007-06-10T08:24:00.000-07:00

Sigidunum: Open Wounds Amidst Simple PleasuresLike several cities before it, Belgrade (which used to be called Sigidunum by the Romans) has grown on me because of the people who have been gracious to share the city’s diversity and refreshing simplicity with us. Everywhere the animals I see are hungry and lean, but also at play with each other- happy. Puppies from

2007-06-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hellgrade to BellgradeI’m standing in a business class hotel tub in Belgrade that lacks any truly flat spots. The whole thing is entirely curved in some way. I keep losing my balance as I desperately shower off the smoke poison of the day- courtesy our train ride. This tub is just the tip of the iceberg for what I hope will have been our hardest day the entire honeymoon. All day long on our “

2007-06-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Irkafirka, Hungarian for “Express Yourself”There is something special to make note of when the country you’re in plays Pink Martini’s “Amado Mio” in the grocery store. Let’s not forget, they’re from Seattle. Ah, the rare instance of cultural export when the term "cultural" actually means just that.This is St. Stephens Basilica in Pest

2007-06-07T01:20:00.000-07:00

View from London W2Day 1, or rather night 1. We were grateful to camp out with Amy and Stephen and after a latte and a half of organic coffee and a good shower (plus ibuprofen for the dehydration headache and sleeping pills), we are human again (with clean teeth)! After flooding the neighbor downstairs' closet with our post-travel showers, we headed off to the gym for a shower this morning.We are

2007-05-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

A Codpiece for My Medieval Gig PerchanceMany of the places we're going on honeymoon have been photographed a thousand times over, but our weeklong Medieval music and food workshop (led by our wedding fiddler) is worth some attention because it's more off the beaten travel path. And this is not a photograph I expect to have the chance to personally take.This is Calvignac where for one of the

2007-05-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

Where Aren't We Going? A Honeymoon For Living Pretty Darn Large A wee vicarious appetite whetting here for what we hope will be a successful travel blog. I can already envision just posting photos for those vicariously famished and then experience and once home, going back to update the entire thing with facts, history, stories I didn't have time to type using a keyboard/word processor set

2007-05-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Pretty Groovy. Photos in this post by Margaret Speth. To see her full compilation of amazing work, email us.

2007-04-22T19:55:00.001-07:00

Children Are the Pulse of WeddingsAidan contemplates the brooms our Contra Dance brought to lead guests in that dance.There are more pictures loaded up on Flickr now, courtesy of our friend Julie Barton. I might also add a video link or two to this post- she also took some charming footage.44 days until we start travel blogging the honeymoon!

2007-04-20T17:17:00.000-07:00

With This (Domain) Name, I Have Thee WedIt was a standup shocker that I chose to be low key about. The Comcast guy called me "Mrs. Watt" today and I answered "hmmm" with the "yes I'm listening pitch." I think it bums David out a little but I won't be taking his name. Because his family was thinking ahead a long time ago though, they registered the watt.com domain name. So, at minimum, I've taken

2007-04-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

Slainté, Beethoven! I love this drawing of Beethoven because he has this look on his face like he's thinking 'you have got to be kidding.' Around the wedding there was an amazing flurry of song rewriting that happened. Three songs were rewritten about us but only two were sung at the wedding: You will need Adobe Acrobat to view these files. 1) Health to the Company (I'm not sure of the real

2007-04-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

Wedding Photos Trickle In... As we wait for our wedding photographer's photos to come in, I thought I'd share more about what's to come. Our friend Amy's Kweskin Report has some great photos of the dancing and our circle of flower. In addition- we will be sharing the text of what these folks were singing with you, both at the wedding and the night before. In the 3.5 years we've known each

2007-03-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

A Wedding Beyond What We'd DreamedOur deepest thanks to those of you that documented our happiest day of our lives together thus far! We experienced the ceremony, dancing, company, children, flowers, blue skies, sun, fog rolling in with as much magic in our hearts as you can imagine. We are so blessed- thank you!Visit David's Project Point Site for a re-direct to the various individual photo

2007-03-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

Love From WomenI have been at odds with the process of planning a wedding. Because of the scope wedding is a time to reach out and ask for help- both things I have never been comfortable with- it's just the way I am wired emotionally.I have noticed in my life that in times of sadness and sorrow, those who support you gather around you. Now that I am explicitly living the opposite experience, it

2007-03-10T09:33:00.001-08:00

What's With The 3:21 Ceremony Time?It has occurred to me that many of you will have questions about what this is, or rather why. For those of you reading- you can spread the word to others who haven't visited the blog should there be chatter about it. Talk amongst yourselves folks. If you add up this time (3+2+1), it equals 6. In the 78 number Tarot system I've studied, there are 78 essences

2007-03-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

Grapes Grown at a CrossroadsThe Livermore Valley is not what we remembered from a couple of years back. Journeying out this weekend to go find some red to serve at the reception (tough job!) the landscape bursts with messages that this is one place where agriculture, nature and California's growing population are vying for space.The wild turkeys I spotted running through the grapevines getting

2007-03-03T13:05:00.000-08:00

Can We Get A Witness?We haven't yet figured out when the trip to City Hall will be, nevermind which city hall. According to Helen, we have our choice even if they're in different counties. That's right, the marriage license is falling to near the bottom of the list to do. After all, we're domestic partners, doesn't that count for anything? In short, I've had a lifelong "fascination" for Harrison

2007-03-03T09:09:00.000-08:00

Spice Rack FaceMy girlfriend Anna is taking my face through an abbreviated "boot camp" to prepare for the wedding. My care regimen is longer than ever at night and in the morning, but the results have been worth the discipline. She only wishes we started 6 months ago...Typically I come to see Anna's skin care salon for waxing- a far cry from the olfactory and tactile delight you experience from

2007-02-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

Featured Creatures WeddingMany months ago the Shelter's green space outside (and the facility) was offered to me as a wedding site in partial jest. More and more, I am thinking about the roads not taken in terms of wedding things I will never be able to do. For example, I would love to have my girls at the wedding. Alas, they are not dogs and wouldn't be allowed anyway because after all, I'm

2007-02-19T21:06:00.000-08:00

The Hair of the BrideI'm not crazy. Hair to be presented at weddings must be an age-old source of more stress than "word on the street" seems to indicate. In the modern world, we've evolved to the "trial run" that I experienced this past weekend. I'm glad for that.As the stylist was working through this process, realizing I didn't have enough hair for the part up, part down design I wanted, I had

2007-02-14T19:44:00.001-08:00

A History of Autopilot: The Reign of Emily Post Is Now Officially OVER...It's funny- the freedom and fun I thought I would have blogging about this process is turning into a journalist's hell where the very challenges I am having concerning the wedding might be read by the audience of this blog. On the other hand- maybe I should just warn you: I'm a sucker for anything that seems even remotely

2007-02-14T18:48:00.000-08:00

4.5 Weeks Later And Never Received- An Apologetic Yet Frustrated PostWe've discovered the U.S. Postal Service has lost a handful of invitations, mostly to our local friends in Oakland and Berkeley. Is it because the "9" in the font we used - Bradley Hand ITC, 10.5 point- looks sort of like a "g?" Except that others in Oakland got through just fine. We even verified the weight of the invite with

2007-02-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

Who Gets to Be The ArtistGrowing up I had no siblings or close cousins (geographically or genetically- the closest was 4th) so I didn't get a lot of exposure to weddings. In fact I was well into my teen years before I even got to go to my first wedding. As I result, I had no "castles in the air" built on dreams of how it would be when I got married. I actually never believed it would happen to

2007-02-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

Handbasket for Taking a SpouseI am down to logistical concerns and just how resourceful we can be on the production side of the day is really shining through. There'll be none of this buy this special/monogrammed/expensive/precious metal-plated this or that stuff for the props in this wedding. Instead, it's all about rebirth for several lucky inanimates who get to "play a part on the magic day."

2007-02-03T08:15:00.000-08:00

Doing Business In BerkeleyBlog-a-licious in its own right, our wedding site (the Brazilian Room) is a very popular site for weddings and large parties. The building is a lovely stone structure with wooden beams, french doors, a huge fireplace and lots of windows to look out on the hillsides and redwood trees in Tilden Park.But the rules and regulations one must abide by with such a facility are a

2007-01-28T17:40:00.000-08:00

Seeking Something BorrowedLike anyone, we are each a melting pot of ethnicities. We both have Irish, Scottish and English heritage. I also have some Welsh and a lot of Russian--and that last one makes me half Jewish in the wrong half (through my father). Ah matrilineality.Our wedding is probably a slightly off kilter spin on many traditions that are out there in the billions of dollars wedding

2007-01-21T11:25:00.000-08:00

Auspicious Nuptial Signs A misty day in January, with drizzle as thick as bear's fur. It gently soaks through to the bone making you hurry indoors. Thus was the setting for the first day of our weekend away in Elk and Mendocino- some time away to write our wedding vows. Our first stop inside a store found us face to face with Barbara Phillips, our host for Latitude who lives

2007-01-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

An Update from the SeamstressYou'll have to excuse me that I must mark the calendar with this post. After visit #2 to the seamstress, I can't believe my ears. Between Boxing Day (12/26) and now, I've dropped about 5 lbs. Not huge but enough to start shaping things around in all the strange ways a woman's body works. Rachel Myer is the name of my seamstress. She is a wizard 40 minutes east of us

2007-01-08T21:51:00.000-08:00

The Wedding SingerWe're less than 4 months away and one of the phenomena I am witnessing is the people who are strongly hint at or outright offer to sing at our wedding.What puzzles me is the offers from people we are only somewhat acquainted with. What motivates them to offer their services? I suspect it's not about us but rather that these are folks in search of a stage. On certain days when

2007-01-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

My PreciousRachel: have you ever wondered about the power of jewelry? Not just the stereotypical lust after gorgeous this and that and x carat and whatnot...but the power that isn't too often talked about- that psychic residue that sometimes sits on things or places? The left Apollo finger tradition of wedding rings has been subjected to a modernity and a melting pot that has made things come out

2006-12-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

Mon voyageur douxI thought with such a nice photo of David in front of this year's Canadian Christmas Revels set that I should tell something of the story of how we met.For the past 21 December's this local Oakland organization has been producing the Christmas Revels- a winter solstice celebration of song, dance and stories of a particular culture and geography of the world. For many years it

2006-12-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

Roses and CabbagesI don't follow fashion. I'm an atheist. But because of the 'tude that exudes from this takeoff blog, Project Rungay (which taglines itself as "Project Runway from a VERY gay perspective") I do find myself tuning in on occasion. Aha! Wedding stuff.I've never seen Bravo's Project Runway. I'm convinced I'm not missing anything because the only future reality shows have to look

2006-11-30T08:45:00.000-08:00

Garden of Eatin'I know, it sounds like a Big Boy Restaurant chain spinoff but no...I was indulging in some 'Web window shopping,' minding my own Amazon.com business, when I realized the big small and family bookstore and business destroyer in the sky had a category under women's apparel for "Wedding." In fact, they had a grand total of 134 items under "wedding panties."I chose to comment about

2006-11-29T10:19:00.000-08:00

ContradancingRachel and I both love to dance. We first got to know each other dancing together at the Revels closing party back in 2003. I've done a fair amount of contradancing over the years, and a little bit of ballroom dancing, but in truth, I'm kind of an eternal beginner: I dance just often enough to not trip over my feet when I'm out on the floor, but not enough to get the grace and

2006-11-26T12:47:00.000-08:00

Sounds and StepsOur first meeting with Shira Kammen, our fiddler extraordinaire. A great production value weight has been lifted from my shoulders to know that someone so prolific and talented and connected is handling a huge portion of the artistry of the day!She'll be getting us our contra dance caller and music talent as well. This day is Shira's gift to us! We are so humbled and amazed and

2006-11-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

Colour"...Vibrations reach on up to become lightAnd then through gamma, out of sightBetween the eyes and ears there lieThe sounds of colour and the light of a sigh..."-Graeme Edge, "The Word"The Moody BluesAbout a month early, the dress is here! Trying it on at Margene's on Grand Ave. in Oakland, I commented to the ladies how I hadn't done this since I was about 6 and was dressed up as a princess

2006-11-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

Location, location, locationIn the spirit of using this blog as the answer (antidote?) to "How are the wedding plans coming?" I'm happy to announce that the Brazil Room in Tilden Park is our now signed and sealed location for March 18, 2007.In my recent Blogships post to my business/personal blog- I explore the function of blogs. Can I tell people who ask me to "go read the blog" if they want to

2006-11-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

1 Dom Part $40.00 (Non-Taxable)That was what the tiny cash register receipt we were first handed by the City Clerk read- just as plain as jane, as if it were a coffee and muffin we'd purchased. Dom Parts R Us! Hmmm, that kind of goes in several directions not worth linking to...So that's it, as of this past Thursday, November 16th we're officially, in the eyes of the great city of O (that's

2006-10-31T13:39:00.000-08:00

BLING - For the rest of your life.David and I have this little joke when one of us is doing something that irritates the other. We turn to the person being irritated and look them squarely in the eyes while droning "...for THE REST of your life..."In that same vein, our wedding budget is causing me to analyze where my priorities are and which expenses will get the bucks over something else; in

2006-10-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

In Search Of... The Tux (tm)Theresa and Madeleine Nelson and I started our search for the perfect tuxedo yesterday. They know things I don't - like what Rachel's dress is eventually going to look like. I have only two clues: last week's inaugural post on this blog, and a whisper-thin swatch of lavender fabric.We started with the basics: buy, or rent? I'll probably wind up buying a new tuxedo one

2006-10-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

Heed the SeamstressAs the inaugural post for our wedding blog, named for a likely forecast we will be facing in anticipation of our wedding day on March 18, 2007, I bring you the first in a list of stories and adventures of the next few months. Up until now, plans have gone smoothly- we have a photographer, a likely caterer, officiant, ceremony and reception site, lead musician. Today took an