Stuff That is Cool:

-Hanging out with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora all day.
-Them making fun of terrible Cast Members with you.
-Working lyrics from She's a Little Runaway into conversation throughout the day.
-Jon Bon Jovi calling you "Honey" multiple times. Creepy-age-difference-squee!!!
-Earning the respect and envy of everyone working the drive.


#Get old, stay pretty
#Product of the 80's
#Squeeeeeeeeeeeee

Wedding Highlights & Lowlights, or: Why I Love My Family

Lowlights: My makeup was god awful. I looked like a hooker set loose with $15 in the makeup aisle at a Rite-Aid. Also, my hair stylist didn't speak any English. I had prepared by printing out a page with 7 examples of the style of hair I wanted, but apparently only speaking Korean ALSO means that you can't tell what 7 pictures have in common with each other. Instead of a low, loose, curly side bun, I got a high, centered updo and she started to chastise me for not bringing "diamonds and jewels to put in hair." I finally had to say to her, and I quote, "NO. Bride say no diamonds. Bride no like. No." I don't think any of this would have bothered me except they were a full HOUR late even starting on me, so I missed the "helping the bride get ready" part of being a fucking bridesmaid, and then they charged me $140 fucking dollars for whore makeup and bad prom hair. No color or cut or even a GD shampoo. $140 for 15 bobby pins and seven layers of foundation. I almost started crying, but I was afraid it would leave a trail of muddy mascara down my face and I decided I didn't have time to redo it. I can't WAIT to see the pictures! (Also: The photographer was a fucking joke. The pictures taking was a nightmare.)

The Highlights: The location, the flowers, the food, the open bar and the best wedding DJ of all time. OF ALL TIME. There are very few good wedding DJs out there, but this guy was all sorts of win. Other highlights and quotes to remember:

Milroy and Avent having a Morris Day & the Time dance-off.

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Ladies of Prado, reunited!


Sarah, Stephanie, Jen, Zynara, & I
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The Book of Love by Peter Gabriel - The absolute PERFECT first dance song after a long and arduous search.
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Seeing "little Vinny" and Carly Franco all grown up. It's very weird to see the kids you used to babysit after the little one just left her high school graduation party. Carly is the spitting image of her mother, and she and Vinny were choreographed! It was too cute.
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Sally: Nobody fell down!
Mom: Nope, Matt's girlfriend fell down a couple times.
Sally: Well...nobody from our family fell down!
*Sally & I high five*
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Casey's performance. Some ministers quote the Bible or the Torah. Ours quoted The Velveteen Rabbit. Getting Mike's girlfriend to get her internet minister license was the best idea ever.
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My 10 year old nephew, Brandon, adding two bridesmaids to his list as "girlfriends number 3 & 4". Also, Kelly Franco teaching Brandon how to "mow the lawn" and "take out the trash".
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Taking over the last empty room and hanging out in the jacuzzi tub for an hour after everyone went to bed. I have been living with my parents again for over a year now, and staying the night in a beautiful modern hotel room with a giant jacuzzi tub and a pillowtop king bed was better than anything else in the universe ever.
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*Milroy watching little Vinny watching Jovauna*
Milroy: Hey Vin
Little Vinny: Yeah?
Milroy: Will you quit being a little bitch and go shoot fish in a barrel?
Little Vinny: Got it, coach.
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Milroy: Hey, your hair's still up!
Sally: Yeah...I can't figure out how to take it down.
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Vinny and I, after bonding as children by making fun of my little brother together, getting to mock him as we witness his first walk of shame with the maid of honor. It brought a tear to my eye. A big, assholey tear.
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Mike calling me an alcoholic in the best-man speech, then making up for it by taking the fall for me when Jennie found out I told the bridesmaids the Special Olympics story.
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Roop showed up and wasn't on heroin!
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Jennie's face when we called her Mrs. Fazio the next day.
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I avoided the mother of the bride the WHOLE night! Super mega über win.
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Me: Daddy! Come dance with me!
Dad: If I dance to Sweet Caroline, does it make me a Red Sox fan? Because I have standards.
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The "Jentinis". I still don't know what's in them, other than a lot of gin, but they were great.
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In the end everything went great. Jennie stayed very calm until about 5 minutes before they came to get us out of the room. Everyone had a good time. The few panicky things (like Jen's earring breaking and all of us bridesmaids feeling like there was more cake on our faces than the dessert table) were forgotten and the fun little touches Jennie planned (like the flip flops and the candy bar) were huge hits.

OH! And one more memory. As I was all the way down the aisle and turning to take my spot in the big line of green I was starting to get nervous. Am I in the right spot? Do I look terribly fat? Is everything gonna go right? Suddenly all that tension was broken by the small-yet-adorable voice of Dracen, the ring bearer. He exclaimed to his mommy as they were about halfway down the aisle, "I'm doing GOOD!" It was so perfect and cute and reminded us all what we were really doing there and set the mood for the whole night.

Congratulations, Vinny and Jennie Fazio!

YAY for this week!

The event was a blast yesterday: hanging out with the kids from Modern Family, Lenice introducing me to John and his family, and riding the Silly Symphony Swings with my kids, Team Lasseter AND a very drunken Jason Segel. Didn't think it could get any better.

THEN I got the call from RTS to take out a tour tomorrow. JOAN FUCKING CUSACK! It's about fucking time things turned around for me!

Pinch me

Tonight I rode the Silly Symphony Swings with John Lasseter, Jason Segal and the kids from Modern Family. I also saw Terri Hatcher and John Stamos get drenched and pissed off. Did I mention the part where I met John Lasseter? And Jason Segal? Fuck. Fucking tonight, man. I don't have words for this. I got paid to do this. Not a lot, but still. Fuck.

How many songs total: 5505
How many hours or days of music: 80 days

Sort By Song Title

First Song: A-W-E-S-O-M-E by Reel Big Fish
Last Song: 13197 by The Briggs

Sort By Time

Shortest Song: (Four Seconds of Noise) by Hot Hot Heat

Longest Song: The Decemberists - Live @ the Macdonald (it's a full set)

Sort By Album

First Album: Acoustic Hits - The Cure
Last Album: 20,000 Watt RSL - Midnight Oil

Top Five Most Played Songs

1. Record Year for Rainfall - The Decemberists
   
2. For Emma - Bon Iver
   
3. Butterfly Nets - Bishop Allen
   
4. Train Song - Feist & Ben Gibbard
   
5. Right Ahead, You Sailor! - Right Away, Great Captain!
   

First Song That Comes Up On Shuffle:

Sentimental Johnny - Flogging Molly

Search The Following & State How Many Songs Come Up:

Death - 57
Life - 88
Love - 272
Hate - 29
You - 544
Sex - 68

2009

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

Lived on my own, bought a new car, became a lead, got demoted from lead, told him.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I didn't make any last year. This year's include moving on and letting him go, supreme weight-loss (getting back down to 2004-size), and finding a career instead of a job.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nope.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yes, my favorite (crazy) grandmother, whom I miss every day. Helping my grandpa through this has been the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.

5. What countries did you visit?

None. Epic, EPIC fail.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

A job that allows me to live on my own, the time to re-discover my interests, a boy worth falling for.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

• January 18 - A fantastic surprise birthday dinner with loved friends - low-key and perfect!
• May 17 - Lindsay came home, fun ensued.
• August 9 - Grandma Bobbe passed away

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Survival. No, seriously - it was close.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I let Disneyland take over. No job should take up that much of me, or affect me so much.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Not any worth mention.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My new car, Zoey. A ComicCon ticket.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My grandfather, who has shown me the truest love I have ever witnessed.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Dick Cheney, 75% of my co-workers.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

Sleepless - The Decemberists

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Sadder
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter
c) richer or poorer? Poorer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Anything which would have allowed me to answer #17 differently? Played guitar, sat with Grandma, sung.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Ate, worked, COMPLAINED. I became a pretty intolerable person for a bit and I'm still working my way back up that hill.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

With family on Christmas eve, then being told that I "should be lined up and SHOT." in City Hall.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

No. I began to fall out, but that's a pretty big hill, too.

22. How many one-night stands?

None.

23. What was your favorite TV program?

West Wing, Arrested Development, Modern Family, Dr. Who.

24. What was the best book you read?

The Pixar Touch or The Last Lecture

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Bands I'd known for years but never gave real attention to when I first heard them. Bright Eyes, The Decemberists, Bishop Allen, and Fiona Apple's "extraordinary machine" album.

26. What did you want and get?

More respect from my peers at work, my MINI.

27. What did you want and not get?

More respect from my mother, financial relief, my degree, love.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

UP

29. What did you do on your birthday?

My best friend kidnapped me to dinner with a cabal of my closet friends.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Finding someone to love (myself included).

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

"This will cover the rolls adequately."

33. What kept you sane?

Lindsay, Jeff, Chris and Mirna. My West Wing DVD collection.

37. What political issue stirred you the most?

Iran. The amazing acts of bravery and passion I have witnessed in the face of seemingly heartless brutality have changed me in ways I don't even understand yet. But it's been wonderful and terrifying to witness.

36. Who did you miss?

Andrew, Lindsay, Grandma.

37. Who was the best new person you met?

Mirna (I never took the time to really "meet" her until this year).

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009?

• It's only over when you give up on yourself.
• Love is more beautiful than death is ugly.
  

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

When your family calls you make nice to them all and assure them you're fine & you're great / Then you cry in the bath; cry so hard that you laugh, then you watch television 'till 8 // Who do you need? Nobody. You're lucky nobody's around / I can pour my own drinks; no thanks, Mister. Go on, get out of town // And you're gorgeous in your evening gown.