"The Best Twenty-five of twenty-five," part II

Tonight I continue my itemization of the the twenty-five best "bests" of my twenty-fifth year. Beginning with...

6. The best concert

Sufjan Stevens at the Wiltern in Los Angeles, October 23, 2010. It was unequivocally the greatest combined celebration of outer space and dancing I have ever witnessed. My experience was actually incredibly similar to that of my friend, Casey. She saw him perform in Phoenix the night before and shared her thoughts about it on her blog, here

After the concert, I joined several of my friends in enjoying some good eats from a local Korean taco truck. That's right: Korean tacos. You can get anything in L.A.

7. The best wedding

I attended four in the last year. All were good, but Mike and Lindsay's was exceptional. The ceremony, which took place on the cliffs of Point Loma, was simple, picturesque, beautiful. The reception, which took place at our home, was intimate, lively, and one of the best parties I've been to in my life.

8. The best feminine hygiene product

For a considerable time I had been interested in finding a more eco-friendly alternative to tampons and maxi pads. After researching several brands of organic cotton tampons, cloth pads, sea sponges, and menstrual cups, I decided to order the Diva Cup. Excellent decision. Though it's a bit pricey, the fact that it can be reused for over a year indicates that, in the long run, it's a more economical option than disposable menstrual products. As an added bonus, I've noticed a significant decrease in the severity of my menstrual cramps since I switched to the Diva Cup. I'll never go back to tampons, and I would be remiss if I didn't share this revelation with any friends who are looking for a means of dealing with their lady times that is gentler on the environment and, ultimately, on the wallet.

9. The best new skill

Skills Month was a bust, but I still managed to pick up some helpful new knowledge and abilities this year. My favorite by far, however, is my newfound ability to milk a goat. During the week and a half that I spent WWOOFing on a goat farm in France, I went from barely being able to eke out a few drops from the poor goat's utter to filling a whole bucket with frothy milk in ten minutes flat. Though I took great pleasure and satisfaction in several of the tasks I was asked to carry out while on the farm, milking the goats was, without a doubt, my favorite chore.

10. The best Eastern European cuisine

It was so good. Since the evening that I visited Pomegranite Russian-Georgian Restaurant with Mike and Lindsay, I've been dreaming of going back. I've made several attempts at replicating their amazing borscht in my home kitchen, but I've yet to concoct anything remotely as delectable.

Another Good Ol' Wedding

It was an excellent time.

This evening, I attended a nuptial ceremony and festivities in honor of Amy Wallace and Hector Amaya. During dinner, Hector made a speech in which he speculated that at the end of our lives, we will only really remember twenty or thirty days--a handful of days that really stood out as special or monumental--and that today was one of those days for him. I don't blame him: it was a really, really, really nice night.

Stupidly, I forgot my camera at home. There were several moments which I would have liked to have captured in photo format. In the absence of visual aids, I will attempt to encapsulate a few of these moments in words.

First, there are three brothers, standing on a platform, watching their only sister walk down the aisle in a white dress. There is so much meaning in their faces. I wonder which childhood memories are flashing behind their teary eyes.

There are two very beautiful people, gazing lovingly at one another. They have been friends and lovers for quite some time. It is written in their posture and the expressions on their faces as he puts his arm around her and she leans her body against his. As though nothing could be more natural.

Succumbing to the spell of a rather adept disc jockey, my friend Josiah and I have joined the rest of the wedding guests in dancing a mean jig or twenty. Josiah never dances. But tonight I didn't have to lure him onto the dance floor; he made his way there on his own accord and it was the most fun I've had in a long time.

Married, Married, Married!

At last! They're hitched!

Here are just a few of many beautiful moments from Michael and Lindsay's wedding weekend.

Check out banner, Michael!

In just one week, Lindsay and Michael are getting married! Mike has been like a brother to me for years now and I'm overjoyed that he is finally going to be part of my family.

I'm also having a grand old time creating gilding, garnish, and assorted knick-knackery to decorate the house for the reception. I've already made yards of button garlands for adorning doorways, bookshelves, and table ends. And I'm in the process of making mini banners--bearing captions such as "Welcome," "Hooray For Love," and "Toilet"--to hang in various places throughout the house.

I'm looking forward to sharing more of my crafting creations for the wedding after the big day.

Wedding Shower Invites

These are the postcard invitations that my sister Ashley and I created for Lindsay and Mike's wedding shower. Ashley and I devoted nearly the entire day to gathering materials for and then assembling the cards. Was it worth it? The jury is still out.

An Apology and a Rant

It's a quarter past nine in the morning and suddenly it hits me: I completely forgot to update my blog yesterday!

Something must be done. The temptation to watch Netflix must be conquered. This blog must be a priority.

I am sorry.

Yesterday, I went with my sister to try on wedding dresses. She and her boyfriend of one million years are tying the knot on January 30, 2011. With my moral support, she was able to find a dress that she is really enthusiastic about. One more item officially checked off of a very long to-do list.

Being around all this wedding business lately, with both my little sisters getting married within six months of each other, has certainly abstracted me further away than ever from the notion that I have much in common with my siblings. I just can't seem to connect with the mindset of The Bride--the compulsory veneration of dresses and engagement rings. After she picked out her dress, Lindsay told me about a wedding gown shop in La Jolla, California where, after a bride decides on a dress, they uncork a bottle of champagne. Brilliant customer relations ploy but, seriously? And, okay, maybe they are doing it a bit ironically, but c'mon...there's something very weird going on here, an enchantment that has collectively flourished in the minds of millions of young couples across the nation. Somehow, hoards of soon-to-be brides (and the friends and families who support them) have espoused the notion that a few hours of one day are not only worth pouring thousands of dollars into, but also that the mundane details of said hours must, accordingly, be regarded with both enthusiasm and respect by all parties involved.

I'm not trying to be cynical here. I'm not anti-marriage, or even anti-wedding, for that matter. But I, at this point in my life, seem to be incapable of mustering the enthusiasm for the particulars of the wedding ceremony that seems to be expected of me. This public confession is sure to come back to haunt me. Humbly I submit that maybe I'm just immature and I'll change my mind about all this once it's my time to get hitched. For the time being, however, I'm inconveniently aloof.