Now’s as good a time as any to contemplate the last 300+ days. You might wanna grab a snack for this one.
January
Seems like forever ago. We had friends Dave and Jason over for dinner. I cooked and cleaned, food was good, company was better. My brother JCS and I drove up to San Fransisco to see my sister and sister-in-law. We discovered that JCS has a fear of bridges, which he somewhat-conquered by willingly crossing over the Bay Bridge. Attended the bris of AJB’s cousin’s newborn son Jackson. It was interesting to witness this ceremony. Strange and interesting, but also very special.
February
In February, things were going well business-wise and I was quite busy. I wrote about learning to cook for the kids, learning that kids today have no Saturday Morning Cartoon rituals, and procuring the Wii Fit – which we used quite a lot at the time. AJB and I had a nice Valemtimes Day; Dinner and a movie. That month, we took my Mom to see the local production of the “The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit” in South Pasadena, finding out what happened to that kid from Herbie Goes Bananas. Todd moved to Morocco, re-homing his cat Eva with us. She is Matilda’s sister, but there would be many obstacles to overcome, integrating two head-strong cats. I shot stills for a webshow-pilot called Sonny McCleans that never saw the light of day. Several early mornings in a bar in Santa Monica shooting scenes. I loved it and learned I can also shoot stills pretty well. I ended up not going to the pilot viewing for some reason. I guess I didn’t feel like it.
March
Things started getting complicated in March. I turned 34 and had a lack-luster party, causing me to imagine that I might need to be a little more proactive with the people I call friends. I started to stress about the wedding and how we had little time to plan. AJB and I went to Washington DC, had a nice time touring our Nation’s capitol, visiting the Lincoln Memorial and others. I was tired most of the trip. In March, I did a parasite cleanse, which wasn’t fun, but turns out is probably necessary. We came upon the 2 year anniversary of my Dad’s passing. March is always a hard month. It’s hard to commemorate my Dad’s death and then get into birthday mode just a few weeks later. We saw The Watchmen and it sucked, leaving a bad taste in our mouths for months to come. I would be contacted by a graphic designer who wanted me to become his company’s new photographer and give him a cut of the profits. It was a strange deal which involved him re-designing my website to impress his boss, meeting the owner dressed like a professional, and up-selling myself in a way I’d never done before. My sister and sister-in-law were in town to help me buy a “professional” outfit. I didn’t get the job. Mostly because I think the owner was a cheapskate and never really had any interest in re-shooting the entire catalog and not for the price I was quoting – which was on the low end. I was still getting a decent amount of work.
April
Spring was here and I was feeling springy. I started planting in my garden and feeling homey. I made butter, but haven’t done it again since. I was thinking a lot about the wedding, trying to figure out what to do about my dress. Get it made or buy it? Swine Flu was big news, but I wasn’t worried. Business was slow and I was working hard to get more money in; with little success.
May
The wedding was starting to encompass my entire life. My Mom, JCS, AJB, and I were busting ass to get the Save the Dates out. They were legendary and so totally worth the time and effort. I started an internship with the famous photographer David LaChapelle. I was really excited. I would soon learn how cruel people are to their interns; and how the word “intern” really just means “free labor”. My sister came down from Vallejo. I really wish I’d blog more. AJB and I went to a performance of Leviathan 99. It was live radio performance. I was in the same room with Ray Bradbury, William Shatner, and Walter Koenig. I met Walter Koenig. Nerd heaven. *I’ve met Bradbury several times before this and didn’t feel the need to bother him at this occasion.
June
Lots of celebrities died: Ed McMahon, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, and Sky Saxon. I was still fighting eczema flare-ups which were causing me a good deal of stress – to think, I’d have rash-face at my wedding? This only made the rashes worse. I started seeing a homeopathic doctor, which didn’t really help, despite the expense. He had me go on a allergy-elimination diet, giving up all the food I love for weeks. Coffee was the hardest. I was pretty happy when I got back on it. My future Mother-in-Law came into town. AJB’s aunt and uncle threw us a sweet, little, engagement party at Buca di Beppo. It was a lot of fun and the staff spelled my name wrong on the cake.
July
I did an amazing photoshoot. The theme was Sid and Nancy at home – what would happen if they got married and lived a normal life? It was epic. I still haven’t edited the photos. I needed something to get my mind off the wedding and it worked, briefly. I only posted twice in July. We met with our Eco-Friendly wedding planner for the first time. She would later prove frustrating. Took Oatmeal to the vet and discovered he has heartworms. Traveled to Chicago (missing Comic-Con) for our Mid-Western engagement party; thrown by AJB’s mom. We took my Mom and had a great time showing her the city. It was her first trip to Chicago and she had a blast. A few jobs were coming in, but nothing substantial. The kids left for their yearly trip to Ireland.
August
Wedding plans were in full swing. Almost the entire month is colored-coded Orange on our shared calendar. My sister came into town to help with wedding prep. Lots to do, stress was high, and I was still fighting eczema, even though it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been in previous months. AJB and I went to Chicago again; I can’t remember why. The day we got back, AJB, JCS, and I attended a town hall meeting with Rep. Adam Schiff over health care. It was one of those crazy town halls with people screaming that Obama was organizing death panels. Got some great photos. Two weeks later, the San Gabriel mountains caught fire. The “Station Fire” took over the entire landscape, burning thousands of acres. We could see the inferno from our back porch. I got some amazing photos. The air quality was crap for weeks.
September
More wedding stuff. Busy, busy, busy and totally overwhelmed. I was stressed and tired. My sister and Mom put together an absolutely lovely wedding shower for us. Lots of people showed up, but we still had lots of left over food and Margarita mix. Our wedding planner, Amy, was out of town dealing with her father who had a stroke. We started to panic. We still had a million things to do and were floundering without her. I was attempting to work and plan the wedding at the same time, killing myself in the process. This is when we really got serious about planning the wedding. A bit, late, even.
October
Orange coloring coding floods our shared calendar. Wedding blitz mania!! It was the craziest month of the year, a non-stop cavalcade of wedding tasks, excursions to Downtown, meetings, walk-thrus, dress fittings, and choices. It’s a bit of an in-focus blur. Our Halloween wedding was one of the most beautiful days of my life; even if 40% of the attending guests didn’t even get us a card. It’s true. We get the whole recession part, but not even a card? Really? The wedding party looked gorgeous, it was like the end of a Frank Capra film. AJB’s kids were beyond amazing and I couldn’t help but feel thankful the entire day even though it went by in a flash. I have yet to send out thank you cards or rifle through the 1000′s of images taken on that day. My baby brother in Omaha married his girlfriend, the mother of his lovely son, in a secret City Hall wedding; no one was invited and we found out two days after the fact.
November
Our honeymoon in Paris got off to a weird start, but we more than made up for it by staying an extra 5 days; even if AJB missed IAAPA. Paris is a delightful city, but it’s labyrinth-like, a bit intimidating, and massive. I took a million photos, but (as usual) have not gone through them. I suppose I feel like I need to give them time to settle. When we got back, we were quickly off to Chicago for Thanksgiving. There we witnessed the disappointing pre-Broadway production of The Addam’s Family Musical. We also saw Young Frankenstein The Musical, which was a lot of fun. We stayed a week and as much as I love AJB’s old hometown, I was ready to come home. Naturally, when we did, we were slammed back into the realities of everyday life; including a dead rat in the wall and tales of a dead bird under our bed.
December
A hectic month, slow acclimation to my new life as Mrs. AJB. I was not ready for Christmas, though I suppose I never am. I told myself that I’d use December to organize the house, but I’ve done only minor tasks and one or two major ones – there is still a lot to do. I also told myself I’d get back to work in January, but I’m not really prepared. Add to the overall chaos of the holidays, we’ve made a decision which will be revealed in 2010. AJB doesn’t like me blabbing about these things and I suppose he’s right. In December, Pierre started hanging around the yard. I wonder if he’s staying. I hope so, I just bought him a $70 outdoor cat shelter. I made it through the year without anyone I love dying.
Resolutions
I don’t generally like making resolutions because I end up forgetting about them and not completing any of them. I know what I need to do.
2009 was a strange year, one I won’t forget anytime soon. It was the year I got married, after all. I’m looking forward to 2010, but I am filled with trepidation, excitement, anxiety, and hope. 2010, like 2009, will be a contradiction, good and bad. I feel good things coming, but can’t shake feelings that bad things will happen too. Well, that’s life, isn’t it. Good and bad. Seems a common theme, anyway.
Happy New Year.