the home stretch

i'm getting married in three days. it's not my first marriage (though it is my last), but it is my first big shabang wedding (i eloped last time, in a far away land, with very few friends and family willing to make the journey - fine by me!), and it is _the_ most stressful party i've ever planned. and i've planned a shit-ton of parties.

i've spent a huge chunk of my career planning giant parties: those with the backing of the corporate sort and for the corporate sort, those requiring fundraising endeavors (see begging for money) to feed and imbibe the hundreds of attendees, those with themes, those with costumes, those with a murder to solve, and those with a tad mix of all of the above. but none, not a single effing one of them, as stressful to coordinate or as difficult to execute as the grand shabang i'm pulling off this saturday.

the details are infinite and minute, the expense boggles the mind, and the amount of booze makes me as giddy as it does nervous. i've been dealing with a dozen vendors for a dozen plus different services. from venue providers and party rentals, to dresses, tuxes, rings, and jewelry. from hair and make-up to invitations, thank you notes, programs, guest gifts, registries, and a limo. photographers, cake-makers, caterers... all of which have to be confirmed in these final hours.

on top of all that, i'm juggling bridesmaids (including those who quit mid-game and those who stepped into that vacant space), out of town guests, family members from far and near, and my fiance (whose outward stress outweighs mine by 10).

one of the craziest things about it all, and something i'm almost afraid to admit, is that i'm thriving in the midst of all this madness. i'm calmer than i am on a typical day, despite all of these details, the butterflies that've taken up residence in the pit of my belly, and that my non-profit kicks off tonight with a soiree of its own. everyone at work keeps commenting how great i look, how calm i seem, how crazy it is that i'm even at the office, all whilst i find being this overwhelmed almost refreshing.

maybe i really am as crazy as you always thought...

~k

family

i am in the midwest, there is no summer to speak of, and i'm with my family. i cannot escape. someone is _always_ around, there is entirely too much screaming, yelling, crying, noise, and attention grabbing.

i am pretty sure i'm going to need anti-anxiety medication to survive the week. and i'm contemplating life as a hermit when i return to the music box steps.

~k

snark v. wit

not a terribly shitty problem i've got on my hands, but a problem nonetheless.

the white house has asked me for some writing samples. i'm sending them an op-ed piece the LA Times rejected (fuckers), and 2-3 blog posts (cleaned up, grammatically proper, and toned-down snark) out of the 206 i've written before this one.

my goal in assembling this packet of samples is to strike a good balance between my spirit as a writer (some snark without going over the top) and my intellectual acumen (which essentially precludes any posts in which i'm falling down stairs or eating retard sandwiches).

if any of the 17 of you have any favorites, i'd love your opinion in the comment box below.

pretty please?

~k

p.s. kinda cool that, after spending months writing about wanting to be paid to write, the white house is looking at me for such a job. your help would be much appreciated.

the white house

i mean, do "they" not understand what it's like to get a call from them a wee before 8pm their time? like, when i call them back with their 'super secret, don't share this number' digits and no one answers, and i get kicked into a voice mail that doesn't accept messages, don't they know my ego won't let me sleep tonight?

and you and i both know this is the one arena where my ego controls me. white house job = elated ego. elated ego = winner. white house job = winner.

the end.

~k

p.s. happy birthday dad!