Tuesday, January 16, 2007

2007 - The Year Of Living Frenchily

*Deep sigh of relief*

Today, January 16th, is the first day in over a month I have been able to just come home, kick off my shoes and relax with a some episodes from the Law & Order franchise.

The above is a lie.
I was supposed to go to the grocery store and buy breakfast food and pick up a pair of long johns for Bird.

Weeeeeeeelll. I copped out and hit the 7/11 for over priced bacon and eggs.
And, since I told Bird's mom to send him new, fancy, long johns for his birthday (It's OK, his birthday is tomorrow and he doesn't read this blog anyway) I figured I should wait and see if that happens before I buy him a pair.

So here I am at home. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

The end of 2007 went kind of haywire on me.
First of all I signed up to stage manage a show.
It's strange and it's French.
It's playing here, in Chicago, right now. Come and see it!

Then, in November, Bird promoted himself from my "The Boyfriend" to my "The Fiance."
Go figure huh? (squeeeee!)
It's very exciting and a little bit scary.
Not because of the whole "til death" thing. That I feel OK about.
What's really freaking me out is the idea of being the center of attention at a huge event.
Really. There's a reason I'm a stage manager and not an actor folks.
I am fabulous with planning and organizing and making all sorts of magic come together.


For other people.


When it comes to my own life, and art, and entertaining I am way more neurotic and a bit of a weenie about committing to ideas and choices.

This is not a good way to be when you have a wedding to plan. I am trying really hard to remind myself what I have told all of my bridalicious friends at one time or another. This is just a big budget, one-night show. Lavish costumes, complicated props but (thankfully) very few light cues. If I can continue to think of it in this way I should be able to deal with whatever the next umm.... eighteen months....has to throw at me.

Only eighteen months???!?! Crap.

On the plus side, even if the reception falls to pieces, we're doing it down in New Orleans so people will have some sort of fun. Somewhere. Somehow, that I may or may not want to know about later.

And can someone tell me how I am meant to refer to the occurrence to this event?
"One the plus side...we're _________ down in New Orleans."

Fill in the blank:
doing it
throwing it
celebrating it
tossin' it up
pledging our love
making me an "honest" woman
proclaiming our intended fidelity
making it all OK with The Big Guy

Is there a preferred term? Is there something in an etiquette book somewhere?
(This, by the way, is probably the last time you will hear me inquire about any sort of wedding etiquette.)

Anyway, so yeah. There's that.

In continence of the frenchified theme for 2007, for my birthday my The Fiance's Mom sent me a copy of Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook.
So far The Fiance has put together a splendid baked chicken.

A few years ago my family started exchanging Christmas gifts grab-bag style. Which is fun and cuts down on the spendiness that was Christmas but maddening when the wacky White-Elephant rules apply.

(You know, first person picks a gift from the pile. Second person can snatch the gift right out of first person's hands. Or can politely take one from the pile.)

Let's just say this. I started the game with a copy of "Young Frankenstein" and wound up bringing home a copy of the Balthazar cookbook.

Which, you know, one can never have too many cookbooks. But 2007 is surely shaping up to be the year of Parisian Brasserie cuisine.

Note to self: Register for those cute little ramekins to cook souffle in.
And perhaps an escargot fork.
But just one though. I doubt we'll ever need more than that.

So, that's all I've got for right now. Tomorrow is The Fiance's birthday. We are going out to eat something fancy and not at all French.

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