This weekend was a combination of Geoff’s Birthday, our cake tasting, prepping our centerpieces, making our final trip to the Alfred Angelo store for the Bridesmaid dress shopping, and meeting the awesome hair styling and makeup team to get our hair and makeup trial.
Tag: friends
The job fair and the college fair
Geoff here – as Kelly posted earlier we had a pretty good experience at the National Urban League conference this weekend. The career fair (as they called it) was quite good, and I managed to make some good contacts for some local jobs. One HR manager we spoke to actually said she was going to hand carry my resume down to the head of the department. I would say that is a good thing. I also got some superb advice on my resume, and I am in the process of making those adjustments.
Lemme ‘splain… no… lemme sum up
First of all, the fantastic folks at Gentle Giant put up a link on Facebook to our post from the other day and we got all kinds of traffic. Thanks, guys!
Yesterday Geoff and I went to the 2011 National Urban League Conference Job Fair. It was absolutely, hands down, the best job fair either of us has ever been to. The job fair was all of Hall A at the Boston Convention Center and was about half and half interesting vendors and people looking to hire. We had more interesting conversations with people from all over the country than I can remember having in a long, long time. Also, I got a pony.
Deep-sea fishing, anyone?
A guy that Kelly and I know from church has a friend who owns a charter fishing boat. I had been thinking that I would much rather do some deep-sea fishing for my bachelor party event than the usual debauchery of some combination of gambling and strippers. That is just not my thing, and so I thought getting out on the water (in November, no less) might be more adventurous and yet less likely to get any of us in trouble with family and/or the law. So I finally had a chance to talk to the captain in question, and he has a magnificent new (2009) 37 foot boat that can handle up to six people fishing at the same time. Feel free to check out his website and see what you think. I am thinking that for the time of year (and the captain agrees with me) that our best bet would be cod and/or haddock, but at that time of year tuna are also in season. So it would sort of depend. Anyway, if we do this it will be on Thursday, November 10 (that’s the Marine Corps birthday for any jarheads out there) so we will have plenty of time to recover before the rehearsal dinner Friday.
-Geoff
We survived the Fourth of July
Geoff here- last night was a VERY long police detail for me. I arrived at the police station at around 6:20 PM yesterday and arrived home this morning around 1:40 AM. In between was a virtually non-stop flood of cars and people. Everyone had a good time, and I even saw a few people I knew. But I am still wondering how so many people manage to get into such a relatively small space. I am just not that big a fan of crowds, I guess. There must have been half a million people all together. Still, it was not too bad, relatively speaking, as at least we did not have a lot of violence or troublemakers to worry about. There was some of that, but none anywhere near where I was, which was on Mass Ave., along the main route (at least in Cambridge) to and from the Mass Ave bridge and thus prime fireworks viewing area. I was with two regular Cambridge officers, but even with three of us we really had our hands full. So many people were not paying attention – drivers AND pedestrians. It really is a miracle no one was hurt.
I don’t get the people who have lived here for a good while and still haven’t figured out that the night of July 4th is a bad time to be anywhere near that part of the Charles River in your car. I mean, you expect tourists to not know, but people who have been around should know better. I could not believe how many people I had to tell “no, you CANNOT go on the bridge – it is blocked to all vehicle traffic”… and they wanted to argue about it. I don’t make the rules, I just have to enforce them. And how exactly do you expect to get on the bridge, even if I let you? You going to navigate through a crowd of several hundred thousand people, with lawn chairs and beach blankets, watching the show?
Still, the fireworks show was pretty spectacular. I could not hear any of the music from where I was, which is just as well because you just know they would play that Lee Greenwood song that I hate.
Anyway, back to the routine, which these days has been job hunting and house cleaning.
Amanda is traveling, lucky us
My friend and bridesmaid, Amanda, is currently in the South of France. She’s blogging her adventures here. She’s an excellent writer, photographer, and she’s a total foodie. If you are at all interested in hearing about excellent meals, how to make them, and seeing photos of old churches and the hills and valleys of Provence (and who isn’t, really?) I highly suggest you bookmark the blog and check it every so often. She’ll be there for about 3 weeks.
~Kelly
Wedding update
There always seems to be more wedding stuff to do, even when you think you’re done. I know that we won’t be done till after the wedding is over, but most stuff is finished.
Anyway… for those who are interested, the wedding website has been recently updated to include tuxedo rental information, new vendor info, and hopefully, by the end of the day today, all of the hotel rental information will be there as well. Geoff called to schedule an appointment with the hotel but we haven’t heard back yet whether or not the sales manager is available to meet with us today or later this week. Hopefully we’ll be able to get the room block info up there by the end of this week.
For those of you who might be looking to share a room at the hotel to cut down on expenses, please feel free to use the guest book feature on the wedding website to post that you are looking. Don’t post any personally identifiable information other than your name, I’ll know who you are. Cousins on my side of the family, you might want to talk it over on Facebook.
Some folks have asked if we have room at our apartment for guests for the weekend of the wedding. The answer to that is that as much as we all love you, no. The Inn is closed for the weekend. We are happy to match people up to share rooms, but that weekend is going to be too hectic to have house guests and pets underfoot.
Also, some folks have asked about the Save The Date Cards. I am still waiting on a couple of addresses. I am hoping those will go in the mail by this weekend.
Questions? Post them in the comments, please.
~Kelly
At least today was pretty constructive
Today Kelly and I managed to: take Rerun to the vet (he had a problem with one of his paws); take care of the details at the tuxedo rental place (details to come later for those renting tuxes) ; take Kelly to an interview (which went well); do some research on things to do this summer and fall with visiting family; picked up some prescriptions; picked up some clothes from our tailor, Mr. Sordillo, and dropped off two more pairs of pants of mine to be hemmed; and stopped at the hardware store to pick up a few odds and ends we needed. So all in all, a pretty constructive day for a Monday. – Geoff
Once a year, in June
I have the odd fortune to have a huge number a friends who have birthdays in close proximity to mine. I swear, I grew up without knowing a single other Gemini (Ok, I knew one person who had the same birthday as me, but she and I didn’t hang out.) Now, as an adult, I have two friends who share my birthday and half a dozen friends who have birthdays within days of mine. This doesn’t even include my parents. My mother’s birthday is 7 days after mine and my father’s birthday is another 4 days after that.
So, for about, oh 8? 10? years now, my friends and I have been having a big joint birthday party. As times have changed the parties have gotten smaller and involved less alcohol and ended earlier. Now they involve offspring. Ah, how times have changed.
This year the kids were remarkably cute and SO energetic. For your enjoyment I have uploaded a video from the party of 7 1/2 month old Thomas and a bunch of photos from the party and also from a while back when we went out to cut down some trees felled by an ice storm (aah, life in the burbs) and one of the wee ones is wearing my hard hat.
Enjoy and if you’re the parent or Auntie of one of these kids, feel free to leave a comment if you want me to email you an original of one of the kidpics.
And here is the URL for the photos from the party. http://junebirthdays2011.shutterfly.com/
Enjoy!
~Kelly
Monday June 13th – 4:00pm – Beacon Hill, Boston – El Fuego Concert
A Cantar y Baylar!
An exploration of the Villancicos and Xacaras in the 16th and 17th centuries from Spain and the New World (Mexico and Guatemala). Works by Juan del Encina, Juan de Araujo, Fray Francisco de Santiago and Rafael Antonio Castellanos.
James Dargan, voice and violin; Teri Kowiak, voice; Dan Meyers, recorders and percussion; Camila Parias, voice; Zoe Weiss, viola da gamba; Salomé Sandoval, voice, baroque guitar and direction.
Monday, June 13th 4:00PM
Beacon Hill Friends House
6 Chestnut St
Boston, MA 02108-3624
$10 donation
More info at www.elfuegofire.com
I got to hear the preview concert this past week and it was excellent. If you’re in the neighborhood or if you’ve got some free time please come by and hear this concert, it is outstanding. I’ll be working the door so come and say hello to me as well.
~Kelly
The Books are Taking Over... 