1. Frick and Frack Invest In Real Estate (maybe)
Sometimes, when Joel and I are tripping over our own feet, dropping things, misplacing electronic devices... You know, just generally being our splendidly imperfect selves- we call each other Frick and Frack.
Take this scene from "Frick and Frack Go On A Road Trip," for an example. The conversation COULD (and occasionally does) go something like this: "Oh, for fuck's sake. I don't know where the goddamn leash is! I thought YOU walked the dog. You had my keys last. Yes, you did. Yes. Um, I think you took them WHEN YOU WALKED THE DOG because you couldn't find yours, maybe? Oh, I promise you, you did. Wait, which cat just barfed? Well, how did he get a hold of the entire Ziploc bag of tartar-fighting cat treats in the first place? Jesus, I just want to start driving to Boston sometime, like, TODAY!"
We've reached a point now where we don't even need to have the above conversation. We can be digging through coat pockets and couch cushions, looking for the keys and the leash, and hear the ominous sound of One Cat Barfing from the other room. Joel just looks at me, smiles, and says, "Hi, Frick." And I reply, "Hi, Frack." Ah, married people shorthand.
So, now we're thinking about buying a house. We're kind of tired of living in Murderville. I'm definitely tired of throwing money away on rent. The offers for first time homebuyers are really, really good right now, so we're just starting the process of research, which really just means bugging my sister the real estate attorney and reading, "Homebuyers for Dummies."
Stay tuned...
2. I had lunch with my ex-boyfriend.
Yeah, so... I hadn't seen him in over four years, not since the night he walked out. We've made our peace since then. We talk and text from time to time, but we hadn't actually seen each other, face to face. He got married last June, not long before Joel and I tied the knot.
I was running a few minutes late to meet him because "Operation: Be On Time, In Fact, Be Early" was foiled by a full parking garage. I was calling him as I walked toward the restaurant... and then, there he was. I could see him rummaging for his phone a few yards beyond where we said we'd meet, so I went rushing past the entrance to the restaurant.
In the end, my Ex had to chase me down. The guy a few hundred yards away was actually a tourist taking a picture of Faneuil Hall with his phone. Yup, I almost bum-rushed a tourist because I didn't even see the man I loved for years. The man I thought I would spend the rest of my life with. I just didn't see him. He was standing right where he said he would be, and my eyes skipped right over him. Huh. How 'bout that.
Lunch was fine. It was perfectly pleasant. He is still one funny, funny guy. He brought me a birthday card. And then... I accidentally told him he was irrelevant to my current life while making a Sarah Palin metaphor, and he wasn't even insulted. We ate Japanese food, which is remarkable, what with my foot in my mouth and everything. He was actually really happy that I have no permanent scars from The Heartbreak, and I learned all over again about generosity of spirit, which is something he taught me in the first place.
In the end, we ran out of time before we ran out of things to talk about, which is one of the best things about seeing an old friend. We fought over the check. I won.
3. Speaking of old friends... I meant to blog about this last November.
This weekend I'm shooting/attending an old friend's "We got married in Vegas last year and now we're having a big party!" party. I'm really happy for the happy couple, not only because they're a great match, but also because I asked them if I could please get them Elvis wigs and glasses as a wedding present, B thought it would be the best wedding present ever. :) They were serenaded by an Elvis impersonator at their Vegas wedding, and the props will make for some AWESOME, hilarious photos on Saturday.
Also, a group of friends who were really more like family my senior year of high school will all mostly be there. (We'll miss you, Beki!) Can't wait!
NON-SEQUITAR TRANSITION:
Last November, I was shooting a wedding in the same family coming up this weekend, and lots of the same friends were guests, including my friend Matt. The wedding was held in a beautiful historic inn and spa in Connecticut. I crashed there the night before because pre-ceremony preparation was scheduled to start at 6 a.m. The ceremony itself was at 11 a.m., and the shoot was wrapped by 5 p.m. I had originally planned to drive back to New York since it was only a two hour drive.
Now, back in the day, I had a big crush on Matt our senior year of high school. He knew it. (Subtlety? Not really my thing. I have other gifts :) But we always had a great time together.We had this one amazing moment one night in the rain where he brushed the hair out of my eyes. It was downright cinematic, but there was always SOMETHING I couldn't quite put my finger on. At the time, I thought maybe he had a secret crush on Rinny Gogers.
At it turned out, he likes boys. :) Nine years after the drama of our senior prom, it was my profound honor to attend (and yes, photograph) his commitment ceremony to one of the funniest people I've ever met. They're perfect for each other.
Back to November. Matt and his husband Keith decided that I should crash with them instead of driving back to New York after the wedding. They were absolutely insistent. We went bar-hopping and ended up having one of Those Nights you still talk about when you're old and gray in the nursing home. I crashed on the couch in their hotel room.
Now, Matt is an early riser. Me and Keith? Not so much. Matt was up at dawn, reading and waiting for it to be late enough to safely try to wake us up. Not happening. He ended up doing a Dunkin Donuts run. Before he left, he insisted I crawl into the king-sized bed as there was plenty of room. Keith was dead to the world. He tucked me in, and the next thing I knew, he was setting a hot chocolate and croissant on my nightstand.
Some women dream of going to a wedding, seeing their old high school crush, drinking way too much, sharing a hotel room, and winding up in the king-sized bed together. In my world? My old high school crush ends up tucking me into that king-sized bed... next to his husband. And I wouldn't want it any other way. :)
Brandi's parents' backyard is adjacent to an Amish farm,
and yes, there was a farmer plowing his field, just beyond the bar.
Born and raised in Lancaster County myself, this didn't faze most of the locals. :)
Good wine..
Good food...
