wedding road trip

The Fat Pact

Here’s a bit of wishful thinking…

Yesterday, Chris and I were walking to dinner and discussing how couples tend to gain weight once they get married. Determined to go in the opposite direction, Chris proclaimed, “we should make a pact. If either of us gains fifty pounds, the other can sleep with someone else. Pregnancy not included, of course. Unless you’re carrying that extra weight around two years after the baby is born. Deal?”

I thought about it for a moment and then revised. “Twenty.  I think it should be twenty pounds.”

And so it is. While I’m not a fan of open relationships, I’m also not really interested in packing on the extra pounds. This just might be the ticket to wedded bliss- or at least a series of awesome hookups…

P.S. Chris, wanna piece of chocolate cake? How about two?

Boom Boom Pow

With 25 days left until we officially become Mr. and Mrs. We-Haven’t-Figured-It-Out-Yet, the only word to describe how I am feeling is:

Over-scheduled.

Within the next month:

We will say goodbye to Roxy. (Right now it’s scheduled for next week, but we’re hoping to keep her through the end of the trip.)
We will get married.
We will find an apartment.
We will attend a wedding.
We will interview at least fifty more people.
Chris will work.
I will attempt to work.
I will attend a bachelorette party and a wedding shower.
We will both try not to kill each other.

With uncertain jobs, transitioning apartments, and a future that’s full of overcast San Francisco weather… it’s hard not to dream of being back in Louisville, worrying about duck attacks. I can’t wait to get back on the road Friday, when we head down to Ventura to interview some of our Southern California peeps.

A Letter to San Francisco

Dear San Francisco,

While I was gone, I must admit that I didn’t miss you too much. But that was understandable, because we were pretty busy – visiting friends and family, driving through incredible nature, and whale watching.

Now that I’m back, I want to give a shout out to the things that I missed – my friends of course, many of whom came out for a raucous kickoff party, and the combination of mountains and water so rare in an urban environment. But I also missed…

• Good food at our favorite local restaurants Patxi’s, Velvet Cantina, and Alamo Square Grill
• Amazing coffee – really, the best in the world – from Martha & Bros and Blue Bottle
• Local cafes like Central Coffee (where I am now), Café Abir, and The Grove
• The Kabuki movie theater, where you can get assigned seats and buy beer and wine, all in a beautiful facility not geared toward 14-year old boys hepped up on giant, refillable Cokes
• Live music at some of the best venues anywhere, such as The Fillmore, The Independent, Café du Nord, the Great American Music Hall, and the Greek Theatre
• Incredible fresh fruit and avocados – and thank you to all our friends that allowed us to order guacamole whenever possible.

Crazy Homeless Guy, probably somewhere in SF right now

That said, I did not miss batshit crazy homeless people everywhere, fog, very smelly buses, $26 billion budget deficits, and super expensive rent. In fact, San Francisco, while I love you, there are a lot of other cities in the US that are eating your lunch. So though it pains me, I’ve got to tell you who does it better.

• NYC has way better parks and street trees. Every neighborhood seems to have a beautiful square filled with lawns, benches, and ball fields, and almost every street is lined with huge trees. Really, San Francisco, get with the tree program.
• Chicago has a city government that is actually progressive and gets things done (green roof program, Millennium Park) rather than occupying itself with posturing and giving into navel-gazing special interests.
• Louisville’s art scene was the best I’ve seen in a long time, between the waterfront park and the 21C Hotel gallery.
• Salt Lake City and Denver have better weather and more awesomer mountains.
• Downtown Seattle has more buzz going on than SF, with its museums, sports stadiums, central business district, main shopping area, and waterfront all within one compact area – which is loaded with turn-of-the century brick buildings.
• Portland is better for biking, with bike lanes and boulevards clearly marked everywhere. And if even if you don’t bike, that takes cars off the road and people out of buses and trains, so transportation is easier for everyone.
• Last but not least, Detroit has cooler buildings. Yes, many of them are in ruins, but even the intact mansions and skyscrapers are world-class.

So, San Francisco, you’re wonderful and there’s a lot to like about you. But don’t believe your own hype too much, and don’t go raising rents like crazy, because there’s some real competition out there.

Love, Chris

Day 49: Hell Hath Frozen Over

Roxy is solely responsible for eliminating my Fat Car Ass. She drives me to the gym when I don’t feel like getting up in the morning and encourages me to go to the mountains for long afternoon hikes. While we have several days left of interviews and meet-ups, Roxy has promised me that she’ll take me to exercise every day, no matter where we are.

This morning, as she drove Chris and me to Crunch, she even complimented me on my slightly-more-toned physique. We then shared a b0nding moment as Lady Gaga played over the radio. When the song finished, Chris uttered a sentence that stopped me cold:

“I could live outside of the City now, I mean, if you want to. I don’t think I mind driving anymore.”

I’m sorry, what? This from the guy who swore he’d never live outside of the City, would never drive a car more than once a month, and would never consider living somewhere like Napa or Sonoma and commute in a few days a week.

If he tells me that he’ll also live in a gated community (the equivalent of death to all urban planners), I will fully believe that Ford has been serving him the good punch behind my back.

Sign On the Dotted Line (FOREVER!)

The following confirmation email just appeared in my inbox:

Location:  Office of the County Clerk
Service Description:  Marriage License Reservation
Date:  Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Time:  8:30am
With:  Marriage License Reservation

Crazy that one of the most important decisions Chris and I will ever make can be scheduled via an online service. And on our two-year anniversary, no less.

My feet are feeling ever-so-slightly cold, once again.

Oxygen, please. Give.Me.Oxygen.