SMILE, tears, Protest/Date

Man my day was a long one yesterday. Started the day out early (7am) and got to work by 8am to pretty much wait around for 4-5 hours. At least I got paid during this time. Finally, at 1pm, they were ready for us and I "took the stage." They were filming for the Walt Disney World Christmay Day Parade special that airs on ABC on Christmas Day. I think I got some good camera time. Depends on if they edit me out or not... but I guess you can try and look for me. ;)

After that, I had to rush home quickly to get changed for my friend's wedding. OH, I mentioned her before. "Oh-Girl" = Rachel. Got to the Korean temple right at 3:55 and the ceremony started at 4:00. It was such a beautiful ceremony. When she walked down the aisle, I couldn't help but tear up. She looked BEAUTIFUL and was soo happy. I can just see the glow from her face. And just knowing that these two people loved each other so much that they were willing to show everyone in attendance their love - it just made me cry. And as they held each others hands up there, and repeatd their vows, I cried again. And it was pretty bad. Like tears down my face and snot coming out of my nose... (ok that was gross). But you get the idea. How embarassing... But I was genuinely happy for the two. What did upset me a little was the Officiant talking about marriage between a man and a woman, and how that was intended by God. Just didn't want to think about all the Prop 8 drama at that time, but of course it was inevitable. I really just wanted to be there and be happy for my two friends. Thankfully, I was able to let the drama go and just enjoy the wedding.

The reception was great. Very laid back, buffet style. And Robin, Rachel's HUSBAND!, created the slideshow - and it was the most amazing slideshow that I haThe d EVER seen!! It was seriously SOOO good! Awesome transitions and great music. OMG! I want to know what program he used because I'm making a slideshow for work and mine looks like 1st grade crap compared to his. ARGH!!! I neeeeed to find out what he used.

I left the wedding around 7:15pm or so. I gave my date, George, a call to tell him that I'm leaving the wedding to go home and get dressed to see if he still wanted to do anything. This was the first time I was hearing his voice because we had only conversed online and in texts before. He sounded like a sweet guy. He asked if instead of going out to a movie if I wanted to help out the community instead. Of course, he was talking about the No on Prop 8 protests that have been going on all around the Greater Los Angeles area. I said, SURE. I thought it would be fun. My first protest of any kind ever! Bound to be an interesting time.

So I got home, got dressed. TOTALLY nervous, by the way. Haven't been on a date in forever. However, this wouldn't really count as one, since we were going out to a protest... not the most romantic thing ever. So I had posted on Facebook that I was "really nervous" as my status. My friend from work, Kelly, IMs me on AIM to ask me why.

Kelly: What are you nervous about?

Doug: I have a date.

Kelly: Ooooh. When?

Doug: Like soon. Tonight.

Kelly: May I ask with whom?

Doug: yeah, but I don't think you know him...

Kelly: Oh, ok. Haha what are you two lovebirds doing?

Doug: um, we're going to the Silverlake protest, I guess. How's that for a first date huh?

Kelly: Haha.

Well... it goes on after that. We just talk about the No on Prop 8 stuff. And then I casually thank her for being so cool with it. Well, again... it was online... jeez... but she is the first girl and first straight person that I've told. However, she's a big fan of the gays. So I had no problems telling her. In fact, everyone at work is a big fan of the gays... so I really have no problems telling people at work anymore. I just don't want to jump around work and yell "I'm GAY!" or whatever... but if people find out, then cool. I don't care about that anymore. :)

So, George picks me up around 8:30? 8:45? I get in the car. Nice looking white guy. He's 27, so a little older than me. I get in and we shake hands. lol. He offered first. I guess it's sort of hard to hug when he's in the car driving. And we drive off to Los Angeles. Long drive. And it was what I dreaded most. You see... I'm not a talkative person. And it tends to get even worse when I'm nervous and with people that I don't know. So I was just hoping that he would be a really talkative person and ask lots of questions. Unfortuantely, it wasn't like that and there were quite a few awkward silences. sigh.... Weird. But we still had some conversations about what we do, where we went to school, blah blah. The usual. But the more I found out, the less I was interested in him. That kinda sucked.

He's a waiter and a bartender. But he's not going to school. I can relate to having a job that you like and not wanting to move on... but I also believe an education is quite important. He also had a noticeable lisp. I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I just couldn't date anyone with a lisp. It may very well be a legitimate speech impediment for him, but I just can't disassociate lisps with super gay. And I'm not looking for anyone that's over the top gay. He wasn't over the top, but he was definitely over my comfort line. Don't get wrong, I LOVE my gay friends. And that's what they are, my good friends. But I would never date them.

So we got to the area where the protest was supposed to be happening. Unfortunately, we saw a lot of people walking on the sidewalk in random clumps. He rolled down the window to ask one of them about it and she said that the cops kinda broke it up and people were leaving. She said they MAY still be protesting but it would be all the way down the street now. So we drove a little while longer looking for it, but then decided to give up. We did honk and cheer for the people still walking on the sidewalks though. That was fun. :)

We drove out to West Hollywood and decided on Fiesta Cantina. I ordered a rum and Coke.. but they had a special on doubles, so they made mine a double and that was a BIG mistake.. The drink was like, a drop of Coke so that it would be the color of Coke, but then everything else was rum... I took a sip and already knew I would be in trouble. We walked upstairs to the patio, where we bump into ond of his "Alternative Lifestyle Assistants." LOL. That's his term for "fag hag." Guess he wants to trademark it. She is this loud, big, black woman. FUNNY but TALKS forever. So basically, I was there, with George, the girl, and her gay friend. Apparently, they used to work at Disney too. Super small world. Or I guess all of Disney just decides to hang out at WeHo. But she talks up a storm and it's basically her talking the whole night. I sit there, just listening, hardly talking. Because, remember.. I don't do well with new people. George sort of tries to include me in some conversation, but I don't make it easy on him. I'm such a horrible date.

I take sips out of my rum and Coke. But the strong taste isn't really doing well for me. So I try to take bigger gulps and just have it slide down my throat fast. Guess that was a REALLY bad idea. And then the girl and her friend is smoking and its getting all in my face. People around me are smoking, and I start getting a headache. OY... Bad all around. After a while, these three guys come up and talks to us. Introduces themselves as Corey, Grant, and Sarah Palin. Yeah... Sarah Palin. He continues to impersonate Palin the whole night... and HORRIBLY might I add. I have no idea what he was doing. Stupid drunk gay. But Corey was real cute. Tall, skinny but not too skinny, buzzed head, and just good looking. ;) I felt horrible checking him out while I was on a date... but George wasn't really being a good date either I guess. After a while of talking, Corey and his group decide to leave the bar to go to the clubs. The Alternative Lifestyle Assistant also decides to go to a different bar with her friend. So George and I decide that we should go too.

By the way, I've only had 1/4 of the glass of rum and Coke. I get up to walk out of the bar... and I seriously could NOT walk in a straight line for the first few steps. LOL. I make my way down the stairs without stumbling and I walk out the bar as I pass by several REALLY hot guys. We walk back towards the car and the fresh air away from the smoke really helped. I felt a little better, but I still had a headache and started to get this feeling in my stomach that was NOT good.

We started driving back and I could NOT stay awake. It was horrible. And I felt like I needed to throw up so I really wanted to just pass out and sleep it off. But then, I noticed him kinda swerving and not staying in the lanes. And I was like, "You alright?" He tells me he got real tired all of a sudden. And we still had about a 30 minute drive. So I was seriously holding on for dear life as he almost got into an accident about 4 times. Woke me up right away! I tried to keep him talking. I asked him questions. And I tried to create conversations. But he wasn't really helping me. I was scared for my life. All the while wanting to throw up.

So we finally get off the freeway after being completely scared out of my mind. He gets to the intersection and he tries to turn left, and I was like, "Oh, I'm to the right." And right after I said that, I realized that he wanted to take me back to his place. Ooops. I kind of felt bad. But really, I didn't feel up to anything AT ALL. I wanted to throw up at that point and I just needed to get home. He drops me off, and I give him a hug and a kiss of the cheek. I tell him I'd give him a call some time. I get out of the car, say goodnight and tell him to text me when he makes it home safely, and shut the door.

I didn't end up throwing up or anything. A nice warm shower helped. But that was my first date! Not the best date ever.... I can see him being a good friend, but nothing more than that. Just not my type, really. But I'm glad I made the effort to get out there. Hopefully there will be more prospects for me soon.

The Wedding

So Saturday was the wedding. Here's the previous update on the wedding if you haven't read the drama. Our friends decided to just go and make the best out of the night and just go with the flow. A bunch of us got together at my apartment to get ready and have some wine before we left for the ceremony. Here we are all dressed up and ready to go

(left to right) Bethany, Miles (Milo), Katy, me, N

There I am second from the right with my white shirt, black tie, black coat, blank pants, and CHARCOAL grey vest. I must say I looked spiffy. And all my friends agreed. Made me feel a little better about myself.

And by the way, I'm just going to stop thinking of nicknames or aliases for my friends because they're not going to find my blog and it's too much of a hassle thinking of and remembering aliases for all the people I want to talk about. So unless their name is super unique, I won't be using initials or aliases anymore. Ok.. now back to the wedding.

Like I said, we had some wine, and then drove over to the Disneyland Hotel, where the ceremony was being held. And being the cheesy performers that we are, we decided to have a photo shoot as we walked down the parking lot.

Aren't we the biggest nerds ever? We gotta work on our modeling skills, even though it does look like Miles is definitely ready for catalog already. We walk into the waiting area and we immediately start looking at what everyone is wearing. TUX MY ASS! Not one person was wearing a tux or anything resembling a tux. Not even the fathers. They were all wearing their nice suits and a nice black tie. Not a bowtie. A regular tie. What the heck was Drew (DarkD) smoking?! So now we're definitely dressed for the part - must say we all looked REAL good compared to many others.

Then it was time to walk over to the Rose Gardens. One of the wedding coordinators is our friend that we work with and she informed us that the floral designer was the same guy who designed Eva Longoria and Tony Parkers wedding!! And you can definitely see that Drew and Colin ([Fiance]) spent that money in these pictures.



The wedding was really touching. They had some family members come up and do some readings of poems about love and marriage. But it was a good length of time, so not boring, and it was just a beautiful setup. I wish their microphones were turned up a little higher though because I couldn't really hear them too well. But they made their vows and sealed them with a kiss. And we all clapped and were happy for them.

We were walked over to the Grand Californian Hotel and had some hors d'oeurves before we were let into the reception hall. Those appetizers were SO good. I ate it all and had seconds and thirds. I'm such a fat bitch....

After eating all that, we sat down at our table and they announced the entrance of the two grooms. It was dark but I tried to take some pictures. I think it actually turned out nicely because the light and the shadows on them in the picture makes it look cool. See for yourself.

Colin (left) and Drew (right)

The food was absolutely exquisite and scrumptious! They had mixed greens with a creamy balsamic vinegarette. And the main dish was a NY Strip Steak that was seasoned and cooked to perfection in a mustard Merlot sauce. Wow! After dinner, we of course got on the dance floor and partied it up. Drew and Colin came up to us and we all congratulated them. Drew gave me a big hug and told me that I looked good. THAT'S RIGHT I look good! Glad he acknowledged it. So I forgave him for all the douche-iness.

Bethany and me, having fun on the dance floor

It was a late wedding. The ceremony started at 7:30pm and so we didn't leave the reception until 12am. Exhausted and slightly drunk, Miles and N stayed over at my place and we all conked out real quick.

The next day, we lounged around my apartment for a good part of the morning and early afternoon. We finally decided to make use of our day around 3:00pm and head out to Disneyland for a fun day NOT working. We watched our friends in the parades and then went on a few rides. As we were waiting for the first parade, we saw Drew and Colin on the opposite side of the street and we yelled for them and waved hi. Drew runs across the street and starts talking to us. But Colin was apparently too good for us to attempt to cross the street. He stood on the other side with his snobby collar popped on his snobby baby blue polo shirt and his snobby bermuda shorts. Didn't even wave Hi to us. Just looked down at his Blackberry and attempted to look busy. Drew promised us that he'd call us after the parade, but guess what?... he never did.

I have a feeling that we've officially lost one of our good friends...

Another Wedding Update

The wedding is TOMORROW! If you haven't read about it before, make sure to read the first post and then, more importantly, the update.

Well, I'm definitely going to just wear my black suit WITH the charcoal vest, because I think I look damn good in it. Screw what DarkD says about it. And my friends are coming over to my apartment before the ceremony to show each other our outfits and to have a little Pre-Wedding Party, just so we can let our frustrations out about the wedding (because there's a lot) and start drinking (hehe) before we get there.

So the newest frustration doesn't directly involve me, but it's just a pretty douche-y thing to do and I'm pretty unhappy about it. Two days ago, Lamb, who is in the wedding party, texts me and she says: "OMG DarkD kicked his best friend _____ out of the wedding wtf?" She then forwards me what DarkD text his best friend:

"Hey so your partner in the wedding party can't come anymore because her mother's in the hospital with cancer, so I have to ask you to not be in the wedding party"

So essentially, DarkD kicked his best friend out of the wedding THROUGH TEXT MESSAGES. He didn't even call him to tell him that. And was that the ONLY solution that they could have come up with? It's THIS close to the wedding and he's going to be kicked out of the wedding party. I think just the way that this situation was handled is what is bothering me. I just can't believe he never called him!! That's so inconsiderate! It's understandable to want an even number of groomsmen/bridesmaids on each side.. I get that... but DarkD could have given him the courtesy of a PHONE CALL.

Just the way that this whole wedding has been handled and how he has treated his friends (the wedding attire, the wedding registry) is completely unacceptable. I have two thoughts, and I don't know which is better:

1) DarkD isn't making any of these decisions and it's his fiance that's in total control. If this is the case, then I'm sad that DarkD is letting his partner control his life, with total disregard for his friends.

2) DarkD really doesn't care about us and how he is treating us. He has moved on and become a snobby, douche-y, pretentious elitist living in his brownstone in the Upper East Side in NYC while flying around in his jet.

I'm still pretty heated about all this, and I hope I don't do anything stupid and let DarkD have it when I see him... that's IF we even see him because I still have NO idea where this wedding is actually taking place. The super pretentious invitation only says "Disneyland Resort" but that's a pretty damn big area, so I'm not even sure where to park or where to go! BLAH! This is going to be an INTERESTING night and I'm pretty sure I'll have LOTS to blog about afterwards.

Wedding Update

A few weeks ago, I blogged about my friend's wedding. Well, it's happening this Saturday and I seriously just want to get it over with. It's been one annoying nuisance after another and I just want to go and support my friend (who I will call DarkD) and then let it be done. Let me go through all the problems that I've had with this:

1. The Wedding Registry: The couple ONLY registered at Bloomingdale. And the stuff they registered for costs a minimum of $100. I mean, there are plates for $20 each, but who the heck buys ONE plate? And the most expensive thing on the registry is a crystal vase for $3650! Are you freakin' kidding me? Apparently, someone already got it for them. When I was in Florida, I met up with DarkD briefly and I asked him about the registry. He tells me, "Well, to be honest, [fiance] and I really don't need anything. So we just walked around the floor and picked stuff." WTF? He really must have forgotten where he came from and what kind of friends he had before he met his fiance. We're starving college students who get paid crap. What the hell was he thinking??

2. Black Tie: The invitation says Black Tie. I've never been to a black tie event before, so I instant message DarkD and I ask him to clarify. And this is the conversation (from my AIM Message Archives):

DarkD: Well, it basically means a tux.

Me: Well, I don't have a tux, but I'm planning on wearing a white collared shirt, black pants, black coat, black tie, and a charcoal vest.

DarkD: I think you should lose the vest, and wear a black bowtie with a black cummerbund.

Me: Um, ... I don't have that. Is it because the vest is gray?

DarkD: Yeah, it should be black. Here, read this: [link to fashion article]

(At this point, I read the article, which I find out was written by his fiance, who is a fashion editor, and in the section that describes black tie, it says: "For those of you who think that a black suit will fit the bill you are wrong. Don't even think about it." I get REALLY ticked off)

Me: Um, DarkD... I'm not going anymore. I don't have a tux. I'm not going.

DarkD: DL, just wear your suit. It's ok really.

Me: [Fiance] wrote this article! I'm not going to yours and his wedding in something he said not to wear!

DarkD: DL, it's my wedding too, it's ok.

Me: I'm just going to look completely out of place!

DarkD: no don't worry about it DL, i am so sure someone in my family will totally be out of place, don't worry about it. ok g2g I'll catch you later.

Let's examine that last message from DarkD.... basically, I WILL be out of place, but I just won't be alone. That's just great. I am so annoyed by him and his pretentious wedding right now. I can't stand it. But I'm not done...

3. The "Happy" Couple: The wedding has been called off 3 times now. THREE. Why? Because they've only known each other for 5 months. FIVE. According to friends, they fight constantly about small stuff. They're just not that compatible. My thoughts? DarkD is doing it for the money. [Fiance]'s dad owns several car dealerships and they live in the Upper East Side in NYC. They're loaded. And why are they getting married so soon? Their answer is that they want to do it in case they ban gay marriage after the election. Um... ok. So they're really just getting married because they can - not because they love each other? And if Prop 8 passes, then I don't think prior gay marriages will be honored anyway.

And to make matters worse, one of their friends discovered [fiance] on an internet dating site, on which he was searching for guys to hook up with. I have not gotten more information on this development, but the fact that he's on the internet dating site in the first place means that he's not serious about this wedding. And I'm not sure if I'm more mad at [fiance]'s secret internet profile or at DarkD for agreeing to a marriage with someone that he's only met for 5 months and his nonchalant behavior regarding getting married in general. Are they even happy together? Or are they only getting married because they're getting a jet out of it. Yes, you read right. [Fiance]'s mommy and daddy bought them a jet for their wedding present. What are their true intentions??

I'm really over this wedding. And so are my friends who are attending it with me. I'm just hoping that it's going to be open bar at this wedding. If it's a pretentious black tie affair, then it better be open bar. I'm not a drinker, but I'm going to need a few drinks to get through the night. And you bet I'll be updating you all on this blog after the wedding, so stayed tuned.

Wedding Bells

My friends are getting married in October! The happy couple will be getting married at the Disneyland Resort! This is where the ceremony is going to take place (I believe):

It looks so amazing. So excited!
Oh, I should mention that my friends are guys. They live in New York now, but for obvious reasons, they're getting married back here in California. I'm just excited that I got invited. I've never been to a friend's wedding before! I've only been to my sister's wedding about 5 years ago. Oh jeez, what to wear?! What to get them?! They're registered at Bloomingdales... um, can I even afford anything in there?! Well, I'm just really happy for my friends and it should be an AMAZING ceremony and reception.

Also, I get to bring a guest. I wonder if J will be in California during the wedding... He does owe me that date he promised me....