I Am Groomzilla, Hear Me Roar

Hi! i'm Groomzilla, and I'll be co-hosting for the next 90 days covering any problems or stress I'm experiencing. You won't always notice I'm here, but when you do, you will.

Last time I mentioned some possible news, which is still in the works, but could prove to be the biggest change so far. There's a lot that applies, calls to be made, plans firmly cemented, but trust me this is big. Like, maybe order new invitations big. Which cuts my turnaround time seriously, especially since I should be mailing them now. I will furnish you with one more clue, which may or may not be literal.

The boxes that came are nicely made. The ring box is a little larger than I thought it was, but that's not even an issue. Fiancee mentioned there was no way for the ring to stand up. Shows how much I was thinking, i was just going to chuck them in. It's velvet lined. So I thought about it and it's nothing a small piece of foam and scrap of velvet won't fix.

Speaking of, Himself is off today and tomorrow so maybe a few things can get decided, like cake and/or food. I'm still loving the idea of cupcakes with a small cake for our topper. And to cut. Ooh, I need to show him the frames I found for the guest page.

That reminds me. I got a new idea for what to wear. Need to run those ideas past Scott, too, so we can have that settled. Oh my god, so much isn't settled.

I'm very tired today. I got to bed late after doing practically nothing, then at 930 I gave up on the incredible shrinking bed space and got up. The gay couple downstairs were at it early. Screaming, not sex. I think the sex might be when it sounds like someone's being thrown against the walls.

Did I mention I'm bipolar? Had it for ages. Been on meds and now I just have to ride the waves. It's making it hard to maneuver this process. Daily I can slip into despair over whether or not we can pull this off. Just as easily I can get over excited and make a wrong choice. To be a Groomzilla, strong potential i have.

That's it. Time to remove myself from this cat and move around. Also time for some hot, city-fresh air as I go get sugar. Scott probably won't be up for a little while so I can do that and then either read or write. Hopefully both today.

In summation...
Big development coming
2 days of couples planning
I'm up and down, so be wary of Groomzilla

You Just Can't Find A Good Tux With A Drop Seat

Nailed it on drowsy with a chance of brainstorms. Well, I wouldn't quite say brainstorms yet, but the lobes are getting dark and my little grey cells are swirling around. In spite of my computer idea ending up being not feasible at this time, I'm feeling quite fresh and sassy today. I'll go ahead and start pretending I'll write later.

Now, the ideas I'm getting need to be discussed with le fiancee, but with some alterations we might just make this fit. There will need to be a bit of scaling down as well as eliminations, but I'm beginning to see a way to still have a swanky, intimate affair.

One of the biggest things right now is what in the world are we going to wear? Storm lobes are a-rumbling about that one. Time to think outside the teeny tiny wedding box I've been in. Honestly, at this point I'd consider getting married in a Forever Lazy.

It's down to three months. Can I revamp this and make it work? Will we get our rings in time? Will we use battery operated lights to spice up what we wear? Will there still be Jell-o shots? How many decorations can I squeeze out of a penny? Does anyone object to Spametizers? When will I stop just asking questions? After one more. Taco Bell isn't looking so bad now, is it?

Wait, I just got a sudden last minute inspiration of what to wear.

Sizing Things Up

This will be me in a couple of hours

Today we are going to find out exactly how fat various parts of our bodies are. Maybe we should eat Taco bell first, hmmm.

We are off to the mall today for several things. We have to stop by Savvi, the tuxedo rental place, so we can price out two tuxedos, since it's impossible to do online. It would probably be best to wear underwears. 

Since Scott has to try on his shoes I might as well, too. It's been a long time since I wore converse and I love getting x-rayed. 

Then we need to stop in a jewelry store for ring sizes. I haven't known my ring size since my fingers were finger sized.

At some point we have to get bird food, but not before my favorite thing in the mall. I get to eat-in and take-out my lunch and after-lunch.

Maybe there will be some exciting happenings in transit. Maybe not. With or without my favorite meal I fear poor Scott will have to put up with my Taco Bell themed current mood. 

Ring and shoe sizes to come, but don't expect what's in the middle.

Something Blue-Something New

Is it possible to be your own something blue for the wedding? I know It will be a happy day, there are no fears about my desire to marry Scott. It's just difficult sometimes to maneuver the happiness when you have little control emotionally. I have to medicate an hour before bedtime just to keep my sleepy mind from rehashing every worry currently plaguing me. Similarly, when I get up, I need two hours to try and pull myself out of the same worries as well as every doubt and fear I've collected along the way. Nothing is as it seems to me during this time, which is why I have a rule not to write any emails or comments until I've been up for at least two hours. This way my brain wakes up and can filter my messages, guarding against leaving angry or incisive comments, or worse, deciding to send a friendly email to someone I purposely ended contact with. It is, however, the perfect time to to make any complaint calls needed.

Everything so far has been a huge rollercoaster. Right now, after a tummy tickling set of curves and drops, I'm clickity clacking my way up another hill, only to have to car stop halfway.

The vaporizing is on hold. The stupid things were leaking. It was an experiment of volume control as I had to insist they return my money. After several trips to the manager's office, he did indeed give the money back for my vaporizer, and exchanged Scott's, getting most of the money back for his. I'm going to see how his new one functions and if it continues to work well, I may buy the same one. Until then, I'm just trying to cut back on my expensive, little, paper tubes of disappointment.

Then, just when I think that at least things are piecing together, and how maybe it will come together, we get a storm and lightning hits. Suddenly, when I start my computer now, I have to press F1 because it says the battery voltage is low. I don't know how to go into F2 to try and fix it. It may be my imagination, but I think it's effecting performance. My writing is all on an external, but you've got to have something to access it. It's just another one of those things with bad timing, a horribly expensive thingy.

Okay, last of the woe paragraphs and I'll end on something good.

The great news is there are only 98 days left. What worries me most about this is that there are only 98 days left. Back on the good side again, I only have 98 more days to be a nervous wreck (about this). Things are gradually coming together, we'v just reached a point where I'm going to stop hoping for certain things, like having our rings in time. With regular expenses, new ones, potential ones, it's just feeling highly unlikely. It's discouraging when even economical isn't within grasp.

Okay, I promised some good.

The wedding cake topper is beautiful. It's slightly larger than expected, which is fine because we still have time to adjust the cake. It was a good choice on Scott's part. The ink well pen-holder came today. I haven't opened it yet because Scott's still asleep. Everything else besides the handfasting cord has shipped. She makes those to order. She's also a little behind, so it's a good thing we ordered it early.

Last night Scott asked me what else we need to get. There is still quite a list, but I'm going to go through it because I can actually check off some things. Fiancee is off tomorrow and Monday, so I may see if he wants to head to the mall for 3 things. To get prices at the tuxedo rental I can never remember the name of. Savvi, that's it. Also, we need to try on Converse high tops, well Scott does. I have never met anyone who could wear so many shoe sizes depending on the brand. Mine has been the same since I was 13, but I do know they vary. Then we can pop in a jewlery store and verify the Google's method for measuring ring sizes. Oh, and I almost forgot. Taco Bell.

Since we are having troubles finding burgundy shoes, for some reason, we have decided to switch to these.

Okay, Scott is up so I'm going to ease him into his day because he has a long work shift in a couple of hours.

Saving and Spending the Day Away

At the point we got our new vaporizers, we were both out of cigarettes so we instantly saved $10, or $15 depending on what store.

Things are going well for me. Not a cigarette in the apartment and I'm fine. Fiancee Man is not faring as well at work, but he does have to deal with an insane amount of tomfoolery from a job lousy with nincompoops. By the time we get up tomorrow we will have saved another $15. Oh, and it's healthier, which is almost as good as wealth.

If you remember, I wasn't done shopping, so after Scott left for work I crunched the numbers and made a couple of orders. 

We are going unorthodox for our guest book

Now it can hang instead of it sitting on a dusty shelf 

between the Doctor Who Encyclopedia and

 the guide book to Biltmore Estates

These are the feather ballpoint pen we chose for guests to sign

and an ornate pen holder

This is a small box we are using for shuttling the rings

This box is for safeguarding the handfasting cord

Nothing else to report, oh wait, I do have one more thing, but I'm doing that in a separate post. I need to gorge for a minute on beans & rice with sausage. then I'll be back to show the b.... aaah hahaha, you almost got me to tell you. 

Turning to Vapor

First of all, I haaaaaate window shopping. Wait, first of first of all, expect even more pictures later. I'll be finishing up the bubble bottles today. I got a little side tracked a couple of days ago when my fiancee, Scott, the cat's pajamas, surprised me with a chunk of the wedding budget. This is where I came in.

I hate window shopping. It isn't bad for something big like a wedding, but i'm a get-in and get-out kind of shopper. Usually I know what I want, having researched all my choices online, but it's frustrating because you don't get the money shot. Now,there is a different type of exploratory shopping, such as when you have a long wish list, get some money, and then I have to decide the best combination of stuff to get with what I have on hand.

Two things I did purchase already are the cake topper and our handfasting cord. The cord will have a burgundy ribbon in place of the brown ribbon.

In addition to these delights, I have a cart on Amazon and Etsy, but I will share those purchases after I make them this evening. Before I make the purchase we are leaving (yikes, in 75 minutes) to make a different purchase.

So you hear time and time again that you have to spend money to make money. Utter nonsense sometimes, but in this case it's real. Quitting smoking was a hyper-fiasco, and we are not unfamiliar with vaporizering, so we are off to get kitted up again to end the cigarettes. Vapeing (it will be in the dictionary one day) is cheaper, much cheaper. Doing it together is a double edged sword. We have each other for support, but we also must suffer the little cravings, ours and theirs, and how they make us act. Health and fortune are on the horizon. Maybe even realistically affordable insurance.

Okay, so after we get back I'll know how much I have and can order more wedding goodies. I have some great things in the carts and am very, very excited about them. I'll be back later today with both more news on shopping, as well as a look-see at the finished bubbles.

Now I just need for Scott to get up so we can go, 'cuz mama's only got 4 cigarettes left.

See There

Everything is still status quo with the wedding plans. Nothing additional in the past two days so I started looking up places I would like to see in New Orleans to add to Scott's list. Last night I got the Kindle out to look at the three books I bought. For some reason, I got three walking tour books, which is good, but so far my list is mostly houses to admire.

Top of my list is Rosegate, the house where the witch books by Anne Rice took place. There are a couple of other houses related to her, such as her childhood home. Mainly I want to see the oldest of the buildings. Go to Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop for a drink. Some Gypsy jazz at Spotted Cat. See the statue of Joan of Arc and the French Market. Ride the cemetery streetcar. Check out the supposed haunted of the haunteds.

House of the Anne Rice Mayfair witches

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

Oh yes I did

Ghost of Chicken Man

I want to go to Jackson square and see St. Louis cathedral and the Presbytere. Along those lines I must see the Old Ursuline Convent, and Our Mother Of Perpetual Help Chapel. Also St. Patricks and the museum of art and Besthoff Sculpture Gardens. Then there are places like the Tennessee Williams house, William Faulkner books and the Garden District Book shop. Of course, every day must begin with (insert amount) beignet(s) at Cafe Du Monde.

St. Louis Cathedral

The Presbytere

Old Ursuline Convent

Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel

St. Patricks

William Faulkner Books

Tennessee Williams House

1st Breakfast

Cafe Du Monde

I'm sure we will end up having so many things on our list that we won't be able to do it all. I've only got two backup batteries for my camera, but I plan on taking a lot of pics on my phone. I might just share a peek or two of our honeymoon in progress. The outdoor stuff I mean. The public stuff I should say. Better just be safe and say the clothed stuff. 

There is a kink in the plans that has, um, kinked? We have been stymied when it comes to rings. To match or not to match. Stone or no gems. I have an idea that's obviously too crazy to consider, but I finally found something I find special and pretty, as well as Doctor Who related so the design fits me like a slipper. I'm sure Fiancee doesn't want this style, so he would have to find one, matching or not. 

Unfortunately we will have to wait to get them, most likely after the ceremony. The good thing is we have bands already that we've been wearing since Scott first proposed almost 8 years ago. We can exchange those on the day. I feel like it would be better in the long run to end up with what we really want instead of what we can really get this minute.

I promised ups and downs. Wait, did I? Whew, yes, I used those exact words. I'll let you know how it goes, and as always update you on additions to and progress on the plans. I'm leaving you with just a few of what I hear are thousands of sculptures in the Besthoff Sculpture Gardens.