What Jacko's death means to me.

I don't claim to be a major Michael Jackson fan.

Don't get me wrong, I'm always up for listening to the greatest hits, and my freshman year roommate and I once stayed up all night long watching "Thriller" on repeat so that we could learn the dance, and look super cool at the Ward activity the next night. "The Way You Make Me Feel" is the official favorite of the bunch, ever since my brief 8th grade obsession with the movie "Center Stage" (the movie preference soon died, the song preference did not). I have attempted the moon walk several times (in private) and wished I could get it down. But that's really the extent of my fanhood.

When I heard he died recently, I realized that there was a brief but undeniable Michael Jackson presence the night I got engaged.

When Harry came to pick me up from my sister's house for "dinner" (a.k.a. "sneaky secret proposal"), Elizabeth pointed out that I looked like Michael Jackson because of my shoes-- I often wear gym socks around the house because my feet are always cold. When Harry came to pick me up, for some reason I had slipped on my flats over my socks in my rush to get out the door. The gym-sock-black-flat-combination channeled the Michael Jackson vibe to my sister, and she insisted we take an "MJ" picture in commemoration.

And just for good measure, a little "Thriller..."

Something must have been right about it, because only 4 hours later...

I went from "that girl Harry dates" to "that girl Harry's marrying."

Thanks for getting the evening started out right, Jacko.

Happy happenings.

1) Went to Whole Foods today for the first time since Christmas. I guess at Christmas I didn't really realize how fantastic Whole Foods really is. Case in point:

Vosges Chocolate.

The most stunningly quality and quirkily flavored chocolate I've ever consumed. I had thought it was only accessible in Las Vegas (like many pleasantries in my life), but I was thrilled to be proven wrong today.

[Side note: Whole Foods is also awesome because word on the strizeet is that (dare I abbreviate?) celebs Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johannson shop there. As celebrity couples go... I like them.]

2) Random: my Mom received a check in the mail for $0.02. Yes. Two cents. A credit from an account of some kind I suppose. Why did they spend $0.047 to send her a check worth $0.02? And, why is it a penny for your thoughts, but you have to put your two cents in?

3) Last and not least (more like the most):

These 5 pictures might be worth 5,000 words. Without repeats. A few of these words might be "Bird poop on that bench," but we have 5,000 happy words for them!

It's cheesy but I'm saying it. He is a stone fox.

Quite enough excitement for one day I think.

Preview

One of the bunch. It was raining a off and on, thus the neat back lighting and was-straight-now-turning-wavy-ish-hair-do.

More to come...

Harry,

Thank you for the following (in no particular order of importance):

1) Being here for my birthday.

2) Saying "Happy Birthday" to me several times each on June 6th, 7th, and 8th.

3) Wandering through the Macy's Home Store with me for many hours to register.

4) Standing with me for 45 minutes in front of the Calphalon pots and pans calculating the best deal.

5) Reading with me on the couch for the rest of the afternoon because the Calphalon pots and pans were so exhausting.

6) Making homemade pizza sauce for my birthday pizza which tasted something like heaven.

7) Waking up at 7 am Monday morning so you could see me off to work.

8) Driving with me through the scenic parts of Jamboree Road on my whim even though it took longer.

9) Finding me a computer cord that will give my 8-year-old laptop internet access.

10) Giving me a stunning dress and shirt and not minding when I insisted on "saving" opening it for my real birthday day.

You are the absolute hip to the dip, and the cheese to my macaroni.

Love,

Sarah

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends.

A little ways back I went down to San Diego to visit two of this earth's most fabulous ladies. I consider myself really lucky because I've always had deliciously fun and giggly girlfriends. While it would be PERFECT if all my women lived within a stone's throw of my house, I had a most righteous time with Karina and Megan.

Amid all the giggling, spa hopping, bargain shopping, pizza snarfing, and two minutes of sleeping, we managed to remember to take one picture.



For a wee comparison (and because the pre-real-life-responsibility-glow and toothy grins of this picture pretty accurately capture the quirkiness of my high school days), behold:

All Hallow's Eve 2002.

Ah, middle parts and glitter. The markings of a hip chick in them days, Halloween or not.

The one thing I wished was that more of my most relished girls might have shared in the glory! Until any future reunions I must content myself to stare into a computer screen at fuzzy images of the past.

Until then.

My favorite "over-hearing-on-the-phone-moment" at my temporary City of Newport Beach Revenue Dept. job...

"Hello ma'am, you say you want to renew your dog license?...
Okay, and the animal is deceased?...
And you still have the body?...
And you still want to renew the license, correct?..."

Aw, sweet. And strange.