Sam's Blog

Link: http://www.billyidol.com

I am feeling a lot better. I have been trying to recover from the past fun-filled weekend. I didn’t get back from the wedding until 3am Sunday night and I had to work the next morning. I’ve been chilling around the apartment and catching up to TV shows (Six Feet Under was phenomenal even though I knew that they were going to do something drastic in the last couple episodes) and some series that I missed (the Guns, Germs and Steel 3 part series on PBS, based on the book by UCLA Professor Jared Diamond which explains his views about the developmental and technological divide between the many nations of the world) and starting to read the most recent Harry Potter with Josh. We started reading out loud to each other the series a few years ago and it’s a great and fun tradition for us. Josh also got me hooked on the show Rescue Me, with Denis Leary. It really is an awesome show and I hope you guys can check it out when it’s on. I was able to hang out with Lisa and my regular dinner with M was postponed to tonight. Tomorrow I am so excited because I get to watch Wicked. Apparently it’s on its last week here in LA, so I feel very fortunate to be able to watch it.

The wedding was very beautiful and elaborate and very very fun. So many people went that I didn’t expect to be there. It’s not that I was expecting anyone to go really, but I somehow didn’t realize that the families of the bridesmaids and groomsmen were going to be there too. More on that in a bit. The weekend started off with me catching the guys during the “bachelor” party. They went to Carson to hang out and ride go-karts and stuff for the day. I met up with them at Native Foods (surprisingly, a majority of the wedding party were either vegetarian or vegan, or if not, were very veggie-friendly). We headed to Ventura and tried to get Negin (the bride)
to go out one last time before she was married. She really didn’t have anything planned as far as a bachelorette party, so Emily (Shahab’s girlfriend) and I dragged her and Carmen and Tania (Ned’s girlfriend) out for a night on the town. We ended up bowling and had a great time. The guys drank and played poker. A rather tame night overall.

Saturday was the wedding rehearsal and I didn’t go because I wasn’t in the wedding party, but Josh and Wen went along with Shahab, Kurt, Sandy, and Carmen. I was able to hang out with Josh’s mom and it was nice to be comfortable around there. I realize that their home has become like a third home to me and it’s comforting to know that every time I visit. They’re always so nice and it’s so weird to see his little sister grow up so fast. She’s transferring to Cal Poly SLO in September and will be getting her own apartment with Megan, her best friend. It’s so weird to me that she’s leaving for college and is going to be on her own. She’s all grown up now! Anyway, I attended the rehearsal luncheon and went to the beach for some volleyball and a bonfire. It was nice to finally meet all of Greg’s (the groom) friends from school in Texas. I always hear about them. They’re all really nice people and I am glad that Greg has such great support over there, especially being in the middle of his PhD program. I forget how close everyone is in Josh’s circle. They grew up together and have known each other since 3rd grade and to see him and Kurt and Greg run into the ocean water and play around like little kids made it all the more clear. I just wish that we are all able to see each other again frequently. With Greg and Negin being in Texas, Sandy in London, Shahab and Emily in Camarillo, Wen in Corona and Kurt going wherever he decides to go, I doubt we will all see each other together again soon. I guess that’s how life is.

I created a Flickr account for the couple here. There are also pictures on Kurt’s account and Barbara’s account (Kurt’s mom) as well. I accidentally uploaded the pictures 3 times on Greg and Negin’s account, so the upload capacity is full right now. I still have a few more pictures to upload, but not many. I will do it once more space becomes available.

The ceremony was beautiful. The altar was adorned with the traditional Persian items and they had a traditional Persian ceremony with the “priest” reciting things in Farsi, Arabic, and English. It was a great new experience for me. Julia (Kurt’s sister) and I were amazed by all of the gorgeous traditional outfits that the ladies wore. They went all out for the food and open bar. They served us hors d'oeuvres and sushi after the ceremony while we waited for the wedding party to take pictures. Dinner was served really late, around 9:30pm (this was on a Sunday night) and it was a huge buffet full of vegan dishes and Persian food. It was really yummy. They had cake and tons of mini dessert cakes and pastries. It was excellent. It would be really hard for any of us to outdo their wedding. It was so amazing and I had a lot of fun.

As I said earlier, I was able to see everybody’s families again. The MacDonalds (Kurt’s family), The Parmars (Sandy’s family), The Lashkari’s (Shahab’s family), The Morgans (Josh’s family), and of course the families of the bride and groom were all in one place. I realized that over the years, I have gotten to know them all pretty well, a lot more that I really thought that I did. It’s funny because all of Josh’s friends have a sibling and I know them all too: Haady, Parveen, Cynthia, Navid, and Julia. It was awesome to see them and it made the wedding more fabulous because I knew how blessed Josh and I were to know all of these great families. It pretty much gave me a clearer realization of how long it has actually been since Josh and I started dating. It baffles me still. Not that I wasn’t expecting to stay with him for this long, it’s not like that. But it’s more of a “goodness time has really flown by.” Josh’s brother was married a year ago and it’s amazing how many things have changed and how many things have sometimes surprisingly stayed the same. This wedding has given me a lot of insight as to what I want and don’t want at my wedding. I am sure I have a long time to plan it, etc. but it’s good to have that information floating around in the back of my head.

S&TC quote of the day:
Miranda (looking at a bride magazine): Ooh! Cute purse!
Charlotte: No purses! There's no time for purses! This is gown-specific!
Miranda: What's your theme again? A Nazi wedding?