Friday, October 31, 2008

Why The Doctor Drives Me Loony...

Dear DomestiGals,

Last time I ended my post asking what everyone's boyfriend, girlfriend, fiance, husband, wife or domestic partner did that drove you all nuts.

I wanted to share what happened today.

There I was, happily blogging away for my various sites, when The Doctor's personal trainer appeared at our house. She is a pretty hilarious girl, but I almost died when she came into our apartment and started eating Starbursts and other candy. Thankfully, even The Doctor called her out on it, to which she replied, "Dude, I'm hypoglycemic."

Apple, anyone?

(Jen, can you even *imagine* Colossus, your A to the Mazing personal training, even eating a slice of pizza, let alone candy?? If he eats candy, it's probably made out of tofu!)

Anyway, The Doctor, my dearly beloved, must be the worst personal training client in the world. I knew he was terrible at exercise and a bit lazy, but today he was out of control.

He did all of the following of his 45 minute workout:

1. Came over to say hello
2. Came over to kiss me
3. Started vacuuming
4. Went to the bathroom
5. Changed his "workout" music from disco to hiphop and then back to disco again
6. Came over to show me this letter he got in the mail from a friend, and did I think we should put it up on the fridge or just recycle it?

Oy, oy, oy.

It is highly debatable whether he actually got through his assigned sit-ups, push-ups and squats.

Come on, ladies. Are you telling me that Caz is the only one who has a partner who drives her crazy with his dirty laundry?

Jen, how does The Lawyer put you over the edge?

Love,

Drill Sargent Sue

PS: Happy Halloween, DomestiGals! What spooky (or hot) outfits will you be wearing tonight?

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Seriously? How will Jen be a hot bride...

When faced with constant free meals like this:

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This was the scene at a recent MBA barbeque/fatty gorgefest.

I mean COME ON PEOPLE. If it's not the boozing that will kill my wedding figure, it's the meat. Lots and lots of meat. Meat everywhere. And not healthy meat, either! And because I'm a poor grad student I have no choice, I MUST EAT IT. I MUST EAT THE FREE FOOD.

Sigh. As if post-workout puking weren't enough of a lesson... Colossus would have my head if he ever learned of the true deterioration of my diet.

Sue! How will I be able to get through this year without either a) going broke because I'm trying to buy healthy food, or b) gaining a zillion pounds and busting out of my Wedding Dress of Dreams? And which is worse?

At least Nutella never comes free.

Sigh,

Jen

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Domestic Goddess Turns Entrepreneur Too?

Sue!

Ok first of all? That post title almost gave me a heart attack.

But now that I am over the shock-turned-disbelief-turned-disappointment that you continue to avoid being bitten by the wedding bug, I have to say I am so proud of you! You go, girl! You are such the budding entrepreneur!

Now that I have survived my MBA program for over a month (hard to believe, considering the almost weekly breakdowns I have been having - I don't know what I would do without the Lawyer! For reals.) I have to say that I am more and more tempted by the thought of starting my own biz. Or a bunch of bizzes, like you are creating! 

Do we have any other DomestiPreneurs out there??? If you're out there, tell us about your fabulous business!

Of course I have no idea what I would want to do. I wish I had the gumption to be a wedding planner - I could specialize in planning weddings on one side of the pond from the other! Now there's a niche, right? Of course, not that I have been able to do much of my own wedding planning lately - but that's fodder for another post. Or lack thereof.

But I love the idea of being my own boss, and starting up a business around something I'm truly passionate about. Going to work should be FUN, right? Not to mention the fact that I want to be able to make my own schedule so that I have time to raise Lawyer Jr. and his little sister, DomestiGirl.  

There are so many amazing, enterprising women out there. Including you, Sue! I think I might 
just have to jump on the bandwagon...

Hmm,

Jen

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

I went to City Hall today...

Sorry, Jen -- I didn't get married at City Hall! Puh-leeze! (I know what your Dirty Domestic Goddess mind was thinking!)

I took a break from my DomestiGal duties today to run down to City Hall and incorporate the parent company of my various businesses.

Now, not to be totally out there, but wouldn't you agree that forming a corporation is a slightly serious endeavor? That's what I thought, as well, until I went to do it.

While setting up my business checking account (not the same person who Domestic Partnered me and The Doctor, unfortunately), my banker told me, "Now, when you go to City Hall to set up your business, make sure you visit the coffee guy. Most people don't know that you can pick up your forms at the coffee shop."

"That's really bizarre," I thought, "Why would I ever go to the coffee shop to pick up business forms?"

Anyway, I took the A train down to Chambers Street, eventually found 60 Center Street, and went through all the various security lines and found my way down to the Business room. I proudly marched myself to the counter, and was ignored by the state employees for a good 5 minutes while they finished dancing around to some mmmm-bop from the 90s.

Finally, this woman comes over to me and asked what I wanted to do. Upon hearing my response, she questioned, "Did you pick up your business formation forms from the coffee shop?"

"Um, what? No, can't I pick up the forms here?"

"No, we don't keep corporation forms here. You have to go back up to the first floor and get your forms from the coffee shop."

I just had to laugh, since this pretty much confirmed that Manhattan is not the epicenter of the world, as everyone thinks it is. So, off I went to the deli guy upstairs, who sold bags of chips, People and InTouch Magazines, and all the documents you need to start a business in NYC.

Sigh.

I think I should have had the deli guy Domestic Partner me and The Doctor, rather than the dude at the bank. It would have been so much more glamorous.

But, moving on from business and back to our bootylicious bottoms.

First of all, a workout can never be *too* hard. After all, no one wants jiggly buns in their wedding dress of dreams, right? I certainly don't want a jiggly butt in my beehive outfit. (I am competing with the Queen Bee, after all).

Amazingly, I have never thrown up after a workout. I did, however, one time make The Doctor get terribly green after I pushed him too hard with his exercises. He now refuses to work out with me and his personal trainer comes over once a week to watch him do push-ups on his knees. Seriously, the last time I came home his trainer was standing in the middle of our living room completely exasperated and The Doctor was working on his computer. His trainer practically had to beg him to come back and do another set of pretty basic sit ups. I was absolutely furious with him!

Working out the brain does not equal working out the body!

Ladies in DomestiGal land... admit it... what do your guys do that drive you up the wall bonkers?

xx,
Big Business Sue

Monday, October 27, 2008

Fitness: How Far is Too Far?

Hello Non-Honeymoonin' Sue!

Palau is hot. The Lawyer and I have been thinking about our honeymoon but have not been able to even really narrow down our list - there is too much to see! However I have decided that, wherever we go, we will end our honeymoon in Munich for Oktoberfest. I mean obv I will not miss the perfect chance to spend a little more time with my ancestors... remember these dudes?

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If they don't ooze "romantic honeymoon" I don't know who does!

Though frankly the thought of drinking lots of beer makes me feel a little ill right now, because I am still recovering from my session with Colossus yesterday. During which I puked my guts out (if you will recall from my tweet).

Now if I do recall, you recently made a friend of yours honk, correct? Ahem, if I may quote you directly from your tweet: "Sue went to the gym with her friend, Kat, and put her through Sue's strength training routine. Kat threw up. Poor Kat. Mean Sue."

All this exercise-induced hurling as got me thinking. Are we going too far? Pushing ourselves too hard? How hard is too hard? (MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER, SUE! I MEAN FIGURATIVELY HARD!)

Granted, I probably should not have eaten a full breakfast of eggs, bacon, and sausage yesterday a mere few hours before my workout. And it was the first real workout I'd done with Colossus in awhile, and he basically put me through a death circuit. But still. I am not thrilled to have honked.

Sue, what are your thoughts on workout-related vomit? 

Gals in the blogosphere, have you ever been pushed to these ridiculous limits? Or are Sue and I just insane?

Off to drink some more tummy-calming tea...

xoxo,

DomestiGal Jen

Friday, October 24, 2008

Honeymoon of Dreams

Hulk Jen,

I *love* that you are part of the Powerlifting Club. I mean, of course you are. Are you making all the Brits look like fried weenies? I bet you can drink them into the ground too! I think you should definitely start joining competitions. Don't you think you could make enough money (as obviously you would win, duh) to pay for your Honeymoon of Dreams?

I realize you and The Lawyer have romanced your way around Germany, Italy and who knows where else this year... but what are your thoughts on the Honeymoon destination?

One of me and The Doctor's good friends is living in Palau this year.


www.nationalgeographic.com

We thought we could do a stopover in Palau after visiting and being criticized by my relatives in Taiwan. Nothing like a fake-honeymoon with the relatives. (By the way, did I ever mention that my parents went on their honeymoon to Japan with my dad's parents? Lord knows how they've stayed married for 30+ years after that!)

DomestiGals, where have the rest of you honeymooned? If you aren't married or Domestic Partnered yet, where are you planning on getting married?

xx,

DomestiGal Sue

Thursday, October 23, 2008

DomestiGals Welcome Kyla Bea!

We are very lucky to have with us today the gorgeous and lovely Kyla Bea! If you are not already reading her blog religiously, get on it. She is a fantastic writer with a joyful soul and a DomestiGal spirit! 

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In her own words, Kyla is "a twenty three year old crafter, baker, reader, knitter, black tea aficionado, vegetarian, and stray dog rescuer from the Canadian Prairies. She just finished school, bought & moved into a 99 year old house, took in two crazy and wild puppies, and got married in September to my Mister. It took a lot of deep breathing, but it all finally happened! I guess the biggest question now is, now what?"

Read on...

Do you take this woman to be your Florist?

My Mister and I have been decidedly in the throes of young domestic bliss for a few years now, and when we started planning our wedding we had a lot to talk about. I'd never been one of those girls who thought about their wedding – I had obsessed about when he was going to propose, but some how that never gave way to wedding fantasies. As soon as we got engaged I wished that I had let my imagination run away with me, at least a little! Imagine how much I could have narrowed down! Getting married when the groom has no idea about what he wants is tough enough, but getting married when the bride has only attended two weddings, counting one where she served as the flower girl?

I'll put it this way – writing a ceremony is hard enough when you know what's supposed to happen. Writing a ceremony when you don't know what makes up a ceremony? That's a fast way to burn three weekends in a row.

Thankfully for everyone involved, there were many parts of planning a wedding that I already had some experience in – planning special events is part of my job so contacting caterers, tasting little desserts, and making sure that table cloths were spic and span was something that I knew a bit about. But what I was looking forward to, hoping about, and imagining as we got closer to the wedding was, decidedly, the flowers.

No matter how many bridal magazines I looked through they were the only thing I saw. I had it all planned out – we would having a very local wedding, all the vendors would be within 10 blocks of the church, it would be eco-chic! I knew exactly what I wanted – but not being a florist I didn't know what flowers went into it, so I drew up a list of everything I could describe my dream bouquet to be.

It would be woodsy, organic, local, the main colours would be green, white, and blue – it would be wild looking, with thistles maybe, and willow branches – something more undone than most bridal flowers.

I set up my first meeting, puffed myself up, put on my cute "I'm a young, laid back bride, please get me!" outfit and went out.

When I got to the shop I was pleasantly surprised – the woman was young, sweet, and owned the shop, it would work! I could feel it. We started talking – I used my best design terminology, pointed at pictures in wedding magazines and her portfolio, and then set my papers down. We were on the same page, I knew it all along.

And then she said it.

Florist #1: "I'm.....I'm thinking....Gerber daisies. And I
might be going out on a limb here – but I'm thinking all white Gerber
daisies. What do you think?"
Bea: "You're....I'm sorry? No, I don't think that Gerber
daisies are wild enough really that's....we're....all Gerber daisies?"
Florist #2: "No no, you're right....what about Gerber daisies
and some Baby's Breath? Or if you're thinking wild we could do bear
grass instead – that's very wild."
Bea: "I was kind of hoping that you could shop with local
growers, so we could have something a bit more unique."
Florist #1: "Local? Why? critial look Ms. Bea, no one wants that."

I was shocked and disappointed, I knew I couldn't be the only bride looking for something a little outside the norm! I set up meeting after meeting only to be told by four other florists that no one wanted what I wanted, that it wouldn't be possible to find, and that I really should be Gerber daisies. Whoever this Gerber is – I tell you he is paying florists to push his damn daisies!!

The flowers were the biggest sticking point in the whole planning process. It took over a month in my four month wedding planning process to get them hammered out. Finally after being dragged from meeting to meeting with less enthusiasm every time, I met a woman whose eyes got wide when I described what I hoped for and who said, "Well, it's not what we usually do – but I think I know exactly what you mean."

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Forget finding someone who is worth marrying - finding the right florist turned out to be one of the hardest relationships I worked at while we were planning the wedding. But opening the boxes of bouquets on The Day Of? It was worth every Gerber Daisy someone tried to sell me.

Thank you, Kyla, for this fabulous post! Those flowers are to die for. Gals, for more Kyla Bea, click here. Be sure to check out her wedding recap!

xoxo,

Sue and Jen

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Jen: Future Powerlifting Champion of the World?

Okay so Sue. 

As if my sessions with Colossus do not entertain you enough (yes he is still pinching my knee fat to tell if I've been drinking and YES, I am still a grad student, so I am indeed drinking) I have perhaps the most genius news yet:

Colossus wants to enter me - me, Jen! - in some local Powerlifting competitions. Yes, Powerlifting! The sport of champions! The sport of insanely strong and somewhat odd-looking people (see below)! The sport so hilariously hardcore-sounding that I am compelled to type it with a capital "P"!

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See how that dude is marveling at my strength? Inspiring, no?

According to a somewhat skeezy article on Wikipedia, "Powerlifting is a strength sport, consisting of three events: the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. Powerlifting resembles the sport of Weightlifting as both disciplines involve lifting heavy weights in three attempts."

Sounds simple enough, right? Well, apparently it's actually super technical and rather dangerous if you don't do it right. But Colossus says that I could be a total superstar - at least in the Powerlifting world - because I am very "body aware." Obv I get my body awareness from you.

So in order to do this I have to train while at school... and I have to train with people who know that they are doing, because I need a lot of help with all this. Thus far I've only done the deadlift - and I can deadlift 200 lbs, by the way! - so I have a lot to learn. So... drum roll please... I am joining the University Powerlifting Club. And I am totally the only girl! 

I mean do you love it or do you LOVE it?

My first order of business as a new member is to get team uniforms. Obv.

Will keep you posted of course!

xoxo,

Jen

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Non-DomestiGal Duties

Jen dear,

A belated Happy Birthday to you from the rest of the DomestiGal community! What did you do on your blessed day aside from study your heart out? Did you do some super nerdy statistics calculation of your various diamond-engagement-ring-of-dreams pricing and actual diamond composition using Linear Regression?

I mean, I do hope you took the following into account:
  • the interpretation of the slope as the average imputed value per carat of diamonds within the specific range;
  • the viability of the SLR model as determined by the R² value and the slope coefficient;
  • the regression fit for determining the price of diamond rings within this range.
Sigh.

Asian DomestiGals and their damn math.

Anyway, perhaps you can do more fun statistical models that include your Dyson and the percentage body fat that Colossus pinches every single time he humiliates the fat around your knee.

By the way, now that you're not in London and doing your dutiful Lady of Leisure duties you so enjoy -- who is? Is The Lawyer vacuuming and cleaning and washing?

The Doctor recently bought a Dirt Devil and I must say that it has become one of his best friends. Of course I'm not even quite sure how it works, as I'm Dish Woman and only handle items on kitchen counters. Recently, though, The Doctor has been flexing his green thumb and has added a collection of three more plants to our indoor urban garden. I think it's all in preparation for our beehive and I'm excitedly preparing our Bee Blog.

Stay tuned, ladies!

xx,
s.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Ex-Homemaker Seeks Solace

Hello Sue!

So I am horrified to report that I will be slaving away to complete - and possibly, very possibly, even pass - a business statistics exam today. How heinous is that? Makes me long for my Domestic Goddess days more than ever...

Speaking of which, check out the fab tea towel I spotted this past weekend at this A to the Dorable store in London called Emma Bridgewater:

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Do you love it or do you LOVE it?

But I didn't buy it. I just stared longingly and snapped that quick pic with my iPhone. 

Sigh.

Is it pathetic that I miss homemaking? I mean, here I am in this worldly MBA program, surrounded by some of the brightest people I have ever encountered, and I am missing doing the dishes, doing the laundry. Not to mention my Dyson! 

Sigh.

I suppose that I long for those simpler days because MBAland could not be located at more of an opposite pole than Domestic Goddessville. And that's okay. I am a career woman, after all. (If by "career woman" I mean "wanting to make as much money as quickly as possible so I can support The Lawyer in his early retirement and raise our family and learn to make pottery and live happily ever after, Dysoning to my heart's content.") I may not rock this exam today - especially since yesterday was my birthday and really? Who studies stats on her birthday? - but I will rock this program in my own way, just as I rocked my Domestic Goddess days.

So Sue, and gals out there, please hand-wash a mug for me today. Do a load of delicates, hang them on the clothesline, and know that I would be by your side handing you your undies in a heartbeat.

With love and a brainful of statistical mush,

Jen

Friday, October 17, 2008

Cheap NYC Weddings

The Doctor and I have been debating whether or not we should go ahead and have a more formal Domestic Partnership ceremony for our families (read: Our Mothers).

We actually walked around Manhattan the other day, in search of the perfect community garden to have a small ceremony for my immediate family and his.
I'm not sure why I couldn't find any information on the web about cheap NYC weddings, but I think I have a few recommendations.

Contact your local community gardens
A few of them charge around $100, and most are free!

There are so many gorgeous community gardens in NYC, and, as an aside, I forgot to tell people that The Doctor and I are going to become Urban Beekeepers in one of them! He has been obsessed with bees and honey for a while, so we're actually partnering with an urban collective in Brooklyn to become their garden beekeepers. I just can't wait to bond with our Queen Bee and help her boss around all the Workers (they're the female bees, basically her ladies-in-waiting) and the Drones (they're the Dudes).

Look! I mean, kind of hilarious that I'll eventually be looking hot wearing a white beekeeper outfit and not a white wedding dress.


Photo courtesy albaniabridge.co.uk

Sorry, I just have a really hard time focusing on talking about weddings. Honestly, I'd rather be talking about bees.

All right, so I'll share more How to Have a Cheap NYC wedding in my next post, but, I'm curious... how were all our ladies in DomestiGal land able to reduce costs for your weddings?

Did you refrain from getting your engagement-ring-of dreams?
Did you have just beer and wine instead of a full bar?

We're dying to hear from you! Plus, as we all know, Jen is currently planning her wedding (amidst studying finance and stats) and I'm sure she would love to hear some of your wedding tips.

xx,

Beekeeper Sue

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Tagged! (We Feel So Special!)



The A to the Mazing budgetsavvybride tagged us to reveal six quirks about ourselves. What the?! Only three quirks each? Where to begin...

Three quirks about DomestiGal Sue:

1.  She is willing to wear a white beekeeper suit that comes with a veil, but refuses to ever wear a white wedding dress, with or without a veil.
2.  She is known as "tank top girl" even when it's 32 degrees out and friends question why she sweats like a fatty.
3.  She is convinced that all newborns look like they are Asian even when they're not and ooohs and coohs over said Asian buddhas.

Three quirks about DomestiGal Jen:

1. She keeps an ongoing list of baby names on her computer, with different fonts for boys and girls.
2. She is the only female member of her university's Powerlifting Club.
3. She always has to set her alarm clock, TV channel volume, microwave time, and other such devices at even numbers. Never odds.

Welcome to our quirky world!

So. Here are the rules:

1. link back to the person who tagged you
2. mention the rules on your blog
3. tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them
5. leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs letting them
know they've been tagged and
6. you can now display this charming dalek image Songy at Style
Discovery created when tagged!

We tag:

Jenn and Erin, the Fit Bottomed Girls
The fabulous Renee
The lovely Bekah, AKA Country Mouse

Cheers, Gals!

xoxo,

Sue and Jen

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Parents Schmarents

Hello Sue my love!

It is late here. And I may have had a few too many drinks tonight, only to come home to see your post about the 'rents meeting.

And it got me thinking... once I finished cracking up - because seriously? A sushi party? That is BEYOND.

But first, let me explain about my somewhat inebriated state. Tonight was a big night for me and my fellow MBAs who are in my college here at uni. (How British do I sound?!) Basically, my MBA class (and everyone else here) are divided among small colleges that make up the university. And each college has its own matriculation ceremony to officially welcome each new student to the college and uni. And there was lots of alcohol. The end.

So anyway, I kind of can't even believe that you are having the fam all meet each other over that most hallowed of American holidays (if only because of the pie and booze), Thanksgiving. That is intense!

I, on the other hand, would never even fathom having my father meet The Lawyer's father. No no. They will not meet until our wedding day, and even then we will seat them as far away as possible. I mean, I love them both as individuals, but The Lawyer and I also know that they will detest each other... so we are not rushing into any kind of introduction any time soon.

Is that weird? Or is your situation weird? LADIES! We DomestiGals need your input! Have you ever introduced your parents to your significant other's parents? If so, how did it go? If not, why not? We need deets stat.

If only - speaking of stats - to distract me from my statistics exam studying...

Big love,

Jen 

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Introducing the Parents...

Jen,

I think I finally stopped laughing over your big non-engagement ring "outing" your first day of business classes! Are you now known as "engagement ring Jen"? I'm sure there are 5-10 Jens in your program, so you clearly have some sort of descriptor going on before your name.

Ahem. Actually, while we were planning on getting Domestic Partnered in the post office, in the end we decided to be even *more* romantic and do it at the bank instead.

In response to your question re: my betrothed status, let's just say our parents aren't quite satisfied yet. Aside from that, anytime I refer to "My Partner, The Doctor," people either assume that a) I'm speaking about my business partner or b) I'm a lesbian.

Sigh.

But! BUT! The Doctor's family will be travelling from NYC to New England to visit my family this Thanksgiving and have their formal introductions.

Amazingly, I'm not nervous in the least. Mostly because of the following mathematical calculation (hello, you know how much we Asians love math).

Fabulous half-Asian family + Fabulous Jewish family = Super Fun Times.

Of course my wonderful Asian mum is already obsessing over all the following:

* "Where will The Doctor sleep?"

Mind you, because we're not married, my Asian mum typically puts us on SEPARATE FLOORS. Um, seriously. a) I'm almost 30 and b) We live together and c) We have been together for over 2 years and d) Mother, puh-lease! You're always embarrassing me!

* "What do Jewish people (read: non-Asian people) eat?"

Okay. As I have been dating Jewish guys since 1999, you think she would have a handle on this already, but she continues to obsess. This is the friendly exchange we had today:

Asian Mum: "Sue, what will The Doctor's family want to eat? No pork, right???!!"

Mean, Impatient Daughter: "Ma, I told you! They eat everything!"

Asian Mum: "What? Really? They eat pork?"

M.I.D.: "As The Doctor says, 'No one loves bacon as much as a Jew.' "

Asian Mum: "Bacon's too fatty. I don't want your father eating so much fat. His belly keeps getting bigger! He looks pregnant. Is The Doctor getting fat? Does he look pregnant? You both have to stop eating so much!"

M.I.D.: "Ma, stop being mean! I told you not to start making Fat Comments when we're home this time. Please, try not to tell The Doctor to "suck it in" while he's resting on the couch this time, okay? You're turning into your mother!"

Asian Mum: "I'm not being mean. Mummy loves you and The Doctor. Only Mummy will tell you the truth. Anyway, we're not having bacon. I want to have a make-your-own-sushi party."

I mean, obviously she does. We'll all just sit around in our lovely kimonos, eat sashimi with chopsticks in our hair, and occasionally get up to shuffle around the house with our little feet.

The meeting will obviously be a riot.

Love,

Fatso Sue

Monday, October 13, 2008

What Ring?

Darling Sue,

Wait a sec. "The Betrothed"? I'm confused. I thought you and The Doctor already got your blessing from the post office worker and are officially Domestic Partners. So what's this "Betrothed"??? You're not crossing over to the fabulous side, are you? I mean, stranger things have happened. Not that I can think of any off the top of my head right now. But still. I'm sure they have.

But seriously. Please do explain. And I do like your ring, by the way!

Speaking of rings (or lack thereof), have I told you that since I've been at school I have started wearing the ring The Lawyer got me for my birthday last year on my ring finger? Between being apart from him (and, thus, wanting to demonstrate that my fabulousness is, alas, spoken for) and the general state of the economy (and, thus, the big giant question mark that has replaced the center stone in my Ring of Dreams), The Lawyer and I decided that it was time to make the switch from right hand to left hand. And let me tell you, it feels good!

Of course, I decided once I got here that I needed to come out of the closet. 

Yes, my classmates are all now aware of the fact that I am an unengaged former Domestic Goddess who is planning her wedding with a ring on her ring finger that is not in fact her engagement ring. In fact, the very first day of orientation, we were randomly assigned a classmate and had to talk with them and then spend 30 seconds introducing them to the class. As a guide, we were given a list of questions to ask, such as... "Where are you from?" "Where were you working pre-MBA?" "What actor would play you in a movie?" "What is the bravest thing you've ever done?" and "What is your most valued possession?"

My answer to that, which was then announced to my entire class by the guy who interviewed me? "The engagement ring she doesn't have yet."

Let me tell you, it got a huge laugh.

I just hope people were laughing for the right reasons...

Forever Dreaming of Bling,

Jen 

Friday, October 10, 2008

Domestic Partnership Rings have been purchased!

Wow. Okay. A big DomestiGal thank you to Bekah yesterday for her wonderful post!

So, The Doctor and I finally went to Versani and bought our Domestic Partnership rings! I have to say that they're pretty fabulous and we are both very excited about them.


Of course, it took me about 2 minutes to choose the one I wanted; however, The Doctor must have spent 45 minutes choosing "the perfect" ring. He's so particular and fancy sometime -- but it's completely adorable.

You know what else is adorable?


The other day he said to me, "DomestiGal Sue, I just imagine you at 60 and me at 70, clutching each other and sobbing hysterically if we don't have kids. We should have babies."

Sigh.

To be honest, I haven't been in a particularly pro-baby mood. (Especially when I saw in the paper the other day that the average kid costs $250,000 BEFORE they go to college...) But, Jewish-Asian babies are just *too cute* to not have!


Okay, but back to our rings.

Do you want to see pictures of the rings we got? I mean, obviously you do.


Here you go!






This is The Doctor's Domestic Partnership Ring o' Love.





This is DomestiGal Sue's Partnership Ring o' Domesticity.

I have to say that both rings look so-so in these photos, but look like Seriously Something when you see them on our ring fingers.

And, of course, they had to special order my size 4.5 ring. The Doctor's a size 9, so he was fine.

Jen, I know you hate when I talk about fun ring stuff while you're busy sharing scary toilets and scarier fridge-space with your new dorm mates.... I'm sorry, my friend!

He he.

By the way, I certainly hope The Lawyer noticed the article in The Week magazine the other day, indicating how exponentially ridiculous the cost of diamond rings have become and how they're going to go up even more! He needs to buy your Ring of Dreams super stat!

Love,

The Betrothed.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

DomestiGals Welcome Country Mouse!

Sue and I and all you lovely ladies in DomestiGal Land are so lucky to have with us today the lovely Bekah from Country Mouse. Bekah is one of the funniest, fabulousest, most genuine gals we know (via the blogosphere, obv). Her photos are gorge, her house is adorable, and her hubby is the cutest! And if you have any doubt about that, ladies, read on...

Slow dancing amongst the paperbacks

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I am not romantic by nature.  I played cowboys and Indians as a child, I didn't dream about meeting Prince Charming or falling in love.  I really just wanted to live it up, be myself, and play in the mud.

When I started dating my husband I was immediately wary of how romantic he seemed to be. Any man that remembers that ONCE three years ago you mentioned that you love chicken stir-fry and actually makes it himself for your first date is up to something right?  I had never been treated the way he treated me, and I wondered what his deal was.  I just kept waiting for him to reveal his true nature, to catch a glimpse of what he was really up to, basically I was waiting for him to fail.  

Months went by and he still hadn't shown what I thought must be his true colors.  I just KNEW this guy had some sort of end game, I mean, that's what men do right? But as much as I couldn't figure him out, I also couldn't get enough of him.  I would warn myself repeatedly not to fall too hard for this guy, but then he would wrap his strong arms around me and I'd find myself falling harder and faster with each and every kiss.  

Eventually I came to trust his sweet nature, I let myself  believe that he simply acted on his impulses and I even came to like it, but sometimes his wildly romantic displays embarrassed me.

We used to go to Border's bookstore on wintery nights, get coffee and browse the bookshelves together.  One night while we were still dating we were sipping our coffees and flipping through paperbacks Surgery by Joe Purdy started playing.  Surgery had come to represent a little of our relationship, and we both liked the song.  He came over to me, took my drink and put in on a shelf, and started slowdancing in the aisle with me.  Right there in the bookstore!  I was mortified.  I pulled myself away, grabbed my coffee, and took off for the women's health section (where I knew he wouldn't follow).  

Later that night I called my mom just to chat.  I explained the dancing situation and how I just felt so silly when he danced with me and no one else was dancing.  'Mom' I whined, 'He's just SO romantic sometimes, it sounds cute to other people, but it embarrasses me! He was dancing with me in a bookstore!'

'Bekah' she said, 'Take the time to dance.  That option might not always be there.  I wish I had danced with your father more.'  I was speechless.  My parents have been divorced for over 15 years.  They are both remarried and love their spouses dearly, but both will say that they consider their failed marriage to be one of their greatest regrets.  

I always thought there was some mystic formula that kept great couples together.  Sure I had heard people say it's all about making that commitment to each other and sticking to it, but could it really be that simple?  There had to be more right?  Maybe we muddy it up with our predisposed opinions on what real romance SHOULD be, or how we should act.  I lost a good chance with dance with the man I would marry because I was embarrassed that the other people in the bookstore would think we were silly.

Could romance really be as easy as dancing amongst the paperbacks?  Of course not, but I still feel unbelievably close to my husband when he holds me in his arms, and slowly sways with me to the music.  Do I still feel embarrassed sometimes?  Oh you bet, and we generally keep our dancing to our own home.  But I know that I will cherish those moments with him for the rest of my life, and when we don’t have time to dance, I will be able to think back on these days and remember that feeling.  Sometimes, it's just worth it to step out of your comfort zone to find new comfort in someone's arms. 

Word. Thank you for this a to the mazing post, Bekah!

Be sure to check out Bekah's blog here.

xoxo,

Slow-Dancing Sue and Jump-Jivin' Jen

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

DomestiGals Heart... Boobies!

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Hello ladies! And hello to your ladies, too!

This is a very important post, so listen up.

In case you haven't noticed the all the PINK around you these days - at the grocery store, at Target, and all over the interwebs - this month is Jen's birthday month.

Oh, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

We hope that each of you will take a moment to celebrate your twin gals this month. And by "celebrate" we mean:

* Treat yourself to Sue's most miraculous discovery (courtesy of her Asian mum, of course) - the water bra!

* Or even better, get yourself a water bra bikini!

* Do a breast self-exam. Here's how.

* Or even better, do a breast self-exam every month!

* Remind your sisters, mothers, and girlfriends to do their exams too.

* Join the amazing, fabulous, and powerful Army of Women.

* Help raise awareness about breast cancer by walking or running or both!

* Take to your blogs to help spread the word.

* Donate your dough or your time or both!

* Have we mentioned that monthly self-exam?

Seriously. One in eight women will get breast cancer, so it is hugely important to know your girls inside and out!

For more information about breast cancer, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is a fabulous resource. If you have been affected by this disease (as many of us have been touched by cancer somehow), PinkTogether.com is a wonderful community on MySpace that has been endorsed by General Mills, as part of their Pink for the Cure(TM) awareness initiative. Check it out!

To donate to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, click here.

To join the Army of Women, click here.

To donate to the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer crusade, click here.

And finally, there are many other fantastic breast cancer resources and organizations out there. Please leave links to these in the comments section!

Together, we can help eradicate breast cancer, and make the world a better place for boobies everywhere.

XOXO,

Sue and Jen

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Why DomestiGal Sue loves NYC


Photo courtesy DomestiGal Sue

Jen,

Aren't there just days where you really, really miss NYC? I snapped this shot while walking around the Union Square Farmer's Market a little while ago, and... Well, could you promise me, that when I am 80 years old, that I won't walk around with curlers in my hair?

Please?

The thing is, I'm pretty sure the lady in the red shirt next to her is her daughter. Obviously a mean, spiteful daughter, who doesn't tell her mother when it's a good idea to stay home!

Speaking of mom's, is yours going to visit you soon so that The Lawyer can ask permission to marry you? Isn't that the plan that you're not supposed to know about (but totally know about, obv.)

The latest and greatest is that The Doctor and his family are coming up to my family's for Thanksgiving this year! It'll be a blissful weekend of the Jews meeting the Asian/Wasps. I can think of nothing better.

A to the Mazingly, I think our families will really get along. They've been sending the cutest -- no, seriously, the absolute cutest emails back and forth to each other about how excited everyone is.

It's so beyond Brady Bunch happy that it would even make you throw up, dear Jen.

Love,

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Home Sweet Dorm Room

Greetings, dearest Sue, from my new home!

Ah yes. Dorm Sweet Dorm.

I have now been in my new dorm room for a week, and fortunately my domestic goddessness has inspired me to make it as homey as I possibly can, considering the stained carpet, mildewy bathroom, and very white walls that we are, alas, not allowed to decorate (though I think I could get away with those cute vinyl wall decals everyone has these days - Gals in the blogosphere, any suggestions?).

So, wanna see where I live? (You know you do.) Here I am:

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No, not in the church. That's the belltower that wakes me up every morning. The chalet-looking structure beneath it is my dorm. Picturesque, eh?

So, you know, it's fine. I mean, being away from The Lawyer absolutely completely totally sucks. But at the same time I know this is an important year for me, and I am determined to get as much as I can out of this program and out of my life here.

The Lawyer, for his part, has been A to the Mazing throughout all of this. He gave me a bunch of dormwarming presents, including some college paraphernalia (you know I heart paraphernalia); bridal mags for bedside reading (YES! He went out and bought me bridal mags! That is right up there with buying tampons! I am a lucky girl.); two beautiful orchids - my fave flower; and some champagne. But! The best, most amazing gift he got me is... well, see for yourself:

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Aw yeah dawg! That there is a hand-held DYSON, baby! I mean does The Lawyer know me or what?

Now that I have a Dyson, this place truly feels like home.

(Just don't get me started on how gross it is sharing a kitchen with grad students...)

Ew.

LOVE!

DomestiGrad Jen

Friday, October 3, 2008

If DomestiGal Sue ever got Married...

First of all, a big DomestiGal shout-out to Caz for her guest post yesterday!

Secondly, I've decided to play a game called "If Hell Ever Froze Over and DomestiGal Sue decided to get married..."

If Domestigal Sue decided to go from Domestic Partnership land to Bridezilla status, she would definitely wear this:



Photo courtesy sexywedding-dress.blogspot.com

Okay, seriously. Just kidding. I only thought this picture was hilarious. What's an Asian girl doing wearing pearls? It's way too waspy for me. Also, what's with the pink bow?

Next, I would want this figure -- the Asian Micro Dwarf -- put atop my wedding cake.


Photo courtesy MicroDwarf

I mean, I don't even have words. Is this a total joke? Do people put this on top of their wedding cakes because it was labeled for Chinese brides?!

I would be insulted, except for the fact that I identify as half-Taiwanese, not Chinese.

As a good Asian, I would subsequently play a game of Pass the Seaweed:



Finally, I would send in this pose to the Sunday New York Times Wedding Section, obviously without The Doctor:


Photo courtesy weddingbridaldress.blogspot.com

I *love* those women who send in pictures of just themselves to the Sunday New York Times. Are their husbands so ugly that they can't think of including them? (Mind you, I'll just ignore the fact that this is the most un-bridelike photo I have ever seen; that said, Jen, I'm going to make you pose like this at your wedding.)

The Doctor and I would be put in the New York Times as the token Asian/Jewish couple. There's one every Sunday.

Love,

Sunday Times Sue

PS: Even writing this post gave me bad flashbacks. The last Asian wedding I went to was one of the weirdest experiences ever. My sisters and I were in Taiwan, and we were paraded around with the bride and groom at the reception - when they're saying hi to all the seated guests - because we were different (read "Halfie") looking.

Um, we didn't even know the bride and groom. I think they were friends with one of my aunts, and, frankly, I'm still confused by the whole situation.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

DomestiGals Welcome Caz!

Hello ladies! We are so excited to bring you another fabulous guest writer, Caz from Cherry Blossoms and Vodka. (First of all, how fab a name is that?!) Caz blogs about - well, let us quote her: "my new life in Australia, adjusting to 'the real world' out of uni, sports, shoes, and nights with too much wine. I live to snowboard, and want to see the world before I'm 30. Plus, if you ask nicely? I can say the alphabet backwards, really, really fast."

Enjoy the fabulosity that is Caz!

XOXO,

DomestiGals Sue and Jen


First guest post ever!! (Can you tell I’m excited?!?! Because I am. Fo’ realz.)

So there are many things I have in common with the DomestiGals, thus prompting quite a few potential posts to run through my head in the past week. I could write about living as an ex-pat and getting used to being the Canadian in Australia… but I kinda feel I’ve done that to death on my blog. I could write about AB’s and my life as “domestic partners” and our back-and-forth decision to apply for my de-facto spouse Visa (although I’m more like Jen in that I totally want to be a Bride!!! Just in 5 years. Maybe.) I could write about my plans for eventual grad school, but considering I JUST graduated in May, I have a long time before I plan on an MBA and have done nothing more than poke around at my dream schools on the internetz.

Instead, I decided to share my plan to jump back on the fitness wagon, and how having all the knowledge in the world doesn’t necessarily make it easy. Here it goes…

As I mentioned, I recently graduated from university. I graduated with a degree in Human Kinetics actually. Which means that for the past 4 ½ years* I have studied fitness, health, and sport. I know every muscle in my body; I know the biomechanics of eating an apple, or climbing a ladder (yes, these were actual exam questions, and yes, we totally mimed reaching out and picking up an apple and biting into it, or stood up out of our desks and climbed imaginary ladders.) I know the medical consequences of smoking and the treatment for type 2 diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) and acute myocardial infractions (heart attack). I took classes on fitness training for everyone from sedentary senior citizens to Olympic athletes. Basically, I know pretty much everything and anything about being physically fit.

Somehow** I still managed to gain the Freshman 15. And the Sophomore 10, and the Serious Relationship 20… ok maybe not that much, since I pretty much refuse to step on the scale, but let’s just say that 6 months after high-school graduation I could no longer fit into my prom dress. And I’ve just kept gaining weight since.

Recently I’ve realized that all this weight I’ve gained, has stuck around for 5 years!! 5 YEARS PEOPLE!!! It’s been 5 whole years that I’ve hated my body, dreaded wearing a bikini, and ‘attempted’ to lose weight.

Actually, I lie. It’s been a lot more than that. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always thought of myself as ‘fat’, but only the last 4 years that I really have been. And now I’m no longer in university. I can no longer use the excuse that drinking 12 beers in a night is the norm, and that the reason I ordered pizza at midnight was because everyone was stoned. I don’t live with 5 other people who always provide a more fun activity than going to the gym, and I can’t use studying as an excuse to eat an entire box of Smarties. Mmmm I love Smarties! Did you know there aren’t Smarties in Australia? Or the US? Just M&M’s. They’re missing out. /end tangent.

While I’ve started many weight loss attempts before, they always got derailed when fun parties and communal dinners got in the way of gym-sessions and salads. And after one night of bad eating and the inevitable hangover breakfast I always say “screw it all.”

Basically? I have NO willpower. And I know it. I am the QUEEN of making up excuses to skip the gym, or eat more than I need to. I WANT to lose weight; I just don’t want to give up all the yummy things I eat. I KNOW HOW to lose weight; I’ve just been lacking the discipline to work out when going out is more fun.

But this time? No excuses. I’m no longer in college and I can no longer keep eating and drinking like I am. Unfortunately, it’s time to grow up. I know the consequences and I can’t plead ignorance or lack of knowledge. The upside? Is hopefully I’ll be physically fit, no longer be anxious about team sports, and have a wicked new body to showcase. Maybe for once in my life I’ll actually feel comfortable in it.

The plan: Starts Now. Ok it actually started 2 weeks ago, but then I had a week of vacation with Red (the skinniest girl ever, who eats more junk food then I thought possible), Grand Final weekend –the first big BBQ/drinking weekend of the summer, and the bad news about AB’s Nan and so diet and finding time to exercise were the last things on my mind. I’m back on the bandwagon this week.

Exercise:
• I’ve joined the gym nearby and worked out a schedule for going right after work. (Once I’m home at night, you can never convince me to leave again!)

• Start going to 6:15am classes Note: before this happens AB needs to teach me how to drive the manual car. Because while it’s a 2 minute drive, I know I won’t get out of bed to walk the 10 minutes. 6:00am is an acceptable wake-up time. 5:45 am is most definitely not.

• Keep running the 4.7km loop around work. Do this at least 3x/week***.

• Make plans to incorporate exercise into my weekends. Don’t let AB’s love of couch-potato-ing convince you to stay in. It’s gorgeous out so explore the city!

• Try the Cycling classes. I need someone to kick my butt. Plus needing to cancel 24hrs in advance will keep me from wussing out at the last second.

Diet:
• Measure out ½ cup portions of pasta and rice, and then fill out the rest of the meal with veggies. I am terrible at eyeballing portions, and I loooove carbs. Sure they’re almost always whole-grain, but I could seriously eat 2 cups of pasta if I let myself.

• Eat soup first. I’ve been on a miso soup kick, and the hot broth totally fills me up so I am satisfied.

• Make lunches in the evening to take for work. Bring enough food, and don’t bring cash to work.

• Get over things needing to be fair. Life’s not fair, and AB will always be able to eat 2 cups of ice cream every night without gaining weight. I can’t. He is a very skinny boy with a very fast metabolism and while I can physically fit as much in my stomach as he can, I shouldn’t be able to. Buy his 2-litre tub of cheap ice cream, which he will eat in 4 days. Buy the yummy, 500ml, expensive stuff for me, and save it for as long as possible.

• Go shopping even when AB hates to. Make sure there are always salad fixings in the fridge. Wash and dry the lettuce immediately, so I’m not too lazy to do it later.

Obviously, I’m going to work each of these goals into my life as it comes. Starting out all at once is one of the easiest ways to burn out. I want to develop habits people. Things that stick with me, no thinking required. I know I won’t lose all this weight overnight… It took me 4 years to gain it after all. But I want to be healthy. I want to be able to run 10km in less than 60 minutes (I’m at 72 minutes right now, and I could do it in 60 min 6 years ago.) I want to be comfortable in a bikini, and I want to have more than “such a pretty face”, I want to just be “pretty”.

The advice that’s worked the best for me so far? Make better choices EVERY time. Don’t let one bad decision wreck the rest of your day, or week. Start over the VERY NEXT time you’re faced with the healthy and unhealthy possibility.

*yes it took me more than 4 years… shut up, I went travelling, I didn’t fail anything!

**By somehow, I mean joining the Ski and Snowboard Club and spending about ¾ of my university career drunk. Or hungover and curing it with greasy food and more beer. While snowboarding is athletic, it’s not athletic enough to counteract the 80 Jagerbombs we bought one night (between 10 people!).

***I ran yesterday and my leg still hurts today. While it often hurts when running, it always goes away the second I stop. Must consult ze internetz on possibilities of what could be wrong***

*** While I never condone diagnosing medical conditions online, I have taken many, many anatomy and physiology classes. If I had my textbooks here in Oz, I’d look it up in there. Alas, anatomy textbooks weigh about 50lbs each, and I decided I’d rather bring shoes to Oz then textbooks. I am knowledgeable enough to determine what is crap and what isn’t. Plus, if it continues to hurt, I’ll totally go to the doctor.****

**** Ok I’m lying, I won’t because I don’t have medical insurance here. Shhh… don’t tell my parents. But that’s a whole other can of worms, so please spare me the lecture!*****

*****Must stop using *’s now.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Baby Gladiator Comes Home

Dearest Fat Obsessin' and Biological Clock-Rejectin' Sue,

17%?! You are insane!! I always knew you were hot and have always envied your concave tummy, but DAMN GAL!

For my part, since working out with and getting my knees pinched by Colossus, I have gone from 25.5% down to 20%, where I am currently attempting to stay despite my MBoozeA lifestyle. We shall see. At this point though, between my ever-increasing fondness for Colossus and the ever-decreasing time before I have to fit into my wedding dress of dreams, I have a feeling I will be able to stick to my good workout regimen. 

In other Colossus-related news... guard your loins, ladies!

Baby Gladiator hath arrived into the United Kingdom! This is very exciting. Not only because Colossus and family can begin their life here at last, but also because it gives me an excuse to go back to Cath Kidston for more baby goodies!

I mean, right?

Let me explain. Baby Gladiator was born outside the UK because apparently the maternity care here blows (GREAT. Not that this is about me...). Obv Baby and BabyMama had to wait awhile before Baby Gladiator could fly home. But now the family is together at last.

But back to shopping. If you recall, The Lawyer and I purchased two ridiculously adorable items for Baby Gladiator in Cath's cowboy print. Well! Look at what else she has! I might not be able to resist! After all, BG's first birthday is still an awfully long way away...


A cowboy bear! How cute is this?!

Or how about this:

A "pram blanket" as they call it here. Seriously? I am becoming obsessed with Brit baby lingo.

My ultimate favorite, though, is this:

Oh. Yes. The Cowboy Nappy Bag. But BabyMama can't have it. I've already got dibs.

xoxo,

Biological Clock-Rejoicin' Jen