Meg and Marc's Matrimonial Musings

Toys for Thoughts

2010-12-17T22:17:00.000-08:00

Remember that feeling you had as a child when you woke up on Christmas morning and just knew that there would be presents waiting for you underneath the tree? My brother and I would get so anxious that we'd be out of bed by 5 and tip toe into the living room, occupying ourselves with what was in our stockings until our folks woke up and we could finally unwrap the packages with our names on them. Some of the presents were "just what I wanted!" and while others may have been "oh, hey, thanks" the thing that mattered then, the thing that still matters all these years later, is that there were presents for us.

Now imagine what it would have been like if there were no presents, no stocking, probably not even a tree. Try as I might I cannot; but that unimaginable past is the all too familiar present for many children. Families just trying to get by don't have the good fortune to buy lots of gifts, sometimes any gifts for their kids.

The good news is there is hope and that is where you come in. The LAFD, along with other local fire agencies and ABC Channel 7 are hosting Spark of Love, a drive to collect toys for kids in need. When we heard about it, Meg and I bought a toy, ready to drop it off at our local station this weekend but as I was reading my Twitter feed tonight I saw that they are still struggling to get enough toys in time for Christmas.

So here is the thing- for each of the first 15 of my friends who will share one of their favorite Christmas toy memories with me, Meg and I will buy and donate another toy to the drive. You can post it on my Facebook wall, tweet it, email it or just comment on this post but you only have 48 hours! Monday we will go and get the toys and then deliver them. How easy is that?!

If you want to help even more you can donate a toy yourself, it's simple and the details are all here

Thanks for your help and Happy Holidays to all!

PS- thanks to ShellyS for the use of the photo (via Flickr)!

Rita Mae at Henry's Beach in Santa Barbara Land

2010-08-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

Our new favorite pastime is taking Rita Mae (AKA the ButterFuzz) to Santa Barbara Land for a long walk and game of fetch and slobber at Henry's Beach. Then we go visiting friends. See her in action!

Happy Anniversary Number Three

2010-05-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

It's our anniversary! Hard to believe that three years have already gone by. In fact we have been married for 1097 days (thanks to the count up clock on our blog). Seems like just yesterday we were standing in Meg's parent's backyard surrounded by family and friends with the "Reverend" Deborah officiating. If you are really curious you can go back and relive the event so to speak in a series of posts I wrote starting with this one. If you are more visually inclined you can always check out some of the pics here.

We are having a great time and we are very thankful for each other and for all the lovely people in our lives who make ours so much better!

*I love this photo, taken just after we said our "I Do's"

Rita Mae Revisited

2010-05-20T12:22:00.001-07:00

How the time flies...we've had Rita Mae for a couple of months now and that old cliche- I can't imagine life without her- is very appropriate. Our "old" routines have become obsolete, replaced by a schedule that revolves around playing ball, going for walks and of course the all important bathroom breaks (no backyard for us to fall back on, it's get on the shoes and head outside).

In a word Rita Mae is well, amazing. She is sweet, she is stubborn, she is insanely fast, loyal, focused, friendly, reticent at times, outgoing at others. Definitely not one dimensional this dog.

Like any "parent" (and I use this in the generally accepted broad definition in lieu of owner, which sounds both incorrect and incomplete) I worry about her getting hurt, I stress when she is being a pain and testing us, I laugh when she is happy and wags her tail, I smile when she blasts across the bark park leaving other dogs in the dust and I marvel at night when she is asleep that she is ours.

We've already taken a ton of photos of her, just a fraction of which have found their way onto our Flickr page.

No doubt there will be much more to come, you can see the last three posts have all been about her but for now, Meg and I are both just so very thankful to have Rita Mae in our lives.

Dog Toys

2010-04-04T20:00:00.001-07:00

So, we've had the lovely little Miss Rita Mae for less than two weeks and she's torn apart every single tough plush toy we purchased. I saved all the innards and have decided to make my own toys. Here's my first attempt. She's been flinging it around all afternoon. . . let's see how long this one lasts.

Little Miss Rita Mae

2010-03-24T14:58:00.001-07:00

We have a new creature in our lives. We adopted her last night from the Dirty Dog Squad. She's a Heeler Mix and is white with rust colored speckles. I took her to the dog park and this is her playing a little ball with fellow four-legged friends. --Meg

Christmas Road Trip

2009-12-23T19:35:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Corona. Today headed out on a road trip to AZ to spend Christmas with Meg's family. If you are familiar with So Cal geography however, you'll note that we did not get very far as Corona is just 50 miles or so from LA. This detour was intentional- we spent the afternoon at Glen Ivy spa- a massage and some time in the mineral bath does wonders for a person.

Tomorrow morning we'll depart for Sonoita but for now its a night at the Ayers Suite, HBO and a full stomach after dinner at Miguel's (which was as it turned out, quite good Mexican food).

Guadalajara Postscript

2009-11-29T21:34:00.000-08:00

Our adventure in Mexico is done. We arrived home yesterday afternoon and already the time in Guadalajara seems far away- I am always amazed at that- the fleeting nature of travel. The suitcases are empty and returned to storage, the laundry is almost done and pictures are being uploaded to Flickr.

Meg wrote a final post that is a great recap of the last days of the trip. I encourage you to read it.

Guadalajara is an interesting town, at once old and modern, quaint and impersonal at the same time. There is much about the city that I feel I have yet to experience. One trade off for having such a focused trip this time. We have made some new friends down there and both Meg and I hope to return soon.

Ultimo Dia en Guadalajara

2009-11-27T16:33:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we return to Los Angeles and while I am definitely looking forward to it, I very much hope to return to Guadalajara before long. The people have been gracious and the time has passed quickly.

Mark's opening last night was a grand success, the crowd was large and appreciative. It was nice to see people experience the work for the first time. Afterward we made our way to bar La Fuente, which has become something of a hang out for the Los Angeles crowd. The place specializes in tequila, cerveza and live music. It was, to say the least, a celebratory environment.

Today there were two more radio interviews and a behind the scenes tour of a ceramics factory in Tlaquepaque. Tonight one more opening and then it will be time to pack.

A postscript from home to follow.

This photo is of the Cabanas- it is so very lovely at night.

Feliz Dia de Accion de Gracias de Guadalajara!

2009-11-26T09:53:00.000-08:00

It's Thursday here, which if we were at home would mean it's Thanksgiving Day but since we are in Mexico, it's Jueves solamente. Well, that's not really true. While Thanksgiving Day is not a Mexican holiday, today is a special day. If you have been following Meg's blog you've received periodic updates about Mark Dean Veca's show (both the ups and the downs) and today is the big opening!

After months of planning and two very intense weeks of installation work, Mark's show opens this evening. The installation looks great and (fingers crossed) assuming that the lights cooperate, it should be a fine time for all. The show has continued to draw attention from the local media, two newspaper articles, one from Publico and the other from La Jornada have published stories and photographs and yesterday Meg and Mark had a talk about the show that felt more like a press conference with several photographers and another reporter taping and shooting the event.

Last night we went to the opening of the Phantom Sightings show, which is a variation on the one that was at LACMA. It was the kick-off for all the visual arts shows. Afterward we went to a party at one of the local restaurants where we had great pizza (okay so not every meal here has been authentically Mexican) and I discovered another new beer (I always try to drink local ones when I can) in Leon, which is made by the same folks who make Modelo. The great thing about drinking "local" is the chance to experience new things but the flip side is knowing that in most cases you cannot enjoy that same drink back home.

Before Mark's opening this evening we will be heading over to the OZ show and then to a grand Thanksgiving lunch. So you see, even if it is not an official holiday here, they are taking care of us Americano's with a special meal.

Tomorrow is our last full day and we plan to head out to Tlaquepaque. In addition to being a major tourist draw, there is a ceramics studio there that has invited Meg to come by.

Until then, Feliz Dia del Pavo!

Un poquito mas

2009-11-24T15:33:00.000-08:00

Es un buen dia en Guadalajara!

The last two days have brought into focus for me just what a big deal the FIL is and how hard all the artists are working to complete their exhibitions. Meg has another update on her blog that you can read here, which gives a great break down of the past 36 hours or so.

I have been helping with Mark's installation a little bit, spending some time yesterday with Meg- opening, expanding and putting the wire frames into the paper lantern shades that will provide the lighting in the show- the finished effect is really stunning. Oh, and speaking of lighting, thanks to a small problem with one of the fixtures I learned a new word- el focco (lightbulb). The work is almost done and now it's really all about Mark getting the time he needs to focus on the black line work without being interrupted too often. With that need in mind I spent part of this morning standing outside the door of the gallery using my meager Spanish- umm, la salla no es abrir ahora (and variations on that) to politely discourage folks from wandering in.

Just before coming down here I got my hands on a new Flip video camera and I've been learning how to use it- taping Mark and Meg being interviewed by a local television station, documenting some of the installation work and other times when I might normally have used a camera. I purposely did not bring one this time because I figured if I did I would not use the Flip. I plan to edit stuff down once I return and post some of it.

We have had some breaks in the action and one of them was also the highlight of the trip so far- a private tour of the Orozco murals at the Instituto Cultural Cabanas. We were treated to an in depth discussion of the work, the artist and how the murals came to be. I was amazed that such powerful, and to my eyes, very political work was able to be installed in the 1930's but I am glad it was!

Tomorrow begins a series of discussions and openings starting with Meg and Mark in conversation about his show and the the Phantom Sightings opening. Thanksgiving day will be when Mark's show opens as well as the OZ show and a big Thanksgiving day meal that the local folks so kindly have put together for us ex-patriots.

Hasta luego!

PS- the photo is of the view we have from our little balcony- the light in the evening is stunning as it bounces off the church next door.

Guadalajara

2009-11-22T16:07:00.000-08:00

Hola! Estamos en Guadalajara. Meg has actually been here for a week already. She is working with artist (and Otis alum) Mark Dean Veca as he installs his installation- Revenge of Phantasmagoria. This show is a follow-up to his solo exhibition last year in the Ben Maltz Gallery. It is one of several exhibitions that coincide with the Feria International del Libro de Guadalajara (FIL)- a major international book fair held annually. Each year a location outside of Mexico is honored, usually an entire country, but for 2009 Los Angeles was selected. The city is already full of Angelienos and the number grows daily. You can read all about the installation and Mark's exhibition on Meg's art blog!

So while Meg has been in country for awhile, I just arrived yesterday afternoon. After catching a morning flight from LAX I landed at Don Miguel Hidalgo Y Costialla International Airport (GDL). My only other flight to Mexico involved landing in Mexico City- one of the most intense environments I have experienced so I was just a tad nervous. This turned out to be a non-issue. If Mexico City is like landing in LAX than GDL is more like Tucson or Burbank- totally manageable. I waited just a few minutes to clear immigration and less to get through customs. From there it was a quick stop to change money and then to secure a taxi to downtown. Taxi's from the airport are highly regulated so it's stress free. You simply walk up to the Taxi counter and tell them where you are going, pay your 220 pesos (about $20 US), get into the cab and you are on your way.

Traffic was heavy so it took nearly an hour to reach the Hotel de Mendoza, which is located in "the Centro" part of Guadalajara. Like so many US cities this one has expanded very far from it's original center and the farther you get from that center the more suburban and "generic" it can feel but here in the heart of the city Guadalarjara's colonial roots are evident from the cobblestone streets to the Cathedrial spires and large plazas. Our hotel, is perfectly located next to one of those plazas and a short walk to many mercados and more importantly to the Instituto Cultural Cabanas, which is where Mark's installation will be.

I love Mexican food so after plunking my bag down in the room Meg took me across the street to a huge open air market for some excellent tacos. These are not the over sized and so often over stuffed Gringo tacos we see at home. These are small and simple but so good. I chose carne asada and was shortly presented with a plate of five. Each one had two small corn tortillas, the meat, onions, cilantro and some additional seasoning- excellent and so very inexpensive. For my tacos, Meg's quesadilla and two sodas the bill was 55 pesos.

From there we went to check in on Mark and the crew and I could see how much work had already been completed. The show looks great. Like I said earlier the FIL is a really big deal here so the artists that are involved are receiving a lot of media attention. Case in point, I accompanied Mark, Meg and Ricardo (one of Mark's good friends, a fellow artist and perhaps most valuable to us, fluent in Spanish) to an interview at Radio Mujer. I sat (very quietly) in the broadcast booth while the host interviewed Mark and Meg and Rick translated on both sides.

After that we were treated to an amazing meal at the home of one of the Museum directors. While waiting for our food we wandered about the house taking in their collection, which was quite impressive. Unlike most homes in the US where much emphasis is placed on showing off the design, this one was completely unremarkable from the street. As soon as you stepped inside however, it was amazing, from the open court yard in the middle to the brightly colored walls- very much in the Spanish tradition. Dinner was like the house- simple but so good. We had lamb that had been baked in the ground inside a clay pot and a rice salad that included diced carrots and peas. Fresh limes, onions and salsas with a range of heat were on the table to use.

Many people here speak at least some English and they are every gracious. Both Meg and I can exchange simple pleasantries and other simple things such as ordering food but it when the conversation moves fast and becomes more involved it makes me very aware of how useful it would be to speak Spanish with greater ability. Toward that end I have been listening to a series of podcasts called the Spanish Survival Guide but for this trip at least, I am dependent on and grateful for, our bi-lingual friends and hosts.

This morning we had breakfast in the hotel with some of the folks here and then, thanks to a tip we went out to what turned out to be one of the most unusual museums I have seen. The Museo de Caza Albarran is only open on Sundays. It is in the middle of a residential neighborhood because it is quite litteraly the home of Senor Benito Albarran, who in his lifetime was a prolific hunter. Upon his death the house was converted to a sort of natural history museum complete with extensive dioramas. There were dozens of taxidermied animals, as small as birds and as large as polar bears. They were all grouped by room and by the region in which they were killed. Now I am not a hunter, in addition to the fact that I am not a good shot, I am not at all sure I could point a rifle at a living animal. The exhibition left me with very mixed feelings. I was impressed that the Albarran family had created a space where you can learn more about animals- there were detailed explanations of many of them and knowledgeable guides but I also felt conflicted about the notion that someone would spend so much energy and time to take so many animals for sport.

Well if one is feeling conflicted our next stop certainly was a fine antidote. For the second time since arriving I found myself in an amazing home. Meg and I along with some of the other artists and folks involved with the shows spent a wonderfully lazy afternoon sitting in a backyard that felt as if we had stepped back in time about 150 years, well except for the pool mind you. More good food- tacos, gordas, fresh fruit, beer (of course) and tequila (Guadalajara is known for its tequila) and some great music really slowed things down in a good way.

Now here I am in our room, finishing this post. The jet lag has gotten to me a bit and Meg is still getting over a cold so tonight we are eating close by. The week ahead includes the completion of Mark's installation, more press interviews for him and Meg and a thanksgiving dinner Mexican style.

More to come!

Reflections On the Power of Many

2009-10-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

It was just after 7AM when Meg turned and walked away from Queen Mary Park, joining the other 2200+ participants in the Avon Two Day Walk the first thing that went through my mind was how proud I was of her. The second was that I had I already been awake for four hours and working for three. On a Saturday morning when most people were not even thinking about getting out of bed yet, I was nearly ready for lunch!

That was the beginning of an amazing 36 hours that took the walkers to El Dorado Park and pack and all of us on the crew on a remarkable journey in support of their effort. When I signed up to crew (read as a verb here) I was not sure what I was getting myself into. As a participant in running races and triathlons I knew that there were a lot of folks behind the scenes but this experience showed me what it really took to manage an event.

Sitting here on a Wednesday evening several weeks removed from it all, I still find myself thinking about what was accomplished by Meg, by me, by everyone involved. Most importantly was the 4.6 million dollars raised to help find a cure for Breast Cancer. Meg raising over 4,000 of that herself and thriving during both days of the walk was huge as well. And me? The Avon Walk was the first time in a long time that I was able to just be a member of the crew, to happily do whatever was needed to do. The lack of sleep was a small price to pay.

Who knows if Meg will do the Avon Walk again. Who knows if I’d be part of the crew- but the experience has left an indelible mark. When I have competed in events myself I have felt the joy of personal success. This produced some of those same feelings and certainly for Meg and all the walkers each of them celebrated what they accomplished as individuals. With that said, if you have never experienced the nearly overwhelming power of collective joy, I urge you to do so. It will stay with you- trust me.

We Did It!

2009-09-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer 2009

This past weekend I walked 39.3 miles with 2,200 women and men to raise money and awareness about Breast Cancer research, testing, and support services for those in financial need. My reasons for walking: my mother is a two-time winner against breast cancer and I wanted a physical challenge. Marc decided to help me by training with and me and signing up for Crew.

The weekend-long event started on Friday night on “Event Eve” at the Hyatt Hotel in Long Beach. As soon as we walked into the lobby, there was cheering. As we road up the escalators young girls working the Youth Crew, were waving pink pompoms and thanking us for walking. We checked in and figured out our tent assignment and I picked up a Champion Fundraiser shirt and hat for raising over $4,000. Marc went off to his crew meeting and I went for a walk.

While walking around the Pike with my Avon shirt on, one of the shop keepers, a woman in her late 40s early 50s, told me that her sister had recently been diagnosed. She just finished paying for a slew of blood tests and could not afford the follow up mammogram because she didn’t have health insurance. This random 2 minute exchange strengthened my resolve and proved that this disease touches us all.

The next morning, Marc was out the door at 3:45am to haul luggage and drive a 24’ truck to the park where we’d be camping on Saturday night. We met at the opening ceremony which was filled with 2,200 stretching, cheering, enthusiastic women and men ready to meet the day’s challenge. I have to admit that my independent, skeptical self was touched by the power of the sentimental gestures and speechifying. A few tears were shed. The big news was that the participants of the Los Angeles Walk raised over $4.6 million dollars for our community!

Having stood in the shadow of the Queen Mary for an hour on cold grass ready to go, the 26.2 mile walk started and a see of pink people began crossing the bridge over to the Pike. It was incredibly moving and a little frustrating because it was a narrow path and it was a snail’s pace for the first 30 minutes. Along the route, there were people cheering every mile of the way. I had expected volunteers to be at every rest stop, but the unexpected was the community honking their horns, stopping at various points playing loud music, and thanking us with shouts, hoots, and hollers.

At one crosswalk near Seal Beach a group of cyclists pulled up. One of the women shouted “You Go Ladies,” as she tried to get the car next to her to honk. When that person didn’t respond, the cyclists all started ringing their bells until the light changed. Every year, a group of Harley riders volunteer to help with traffic control and make sure the Walkers get across the busy streets safely. These men and women in their yellow/green vests with blaring dance tunes coming from their choppers became beacons of hope at every corner and mile. Along the way, dozens of people were holding signs scrawled with slogans like “Save the TaTas,” “Save Second Base,” “Honk if you love Boobs!” and others touting sentiments of love and appreciation: “Go Karen!,” “We love you Mom!” and “Thank you Walkers!” Names of loved ones were written on Walkers’ shirts, sashes, and hats and sadly there were more “In memory of. . .” than I wanted to count.

Saturday’s route took us from the Queen Mary in Long Beach through Seal Beach to El Dorado Park. Around mile 18 I was tired and all I kept thinking about was putting one foot in front of the other and seeing Marc at the finish line. Between mile 20 and 21, I was walking with a 60+ year old woman who said this was her 7th walk and that the last stop she checked she was the 229^th walker. I had no idea we were being counted and thought I was far behind the hoards that crossed that bridge first. So, by mile 24 when the last Rest Stop crew told me I was number 182, a second wind took hold of me and I motored the last 2.2 miles.

As I entered El Dorado Park, the Harley guys and the park staff were congratulating me as I sped by. I focused in on the giant inflatable pink arch and the red carpet finish line. Only a few feet away Marc came rushing towards me and we walked in together surrounded by high-fiving, pompom carrying cheerleaders in full uniform. I was so happy to see him I forgot everything else (except for getting my shoes off as fast as possible).

After a few hugs, a victory snapshot, and getting oriented to the Wellness Village, Marc took me to my luggage and I was so thankful our tent was already set up. He had to go back to work handing out luggage and tents to incoming Walkers. I said I’d meet up with him for dinner, but as soon as I passed the food tent I sat down to eat. It was during dinner that I heard the story of one woman who spent the last year seeing her 13 year old son through a double mastectomy. Then there was a floor show and they introduced a woman who was doing the Avon Walk for the 107^th time and together with her husband have raised $1.2 million dollars to date. The whole weekend was filled with powerful stories of tragedy, hope and love.

That evening was chock-full of sore muscles and gratefulness. The medical tent was filled with blistered feet and dehydrated bodies and the shower trailers were brimming with sighs of appreciation. The whole village quieted down about 9pm into a deep sleep. Marc was back at work by 4:45am on Sunday and at 7:30am the Avon Youth Crew sent me on the 13.1 mile journey back to the Queen Mary with this sage advice: “Drink! Drink! Pee! Pee! Stay away from that I.V.”

Everyone was moving a bit slower as muscles warmed up and the soreness subsided. There were the Avon Rest Stops about every 1.5-2 miles and then some unexpected ones. A local church baked fresh cookies and handed out bottles of water, one woman set up a Mimosa bar on her front lawn, and one shirtless hunky Cowboy danced us on from the top of his truck. People continued to line the route at random intervals to thank us for walking. It made reaching the beach so much easier. It was exhilarating to see the Queen Mary again and the pace speeded up for the last 4 miles. It was a constant ebb and flow between walking alone, pairing up with two or three individuals or being enveloped by a group/team like the Solo Strutters, McBoobies, and Team TaTa.

As I neared the end and crossed over the bridge (the incline was a bit brutal at that point), I hoped Marc would be waiting for me. His Gear and Tent Crew had to unload the luggage and take the trucks back to San Pedro and he warned me that he might not be there. As I approached the park, the roar grew louder and louder. There were a couple hundred people lining the red carpet this time and my hand was sore from all the high-fiving. I made it under the pink arch and started looking around when Marc appeared out of nowhere. He was there, I was done, and we have the photos to prove it.

For the closing ceremony, the Walkers and Crew proceeded in separately. The last to enter were the Survivors. One woman from this group who had recently lost all of her hair touched my hand lightly as she walked by and looked me in the eye and said “Thank you.” Our eyes welled up and she knew she was not alone in the fight. She was stronger for the effort put forth by all those present.

The ceremony pulled at our emotions even more when the Director for the Avon Foundation immediately awarded 7 grants to Project Angel Food, Northridge Hospital Foundation, Council of Community Clinics, USC, Beckman Research Center of the City of Hope, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Doctor Susan Love Research Foundation. It was Doctor Love, who created the Love/Avon Army of Women, who made us laugh with her line “This is sweaty money,” and it is what these foundations need to provide access to free mammograms, support services and experimental research.

The mantra for this campaign is “For 2 days, we walk as 1.” For 2 days we did walk as one and I am forever changed by this experience. Thank you to my friends and family who encouraged me through this journey. Be healthy and love to you all.

Meg Linton

9/14/09

Julie and Julia Just What I Needed

2009-08-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

Meg and I just returned from seeing Julie and Julia- a lovely movie and just the thing I needed. The key storyline centers on blogging so naturally that seems like the thing to do right now. Perhaps more importantly for me tonight however, was one of the other themes woven throughout the film- having a spouse who understands when you are struggling and is there to support you- that is what Meg did in a simple but very effective way.

Work is rather intense just now so this whole week I've been pretty wired and more than a bit brooding (hard to imagine I know) so when we left Otis Meg said we were going to the movies and we were going to see Julie and Julia and we were going to do so at 7:10 PM.

Go see it if you haven't. You do not have to love cooking to love the film (though it doesn't hurt). I was smiling and laughing when we came out of the theater- a marked difference than when we went in!

DAP Revisited or Has it Been a Year Already?

2009-07-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

Last spring Meg and I wrote about beginning our search to buy a condo, which I dubbed DAP (Domicile Acquisition Process). Well as many of you know we completed our DAP in pretty short order, going from looking to moving in just a couple of months.

In fact today is the one year anniversary of our move into our loft and we love it. Boxes stacked four feet high (and everywhere) have given way to a very open and flexible space that has proven to be great for entertaining. I love cooking in our kitchen, sitting on our patio with coffee and the morning paper and hanging out upstairs. Apart from a severe lack of storage (turns out loft can be otherwise defined as no doors and no storage) it's really pretty amazing. Every now and again one of us will spontaneously utter "We live here!"

Add to all this having a park, a restaurant, dry cleaner, bank, Coffee Bean and convenience store literally right outside our door and we are very lucky indeed.

They say as you get older time goes faster and I have certainly found this to be true. The first year in our place did go very quickly and I'm really looking forward to year two.

Small Town in the Big City

2009-07-05T16:45:00.001-07:00

When one thinks about community parades on the 4th of July, you know the ones with vintage fire trucks, the middle school band, your local elected official and all other manner of "local" talent, the city of Los Angeles does not come to mind. It is after all, anything but small at least in the "macro" sense. A closer inspection though reveals that LA is in fact, a very large number of "micro" communities loosely strung together. For example, when I am asked where I live, the answer I would give to someone who was not from the area would be simply, Los Angeles. If however, I thought they had some local knowledge then I would say that I presently live in Playa Vista and have also done so in Mar Vista, Playa Del Rey and Rancho Park- all part of LA but each a distinct neighborhood.

This is all by way of a long introduction to the Westchester 4th of July parade. The neighborhood that is home to Otis, LMU and of course LAX has been holding a parade to celebrate our nation's birthday for 10 years now and if I dropped you blind folded into the middle of it, I suspect you would think I teleported you to somewhere in the mid-west. The parade has all of the elements I described above and more.

The LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce (on which Meg serves as a board member) puts on the parade with a route that runs straight up Loyola BLVD from Manchester to LMU. Last year Meg and I went as spectators but this year we volunteered, serving as "event staff" (you know the title that seems ubiquitous on the backs of shirts at any concert). Our job was to patrol the two blocks between 85th and 83rd streets, making sure that all went smoothly and with an emphasis on making sure that the younger kids (and adults who act like them) did not dash out into the street as the entries went by. This largely entailed standing about and looking just a bit stern (something that comes quite naturally to me). Apart from the occasional dash into the middle of the road to pick up stray pencils, lollipops and peanuts- all of which were being tossed to the crowd- it was pretty easy duty that offered a nice view. I snapped off a few pics and I've posted them on our Flickr page. Have a look, and remember that it is LA you are looking at- small town charm in the midst of the big city.

If you are in the area next year, come out to the parade. It usually starts at 11:00. I'll be the one in the shirt, asking you to enjoy yourself and do please stay on the curb!

Honored and Humbled

2009-06-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

UPDATE- the folks at Chapman snapped a pic of me when I was making my remarks and posted it to Twitpic. I re-posted it below.

Two weeks ago the Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC) held its annual conference at Chapman University (my alma mater). I've been involved in WACAC almost from the day I started working in the admissions profession (and that's over 21 years- oof) and I had the honor of leading the association as its president in 2005.

As a part of each conference some are recognized for their work on behalf of WACAC and I was humbled to be presented with the WACAC Service award. It's pretty overwhelming to have 600 people applauding you but somehow I managed to keep my composure and say a few words of thanks. Afterward I wrote them down:

In 1985 when I was a sophomore here at Chapman Mike Drummy asked me if I'd like a job giving campus tours and I said yes.

The next fall he said he needed an intern for a rookie admissions counselor. I asked who it was and he said Mike Pelly so I said sure.

I know you aren't supposed to actually major in admissions but I came pretty close.

When I graduated I got a job as an admissions counselor at Woodbury University working for Pat Coleman. My parents didn't really understand what I would be doing but they were happy because I had a job and would not be moving home.

One of the first things that Pat did was tell me to get involved with WACAC and I am so glad I did.

I know we get into this profession because we want to work with students but in order to provide them with good service, we must first serve. In order to teach them, we must be taught.

This association is so much larger than anyone individual or school but collectively we make up its success.

I am extremely humbled and honored to receive this award.

Thank you.

Authentic or Anomaly?

2009-06-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

I've lived in Southern California my entire life and I've been a proper resident of the city of Los Angeles for the last 13. I'm amused (and frequently annoyed) at the way in which LA is often portrayed in popular culture- slick, shallow, rich, pretty and employed entirely by the "industry" (film and television).

Add in other long standing beliefs about horrendous traffic, spending more time in one's car than with one's family and the complete lack of a sense of "place" and the stereo type is quite well established if not fully complete.

So why do I bring this up today? Prior to writing this I walked (yes walked) over to the library to pick up a book I had on hold (open on a Saturday!) then stopped by the farmers market (new to Playa Vista this weekend) to pick up fresh bread and fruit and then proceeded to have a nice lunch on the patio while reading said book. It has been in other words, a very local kind of day- one that began with strolling a block away to get some coffee- eat, drink and be very content, all without leaving a four square block area.

An anomaly? Perhaps, but for me an authentic way to spend my Saturday in LA.

Happy 2nd Anniversary to Us

2009-05-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

Today is our anniversary. We have been married for 732 days (according to the little gizmo counter on this page) but two years is easier to remember.

We started the morning with a walk around the neighborhood and plan to end it by spoiling ourselves at Burke Williams!

Birds

2009-05-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

Growing up I was never much on birds. As far as pets went it was dogs and cats and while I did find the Scrub Jay sort of interesting, I was way more interested in finding a raccoon or other four legged critter in our back yard. It's not that I disliked them, I saved that for snakes (and any other animal lacking legs)- they just didn't hold my attention.

Well that has all changed since we moved to Playa Vista. Beyond the many parks and trees that would attract them, our local birds have access to a restored fresh water marsh and the number of different species is remarkable.

It started in earnest when Meg and I began walking each morning. First it was the "hey did you see that..." and "I wonder what that is..." comments and now its all Meg can do to keep me moving along. This morning for instance I stopped dead in my tracks twice- once to watch a group of Mallards flying by (which looks like jet fighters in formation to me) and again when we saw a Cooper's Hawk.

Some of the birds are pretty easy to identify but many are new to me so we got one of those fold out local birds pamphlets, and that satisfied me for a little while. Once I got curious about more than the name of each bird I borrowed a more detailed volume from Mom. I fear I'm one step away from hours spent researching on them online (though I do assure you I won't be joining in on any bird count adventures.

I've embedded a short video of the Red Wing Blackbird. It's apparently one of the most common birds in North America but I had never run across one until coming here. I find its wing colors very cool but it's the call that really intrigues me.

A Snail's Pace

2009-04-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

Most of you know I'm training for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this year. I'm walking every morning for an hour and taking longer treks on the weekend. So, here's a snap shot from today's journey.

Three Cups of Tea

2009-04-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

I am sitting at home, dealing with a mild case of the flu and I have just finished reading Three Cups of Tea, the amazing story of Greg Mortenson’s efforts to bring the gift of education to the children (especially girls) of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Peggy (Meg’s mom) let us borrow it, urging us to read what she called a “wonderful story.” It is that and much more.

Spending my entire career working on a college campus I am keenly aware of the importance and value of education. Being married to an exceptional person like Meg I am fortunate to benefit from the companionship and gift of a highly educated woman. Having said that, I am mindful of the fact that I only see the students who make it through to higher education, a much smaller subset of all those who start school and growing up, Meg enjoyed the unspoken certainty that she would go to school and would be able to attempt any goal she wanted to growing up.

Children in the areas of the world where Greg Mortenson and his Central Asia Institute are working have no such assurances. Each time a student enters a school that has been built they are overcoming challenges I (we) could not even comprehend.

I am not that easily prone to openly advocating for a cause but I have no difficulty doing so for this one. The book is a fast read but the message it carries can have a lasting impact. I urge you to read the book and to support the work of the CAI in whatever way you feel is appropriate. For the amount of money we spend on a single latte at Starbucks three students can be educated for a month in a CAI school.

Everyone who knows me can attest to what caffeine junkie I am but I am happy to forgo a coffee or two to make a small difference. Perhaps you will as well.

Image courtesy Greg Mortenson/Central Asia Institute

Happy Birthday Meg Part Two

2009-03-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

When I blogged on Meg's birthday the piece of information that I left out was that she was unfortunately laid out with a nasty cold and frankly not in much a position to enjoy her special day.

She's much better now so today Fred and Peggy drove up from Orange County and the four of celebrated Meg's birthday with brunch at Piknic.

Peggy also brought a fantastic cake from Heidelberg Bakery (they did our wedding cake too read about them here).

We had a very nice morning and proved the point that it is never too late to celebrate! Happy Birthday again Meg :-)

Happy Birthday Meg!

2009-03-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

Today is Meg's birthday, yep, she was born on St. Patrick's Day. Those of you who know her well (and lets face it if you are reading this you probably do) understand that perhaps it would have been more fitting if she was born on Halloween but today is the day she arrived so wish her well in the coming year!

Meg Is On a Mission

2009-02-25T21:02:00.000-08:00

One of the things (there are many) that I love about Meg is her belief that information is power- when you don't know something you learn about it.

Every three minutes someone is diagnosed with breast cancer- we (the collective we) know much more about the disease now than in the past but there is so much more to learn. Avon has been a leader in that effort for a long time and one key effort has been their Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

This year Meg has decided to help by signing up to walk in September. She'll be walking 39.3 miles (a marathon and a half) over the course of two days. Between now and then she hopes to raise over $1800.

She's already been training- walking six days a week, including long walks on the weekends. I'm very proud of her and plan to do all I can so support her effort. As her training progresses I hope you'll check back here and on her personal Avon page to see how she is doing.

If you'd like to know more, just give us a shout!

*photo of Meg walking along the south rim of the Grand Cayon, Christmas 2007

Facebook for the Fortysomethings

2009-02-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

Working on a college campus, I am very aware of the difference in age between me and the students (if I had any children they'd likely be nearly college age now for that matter). So it's with this perspective that I often find myself approaching the use of "web2.0" tools with a bit of trepidation.

Mind you, I'm not afraid of them at all. I've been blogging for a couple of years now, I send tweets on a daily basis and I've been an avid user of Flickr but when it came to Facebook I had one of those moments where I thought- will the "young people" just think I'm crashing their space? I follow youth marketing pretty closely so I try to ensure that whatever I am doing that it is authentic and "appropriate" for my age.

I held off on creating a Facebook profile for quite some time. When I did finally add one it was only so I could build a page for Otis because you had to have your own profile to administer a page on the site. While I filled out the Otis presence, I kept my own spare- the minimum amount of information, no pictures, no updating of my status, etc. Over a period of months though and after a few colleagues also created profiles I expanded mine a bit- adding education info, a link to Meg's and my Flickr page and a few other tidbits.

Even with all that it wasn't until the first friend from high school tracked me down that I dared to think that Facebook would be a regular part of my day. If you look now you'll see there are quite a few photos- many of them from high school, 80's style and all, and I update my status frequently with everything from "I need coffee" to "making salmon for dinner." Even the chat function gets used now and then.

Meg has her own profile as well and within the last month I've reconnected with several more of my best friends from high school. Recent data even shows that my age group is one of the fastest growing segments (perhaps to the consternation of teens?).

I maintain my awareness that I am indeed "old" but I'm having a good time with my "old" friends.

Arizona Antelope and Quirky Quail

2009-02-16T17:38:00.000-08:00

We spent Valentine's Day/President Days weekend at Melinda and Leonard's ranch in Arizona. It was absolutely picturesque with fields of warm yellow grass and the local mountains sprinkled with snow. We had delicious home cooked meals, slept in every day, and challenged ourselves with an impossible puzzle. The weather was chilly and perfect so there was much wildlife about.

At night the coyotes were active and successful in catching a midnight snack. The herd of antelope that have adopted the property is up to 40 head and they were frisky. While the does looked on a couple of bucks were butting heads and making a nuisance of themselves.

The little quail that live in the backyard were as active as ever and all puffed out in their winter down.
We look forward to the completion of the guest house and visiting again soon! Love you guys. --Meg and Marc

Marc meets his goal!

2009-02-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

This morning, Marc ran his first half marathon in five years at the Surf City USA race in Huntington Beach. Along with 17,999 other runners, Marc finished this beach side course of 13.1 miles in 2:21:22. He beat his goal by 8:48. Apart from two toe nails that are going to fall off and a slightly tender knee, he's doing great and gets to eat whatever he wants today!
Here are before and after photos!

Happy 2009!

2009-01-10T08:09:00.000-08:00

Marc and I had a "staycation" for the holidays and spent time with family and friends. We enjoyed a few local activities like going to the movies, Disneyland, and post Rose Parade float viewing. It was a terrific break.

When we returned back at work, it was announced that Marc has a new title "Assistance Vice President of Enrollment Management and Dean of Admissions." We're super proud of him and glad he is continuing his good work. Way to Go Marc! Here's a photo of Marc with a big plate of fish and the two of us freezing in front of Sleeping Beauty's illuminated castle.

Happy New Year!

Preferential Seating

2008-11-26T07:01:00.000-08:00

It's 7 in the morning and I am sitting on the floor, which in and of itself doesn't sound like much. The thing is, I'm sitting on the floor in the exact spot where I would be sitting on the couch- except we don't have our new one yet- it's coming this afternoon. The reality is that I could be sitting anywhere in our place- we have wireless after all, yet this is where I plunked down almost without thinking about it.

Which got me to thinking- why is it that we tend to sit in the same places over and over again? Habit? Sense of familiarity? Comfort? I'm guessing all of those and several other reasons that would require more formal education that I am willing to give just now.

I can remember growing up that some folks just had to sit in the same pew every Sunday. Some churches even turned that seating preference into a funding opportunity by having families "donate" a pew, which in most cases was also taken as an exclusive license to sit there.

At my last job I had a colleague who applied the idea of where she sat during weekly staff meetings, going so far as to ask any person who was in "her" seat to move. For a while we would take turns sitting there to get a rise out of her, which worked for a few weeks. The real breakthrough came when we began having a new staff member sit in her seat without explanation as why during their first meeting- it continued to confound her and it served as sort of a "welcome to the office" ritual.

Do I have my "have to sit there" spots? For staff meetings- yes, always sitting at the "head" of the conference table. I know I could run the meeting from any seat but I guess I do have a sense of comfort from my chosen spot and it seems to work for my staff as well (not that I actually sought their feedback on the issue- perhaps I should?).

I'm sure there are others but I'll have to sit and think on it...

Well Past Blimbo and Trying to Avoid Zomblog Status

2008-11-20T17:37:00.000-08:00

Today I was reading a post on the blog How to Split An Atom. Our friend Sarah suggested it when she, Meg and I were in a meeting yesterday. Sarah knows that we have our personal blog and that I write The " O" Observed for Otis so she figured we'd enjoy her friend's take on various states of being that blogs occupy online.

In fact I did enjoy it and felt some relief that this blog is developed enough that it is well beyond Blimbo- those many blogs that never make past "this is my first post!" status. I also think we are quite safe from falling into Zomblog- those blogs that are neglected for long periods of time only to be brought back later. Yes, our last post was in October but that's still less than a month so I think night of the living blog has been avoided for now.

Another point in the piece that struck me was that so many blogs get started as a result of life changing events (good and bad). That's certainly true of ours; we started it when we were planning our wedding. Its evolved beyond posts about our menu and our efforts at being sustainable during the reception, which is a good thing, but I will say that once we actually got married that singular focus of our blog went away and we were faced with the decision of keeping it up or just letting it slide into the blog Afterlife. I'm glad we've kept it going and we hope you are was well.

Till next time (whenever that may be)...

Meet Your Neighbors at 3AM

2008-10-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

When Meg and I had our walk through of our new place among the many things they pointed out was the fire alarm. They said that in an emergency it would go off inside our unit and throughout the hallways and that it would be loud.

Turns out loud is an understatement! Last night around 2:30AM the alarm went off, waking us from a sound sleep. Trying to gather our bearings we wandered outside just as some of our neighbors were doing the same. Over the din of the alarm we could hear rushing water and when we looked to the building next to ours, we could see it pouring off the balconies of the top two floors.

We made our way across the street, wondering if the fire department would come. They did, in droves! At one point I counted 10 trucks (give or take, it was the middle of the night). While the firemen figured out what happened we greeted the neighbors we knew and met many more for the first time.

So what was the deal? They've been working on the plumbing and a 3 inch pipe came loose at a fitting flooding a good portion of the (thankfully) one vacant building in the project. The firemen got the water turned off and we were allowed back in to our place just after 3AM. Not the most conventional mixer to be sure but we enjoyed meeting some new people .

Hopefully our next opportunity will happen at a more civilized time and without the alarm!

PS- We Moved

2008-10-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

So here's the thing- we moved! Sure it was back in July and of course we don't have many photos of the new place (or us in the new place for that matter) but we are largely settled in now and very happy. Trading a single level apartment for a two level "soft loft" was quite a change. I'll work on getting some more images up but in the meantime here is a video that Meg took shortly before we moved in (with a guest appearance by our home inspection guy).

Good times at Gallery 825

2008-09-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Art Association is a great organization that provides support and exposure for emerging local artists. One of the primary ways they do this is through their gallery space- Gallery 825.

Meg was asked to jury their latest group show- Novella, which opened last Saturday. It was a great success and I was so proud of her as artist after artist came up to introduce themselves and thank her for including them in the show.

If you are in the area, Novella is up through October 2nd so go take a look!

PS- While you are there check out the adjacent solo show by Otis faculty member Siri Kaur

Happy Birthday Marc!

2008-09-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

Marc shares his birthday with his father. They were born 31 years apart on the same day in the same hospital. We've celebrated throughout the weekend with a movie (The Dark Knight), Sushi, and a fabulous gathering thrown my his mother. We're also meeting with the cabinet guy tonight to start the NHEP (New Home Enhancement Project). So, if you see Marc today, make some kind of aging joke and wish him some happiness.

LA Times Circulation Decreases by One

2008-09-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

We canceled our Los Angeles Times subscription today, not a happy event.

Understand I LOVE reading the paper. We were receiving the "extended weekend" meaning we got the paper Thursday-Sunday. Meg can tell you that by Thursday morning each week, I was practically waiting at the door for it to arrive.

The problem of course is that the quality of the paper has been decreasing for some time. Fewer original articles, consolidation of sections, more ads, etc. I'd been thinking about canceling for a while but it was this week that was the final straw.

Was it some horrible customer service experience? No. Was it some article that infuriated me? No. I told Meg it was time to pull the plug when I read the following headline:

Attackers grab bank guard's gun and shoot him dead in South L.A.

Maybe it's just me but that is not the type of headline quality I'd expect from the Times. The article that followed was not very well written either but it was the headline that got to me.

Perhaps it was just a convenient excuse to do what I knew needed to be done for a while but it's done. Meg called and after enduring the expected "but what about this" options from the representative she read the headline to the rep, suggesting that such a thing might appear in USA Today but should not be in the Times and then politely but firmly said cancel us please.

So come this Thursday if you see me looking just a little glum- understand, it used to be my paper day.

Looky See

2008-08-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

Well, our summer exhibition LOOKY SEE: A SUMMER SHOW just got a great review from Leah Ollman in the Los Angeles Times. It's been an extremely rewarding project because the artists really gave us some beautiful work. It's on view through September 13 in the OTIS Ben Maltz Gallery, so come check it out when you get a chance.

Marc's Mini Mystery Tour

2008-08-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, Marc talked me in to going to the Mini Cooper Takes America event in Los Angeles. It was a total blast. We met at a UCLA parking lot in Westwood and there were 100s of minis from the tiniest originals to the newest convertibles. Marc was in heaven when our grand tour from Westwood to Topanga to the Rose Bowl began with a police escort. When we got to the Rose Bowl, we immediately went to the Auto Cross to drive the new Clubman. Marc screeched the wheels and thoroughly tested the clutch as we raced around the track. I'm proud to say he didn't hit any cones. After a couple of hot dogs we wilted in the heat and took our Mini home. The funny thing about the Mini is before he and I met, he named his car "Mini Megs." So, I guess this was all meant to be.

http://www.miniusa.com/#/play/go_a_motoring/states-m

Marc at the Custom

2008-08-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

Marc has another travel article on Johnny Jet's website. This one is about the Custom Hotel located next to Otis. Check it out!

http://www.johnnyjet.com/folder/archive/MarcMeredithCustomHotel2008.html

Meg's Magnificant Museum Show

2008-07-15T09:37:00.001-07:00

Meg's amazing show- "In the Land of Retinal Delights: The Juxtapoz Factor" opened to great acclaim last month at the Laguna Art Museum. She was invited to curate the exhibition by the folks at Laguna and it turned out so well (spousal bias fully acknowledged)!

The show examines the considerable influence that Juxtapoz magazine has had on the contemporary art world since its founding by Robert Williams back in 1994. With nearly 150 artists and over 150 pieces of artwork, its a feast for the eyes. The night of the opening was a great party. Many of the artists where in attendance and Tim Biskup and Shepard Fairey even pulled double duty by serving as guest DJ's. The celebrity factor was high and included Lance Armstrong and Kate Hudson along with Patricia Arquette.

You can read about the show all over the blogosphere and in the numerous reviews in places like Juxtapoz (naturally) and the Orange County Register (how often are those two publications listed side by side?

The museum is open seven days a week. Click here for directions and hours and the show is up through October 5, 2008 so go see it!

Quilt captures kudos!

2008-06-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

My Mom, Peggy, had a sweeping victory at the 2008 Beach Cities Quilters Guild "FantaSea of Quilts" show this weekend. Her beautiful Baltimore Album Quilt that she spent two years creating earned two of the most honored prizes: Best in Show from the judges and Best in Show from the public. She received both critical and popular kudos for efforts. Way to go Mom!

Now, she is preparing her application for the Road to California show which is the largest and most respected quilt competition in California. The event takes place in Ontario in January 2009. So, keep your fingers crossed and stay tuned.

Meg and Marc's Matrimonial Milestone

2008-05-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today is our first wedding anniversary! One year ago we stood in Fred and Peggy's backyard with family and friends and exchanged vows under the watchful eye of the "Rev" Aschheim. The year has gone by quickly and while we have one year "in the books" in many ways it feels like our journey is just beginning!

Looking forward to sharing more of our stories with you in the coming months.

Cheers,

Meg and Marc

DAP or Is it Possible We can Buy a Home?

2008-05-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

So Meg and I have started looking for a place to buy. Given the continued downward real estate trend, this may be our best opportunity for a while in Los Angeles. We're trying to approach this in a logical manner, though even in its early stages there is something about the whole thing that feels more emotional than logical.

Given my propensity for twisting words I've named this effort our Domicile Acquisition Process (DAP). If it doesn't get us anything else, at least we've got a catchy acronym.

In many ways we are lucky, we love our apartment so there is no pressure to leave until we find something that is really what we want. This is definitely not one of those things you settle on.

And in our continued efforts not to live the commuting life of most Angelinos (we're only five miles from Otisland as it is), we're focusing our search on the communities of Playa Del Rey, Playa Vista and Westchester. All within a two mile radius of work.

As a PR major during undergrad, I learned a bit about using words to create the strongest possible impression but we could all take a lesson from some Realtors when it comes to describing a property. We've been out to see a few places that sounded interesting and ummm, let's just say there's some "separation" between what is written and what we saw. This is my favorite so far:

As described-
2 bdrm + 2.5 ba, 1242 sq. ft. townhouse, located in a quaint, quiet, beaut Tudor-style complex. Needs only TLC cosmetic upgrades. Structurally sound, pre-inspec complete. Opn style kitch inc D/W/stove/refrig. Lrge liv rm features wood-burning frpl. built-in book case, opens to lrg priv patio. Upstairs xtra lrg master w/walk-in closet. Low HOAs.

What we saw-
2 bdrm + 2.5 ba, 1242 sq. ft. townhouse, located in a quaint (small), quiet (dead), beaut Tudor-style complex. Needs only TLC cosmetic upgrades.(read gut the inside) Structurally sound, pre-inspec complete. (this is probably it's biggest selling point and what is pre-inspection?) inc D/W/stove/ Opn style kitchrefrig. (if open means you can stand in the middle and touch both ends) Lrge liv rm features wood-burning frpl. built-in book case, opens to lrg priv patio. (that has not been used in years and has a wonderful view of a fence on its last legs) Upstairs xtra lrg master w/walk-in closet. (once you get past the aged cat sitting on the top step, moving for no one and apparently not yet aware of the impending departure) Low HOAs. (good thing for its not evident what they are using them for)

To their credit, it is listed as short sale and the agent was very nice but yikes...We've already seen others that were nice and I know we'll find our place when we are meant to. This particular place just reminded me that we need to see everything with our own eyes before we think it's a possibility.

Have any tips for us? Stories of your own house hunting adventures? We'd love to hear them!

We'll keep you posted.

Cheers

Earth Day 2008

2008-04-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Earth Day so I thought I'd list three small things Meg and I are doing to try and reduce our impact on the environment:

changed all of our light bulbs to CFL's
do all of our laundry at night when demand for electricity is lower
car pool to Otis whenever possible

Sometimes it's hard to know what to do when issues like the sustainability of the environment are so large and it's therefore natural to be tempted not to do anything. However, consider doing anyone of the things Meg and I have, they're small but do make a difference.

Cheers, Marc

Okay so Marc forgot a few other things that we do. We try to not be in the car for one full day every week. Marc worked with our landlord to successfully create a curbside recycling program for our apartment building. We carry our own bags to the grocery/retail stores, refuse bags when we can, and try to buy organic, locally grown food whenever possible. These are all the basics you hear about over and over again, so we're doing our part and it's super easy.

Where'd the Time Go?

2008-04-20T11:11:00.001-07:00

Good lord it's been over a month since we last posted. What's the deal with that? Well we've certainly have not been lacking for things to do.

Otisland is going well, applications for the fall look strong and I finally got a new Counselor hired so we'll be closer to full staff in a couple of weeks.

Meg just opened Keith Puccinelli: The Wondercommon last night to a crowd of over 500. She's also hard at work on a show she is guest curating at the Laguna Art Museum that opens in June.

We'll try to get something else up before our first anniversary, which is only five weeks away!

Cheers,

Marc

photo of Keith Puccinelli opening 04-19-08 at the Ben Maltz Gallery

Happy Birthday Meg!

2008-03-17T11:45:00.001-07:00

Today is Meg's birthday, I'll let her tell you which one. We often joke that while it is neat that she was born on a holiday, it was probably the wrong one. If ever there was someone who should have been born on Halloween, it's Meg.

Well even if the holiday fates got mixed up, today is the day so please join me in wishing her a wonderful birthday!

Cheers,

Marc

ps- I selected this picture for two reasons- 1. she is wearing green and it is St. Patrick's Day 2. this is the picture of her that sits in my office at work. I took it when we were in San Miguel de Allende in 2005

Postcard Part Two

2008-03-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the Post Office where I mailed the rest of our "New Years" postcards. Clearly a new definition of "late."

A few of you have called or emailed us recently to comment about what a horrible job the USPS must have down for our cards to take so long to reach you.

In this case, please hold them harmless, it is US that held things up.

Cheers,

Marc

Never to Late to Say Happy New Year?

2008-03-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! No seriously. Yes we know its March now. Some of you might remember that our 2007 card was not exactly "on time" so this year we got our card completed in early January. Of course that's only part of the project and after they arrived at home, still in January mind you, we had every intention of addressing them and dropping them into the mail.

Several weeks later...

The card is finally on its way and we thought it would be helpful to provide a little interpretation of the card front-

the background image was um, appropriated...
picture of our May 2007 wedding, it truly was a lovely day and our wedding was our biggest "story" of the past year
penguin image, also appropriated. why a penguin? these hilarious little folks have been a recurring theme in our relationship

If you'd like to know more, we'd love to hear from you so just give us a shout!

We hope all is well!

-M&M

We Saw Some Art In San Francisco

2008-02-22T18:45:00.000-08:00

Hello from San Francisco! Meg and I are up on a short trip- here today, home tomorrow. The weather is lovely this evening and we caught the Olafur Elliasson show at SFMOMA. Wonderful stuff!

Meg and Deborah in St. Louis

2008-02-10T21:11:00.001-08:00

Marc pretty much summed up the reason for my trip to St. Louis in his last post. It was terrific to see Deborah’s new work The Forgetting Curve juxtaposed with a sampling of the Neural Architecture project. Deborah was amazingly generous with the Laumeier staff, student volunteers, and docents, and I feel this project is going to have a profound impact on the community. We had a great time goofing around: getting lost on Big Bend Road for miles and miles, visiting the Kemper Museum at Washington University, the Contemporary Art Museum and the Pulitzer Foundation in Downtown. Here are some snapshots and there’s more to come.

Prolific Prose

2008-02-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

Meg is in St. Louis this weekend for the opening of Deborah Aschheim's latest sculpture installation Reconsider at Laumeier Sculpture Park. Besides being there to support Deborah, she is doing research for the catalog essay she'll be writing for the exhibition, which she's been doing quite a bit of lately.

Her catalog essay for Gary Lang's upcoming exhibition Hybrid Variations (Edward Cella Art and Architecture 02-21 to 04-20 2008) was acknowledged by Lang- "To Meg Linton for coming on board and offering prose to my energy and intentions, while organizing among her many curatorial tasks, numerous two-hundred-mile roundtrip drives out to visit my Ojai studio, and her own wedding."

And this is my favorite paragraph from the essay she wrote for Ann Diener's current solo show Growth (01-19 to 03-08 2008) at Bank Gallery-

"The work not only begs us to enter, it also pushes us around. The overall composition is large, baroque and beautiful. To take it all in, we must step back like land baron and assume the proprietary view while losing sight of the details. Advancing forward we are face-to-face with the intricacies of an individual spider, leaf, or berry- the micro reality. We gain more information but neither stance tells the whole tale. It is about the process. Our to and fro action emphasizes changing perspective. As we grow and move through the world, gaining and losing knowledge and experience, our memories expand and contract, blur, blend, and bleed to assist or hinder us in understanding what was in the context of what is."

If you'd like to read the full text of either essay, let me know. Naturally I'm very proud of Meg and would love to share her writing with you!

Cheers,

Marc

Arizona Adventure Chapter 2

2008-01-12T07:54:00.001-08:00

Wrapping up the recounting of our road trip to Arizona for Christmas...

I already talked about Rocket Day, if you haven't seen the video, take a look. While that event was a highlight of our time in Sonoita, it was not the only thing we did.

Leaving Scottsdale the Sunday before Christmas we had breakfast with some friends, artist Gregory Sale and his partner Michael before heading east on the 10 (yep the same one in LA- it runs from the Pacific Ocean to the Florida coast and I've driven the whole thing) toward Tucson. My back was acting up so Meg did the driving. Crossing through this stretch of the state I remembered why I would not want to live there. Apart from some pretty amazing rock formations, it's long stretches of flat, scrub, desolate land. Such a strong contrast to the rich landscape we had seen in the north. To be fair- these same descriptors could just as easily be applied to parts of California and I would not want to live there either.

Sonoita is south and east from Tucson. A little less than an hour's drive, the latter half on Highway 83. The view turns to winding hills and an increased complexity in the plant life until you find yourself at 5000 feet in the grasslands. This is where Melinda and Leonard live at Red Tail Ranch.

Christmas eve and Christmas day were filled with food, family, food, family oh and food. From grilled cheese and tomato for lunch to decadent dinners, we traded stories and caught up. The weather was cold but beautiful.

The day after Christmas Meg and I took a day trip into Tucson. We had lunch with our friend Dimitri Kozyrev and his wife Joanne, which consisted of surprisingly interesting Dim Sum. Afterward we went to the Pima Air and Space Museum. I had been wanting to see it for a while so it was great to finally wander around amongst all the planes, helicopters and other aviation living history. If you are a fan of military aircraft, this place is a must see. For me the most amazing plane they have is an SR71 Blackbird. This legendary spy plane broke the record for a cross country flight in 1990 when it traveled from Los Angeles to Washington DC in 1 hour, 4 minutes and 2 seconds! The only disappointment of our visit was not finding Fred's bench. Meg's family bought one for him there to honor is time as a F86 pilot but despite our scouring the grounds, we were unable to locate it.

Rocket Day was the next day and on the 28th we headed back to Los Angeles. Leaving Sonoita on a very chilly 24 degrees morning and arriving home to three still alive fish by late afternoon.

We had a very good time. It had been a long time since I'd taken any sort of road trip and Arizona fit the bill very nicely.

Marc and his planes

2008-01-11T23:07:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share with you all Marc's latest writing exploits. As you may know Marc is a total geek about commercial aircraft and can tell you the seating configuration of almost every plane you've ever been on. He's been fascinated with the A380 since he first learned of it. His pal, Johnny Jet, who has a very well known travel blog, knows of Marc's aviation attraction and asked him to cover the second landing of the A380 at LAX airport. Here's the lowdown on the new quieter than ever "it's so big it shouldn't fly" craft. Safe travels. . . . --Meg

http://www.johnnyjet.com/folder/archive/MarcMeredithA3802007.html

Rocket Day

2008-01-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

One of the joys of spending Christmas in Sonoita (more on that in another post) is Rocket Day. An event that has been enjoyed by Leonard's family for years, these are no ordinary hobby store rockets. Capable of flying 3000 feet high, these rockets stand over 3 feet tall and can achieve a 10 second "burn" time depending on the size of the engine that is used. Bulit in parachutes allow it do drift (and man to they- over 1/2 a mile some times) back down to earth.

Thanks to Fred, Meg and I were able to paint our already constructed rocket. We dubbed it "Juxtapoz 1" and it flew successfully three times that day. It is now safe in Los Angeles, retired next to "Penguin 1" (our rocket from 2005). The weather for this year's event was REALLY cold and windy but we all had a great time. Here is a little video that Meg took of our rocket's first launch. I had a little trouble with the fuse but once she launched- WOW. Until our next blast off- enjoy!

Deer Sighting

2007-12-22T20:59:00.000-08:00

Marc and I had just finished a lovely dinner at the El Tovar Lodge and we were walking along the Grand Canyon Rim back to our cabin over at the Bright Angel Lodge. The glowing light of the moon was washing the canyon in silver magic. We were chatting away and clutching each other tightly because it was 15-16 degrees out. We were the only ones on the dark path, when I looked up and gave a little gasp. A doe and buck leaped onto the trail a few yards in front of us. Marc and I stood perfectly still. They hesitated for a moment, assumed we weren't a threat and ran right by us. If I had reached my hand out, I could have touched them. The buck had 5-6 points on his rack and I think he was looking for a little love. Needless to say the doe was having none of it at that moment. The chase was on. . . .
That little encounter with wildlife made the whole trip. --Meg

Arizona Adventure Chapter 1

2007-12-22T20:25:00.001-08:00

Greetings from Scottsdale! Meg and I left Los Angeles yesterday just after 6 in the morning and drove out to the Grand Canyon, a distance of just over 500 miles. Apart from some wind, it was a really smooth drive and we arrived at the canyon just after 3:30.

The Grand Canyon? Beautiful but cold beyond words! We were ready with our winter clothes but even those seemed a poor match for the temperatures, which dropped below 20 by the time we finished dinner. The highlight of the day (apart from the canyon of course)- as we were chattering our way back the cabin two wild mule deer walked right by us! We stood stock still as they passed by but frankly- that buck had one thing on his mind...and it wasn't us.

This morning was clear and warmer- almost to 30...so we took a walk around the rim trail before heading south. Oh, and the next time you are driving along 40East, stop in at the Deer Farm!

More soon...

Hither and Yon and then Beyond

2007-12-20T17:14:00.000-08:00

So despite the serious lack of updating (or perhaps because of it), Meg and I do have a few tales to tell.

We started the month of December by heading to Miami for the Miami Basil art fair (and the 22 other fairs- good lord). Needless to say, we saw a LOT of art. Sadly, a lot of it just blended together but we did see a couple of interesting pieces that we'd be glad to tell you about. We also ate some really good food- go to Michy's! and caught up with some friends. Just to make the trip "interesting" I decided to pull a muscle in my lower back the day we were leaving to come home. As a result I can now tell you more about the ceilings in the Miami Convention Center and the airport than you would ever want to know!

After coming home to do laundry, see the doctor, wrap things up in Otisland, we started our "holiday" by driving up to Los Osos. This under appreciated part of the Central Coast is a great place to get away to for a few days (having said that, after about 4 you'd be climbing the walls). There was much resting and watching of the Food and Travel channels on TV (you have to binge when you don't have it at home). We also visited Montana de Oro state park- amazing trails right on the water and took a drive up to Paso Robles- eat at Artisan! Meg did all of the driving so that I could focus on healing.

We've been home again since the 14th. Much more laundry done, some other household chores and now we are on our way out the door again. Tomorrow we leave for Arizona. We'll be stopping at the Grand Canyon (I've never seen it), Scottsdale (to visit some friends) and Sonoita (to spend Christmas with Melinda, Leonard, Fred, Peggy and the rest of the AZ gang).

We wish you all a wonderful holiday and we'll do our best to keep blogging away in 2008!

Cheers,

Marc

The Rings

2007-11-18T21:01:00.001-08:00

(this is the fifth in the wedding ceremony series, it follows the post "Thanks to our Parents.")

The wedding ring has a special role to play in the wedding ceremony, a key moment in the event where the couple exchange not just words but symbols of their commitment. Some rings have stories behind them- a family heirloom, hand made or significant in some other way. We are fortunate that our rings have all those things.

Meg's engagement ring includes diamonds that her mom gave her- they were Peggy's earrings, and the ring was custom made by our friend Steve- he is a talented jeweler! Working with the earrings and then selecting a mint pardot for the center stone, he was able to create an amazing ring that Meg gets comments about all the time.

Our wedding bands were made for us by our good friend Sauri Roden. She is an Otis grad and does beautiful custom work.

To be able to have Steve Pua along with Sauri and Steve at the ceremony was wonderful and we are so lucky to have our rings to remind us not only of our commitment to one another, but of our friends...

Happy Birthday Blog!

2007-11-12T18:51:00.000-08:00

Today Meg and Marc's Matrimonal Musings turns one year old! Yep, last November we put ourselves out there for the world (okay our families and a few friends really) and boy has the time gone by fast.

We got married in May (the original inspiration for the blog) and have kept updating pretty regularly (though it can get away from you!).

As we enter year two of MMMMs we hope you enjoy and let us know if you have any special requests for posts

Cheers,

Meg and Marc

Thanks to Our Parents

2007-10-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

(this is the fifth in the series about our wedding ceremony, it follows "The Reading")

Meg and I wanted to acknowledge our parents and the role they have played in our lives so I wrote this for them and read it to them during the ceremony.

Thank you to our parents

To you, our parents- Fred and Peggy, Dennis and Carolyn, we owe you great thanks. Your support in all the forms that it took as we planned this day, made the whole experience so much more rewarding. We realize that we, as “grown-ups” have asked you all to play different roles for our wedding than we may have if we married when we were younger. Please know however, that the role we wanted you all, in fact needed you all, to play is the one with which you are most familiar and gifted, as our parents. Your love without qualification is the greatest gift you could give us. The knowledge that you remain ready to shelter us from any harm gives us strength both as individuals and as a couple. Thank you. Thank you for everything…

The Reading

2007-10-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

(this is the third post- after a month plus yikes- in our series about the wedding ceremony, it follows "Thoughts on Marriage")

Leonard read a lovely poem by ee cummings, a favorite of both Meg and I

love is more thicker than forget

more thinner than recall

more seldom than a wave is wet

more frequent than to fail

it is most mad and moonly

and less it shall unbe

than all the sea which only

is deeper than the sea

love is less always than to win

less never than alive

less bigger than the least begin

less littler than forgive

it is most sane and sunly

and more it cannot die

than all the sky which only

is higher than the sky

Welcome and Thoughts on Marriage

2007-09-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

(this is the second posting in the series on our wedding ceremony, it follows "The Procession.")

We were married by our very good friend Deborah Aschheim. An artist by day, we made her a Reverend by virtue of Rose Ministries. Though this was her first ceremony, I thought what she said was really lovely:

I would like to welcome you to the wedding of Meg and Marc. We are here to celebrate and witness and participate in the joining of their two separate lives into one partnership.

Marriage is a joyful thing but it is a very serious decision. You two are promising to love each other for the rest of your lives, to share each others successes and triumphs and to feel as much pride in each others accomplishments as in your own. You are also pledging to support each other through the hard times in life, to be there to give aid and comfort to each other and to be the other one's first ally and best friend.

I have the great pleasure of knowing you both very well and I know that you love each other. I think you both knew when you found each other that this was the person you wanted to share your love with. But I also am very happy to be marrying you because I know you are committed to supporting each other deeply and to helping each other grow as human beings.

I know you both value communicating your true feelings to really listening and hearing each other. I have seen how you each respect the other, intellectually, professionally and as a person, how you value and admire each other and draw strength from your relationship.

It gives me great pleasure to stand in front of these people who love you and marry you today.

The Prosession

2007-09-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the cast of characters for our wedding ceremony:

Meg (bride)
Marc (groom)
Melinda (maid of honor)
Mike (mister of honor)
Lance (best man)
Deborah (that's Reverend Aschheim to you)
Leonard (reader)
Penelope (harp player)

We processed to a very pretty Irish harp song

Meg in the Media

2007-09-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

First it was the NY Times photo, now its broadcast television and YouTube!

In conjunction with her current show at Otis- Do it Now:Live Green, Meg appeared on KCAL9 and KCBS2 to talk about the show just before the opening on August 25th and now she is on the College's YouTube channel along with Yvette Roman and Colette Brooks, who co-currated the show. Just click and play!

Oh and as a bonus you'll see her again on a different KCAL9 piece with Dave Malkoff when he came to visit Otis again for the apperance of the Karaoke Ice truck.

Happy Birthday Marc!

2007-09-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

Marc's now officially in his forties rather than just being forty! His Mom is throwing a lovely birthday brunch for him and his father, who has the exact same birthday. That's right, they were born on the same day, in the same hospital, 30 years apart. Best Wishes to the birthday boys and many more returns. . . .

A Day with Dads

2007-08-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

Spending time with your dad can be a really nice thing. Being able to spend it with both your father and your father-in-law is nice too. Throw in some airplanes and, well it makes for a pretty great day.

Meg's dad- Fred, was a fighter pilot. He flew the F-86 Sabre and was in the Air Force around the time of the Korean War. Marc's dad- Dennis, was in the Naval Reserve about the same time. So when the monthly talk and flight demonstration at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino featured the Korean war, it my chance to spend time with both of them, to hear about the planes that were used in the conflict and best of all, to see a flight demonstration of the F-86 and a Mig-15. Mike (Meg's brother) and Fred's friend Jack and is son Eric also joined in.

We had a great time, heard some amazing stories and watched the Sabre and the MiG put on a really cool air show. I put up a few photos from the day on our Flickr page (A Day with Dads)

The museum is located at the Chino Airport. They have talks on the first Saturday of the month and a big air show every May. You can get more information here.

More M and M Mugs

2007-08-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

So we've added to the "Self Portraits" collection on our Flickr profile.

During Meg's time at MLI, I would join them for occasional outings. Two of the photos are from those adventures, the other from yesterday where we proved you can run errands (haircut and picking up photos at Costco) and be entertained (go to see The Bourne Ultimatum) without a car.

Speaking of photos- more wedding photos will be up soon along with pictures from Italy.

Hey! Wasn't that Meg in the New York Times?

2007-07-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

Yep! If you have read some of the recent posts, you know that Meg just finished the Museum Leadership Institute at the Getty. During part of the program a reporter from the New York Times was shadowing the group and the story came out this past Sunday morning. Friends started calling right away (now we know who reads the Times) to say Meg was in a photo that accompanied the story!

Here's the photo and here is a link to the complete story. Oh and for a more "formal" report on this Meg sighting, you can read my Otis blog entry "I Spy ML at MLI" Enjoy!

So long Getty

2007-07-27T23:39:00.000-07:00

Well, the Getty program is over. I’m looking forward to seeing Marc tomorrow and sleeping in my own bed. My brain is saturated and I hope I can put all this new knowledge to good use. So much to do, so many questions to ask, “Watch out Otis, here I come.” --Meg

What We Said the Day We Wed

2007-07-19T13:20:00.001-07:00

We promised you that we would post the wedding ceremony and I am now making good on that promise. To avoid a very long post, I am going to break it up into the same sections we had in the ceremony.

Procession
Welcome and Thoughts on Marriage
Reading
Words for our Parents
Exchange of Rings
Pronouncement and Recession
Reception

Meg and I figured we had created a 15 minute experience. Turns out, more like seven but it was a lovely day and just as we wanted it.

Enjoy, let us know if you have any questions or thoughts!

Greetings from the Getty Scholar House

2007-07-16T22:19:00.000-07:00

This is my very first solo blog entry ever. I've helped Marc behind the scenes with content for our site and today I decided to throw my voice in the mix. As Marc said I've placed myself in the hands of the Museum Leadership Institute at the Getty for three weeks. At first it was a bit intimidating because my 31 colleagues are running institutions like the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian, Van Gogh Museum, Please Touch Museum, National Gallery of Ireland, The Cloisters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, and so on. Then we started talking to each other and I realized we all are dealing with variations on the same issues just on a different scale (minus the collection issues). Otis' Ben Maltz Gallery might be smaller in comparison but we are mighty! This program is such a gift because of the time and intensity we are given to focus on the mission and operations of our cultural service organizations. The hardest days were last Thursday, Friday and Saturday when we learned how our staff, colleagues and peers perceive us in the work place and received individual assessments of our strengths and weaknesses. It was a process of tearing down and rebuilding. We're working on our strategic initiatives which are changing day by day as we learn more about strategy, implementing change, and what it means to be a good leader. I'm dreading the end of this week because it is all about the money, that's right two and half days on non-profit financial statements. Wooohoooo! It is difficult being away from my man, but I so appreciate the support and encouragement he's given me to go through a rigorous program like this one. THANKS MARC for all your love and understanding. Kisses. --Meg

Look At Yourself!

2007-07-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

So we have this thing about "self portraits." It all started in Italy. On a whim we took a picture of our selves. You know- the old turn the camera on yourself approach. That led to another, and another and when we got home, well after a bit of a hiatus, we have started again. They are all posted on our Flickr pages. Feel free to have a look!

Newlyweds Not Newlyknowns

2007-07-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Meg is attending the Museum Leadership Institute at The Getty this month. It is an amazing opportunity for her. It is also an intensive three week residential program so she is living at the Getty Scholar apartments and I am here holding down the fort.

When we tell people about this several have said some variation on "oh isn't that hard being newlyweds?" Then today at work someone said "it's a good thing you guys aren't really newlyweds."

It was that comment that got me thinking. Meg and I are certainly newlyweds. Defined in various places as a "recently married couple" and generally understood to mean a couple in their first year of marriage.

Having said that, our colleague was right in this sense- We are not "newlyknowns." (Yes I made that up). We lived together for over a year before we got married and I think most people would agree that our wedding day was the beginning of a new exciting chapter in our lives but not the beginning of our lives together.

So what does that all mean? Just that during this three week period when we will not see each other much or even have many opportunities for extended conversations, we've already got a solid foundation built in our relationship. We started our married life with a strong sense of ourselves and of each other. We miss each other- a lot- but can see this as two parts of an adventure rather than missing out on an adventure just begun.

For what that is worth...

More Wedding Photos

2007-06-20T07:20:00.001-07:00

Marc posted a few more wedding photos and he also built a link right to our Flickr page. It's on the right side of the blog, just click on the little Flickr block and you'll go right to our wedding pictures.

Changes

2007-06-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

Now that we're married, we needed to make a couple of tweaks to the blog so we have:

A. changed the count down clock to a count up clock- the number of days we have been married

2. changed the introduction a bit

have an idea for us? favorite request? let us know and keep reading!

cheers...

M&M

First Look

2007-06-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

We've heard your requests (thanks!) and you are, our first wedding photo-

megandmarc

Enjoy! More to come soon (we promise)

Laguna

2007-05-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Laguna. We are here at the Casa Laguna Inn and quite enjoying ourselves. The weather has been quite nice, especially so yesterday (Monday, Memorial Day) and we have largely accomplished our goal of "not doing very much."

In fact we have not even been in the car since our arrival, having ventured out on foot instead for little walks down to Victoria and Aliso Beaches. Today we make our "big adventure" into town for some window shopping and to take in Pirates 3 (yes we are both quite hooked on the series).

We have a few photos to share, should have them posted soon.

Wedding Day!

2007-05-26T08:32:00.001-07:00

It is finally here, we are getting married today!

Some of you might be asking, why the heck are you blogging on your wedding morning?!

Good question, I think we'll go get some breakfast.

More this weekend!

Rehearsal Day

2007-05-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

We are in Mission Viejo, okay well as I write this we are in Laguna Hills but honestly Orange County just blends one huge community into another...

Today is rehearsal day otherwise known as the day before the wedding.

Meg and I are well, nothing more than the regular amount of nervousness (yes I just admitted to being nervous at all) and excited for this afternoon and tomorrow!

Mothers Day Menu

2007-05-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

What did you all do for your moms on Mothers Day? Meg and I packed up the car, made a stop in Pasadena to pick up my folks and brother and then headed down to Mission Viejo where we made brunch for both of our moms. It was a good chance for my family to see Fred and Peggy's backyard and for everyone to spend some time together on what turned out to be a very pretty day.

Some of you all know that I like to cook (if the boxes arriving from Crate and Barrel are any indication, I've got a lot of new gadgets to use in the kitchen!) so Meg and I thought we would post the brunch menu we served.

Have a favorite dish? Let us know, we might just give you a shout to come over to the apartment so we can make it for you!

Mothers Day 2007 Brunch
Spinach Salad with Grapefruit, Orange and Avocado (Joy of Cooking pg 213)
I substituted pine nuts for the sesame seeds

Crustless Quiche (Joy of Cooking pg 140)
I made the Ham and Cheese version adding zucchini and going a little generous on the cheese

Sesame Seed Bread (we bought a loaf at Whole Foods)

Mimosas

Bongo Java Coffee
(if you are a coffee fiend like me, you MUST try this stuff. Dark Horse is my favorite)

What to wear what to wear...

2007-05-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Okay so Meg and I both know what we're wearing for the wedding but we're officially inside the 10 day window so you know what that means...

Yep, what the heck is the weather going to be like on the big day. We'll be checking in at Weather.com often and we thought we'd make it easy for anyone else to do the same thing.

Just click on this link and there you go!

10 Day Forecast for Mission Viejo, CA

Get the Beer and the Wine Because it is Nearly Time

2007-05-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

Alright so nearly being defined as 24 days and change but come Saturday it will be three weeks exactly. We do need to pick up the beer- Pacifico and the wine- Bonney Doon Big House White and the champagne- ideas here? we're stuck on this one and the non-alcoholic beverages.

I'm back from HI and Meg just returned from Lichtenstein so you know that means, yep, we're leaving town again. That's what you do when its nearly your wedding date isn't it? Actually we're just making a quick jump over to Arizona to see Melinda and Leonard- Meg's sister and brother-in-law.

It's all under control...really.

30 Days and Counting

2007-04-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

Aloha. As I write this I am looking at the ocean off Wakiki beach in Honolulu- yes it is tough but I'll muddle through (I'm actually here for Otis work but let's face it, HI is HI work or not). Meanwhile Meg is in Lichtenstein attending a curators conference. As we spoke on the phone yesterday we realized that the wedding is now less than a month away.

Actually, in one the weird ways that time zone differences work, by the time she called me (12 hours difference) Meg as actually less than a month away and I was exactly one month away from the date. Good thing we'll be in the same time zone again soon- it can get rather confusing!

When we posted the notice that it was two months away, we remarked that we really were not nervous. I'm willing to say that now though the prospect of being inside 30 days does lend itself to some amount of "wow that is soon" thinking.

Things continue to go well. We picked up our rings- they look amazing (thank you Sari!) so the last really big thing to finish is the ceremony itself. We've got an outline finished but you know the details can be pesky things...

So, we'll hang on to not nervous for anther day, but check back soon- that just might change.

Words of Wisdom

2007-04-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

Meg and I were at a party this weekend during which one of our friends suggested that it might be good for us "kids getting married" (now there's a stretch) to hear from some of the others present as to their thoughts on keys to a happy relationship.

There was some giggling and an awkward moment or two, the situation provided a bit of insight into some the "wisdom givers" own relationships but it was well, really touching. So much of today's wedding planning revolves around what color your napkins will be (white), where are you registered (see previous post) and will the bride change her name (nope, see post of February 10). To have our friends share good wishes and intentions with us has been one of the most enjoyable experiences we have had in this journey so far.

Here are a few of the offerings we received in no particular order (beyond that in which I remembered them). Have some words for us that you would like to share? Please do! Leave a comment at the end of this post or drop us a line.

Never go to bed angry
Argue often
Learn things independently of one another so you'll have something new to share
Make dinner together
Just slip it in
The two most important words- "yes dear" (he said) or "I'm sorry" (she said from same couple)
Do not raise your voice to each other
Never have a serious argument
Make time to have fun
Support each other no matter what

So where are you all registered anyway?

2007-04-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

Folks have been asking us recently about where we are registered and we are happy to oblige. Here is the list!

Gaiam- A Lifestyle Company
Search by our names or wedding date May, 26, 2007

Crate And Barrel
People can find our registry by searching either of our last names and our
wedding date May 26, 2007

Linens N' Things
Look under Meg's name or by our registry number: 600699110327

Garnet Hill
People can find our registry by searching with my email account
meg_linton@hotmail.com

Heifer International
People can make a donation in our name to this organization

NARAL
People can make a donation in our name to this organization

So is it Really a License?

2007-04-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

Perhaps it is more like a permit?

When Meg and I went down to Santa Ana (county seat of Orange) to pick up our wedding license, the process could not have been easier. We filled out the application on-line, went down to the court house and, because we had done the paperwork ahead of time, breezed right passed all the couples using rows of computers in the waiting room to do the same thing.

Five minutes later, both of us having flashed our California Drivers Licenses to prove our identity, both of us swearing we were entering into this of our free will and of course the $68 fee we were done. We don't even need to bring it back in person, just pop it in the mail within 10 days of the ceremony and we're all legal.

So, back to the title of this post. Is it a license to be married or a permit to get married? Semantics perhaps but I couldn't help but think that if it was really a marriage "license" in the same way that there are licensed professions and licenses to operate vehicles, then wouldn't it be something that was renewed periodically? Shouldn't we carry a copy around? How come it is only valid for 60 days before it expires? The relationship sure is going to last longer than that...

I think they should call it a permit. What do you all think?

60 Days and Counting

2007-03-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

Well we are officially two months away from the wedding, not that we're counting, okay maybe a little bit...

You may have noticed at the bottom of the blog that we have a countdown clock. It was really easy to "install." Just go to ClockLink and check out the amazing gallery they have of clocks and calendar gadgets.

The to do list is rather long, though many items have already been checked off. We are just about to get writer's cramp and "glue" tongue as we prepare the announcements and the related events have begun.

Good thing neither of us is busy at work...

Should We Be Nervous?

2007-03-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

Well according to some of you folks- yes. As our wedding day approaches Meg and I find that among the more frequent comments/questions is- wow, your wedding date is really soon- aren't you guys nervous?

Well, no, not really. We feel like we've got a pretty good handle on things- multi page excel chart to keep track, officiant secured, photographer secured, catering done, etc. So, at least as I write this, nope, we're not particularly nervous.

Should that change, you'll be among the first to know...

Now I lay me down to sleep

2007-03-14T22:49:00.000-07:00

I need a place that's nice and cheap (price that is not quality!). A few folks have asked, where do I stay if I am going to be in the Mission Viejo area?

Well Fred and Peggy scoped things out and found a nice Holiday Inn that should do the trick:

25205 LaPaz RD
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
949-586-5000

Call for Comments

2007-03-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

So this is a shameless request for folks to leave comments about the posts that we write.

Don't be mistaken, we love the emails!

However when we were lookin' over the blog we realized no one comments about the posts and perhaps the reason why is that 1. we didn't ask you to (hence this post) and 2. it might not be apparent how to do so. (click on the word comments and share your thoughts).

We thank you and our blog thanks you...

M&M

I asked for a data entry temp and you brought me a photographer?

2007-03-14T13:57:00.000-07:00

Or so might be a comment that I would make to the AppleOne Employment Agency. We needed some extra help around the Admissions office and they sent over Kristy Campbell. In fact she has done a great job with our data entry but the happy accident is that she is a photographer- an excellent one as it turns out!

After looking over her portfolio with an eye toward having her do some work for Otis, it
occurred to Meg and I that she might be the one to shoot the wedding. We'd seen some "wedding photographer" portfolios and while they were nice enough, they all tended to look, well, like wedding photographers.

Kristy has a great energy about her and it comes through in her work. So we have hired her to shoot the wedding- a major thing to cross of the planning list.

Oh, and we hired her to shoot for Otis too. Not a bad temp gig for her or us!

Go eat at Nirvana Grille!

2007-03-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes you say to a friend- "oh the next time you are in Mission Viejo (or any other city) you should eat at..." well that just won't do this time. Don't wait until the next time you are in Mission Viejo, go there the next chance you get and eat at Nirvana Grille!

Some of you may recall that Lindsay and the folks at Nirvana are the ones catering our wedding. Well we like them so much after too meals there- most recently last night with Meg's folks (Fred and Peggy) that we going to hold the rehersal dinner as well.

The food is REALLY good- try the sea bass and you'll understand why I typed in caps.

To List or Not to List, that is the Conundrum

2007-03-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

We've been struggling with the issue of listing places we have registered. Tradition says that you don't, relying instead on guests to inquire with your parents about such things. So we told both of our mothers- you can ask them if you like- but then we thought, there are many aspects of this wedding that are not traditional so why stand on ceremony this time?

With that said, here is the list (just click on the name of the company/organization):

Gaiam- A Lifestyle Company
Search by our names or wedding date May, 26, 2007

Crate And Barrel
People can find our registry by searching either of our last names and our
wedding date May 26, 2007

Linens N' Things
Look under Meg's name or by our registry number: 600699110327

Garnet Hill
People can find our registry by searching with my email account
meg_linton@hotmail.com

Heifer International
People can make a donation in our name to this organization

NARAL
People can make a donation in our name to this organization

The Food- Oh My!

2007-02-27T22:45:00.000-08:00

We found our caterer! Wait, we didn't tell you we were going to get one...turns out the idea of "do it yourself" when it comes to feeding folks on your own wedding day is while possible, perhaps upon further reflection (and constructive input from Meg's mom) not practical.

So, we needed a caterer- and we found her!

Lindsay Smith-Rosales is the chef/owner of Nirvana Catering. Along with her husband Luis, they also run the Nirvana Grille in Mission Viejo.

Meg found them through a web search, we sent Lindsay an email with the basics of what we needed, she replied the same day and sounded eager to work with us. We made reservations for the restaurant, had an amazing meal- pork tenderloin with a citrus glaze for Meg and Seared Ahi for me, salads for both of us. That sealed the deal.

There will be tasty treats at the reception but why wait...give the resturant a call and find out for yourself!

Putting our money where our mouth is...

2007-02-13T22:38:00.000-08:00

No were not talking about the reception food (though knowing me we probably will soon). We just ordered invitations and we are using a very cool company in Berkeley- Greener Printer Beyond the fact that it was really easy to order, they are the real deal when it comes to being "green."

You can bet we'll be giving them more of our business in the future and we encourage you to as well!

Marc

What's In a Name?

2007-02-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

So a few folks have asked us (well really asked Meg) "are you going to change your name?" We figure its a given that they mean- does Meg plan to become an "MM" or stay and "ML."

To be honest, we never thought much about it. Meg has a very well developed professional reputation. Put differently- she has name recognition as "Meg Linton," and Marc sure won't feel any less married to her by keeping it that way.

Not to worry though, help is just a click away. If you have ever wondered "how does one address a married couple with different last names?" Emily Post to the rescue- just follow this link!

For it to be official, you need an officiant!

2007-02-05T22:32:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that neither Meg or I are involved with an organized religion so you might be wondering who is going to marry us. Our very good friend, Deborah Aschheim is going to do the honors! Through the power of the Internet and after successfully completing virtual divinity school she is empowered to do so.

When she is not busy getting us hitched, Deborah is a successful artist, working in a variety of mediums, most notably working with installations. Her recent work "On Memory" is on extended view at the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh and she is about to embark on her next adventure as the visiting artist in residence at the University of Southern Maine. In addition to working with the students, Deborah's installation "The Forgetting Curve" is on display through March 3rd at the Gorham campus art gallery.

Is That a Ring on Your Finger or are You Just Happy to See Me?

2007-01-24T06:57:00.000-08:00

If you read the post about how I asked Meg to marry me, you may have noted that no where in the tale was a description of a ring. This was not an oversight on my part. The day I asked her, there was no ring.

When we first started talking about getting married among the topics was engagement rings and Meg said she was not sure she even wanted one. I took her at her word and did not procure one prior to the "big ask." As news of our engagement spread, people seemed to take us at our word that the lack of a ring was intentional, not some oversight or lack of conviction on my part.

Over time Meg warmed to the idea of having a ring, moving from a "bling is not my thing" position to one of "I might like a nice sparkle thing."

We talked with our families and a few friends, soliciting ideas. Meg's mom gave her a pair of diamond earrings as possibilities. This was especially generous because they were the rings that had inspired Peggy to get her ears pierced as an adult.

When we were in Italy this past Christmas we saw a few things that looked interesting, and when we got back we went down to see our friends Steve and Pua at their store. Steve was great, showing us various stones that might work with the diamonds from Peggy. He took a lot of time and was incredibly patient. It was the mint peridot that really caught our eye and after a bit more discussion, we had a design. Steve then went about handcrafting the ring. A trip down to check the fit with a wax mold and then the big day when it was ready.

We're really happy with how it turned out an we can't wait to show you!

So, I have a question...

2007-01-09T06:49:00.000-08:00

We were out with some friends the other day, the first time we had seen them since our engagement and they were asking us how the whole proposal went down and it occurred to me that we should share that with all of you. So here is the story-

My original intention was to ask Meg to marry me during our trip to Italy this past December. Seemed like a perfect location and a nice time of year to ask. This past year however, we both lost people who were very important to us- my friend Brad and his daughter Lindsy and Marcia who was Meg's friend, mentor and all around amazing example of how to live one's life. Their passing struck us hard and I thought (if you'll forgive the cliche'), life is too short and if the benefit of geography is the only reason why I'm waiting to ask then why am I waiting.

So if not then- when? Turns out I was going to turn 40 and that meant a party (no I didn't ask her at the party but it's part of the story so be patient...) By the night of the event I had decided not only to ask Meg but also where and when to ask. During the party (some of you reading this were there, which is why I am including it) I was a nervous wreck inside but did not want to tip anyone off. My parents were there, Meg's parents, many of our friends including the one's who would make Meg's engagement ring (Steve and Pua) and the ones who would make our wedding bands (Steve and Sari), you get the idea...

The next evening we had reservations at Caffe Penguini, which was also the site of our first official date. Meg figured I wanted to go there to celebrate a bit more. Our reservations were for 7 and mind you this place is maybe 5 miles away but by 5 I was climbing the walls and in Meg's words "generally freaking out..." I believe my exact words at 6:30 were "we have to go NOW."

When we got there Meg's curiousity and confusion increased in relation to my anxiety. We had a nice outside table. I practically ordered for both of us and was let's just say "brief" in my interaction with our poor waiter- "we'll have the shrimp salad to split and (here is where my memory lapses)..."

The shrimp salad arrived (whew...) and I said to Meg "so I picked this place for a very specific reason." She smiled and figured (this is what she told me after) that I was just honoring the location as the anniversary of our first date approached. Nope :-) "I want to know if you will marry me..."

Meg's first words? "Is this it?" (as in really). "Yes I said, this is it." She smiled and said yes. I exhaled, we ate the shrimp salad, giggled nervously and generally floated out of the restaurant.

Upon arriving home we called our parents and then started spreading the word to all our friends...