Weekend

"Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself." - Og Mandino

Weekend wrap-up: Friday night... my friend Veronica got married to Dan at the most beautiful hotel I've ever seen -- the Mission Inn in Riverside. P had actually just been talking about taking me there when not one day later we get an e-mail from Veronica inviting us to the wedding. So we drove down Friday afternoon and arrived at the lovely Inn around 5:00. We were in our finest... P was in his coat and tails and I was in my new wedding uniform -- the black sequined Betsy Johnson dress that has become my new wedding staple (third wedding and counting). The wedding was beautiful and we enjoyed hearing the best wedding band I've ever heard in my life -- this 11 member band could do latin music, contemporary and old school favorites, and even the have nagilah like pros. At one point the horns came out on the dance floor and were wailing. It was quite impressive. These guys were great, but so were the mariachi band that greeted us on the way out of the chapel and all the other lovely touches. It was quite a party. Word to the wise though... champagne and margaritas are not a great mix.

Saturday was pretty chill. We recovered from the night before and then headed to P's sister's place for her b-day party. She had a great bbq. The food was wonderful and there was a really nice vibe. It also had the very interestingly LA vibe of being full of interracial couples -- of the 5 couples in attendance, all of them were mixed. I felt like I was in the middle of a Benetton ad. Very amusing.

Afterwards, P and I went to check out a record release party that his work was throwing. The record release party was held at a very unique bar called Bar Sinister. The record was a goth compilation, so the party was appropriately held at this goth/fetish club. When we walked in, a man covered in head to toe latex (think Gimp in Pulp Fiction) entered right behind us. Behind him were two guys dressed up circa 1763. As we waited a man with horns and a tail came out to talk to the woman at the front and upstairs a woman in a crazy nurse's uniform was "flogging" a highly tattooed young woman who'd been chained up. I was definitely not in Kansas anymore. It was quite an experience. P and I walked around taking in the costumes and watching some of the craziness. We danced for about an hour downstairs and then went home. Quite an experience in alternative lifestyles.

Sunday was a mellow day -- church, brunch, and football. Good wholesome American fun to contrast the night before.