okeedokee. where were we? ah, yes. the photographer is now booked. the engagement party is ready to go. her parents fly in tomorrow for an extension of the event. the various dinner reservations for the weekend are pretty much in place. our friends and family are modifying and confirming plans for the trek to our comfy little gig. nicole brought home a new outfit for me, but only the shirt fits (which is kinda depressing). we have a ton of cleaning and errands to do tonight prior to her parents’ arrival. something about a clean bed for them to sleep in…i didn’t catch it all; i’m sure nicki will explain it to me later…hehe…

we’re both beginning to get excited about the engagement party. our excitement isn’t only because it means it’s the weekend and we’re tired of the work week. it’s finally right around the corner! it’ll be great to see so many loved ones. i don’t know about her, but it’s exceedingly rare for me to find many of the people i care about in one room at one time. and they’ll be in that room for us! what an honor.

*****

i was in atlanta over this last weekend for a festival of heavy metal bands. during the set of one of the bands, evergrey, there were not just one but two proposals. in case you wouldn’t know, this sort of thing doesn’t occur all that often. the first couple were fans. a blonde woman in a sleek black dress and black stilettos walked on stage and nervously asked her boyfriend to join her. a couple of minutes later, a frumpy dood wearing a t-shirt, laughingly short shorts, big socks, and huuuuuge hair plodded on stage. she explained to us that their first concert together was evergrey, and then she asked him to marry her. awwww. at the end of the set, one of the guitarists proposed to his girlfriend.

witnessing the second engagement begin, my friend paul turned to me and asked, “why didn’t you propose this way?”

“well, i didn’t know evergrey was a dating service band,” i replied. “i never paid all that much attention to the lyrics–perhaps they’re singing their own compatibility tests. besides, i doubt she’d be a big fan.”

indeed, later, when she saw a picture of the band, nicole said, “they look like vampires.”

which makes me wonder if vampires get married. how do they do the paperwork, if they’re only awake at night?