Forecast for my part of the valley today and over the weekend: 108 degrees.

I guess I should be happy I don't live elsewhere in the valley as it's going up to 111 there. Yes, it will be a new record if we reach 108. Yes, I will be forgoing my daily walk (as I have much of this week) in the interest of avoiding heat stroke.

In other news I've ordered a new filter for our ac as it hasn't been changed for years. Apparently it's so old and weird and small they don't sell the size we need in regular hardware stores. I hope it gets here soon because we've been running the ac all night to be able to sleep. I wake up in the morning sounding like Patty (or is it Selma?) from the Simpsons.

Considering the weather, I should be grateful we have an air conditioner. I feel sorry for anyone in the valley who doesn't today.

I don't really have much to say, but I needed to update to move yesterday's grim image along. I always feel a little down on August 6th.

The immigration process is moving along. I have to go in to have fingerprints taken and such in a couple weeks. Hopefully it won't be that much longer until I can work and contribute financially to my new household. Relaxation is great, but after a few months it starts to lose its sweetness.

In other news, surly and I have been going to the gym. While I do feel good after each session, during each session I feel like a seized water buffalo.

From the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

The marker says "1000 Person Mound."

Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for the place to go
Where they play the right music, getting in the swing
You come in to look for a king
Anybody could be that guy
Night is young and the music's high
With a bit of rock music, everything is fine
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...

Dancing Queen - Abba

So it's that time. It's the time to bake chocobanana bread and blast Abba... for some reason.

I can sum up over a month's matrimony in one word: bliss.

*sigh*

Remember I thought our wedding would just be "Do you take blah blah blah?" and vice versa? Well it turned out the ceremony in the concrete bunker in Van Nuys was actually quite beautiful.

We arrived there about half an hour before our 9 am wedding. I managed to twist my ankle getting out of the car as I was so nervous. We were directed to stand in line to get last minute wedding instructions. I almost decked this chick who cut in front of me but figured in the interest of a harmonious beginning to the surly-trixel partnership that getting into an altercation in the antechamber was in all likelihood a bad idea.

While we were waiting in line, another prospective wedding party drove the sole security guard crazy. He was trying to explain they needed to wait outside until they were called in but as they spoke limited english, they weren't getting it. He actually threw his hands up in despair. Finally he managed to hustle them out enmasse.

After conferring with a clerk, we were funneled into a waiting room with our witnesses and made to wait a few minutes for everything to be ready.

Waiting was fun.

They called us into the other private room, the room we figure was once used for interrogation because it shares a two-way mirror with the waiting room. They didn't interrogate us, but rather a female officiant called us up to the wedding arch and gave us some brief instructions... very brief instructions.

I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing and laughed nervously through the first part of the ceremony. Then Surly started making his vows, looking into my eyes. The vows were beautiful, full of depth. I could barely hold back the tears.

Then it was my turn. I'm looking into Surly's eyes, making these very heavy promises to him in front of witnesses (the officiant gave me an extra line of vows she forgot to give surly, by the way), and my voice keeps breaking up. Getting married was definitely a Big Deal. I started thinking about all of the rambling paths and dead ends I'd followed, and wondered how I'd managed to find such an amazing person. I wondered about how I was going to be able to help him realize his dreams and be happy. I guess maybe that's part of what marriage is, a lifelong, day by day process of trying to do the best for your other and trying to be the best for you both. It's all very scary and wonderful.

I think you can see the Fear in Surly's face, or maybe that's just dazed confusion.

After the ceremony, we tottered out into the glorious Van Nuys sunshine and piled into our cars to go to Harry's in Burbank for nuptial waffles.

We were plied with gifts of champagne and naughty toys by our witnesses (Mike, Matt & Lisa). After a yummy breakfast, Surly and I picked up our rental and headed for Vegas. More on the honeymoon in an upcoming journal.

Finally we took all of our recycling in to the plant today. Turns out we should probably sort it before standing in front of all the big stinky bins cuz it's kinda a royal pain in the ass to sort on the run. Three cans in the bin one end. Two bottles in the can on the other. Back and forth. Chichi Status Recycling Woman scowling at me for getting in her way. Beemer guy tossing plastic bottles over my head from his linen lined wicker hamper. Apparently imagewise the recycling plant is the next best thing to owning a Prius.

We treated ourselves to $200.00 of Amoeba afterwards. Yay. I got a bunch of old Tom Waits, Add N to X, Scissor Sisters, an anthology of Canadian folk songs, some Schubert, some Mahler and Sons of the Pioneers.

I'm going to go take a nap now to prepare myself for my friend Mike's BBQ tonight. His roomie bought a trampoline, so I'm looking forward to watching fat drunken people bouncing around on it.

So a brazilian isn't that bad. I've had more pain tweezing my eyebrows.