Wow! Our wedding got blogged! We're famous-like! The wonderfully bizarre Offbeat Bride, a site dedicated to unusual, non white-dress weddings saw our pictures on Flickr and featured us on their blog. Cheers to them for loving our wacky ways!
Posted in: chaosboy, chaoslove, internet, wedding on July 30, 2007 at at 6:13:00 PM 0 comments
So, finally all our planning has come to fruition.
Early on a grey Portland Saturday, Christine and I were joined by our family and friends in our little space-themed ceremony and became husband and wife. Everything went perfectly and we couldn't have asked for anything more (well, maybe a more spectacular sunrise, but what can you do?).
Our costumes - lovingly made by Linda, Christine's dad's fiancée - were absolutely fantastic and admired by everyone. As you can see in the photo above, Christine looked super cute in her "future manga" suit. The ceremony itself was short and simple and our friend Kevin did a great job as our Alien Overlord ... in one of those "only in America" moment, he signed up as our non-denominational minister on the internet in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. The Universal Life Church simply asks for your name and email address and then ordains you via email! This is becoming increasingly popular here, as more and more people want a friend presiding over their wedding, rather than an impersonal judge or minister. Kevin certainly looked the part in his huge cloak and weird alien glasses.
It was wonderful for me to have my parents come all the way out from Australia for the ceremony, and although it probably wasn't quite the wedding they imagined for one of their sons, they really got into the spirit of things. Dad even donned a white radiation suit to greet us in, looking like a scientist from Area 51!
Before we knew it, the wedding was over and the next stage of our life had begun! After all the planning and hoop-jumping to get to this stage, it almost felt anti-climactic for it to be over so soon, but we definitely enjoyed the moment. Now I have to get my residency application in to the US Government ASAP (before the application fee rises three-fold to over $US1000 at the end of July!!) and the process will be complete... finally!!
There are lots of pix from the wedding in both our Flickr accounts, by the way, so feel free to take a look!
Posted in: chaosboy, chaoslove, portland, wedding on July 27, 2007 at at 12:50:00 AM 0 comments
Thoughts on getting married tomorrow.
I would like to tell myself that nothing will be different when Cam and I get married. We will continue living on just as we have before. A day that we have made a vow will only reinforce what we already know and feel about each other. Or will it?
Marriage has its connotations. Unlike dating when there is always the question lingering if anything will become of it or not, marriage is the top notch; the end of the line; the end of the great search. And its relieving of course. The both of you are on the same page now. You can sit back and completely relax on the other person knowing they will not just get up and walk away.
Marriage had never appealed to me. I agreed to it because it was a government requirement in order for Cam and I to be together. I cherish my freedom. But thinking into it further, the concept is a seed that can grow in your brain, it becomes bigger and consumes you and you must wonder... why didn't I do this sooner? Why couldn't I have met Cam like 2 years ago? Where would I be? Certainly ahead of where I am now!
So in conclusion, Yay for getting married! Yay for us! By being together, we can now collaborate on great projects, trips, get great jobs, and expand our little new world. Now that the questioning is over, we can finally move forward!
And as for a main answer on why Cam and I are dressed as astronauts... A: because we are beginning an exploration into the rest of our lives and B: the ceremony won't be boring as hell when we force everyone to watch it.
Posted in: chaosgurl, general musings, wedding on July 20, 2007 at at 3:57:00 PM 0 comments
I have had a couple of birthdays on Friday the 13th before but I had never really done anything with that novelty. This year had to be taken advantage of. Who knows how long it will be before my birthday falls on a Friday again?
Luckily, I had the day off so Cam and I were able to out to breakfast and prepare the house a bit for the bash. It was a small gathering but black streamers and fake ravens sitting here and there always add more effect.
Cam and I discovered much more about Portland, and we are talking about the important things here, like the costume shop and the party store. They are hidden deep within the industry district like a buried urban secret. We stocked up on face paint and christmas-like lights with skulls on them. Maybe no one would show up, but at least the flat would look like an awesome haunted house.
And for a bit more effect we hung up Cam's chest x-ray in the front window.
I was the ecstatic zombie party girl:
Cam and I were the only ones dressed as zombies and I suppose thats the way it is when you're celebrating being in your later 20's. It seems like there is a gap with this trend. You can be aged below double digits or you can be over 40 and people will come to your party dressed to theme.
But anyway!
Kim gave me a sweet espresso machine, which I have tested and need to learn it's particular ways, and Cam gave me hand-made hippy skirt that I am wearing in the pic... which has to be my most favorite piece of clothing ever.
So all and all, it was a wonderful birthday, and Cam spoiled me sufficiently. The party went really well and we drank a lot of margaritas. Kim made chocolate cake and I feel like I'm 10 again, sneaking off to the fridge for another piece with a glass of milk. The best snack in the world. Thanks to everyone for your cards, wishes and/or cash! Love ya!
Posted in: chaosgurl, party time on July 14, 2007 at at 5:39:00 PM 2 comments
Don't believe it when people tell you the Pacific North West is always cold and damp. Today was my first, bona fide, 100°F day (40°C) in America. Luckily, there was a bit of a breeze in the morning, but the afternoon was still and stinking hot. Not as humid as Sydney heat, but still quite warm enough, thank you very much!
So Christine, Kim, Kevin and I went to see Body Worlds 3 down at OMSI - the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. I don't think this type of exhibition has made it down to Australia yet (although there are a lot of imitators and similar exhibitions, so I could be wrong), and it certainly is an eye opener. Plastinated (super super preserved, basically) human bodies arranged in action poses. Muscles, nerves, organs and brains are all on display in all sorts of creative and slightly nausea-inducing ways, but it really is fascinating. The exhibit goes to great pains to note that all the bodies are those of donors, and there's even a form for you to take home if you decide you would like to further science by having your cadaver shown kicking a soccer ball for the edification of future generations. Art, science or showmanship? I'm still not sure, but the sight of a plastinated bactrian camel was something to behold!
Posted in: chaosboy, portland, shows on July 10, 2007 at at 10:07:00 PM 1 comments
So, we've been a little remiss in not letting you all know how our move to our new home went... I guess that we've been more caught up in the doing rather than the reporting of the event! So without further ado, here's some pix of the new abode!
Here's Christine grooving away in the main living/dining room. Dig that funky 1950s fireplace, complete with "floating hearth", as it was described to us. Looks like a nice place to sit during a freezing Portland winter night. We need to hide as much of that wood panelling as possible with awesome art!
This is the kitchen. Again, lots of woodiness on display, but it has heaps and heaps of storage space, a funky blue counter top and a dishwasher! Joy! The oven, fridge, stove and rangehood are all brand spanking new! Plus we bought a microwave at Fred Meyer for $60, so we're all set culinary-wise!
Here's the view up the stairs. We have a half-bathroom on the ground floor which is nice, and the main bathroom is at the top of the stairs. The bedroom is the first door to the right, and then our computer/study is closest to the camera. We love the open space created by the "balcony" at the top of the stairs!
This is our pride and joy... a totally cloud-like California King Size bed (there are two King sizes in America, Standard and California). After the teeny, rock hard futon we slept on at the old place, this bed is like heaven! There's quite a story to be told about our acquisition of this bed - suffice to say that I learned a lot about Consumer Protection Laws in Oregon! But it's here now and we loves it!
The computer room, otherwise known as The Temple of Geek. It has a lovely balcony that overlooks a little courtyard. We bought the cute green bookcase at Porchlight down on Mississippi Ave... gradually filling this place with furniture!
And a look down off our internal "balcony" to the front door. Isn't the light fitting awesome? All part of the style that we love about this place... hope you enjoyed your tour!
Posted in: chaosboy, home, portland on July 8, 2007 at at 8:50:00 PM 1 comments
The Sound of Home
Originally uploaded by Senex Prime.
The Oregon Zoo has a display of lorikeets, small parrots that come mainly from Australia and New Guinea. To most of the visitors from the zoo, these are very exotic, colourful birds, rarely seen.
To me, they're home.
It's only once I heard their distinctive shrill screeches as I neared their enclosure that I realised what an integral part of the soundtrack to my life these little birds have been: I would wake up every morning in Sydney to the sound of flocks of Rainbow Lorikeets (has there ever been a more apt name for a bird?) flashing past my window. We are so lucky to have birds like this in the middle of the biggest city in Australia and we just tend to take it for granted. And it's not just lorikeets - we have Sulphur Crested Cockatoos (the definitive cockatoo), galahs, king parrots, black cockatoos and more. By comparision, Portland seems very quiet and less colourful. All I've really seen so far in the metropolitan area are seagulls, pigeons and scrub jays... none of which are quite in the same category as these wonderful little birds.
Posted in: australia, chaosboy, portland on July 5, 2007 at at 11:23:00 AM 1 comments
So, its not the most exciting aspect of my life but I thought I would touch up on work here. While Cam gets to lounge at home I get to answer iPhone questions but mostly tell people that we don't have them. Its a cool product, don't get me wrong, but I am really enjoying how this product has taken over everyone's mind. People are crazed I tell ya. They come in and get MAD that we don't offer them. One woman tried to trade in her iPod. And its not that we wouldn't take it, she just wouldn't have it any other way than to get an iPhone in return. Store credit just wouldn't do. People should be lucky that Portland has some left at all. Chicago sold out in 50 minutes. So if you want to get an iPhone, get one, and then come to me for all your accessories. Cause, Apple will let us carry those. It's still fun watching the ongoing scurry.
We made our own iPhone.*
*Not real iPhone
Posted in: apple, chaosgurl, weirdness on July 2, 2007 at at 3:07:00 PM 0 comments
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