Thoughts on the Last Kiss

The Last Kiss, the latest coming of age movie from Zach Braff, made me completely uncomfortable. I was hoping for a sort of light, Garden State remake but what I got was a kick in the stomach.

In the film, Zach Braff’s character (Michael) feared predictability, that lack of spontaneity in life that seems to become less common as you get older. Michael is so frightened of domestication that he risks loosing the best thing he could ever have on a fling with a flirty flautist from the University of Wisconsin.

I'd have to agree with Michael-- predictability is frightening. Though it's no excuse to be a cheater. When I was living in New York a few years ago and got to thinking about my next stage, the thought of moving to the suburbs, living 10 minutes from my parents and enjoying a stable life, having never really lived anywhere but the tri-state area, frightened me. Perhaps that’s why I’m marrying a boy from/living in Chicago. He’s making my journey to back to the east coast a little less predictable and a little more roundabout.

When Jenna (Michael’s girlfriend and mother of his child) discovers he is not out with his friend, but a cute “new friend” whom he met a wedding, she goes insane and rightfully so. Finding out that someone you love has cheated on you hurts like hell. I would imagine it's even worse with a baby in the picture. For that reason I often make my fiancé take a verbal oath of loyalty. The oath can be broken for one night only, for and only for a) Wentworth Miller (my celebrity crush) and b) Scarlett Johansson (M’s crush). That little addendum was added after the “list” episode on Entourage when Vince had a romantic rendezvous with an engaged woman. Vince was #1 on the woman’s list—a fiancé approved list of men she could have an affair with before her wedding day. Being that Wentworth is somewhere in Utah looking for DB Cooper’s hidden $5 million with the feds on his trail, I don’t think I have much of a shot.

(Spoiler alert: do not read on if you plan to see the movie)

As for the Last Kiss, Michael was an idiot. Jenna is stunning, intelligent and easygoing, “like a guy” according to Michael’s friends. Kim (the cute brunette) is immature eye candy. It killed me to watch the two of them together. After sitting on Jenna’s porch for days in the pouring rain to earn her forgiveness, Michael is finally allowed back in the house. And that is all we know. Does Jenna take him back? Do they get married and live in happiness with their baby? What would I do if I were in her shoes?

Words of advice from Jenna’s parents have been in my mind since the moment I left the theater. One: it doesn’t mean anything to tell someone you love them. It’s what you do to show your love for that person that matters. Two: life isn’t black and white. Isn’t that comforting? Even though we think everything in life falls into the “right” or “wrong” category, that’s not the case. And sometimes we must forgive and forget and move on…

L.E. + A.S.

In typical Elliot fashion, my cousin's wedding this past weekend was both a tad chaotic and extremely tasteful. Given their reputation as a notoriously late family, it was no suprise to me that the ceremony, which was called for 4 p.m. on Sunday started closer to 5. While the bride was scotch taping parts of her dress to her chest, my Vera Wang bridesmaid dress almost failed me Janet Jackson-style. As I bent over to pick up my 3-year-old cousin's shoe, my strap snapped and part of the fabric ripped! Yikes - wardrobe malfunction! Thank g-d for those safety pins.

Even with all the excitement, the bride was calm, cool and collected. There was so much love and happiness in the room that no one even noticed the missing yarmulkes. My nana, who turns 90 today, sparkled as she took control of the microphone and sang a little ditty to the bride and groom. I fully forgot about my bridal diet and indulged in the Four Seasons' famous cotton candy and merengues. It was an amazing night - take a look:



Me and the bride.

Katie and Dylan under the chupah.

The bride and groom do the hora.

The yummy cake.
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My handsome brother, dad, fiance, and cousin.

*Breaking News*

Congrats to MB & JR on their engagement! A special cheers to Mr. R for his extremely romantic proposal. Not only did Ms. Brown go to Brown and meet her fiance at Brown, but she got engaged at Brown too!

Back in the good old days at AHS, M and I were the morning announcement girls. Our very popular signature sign-off was a random fact of the day. So, in honor of M's engagement I give you this:

Today's random fact of the day: The crock pot is the most commonly given wedding gift in America. (Go figure?!)

289 days to go

Something about my visit to New York this past weekend made my wedding seem so real. I’ve been engaged for 5 months already so you’d think I would’ve had this epiphany a long time ago. Yet for as long as we’ve been going through the motions of wedding planning, I've just sort of felt like we’ve been going through the motions of wedding planning.

On Saturday night I experienced the same feeling I felt on the day I got engaged. Jittery and not hungry. I’m usually somewhat jittery so that wasn’t such a big deal. On the other hand, my appetite rarely fails me. But there I was at Fresco by Scotto, joined by my parents and the future in-laws, poking at the halibut on my plate and picking at the noodles on my fiancee’s (his dishes always look so much better than mine). For a second I thought maybe my body was warning me not to indulge. Italian food and the bridal diet don’t really jive afterall. But it became clear as we studied the menu and talked about what we would be serving at our rehearsal dinner at this very restaurant only a few seasons from now, this was the real deal.

There were a lot of things this past weekend that elevated my wedding alertness state. I took M’s parents to see our wedding venue. And even with renovation in full swing- the carpets in shreds and the curtains in shambles, for the first time I envisioned just how everything would be. I also fell in love with a florist. I said modern and classic, she said orchids and the ideas just flew from there. Don’t be surprised if she ends up a bridesmaid. Speaking of which, after a morning of pampering and gossiping at Paul Labrecque on the UWS, my childhood friend MB became an official member of my bridal party.

More than anything else – what really gave me that “Whoa, I’m getting married” feeling, was the family brunch. Matt’s parents met the whole mishpucha – my nana, my aunts, my uncles, my great uncles, my cousins, my cousins-in-law, my future cousin-in-law, my baby cousins, my newborn cousins…Everyone. We’re all family now. It just hit me.