Color Palette Stuff

Ok, humor me here. I like this blog. It's silly, yes. But lovely images, and I love that these palettes are submitted by readers (like me! Hurray WEB! Yay, user generated content!).

Home Run!

Special thanks to Martin for the video footage!

Engagement Party

IMG_1541, originally uploaded by mandaclose.

We had a lovely day on Saturday - family came from all over New England and as far as Philadelphia to celebrate our engagement. We had so much fun - and it's all documented here. I'm working on the video bits (thanks to my uncle Martin - pictured here with my pop and Cooper!) but am having issues with Blogger uploads (I'll report back when I've posted a few).

Am a bit exhausted now, but just so thankful for Matty and for loving family who were more than game to meet up with us for a rousing game of softball, much wonderful conversation about travel (and food, and life and kids, and dogs, and what have you), a lot of great food and a glass of wine on a leisurely summer afternoon...

Happy Fourth of July!

We are getting the families together up in my hometown this weekend so our celebrations won't stop this evening. We've got a full line up for tomorrow as well - more family is rolling into town around noon so we'll have a great lunch, a swim, and weather permitting, a game of soccer or baseball with the whole group.


We did take a break tonight though to catch some fireworks nearby... always mesmerizing. Hard to catch on film (or in my case digitally) though; this was my best shot. One of my favorite moments of the evening was when we all burst into a final round of the Star Spangled Banner on the way back to car...

Honeymoon Visual Clue #2: Name This Place!*

Happy long weekend to all!


* Photo credit will be revealed upon solving the riddle! Photograph has been used with permission.

Snapshot of the Day

On the way to Shelter Island!

Today's Visual Riddle: Can You Guess the Honeymoon Spot?

M. has made some progress on the honeymoon destination idea. And here are some pics to start building some excitement...
Anyone care to take a stab on where this might be?
I encourage ideas, thoughts and the answer below!!
More clues to come.

p.s., am BESIDE myself with excitement (that should add clue as well)!

Cool Concept for a Thank You Card

Photo from Daniel Krieger

Just found this on my weekly flickr check-in. Cool concept indeed. I love that this is in Brooklyn, and that the couple clearly planned to do this at the end of the night. I also love that the headlights are blurred, so there is action and stillness all in one image. Plus it would be so fun to have been at this event and then receive this Thank You!

The image has quite a few comments on the flickr detail page for those who are interested. I also like this guy's site. Worth a look.

Just Really Liked This Dress

Vera Wang, of course.
A bit out o' my budget, but I can appreciate from afar...

Many, Many Things to Celebrate

It is me? Or is there a ton of things to celebrate this year?

Let's count 'em up:
1.) KIDS! An old friend who I saw last week is about to have a baby any day - and I've just learned of another friend due at the end of the year!
2.) NEW HOUSES/APARTMENTS: I have a couple of friends (and my sis) currently moving into their very own new spaces and as such designing their new lives and routines. Though stressful, the fun part about a new place is the fresh start it provides. Rethink your old bedroom set up! Start fresh on an entirely new storage system! Are your knives cutting it?! Love to visualize the future and how you want your life to be through planning your home.
3.) OLD FRIENDS! Definitely fun to reconnect with old friends and this whole wedding planning process is certainly pushing me that way.
4.) SUMMER! Maybe past two weekends at the beach have gone to my head. But I've gotten a taste of sand, sun and outdoor dining and I am dying to get back to it as soon as possible.
5.) WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE! Don't get me wrong I love email and I adore blogging, but I also have to confess that I am really enjoying my return to paper and stamp forms of communication. I confess I've never been much good at thank you notes (I try, I really do - please accept my most humble apology if I have neglected to send you, dear reader, a hand-written paper-and-ink note of thanks in the past), but I truly believe that this whole experience is changing my thoughtless ways. And I've gotten a few really lovely postcards in the process...
6.) GREAT BOOKS! Just finished James Frey's latest about L.A. - Bright Shiny Morning. I confess that I really enjoyed it. Does anyone have similar type book recommendations that are true odes to the cities in which they take place? Why has no one done this kind of treatment for New York, Boston or Seattle? Or does L.A. have distinct properties that make it ideal for this sort of book? Discuss or comment below. There is a nice wedding scene in the book by the way - so while this one is clearly a tangent, it does tie back.
7.) TOMATOES! The heirloom season is just beginning - and I mean this completely in earnest. Despite the current scare, I still love the good old-fashioned sweet & fleshy tomato. I might remind all who are concerned that any tomato sold on the vine or cherry/grape tomatoes are still thought to be safe. I think my favorite food is caprese salad with a touch of balsamic.
8.) WEDDING! We are getting MARRIED! In OCTOBER! Crazy!

Registry: Check!

As is custom, we've registered! For now at Williams Sonoma and Bloomingdales, though we will continue to adjust over the next couple of weeks. While I have struggled with the whole registry thing (feels very selfish on some level), I also have to admit that wandering around one of the greatest kitchen stores of all time, and daydreaming about the amazing and nourishing soups I might mix up with a state of the art hand-held blender, was pretty fun. It is fun to imagine the future - especially when it includes beautiful absorbent towels and entertaining with a full set of matching wine glasses.

We are also trying to figure out a good place to give in lieu of presents if guests so desire. Some ideas that we are currently kicking around include Kiva (cool micro lending organization that allow people to fund small entrepreneurs around the world in an effort to combat poverty; mentioned by both my friend P. and Bill Clinton in his recent book Giving), Habitat for Humanity, NOLS (M. and I met on a NOLS trip in Alaska in 2005), or a group that is very near to my heart The Student Conservation Association (I worked for this organization during the summer of 1991 in McKenzie Bridge Oregon, one of the best summers of my life). Is it weird that we seem to be having the most trouble agreeing on which non-profit to support?

If you were in our shoes, what non-profit (either mentioned above or something completely new) would you most want to support and why?

All Art is Derivative

L1020080, taken by Josie Close, originally uploaded by margsclose.

And I, like any devoted younger sister, have gotten my grandest ideas from my big sister. This is a shot from J. when Mum visited her in LA earlier this year. I bring this iconic bicycle shot to your attention in order to set up for what follows...

IMG_1330, originally uploaded by mandaclose.

Bicycle shots from Southampton - click on the pic for more from our glorious weekend in the sun. I promise I'll get more done on the wedding front this weekend. Sometimes a nice break is just what the doctor ordered...

Photo of the Day: H/Y 2005

Just a quick flashback to one of our early dates. We actually took off from New Haven after the game and went up to Vermont for a weekend of skiing... It is rather remarkable to look back on all of the fun things we have done together. And to think about the great adventures to come.

M. Goes to a Cheese Tasting

At Murray's.

So awesome! With wine! I was feeling super sorry for myself for not being included (firm only event or some such nonsense) until he showed up at home with a little taster that he got to go... lovely, thoughtful fiancee! Cute too.

This Tomme Crayeuse was lovely...

Snapshot of the Day: Runyon Canyon Park

Just a quick glance back to a glorious walk in Runyon Canyon Park with J. Who knew that a good hike was just a few blocks away from some of the best spots in LA?

What has this to do with wedding planning? Well, personal training, of course. And I like the photo. And J. will be my MOH. And just because this blog is really the things that I am thinking about in the year that I wed.

We also had a rousing game of Ping Pong, but alas, I was so caught up, that I took no snapshots whatsoever.

On another front, did I already tell you that the dress has arrived? "Try on" was Friday. Fittings begin in August (i.e., still time for diet and training before the tailoring begins).

Planning Breakfast

IMG_1104, originally uploaded by mandaclose.

Planning Breakfast: Day of Logistics

We had a lovely weekend in Southampton - got on bikes and just couldn't stop riding. Past all the gorgeous mansions and all along the beach, under the shady trees, a quick stop at the filling station to refill the tires.

On Sunday morning P. and Mum and I went out for a little breakfast (actually an ENORMOUS breakfast, with bacon), and we chatted about plans. Thinking about how the day will unfold in October. Here are some of the things we thought about and decided (just to keep track of what we'll do).

1.) We'll have good neighborhood maps for out-of-towners at the Brooklyn Marriott.
2.) We'll organize a meeting time at the hotel (about a half hour before the ceremony) so that people who want to walk can go with a group, and we'll organize a point person who is familiar with the route to be sure that people get to where they need to be.
3.) P.'s GENIUS idea: We'll give people cell phone numbers of locals (like Pat) so that if anyone is lost at any moment during their stay in NY or Brooklyn, they'll have a number to call for someone for directions.
4.) We'll get a van to circulate all afternoon and evening between the hotel & the church, then between the church & the reception, and then the reception & the hotel... in my good-natured outdoorsy way, I was having a hard time imagining that anyone WOULDN'T want to walk. But that's what family and friends are for: to remind you when perhaps you AREN'T the center of the world, and some people will actually wear beautiful shoes... taxi shoes, or shoes that might require a shuttle bus for instance... and how great is that!? People wearing fancy shoes, to celebrate me and Matty!

Mut and P., have I forgotten anything? Dear Readers, what additional details should I be sure to incorporate? What are the thoughtful details that make attending a wedding more fun and more relaxing?

Vati's Day!

Just a snapshot from today's Father's Day festivities. Lovely weekend at the beach. I gave Vati a book to mark the occasion... we had a feast of a lunch complete with corn and tomato salad, smoked salmon and three berry pie for desert... Lovely weekend all around. P. joined us for the adventure - much time on bicycles and walking around town.

V. fun. More details to come. Now I must sleep to prep for the week...

Taim: The Best Falafel in New York

Seriously.

Went there last night after reading about it in the NYT a couple of weeks ago. It MORE than lives up to the hype.

But beware, no A/C.

Still, if I could enjoy the food despite no A/C on a 95 degree day, the food must be pretty spectacular.

Can you imagine how great it will taste on a lovely October afternoon... check out this info if you are planning a trip.

BONUS MATERIAL: The Complete Food Lover's BOOK LIST

Travel Life List: Kambala Pass

Kambala Pass on the way to Everest, originally uploaded by Claire Newbolt.

This image is just too awesome not to mention. For the honeymoon, or just about any other time.

No word yet from M. on his plans for the honeymoon, but we still have some time (and he is still planning to surprise me). The big question for me is how I will learn the language of our destination without spoiling the surprise...

Picture of the Day: Turtle

Taken in Los Angeles - at the same park and mansion where they filmed the Upton Sinclair Oil film - the one with Daniel Day Lewis... There Will Be Blood (I think, title check?)

Technical Assistance Request: Blogger Template

WARNING: this is not going to be a post of any interest if you are unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts of blogging - feel fee to skip this post if not technically or design inclined.

What's up with the double header? Specifically why my title and blog description appear twice at the top of the blog - once in the left nav and once at the top of the posts column? Any blogger veterans have any idea why my template got all wacky over the weekend? And if so, how can I fix - it's kind of hard to adjust through the usual template (no where to "remove element" on the upper left without removing the title and blog description entirely)? If I ignore the problem, will it go away?

Why can't problems just go away when ignored?
Maybe tomorrow I will simply ignore ALL of my problems.

What's the best problem that you have IGNORED and it went away?
I know most of us pride ourselves on proactively solving problems, but indulge me for a moment here, I am generally such a responsible person...

It's just nice to take a break from time to time.
I think that's why they call it VACATION.

Non-Rhyming Blog Verse - Neither Couplet, Nor Haiku

Just as I give up on my blog,
Something extraordinary happens.

As soon as I am certain
I've nothing worthy of posting (or thinking),
A long lost voice comes from the universe
(or specifically google)
and urges me to continue.

And just when I am sure,
All have lost interest in
My scribblings and snapshots
Someone posts a comment.

Just when I am stunted by fears of too much
Oversharing*,
I meet friends I've not seen in ages, who say,
"OH! I love your blog, and I'm all up to date."

So I'll continue,
Until the inspiration fades,
Until done,
Not just yet.


* as the recent articles in the NYT suggest.
**Thanks to those who keep reading, commenting and reconnecting - this really is just ridiculously fun stuff...

SATC the Movie: All About Weddings! (And Friends.)

Say what you like about Sex and the City, this time around, I loved it! Super fun, probably because it was so on topic. It's as though someone thought, "hmmm... let's make a movie that indulges many of the things that A. is thinking about right now." Specifically (lest you think I am considering botox...), the movie is about great friends, love, weddings and getting married! Perfect for my blog.

Some great bridal gowns (yes, think movie montage) and of course NYC locations (the NY Public Library) are featured, and lots of meditations on love letters. Makes me want to track down the Love Letters from Famous Men Vol. 1 that figures so prominantly in the plot, though I am not sure if the book actually exists. In my search I did come across this article from 1906 though, which is kind of fun. I also felt like the film had a bit of a lesson for me: specifically that a wedding can take on a momentum of its own, and that it is important to remember, through all the crazy details (the DRESS! the FLOWERS! the INVITES! the SPOT! the ETIQUETTE, etc. etc.), the reason we are choosing to have the party in the first place - i.e., we love each other, we want to spend our lives together and we want to celebrate with the people we love. Pretty simple, no?

While there is much to criticize with the movie (as there was with the show), at the end of the day it made me laugh and it was packed(!) - 97% women, most there with their girlfriends, many dressed up in cute sundresses. Also, I liked Jennifer Hudson's performance, super understated and lovely. Definitely fun to see the film so close to it all - P. and I went to a theater in Union Square and had sushi afterwards.

Have any of you found yourself swept up in party planning to such an extent that you have lost sight of the reason behind it? Have you seen this happen to friends? If so, did you tell them? How does one manage to keep proper perspective (and still throw an awesome party!)?

Brooklyn Bridge Waterfall

NYT: ARTS / ART & DESIGN
From a Master of Weather, 4 Waterfalls for New York
By CAROL VOGEL
Published: June 2, 2008
Olafur Eliasson, a Danish-Icelandic artist, plans to create four waterfalls ranging from 90 to 120 feet in height on the New York waterfront. “New York City Waterfalls” will run between June 26 and Oct. 13 at Pier 35; at the eastern foot of the Brooklyn Bridge; between Piers 4 and 5 near the Brooklyn Heights Promenade; and on the north shore of Governors Island.

It's running through October 13th - a couple of days beyond our wedding! How cool is that? We'll be able to have cheesy bride and groom photos in front of a full-on waterfall WITHOUT the trip to Niagara Falls! Should be a fun additional activity during the wedding weekend...

Thanks Mama for the tip!

Il registra di matrimoni

Any one interested in seeing a movie on Wednesday?

Probably a bit arty and odd, but naturally, I'll be checking this one out at some point in the next few days.

MoMA Presents: Marco Bellocchio's The Wedding Director
June 4–9, 2008

Marco Bellocchio, who has engaged international audiences with such deeply felt films as Fists in the Pocket (1965), China Is Near (1967), Leap into the Void (1980), and Devil in the Flesh (1986), not to mention the recent festival-circuit successes My Mother's Smile (2002) and Good Morning Night (2004), returns to MoMA with a run of his recent film The Wedding Director. This dreamlike comedy/drama is set in an "imaginary" Sicily, in which a film director, coaxed into filming a royal wedding, falls in love with the bride-to-be; her father, a local bigwig, is far from pleased.
Organized by Laurence Kardish, Senior Curator, Department of Film.

Upcoming related screenings: Il registra di matrimoni (The Wedding Director). 2006. Italy. Written and directed by Marco Bellocchio. With Sergio Castellitto, Donatella Finocchiaro, Sami Frey. Courtesy New Yorker Films. In Italian; English subtitles. 100 min.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008, 6:15 p.m., Theater 2, T2
Thursday, June 5, 2008, 8:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2
Friday, June 6, 2008, 8:30 p.m., Theater 2, T2
Saturday, June 7, 2008, 2:45 p.m., Theater 2, T2
Sunday, June 8, 2008, 4:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2
Monday, June 9, 2008, 8:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Posting from Los Angeles

Just a couple of snapshots from L.A.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

More later.

Fascinating Article Re: Chinese Wedding Photographer During Earthquake

The Lede: From China, Disaster Caught in a Wedding Lens
By Patrick J. Lyons
Published: May 23, 2008
A photographer happened to be taking portraits of a bride and groom outside an old missionary church when the earthquake struck, leaving him with striking images of before, during, and after.

Memorial Day Weekend

Look out L.A.: Here I come!! Quick trip to visit my sister J. and then some work obligations starting on Thursday. So a pretty packed week. But the wedding planning and blogging won't stop while I'm on the road.

Photo by me! Stage directed by J. Taken in Brooklyn, ironically, on October 11th 2003(!). Only just realized this. How prescient!

Items we plan to kick in the next couple of days:
1.) Find J.'s dress for the wedding. This will be a super fun expedition.
2.) Make-up lessons(!) - my idea. J. is actually quite adept with a brush and therefore less in need of guidance. I'm just not sure I want a professional person on the day of, but I definitely need some lessons. (Does EVERYONE hire a professional? Am I naive to think I could teach myself? I don't really want to be a princess - just me, only a really, really, really pretty me. Am I shallow?)
3.) Trip to the beach... to reflect on marriage of course (and then maybe stop off at the crab shack in Malibu for fried clams and beer).
4.) Physical Fitness - most likely a pool visit. Yes, I am still working out with my trainer. She beats me up 2x per week. I think it's working. It would work even better if I had an ounce of self control around food.
5.) Speaking of food: Eat fresh food. Salads. California Goodness (with a side of fried clams please).

That's my plan. Anyone doing anything wacky and fun this weekend? Better yet, is anyone going to any weddings anytime soon? And if so, could you forward me some pics? Am starving for content over here.

Video: My Grandmother

It's been a while since my last video post, so here's a clip that I shot a couple of weeks ago with a nice photograph of my paternal grandmother. All part of my ongoing family documentation process. One of my fondest memories of my grandmother was the day she attended my college graduation. She surprised me on that day on several levels: 1.) she was actually really proud of me, and she said so, and for some reason I hadn't expected that, 2.) she was incredibly funny about the commencement speeches - making wry comments on the side about the speakers and their stories that made me giggle, and 3.) in the courtyard of my dorm she handed me a beautiful ring, no box, as a graduation present. I'm sure it's not particularly valuable, but to this day, I've only worn the ring on the most special occasions because it's so dear to me that I'd be too gutted if anything ever happened to it.

She, and my other grandparents, will definitely be missed in October.
It should also be mentioned that she also really appreciated a great party.

In the Polls

No, this is not a post about Barry Obama.

So here's where the polls are on clurgel.com:

1.) Chocolate with Chocolate frosting is the RUN-AWAY winner on the cake survey. Now I can't commit to anything - but I'd hate to disappoint.

2.) On the lodging question, many people are in fact local, while some are electing to splurge on fancy hotels in TriBeCa, and quite a few are staying at the Brooklyn Marriott. I say: you really can't go wrong.

3.) Vast majority of readers on clurgel.blogspot.com prefer classic strapless A-line dresses for the bride. Naturally, I can't possibly hint at my plans for October, but I thank all sincerely and deeply for your honest votes. Your input has been noted!

Hope all are having a lovely week.
It's crazy times in wedding planning land...

Am now accepting nominations for the next monthly survey.
Send a sign or comment below.

Random & Cheesy Mix

Can't even PRETEND to be anywhere near as cool on this mix as my buddy Sugarmouth, but it was fun to pull a bunch of random songs together just the same - do you guys remember how much time we spent developing mix tapes? CRAZY thinking about how much time was spent in high school on this single pursuit. Maybe this was because we couldn't blog. Or chat on our cell phones. Or make videos for youtube. Or even consider the term 'social networking', let alone 'mini-app'. Just a thought.

Stay tuned. Will use this tool for a better and more wedding appropriate mix very soon... Or make your own and send me a link! I'm happy to post!

The Pressure Is On!

When the Hokey-Pokey Isn’t Enough from the New York Times
By CLAUDIA LA ROCCO
Published: May 18, 2008
Dancing has long been part of the wedding experience, but never like this: many couples are now adding their own choreographic flair.

I'm not sure we'll have much time to put into this one, but I liked the article. Could you imagine your new spouse busting out to Toxic in a crazy choreographic display on your wedding day? Such an interesting choice. But seriously, it's also sort of riveting. Check out this link. You'll have to click on the wedding link beneath the newsclip on the right of the page. It's pretty much worth every second. I'm just sad that I can't pipe this in directly from YouTube! Must say that I started out a skeptic, but now that I've watched the whole clip, I'm a fan!

Tonight's View from the Park in DUMBO

Tonight I spent some time at the park to get a few sunset shots. It was fun to be out on such a nice evening and the park was full of others set up with tripods, hasselblads and various other sorts of special equipment. Love the little photography club that meets every night there at sunset. The pictures got better as it got darker (and unfortunately, as the air got colder).

I like this image because the prolonged exposure gives the water milky sort of look, and because I'd hoped to capture a tugboat in the frame, but all I got was the starboard running light and the masthead light - as M. commented, "the tug itself is transparent, all you can see is a streak of light."

Afterwards M. came to meet me for dinner at Superfine. Yum.

Mother's Day!

Photo by Hal Close 2008

There was a lovely article in the New York Times Modern Love column today, by Julie Buxbaum, who wrote a book that I really enjoyed called the Opposite of Love. I recommend the book and I really recommend the column, which mum pointed out to me first thing this morning. And I am so glad that she did. I write a lot about M. (as in my husband to be) on the blog, but today is a great opportunity to acknowledge the other M. in my life (as in MOM!) who has been such a major part of all of this wedding planning stuff.

Mainly I just feel so lucky to have my mother as a part of this crazy process - and working with her on anything just seems to make it much more fun. Plus, who else can you depend on to deliver the HARD news about that mermaid dress that you thought looked modern and sophisticated, in actuality, just looked cheap? Whether working on the invite list, the budget, creating a map or just taking a couple of hours off for a fish taco or to sneak in a DVD with hot cup of tea, Mom keeps me going.

Jenna's Dress

P051008SC-0338, originally uploaded by danicaclo.

Pretty, no?

Lovely evening light.

Cake Update

Chocolate Cake is TOTALLY winning the survey!
Why does everyone serve vanilla with fondant?
When truly everyone love chocolate with chocolate buttercream frosting?

I suppose it all comes back to aesthetics.
Isn't that life?

Iron Man: WARNING - Absurd RAVE