I Got To Use "Yurt" In This Blog *OR* Get Out Of Town

Ok, I've been gone for a few weeks on vacation. Oddly enough, I was up and down the West Coast, much like I suggested that Radio (B and Corrin's couple nickname) do. 2,726 miles and 12 days later, I have decided not to do that again with an 11 month old. It was a good trip overall, but I am exhausted. Isn't it odd how we always need a vacation from our vacations? Do you ever wonder how your parents used to do it? I just chalked it up to parental magic.

This brings us to the topic of today's post, needed a break after the wedding. I don't care much about the bride and groom. I've been there and done that. For those who were around the day after the wedding know that my wife and myself were tired and a bit cranky. Okay, I admit, I was the cranky one.

It is a lot of work to put together and attend your own wedding. It means long days. Not only are you planning the wedding, but you are getting together all those cousins you never thought you had and finding them last-minute places to stay, like my yurt.

 But then you are still putting together your honeymoon and trying to high-tail it as quickly as possible out of town to avoid your new in-laws (ha ha ha....ha.........ha...........ha....................ha?) Now you have to pack for the trip of a lifetime, all while making sure your passport matches your old name because you haven't changed to your new name yet. Phew, I am exhausted just from typing about it all.

Now let's focus on us, the wedding guest. With any sort of destination wedding there comes planning. Sure, you have to bring your wedding get-up. I was thinking about this, they can edit it out in post-production, right? If you look closely here, I think I am wearing ice skates. Don't know why.

Ok, so wedding attire, day before and day after clothes, maybe a wedding gift. You probably want to see my cute kid, so I guess I'll bring him, which brings up a whole new basket of trouble. Camera? Sure. Toilet paper? Multiple uses. Fireworks? Oh yeah. Baseball bat? Maybe, Uncle Ron has been getting a little crazy lately. Breath mints? Gotta, the wife gets all romantic at weddings. Crude jokes? Yup, the are all written down. Condiments? Can't tell you what those are for, but Greg knows.

After all this trouble, I think Radio owes us all a little vacation. I think we, as wedding guests, would all love a trip to Hawaii for a week or two, just to unwind. It is stressful getting ready for this wedding. In fact, the poor sap that writes this blog should have about a month in Hawaii. Make it happen. You know how to reach me and where to send the tickets. I'll be waiting.

You Like Me, You Really Like Me *OR* How To Be Gracious

I had lunch with some friends the other day and the topic of this delightful blog came up. I know what you are thinking, and no, I did not bring it up (I don't think). It was brought to my attention that this blog is the single greatest thing known to mankind and had surpassed the picture of Brent Lee's head on Vanilla Ice's body to get there. Who am I to argue this fact? It was also brought to my attention that we hardly talk about the wedding anymore. Well, Antoinette, that might change in this post. Oh sure, we're off to a bad start. But I have mentioned the groom and the fact that there is a wedding, so I think we're on the right track.

Some people relish time in the spotlight, when all eyes are focused on them and a crowd is captivated simply by who they are or what they are doing. Other people wish that people would stop looking at them and just leave them alone. We're not here to talk about which one I am (the answer might actually surprise you).

As it will be your wedding day B and Corrin (or Radio as I have called them- check an earlier post for why), those people will be staring at you. Now, I know for a fact that half of Radio (B in particular) does not care for much attention. Granted, this doesn't explain why I have seen him run around in a thong (let's just say there was alcohol involved, but I won't say more than that- sorry B). Typically B would prefer to be a wallflower, which is one of the reasons this blog is so freakin' funny, and so is the Twitter feed. In a moment of reflection, I may have to take that all back. B is the guy, who in 7th grade, broke out the Roger Rabbit at a junior high dance. Remember folks, junior high dances were all about how far into the wall you could push your back.

Now, I haven't known Corrin all that long, but I sense that she enjoys a little spotlight here and there. It's a good thing too, because as my wife and I have proved, you can't have two wallflowers.

Of course, this will be magnified at the wedding, as all eyes are on the bride. Every little thing she does, every move she makes.
Person 1: "Did she just wink at someone? Can you DO that at your wedding?"
Person 2: "Relax, I think it was her sister."
Person 1:"Oh, but I think she just hit her new husband."
Person 2:"No, she was wiping salad dressing off his face. Calm down."
Person 1:"I'll try. Wait, she just stopped holding his hand."
Person 2:"OK, knock it off, he is about to do the Roger Rabbit."
Person 1:"Ooooh, I've heard things about his Roger Rabbit."

All those eyes can make you a bit paranoid. Don't let it get to you. Just keep on keeping on. Half of those people won't remember what on earth you did that night. Have fun and tip your waiter. And tip your blog writers too. They have families and huge overheads. Do you know how expensive it is to maintain a free website?

Anything K-Dub Can Do, Radio Can Do Better *OR* Making Something Out Of Nothing

A lot of us married folk have gone into a great depression recently. No, not because the Harry Potter movies are over or that the NBA is locked out (in the off-season, who cares?). No, we're depressed because the wedding of Kate & Will has come and gone. For months we wondered how we could live out our royal dreams by having a dry British wedding. Now we know and we have nothing to look forward to. What makes it even worse is that K-Dub (as I call them on our Skype chats) are busy making the rounds as their job.

Few people cared that I got married 9 years ago. Even fewer people wanted us to come to their town and gallivant. No one wanted me to show up to their skid row dance party or attend their stuffy political soiree.

Like my beard?

How do these people make money? All they do is show up and talk in their fancy British accent. He's losing his hair and she is too good for him (according to the British tabloids I read).

To ease the transition to married life for B and Corrin, I have created an itinerary of places you will go and people you will meet as a married couple. If K-Dub can do it, so can Radio (my nickname for B and Corrin. Let me explain: Their first initials are C. & B. In the 1970's there was a huge fad about CB Radio, where truckers and back wood folk would talk over these radios before cell phones. So, C&B becomes CB, which reminds me of CB Radio, which becomes Radio. Keep up people!).

First Radio will travel to Duarte, CA to re-dedicate this statue. Why? It was the best I could do on short notice, okay?

Next, they will travel to Taos, NM to eat a Navajo taco. Simply to raise their spirits.

After that, it is off to Liberal, KS to bring attention to the International Pancake Day Hall of Fame. This is a place that could use a little attention.

Finally, off to Tampa Bay, FL to swim in the ocean with some disadvantaged kids who can only afford jet-skis and not speed boats.

I know that the presence of Radio will only bring smiles to those they meet. I am still trying to figure out funding, but I think the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation can give us a grant.

It's Been A Long Time *OR* Pandering For 4,000 Page Views

As the title states, it has been a while since good ol' Downward Brent Lee was updated. I am sure you have been checking back daily just to see, by chance, if there has been an update. Your persistence will now be rewarded. As I am writing this, I am only 4 views away from 4,000 visitors to the site. Who knew a simple little blog about two people living on the Central Coast of California who are planning a wedding would be so "popular?" In case you couldn't tell, I am stalling here, because I have no idea what I am actually going to write about. And let me let you in on a little secret...that's how this whole blog has been written. Little to no planning really makes the best internet experience.

With that being said, I think I have our opening. A lot of couples spend way too much money on a wedding planner. Sure, they can be useful in organizing the location and making sure that the flowers end up in vases in the right order. But then they overstep their boundaries and try to take your man. Oh wait, I think I just got that mixed up with the two minutes I saw of the movie "The Wedding Planner" featuring newly divorced Jennifer Lopez. Gee, how sad, I really thought they were going to make it. Actually, I didn't. That spelled disaster when you heard about it. In reality, anything that involves Jenny from the block spells disaster.

This is where I get to let you in on a little secret about B. Yes, I think he owns an entire Jennifer Lopez album. Now that you are armed with that bit of knowledge, I will now debunk everything else you are thinking right now:

• No, B is not gay. Remember the wedding to Corrin? Still on.
• No, B is not Latin. The closest he came was eating a Taco Bell taco.
• No, B did not DJ bar-mitzvahs in his earlier days.
• No, B is not a back-up dancer for a female pop-singer. Where did you get that idea?

Oh, back to the wedding planner. Why plan at all? I think we should all just show up and wing it. We've seen enough movies and attended enough weddings to go this a fairly good go. Granted, I have been recently watching a bunch of Marx Brothers movies and I can not guarantee that some zany antics would not happen. Again, a great way to liven up a wedding. If you see me in a grease paint mustache, I would pay attention, it is going to get good.

Thanks as always for checking in. I will try to update a bit more frequently, but feel free to send ideas in the comments section. Have a hot dog for me!

You're Wearing That? *OR* It's A Nice Day For A White Wedding

Longtime readers of the blog (all 4 of you) will note that we have covered a wide variety of wedding topics here at Downward Brent Lee. Nothing has been off limits and we've blanketed nearly every aspect of a wedding. [Random side note: typing with damp hands is more challenging than it should be.] But if you have been paying attention, there has been one topic I haven't had the guts to tackle, and there is a good reason for that. We have not talked about the wedding dress that Corrin will wear for her transformation into Mrs. B Lee.

For ages, men who have been in serious relationships have had to tread some tricky areas with tact and caring as to not offend the woman in their life. There are questions that get thrown out that require a certain "jen ne se quoi." Let me demonstrate how I answer some of the more typical questions. This will showcase how I have been married for nearly 9 years.

Q: How is my hair? 
A: On your head, where it belongs.  

Q: Am I wearing too much make-up?
A: Not if you are trying to attract a pimp or are going on-stage in a Broadway musical.

Q: Does this article of clothing make me look fat?
A: What? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.

Q: What do you think?
A: The complete opposite of what you think, but, in order to be done with this conversation, I agree with you, but when it backfires, I will laugh at you.

(It should be noted that these are not my answers.)

Can't you tell I'm a sensitive guy? You'll also note that I am stalling here.

Ok, the dress. The thing that all of the women will talk about and that the men will forget about even as they might be staring at it. Only the groom is thinking how good it looks....crumpled up on the bedroom floor! HA!

So let's throw out some options. First is this one, direct from the catwalks of Paris:

Perfect for those women who are in touch with their marine roots. If you think about it metaphorically, she really is wrapping her tentacles around you! HA! (Wow, these jokes are good today).

This next one comes from the stripper poles of Vegas:

At least you ignore everything else about this woman.

For those dark, indoor weddings we have this option:

Clothes where you have to wear a battery pack should be outlawed, unless you are part of the Disney Electrical Light Parade.

In the "Whoops, we did this backward" category:

At least she is comfortable with her body. And what about the crow's nest hair?

In the "Killing two birds with one stone" category comes this one:

Yup, pastry. Often the bride doesn't get to eat, but she won't have to worry about that. It is only until some kids come by with the munchies.

In the "Hope it doesn't rain" category:

Most of that is paint. I guess it makes the evening a little easier.

So there you have it, a quick look through some of the options Corrin has for her wedding dress. You can thank me later.

I've Heard Of A Shotgun Wedding, But A Vending Machine Wedding?

 

I have just saved B and Corrin thousands of dollars. I hope that they will send some of those savings over to me. Oh, you're wondering what on earth this pink thing is, aren't you? As you can clearly see, this is the AutoWed Wedding Machine. This is what the fine folks at Concept Shed have to say about it:

"An idea we had been dying to build for over a year, AutoWed is a novelty wedding machine offering a quick hitch, a couple of rings and a personalised certificate for just £1/$1. Audio prompts, specially produced music, a bespoke retro keyboard and VFD display, ring vending and ticket printer all wrapped up in a Cadillac-pink cabinet with shiny aluminium fittings. We built the unit shown here specially for Marvin's Marvellous Mechanical Museum in Detroit, USA.
Buy now - call us and we will build you one to order."

Where do you even start with this wonder of technology? Sure, we can send man to the moon, we have driverless cars (thanks Google), but is has taken us until 2011 to realize the full potential of the vending machine? Oh humanity, why do you let me down so often?

Who wants to deal with all the romance, show, and personalization of a wedding presided over by a real human? But who wants to deal with the hassles of getting married over Skype? This bad boy will vend you a ring AND it has a keyboard? Wow, that must be the deluxe model for sure. 

All this for a dollar? I can't buy a soda at a vending machine for a dollar and now they are going to offer me a wedding? Put a few of these things in Vegas and watch the divorce rate climb even higher! Right next to this machine, they should have an annulment one where you can return the ring. And next to that should be some sort of beverage dispenser. Heck, you could have quite a row of vending machines.

1. Beer machine
2. Hard alcohol machine
3. Prophylactic machine
4. AutoWed Wedding Machine
5. Photo booth
6. Champagne machine
7. Cake machine
8. Another prophylactic machine
9. Annulment machine
10. Airline ticket kiosk/check-in

It is kind of like the 5 stages of grief, just the 10 stages of a marriage.

Don't Tase Me Bro *OR* This Wedding Is Shocking!

Weddings nowadays lack a certain....personality. I understand that the bride has often dreamed of her wedding day for years and now that her prince has arrived, she wants everything to be perfect. I don't know how many brides expect their wedding to have Star Trek theme, but when they meet their geeky husbands-to-be somehow he brainwashes her and something like this happens:

Luckily for all of us, I don't think that B has ever seen an episode of Star Trek, so we are safe from having to dig out our Vulcan ears for this party.

I think we have seen, attended, or planned the perfect wedding. Let's do something more unique. Let's add an element of fun for the 30-somethings that will be there with their kids. I've got two words for you:

LASER TAG!

Look at how much fun these people are having. Their fake smiles really sell the deal. Maybe you don't want to be stuck inside on a glorious March day, maybe you prefer the great outdoors. Well, I have another suggestion:

PAINTBALL!

Is it sad this picture exists?

I can say for certain that I know that Corrin wants to run around outdoors in her wedding dress while B takes sniper shots at her from behind a tree. That white dress? It has become a work of art!

The fact that this is a Canadian couple makes me feel better.

And I'm not just talking about the bride and groom. I think right in the middle of the ceremony, someone just leaps up and yells "PAINTBALL!" and everyone runs to grab a gun and goes crazy. Sorry Grandma, I just pelted you with a triple-round burst of orange! Enjoy those bruises!

Please tell me that you have seen the episodes of "Community" where they have the paintball wars? If not, do yourself a favor and watch them, and then you can send me a thank you note.

This is a great way to make your wedding memorable and to leave a lasting impression upon your guests. And think of it this way, half of them won't want to play and will leave before food is served, therefore dropping your costs. GENIUS!

I Object *OR* How To Ruin A Wedding

We've all seen those movies where something goes horribly wrong during the wedding. One of the wedding party is missing because they are tracking down a monkey who has one of the rings. An ex-boyfriend comes rushing in to yell "I object" from a high place within the church, which, of course, begs the question, couldn't he just use the main entrance and not waste time by climbing stairs? Someone lets a pet loose during the ceremony and, whoops, there goes the cake. Oh, the hilarity and oh, the humiliation for the bride and groom.

I am not saying that I want any of these things to happen to either B or Corrin. But think of the wealth of source material this would provide. We would all have stories to tell at our next dinner party! "Well, I was at a wedding recently and you will never guess what happened..." I might actually have something to contribute to a conversation instead of staring at the wall and hoping that this night will end soon and I won't be put on the spot and that no one will notice that I started to shove extra meatballs into my son's diaper bag for my future use. Too specific?

What we have to make sure happens though is that the photographer is able to document the situation like a National Geographic photojournalist. I want some beautiful pictures that put me in the moment. I want to feel the pain of Corrin and the horror of B. I want to access the anger that those involved feel.

To this end, I think we need to place some plants (not the foliage kind). I am going to encourage people that have a +1 one their invitation to bring people I choose. They will fit in, I promise. I might even try to do a match.com thing and find you an appropriate date. Yet, at the chosen moment they will instigate the proper distraction. It could range from a loud belch to a cherry bomb placed carefully in the cake.

Now, don't anyone else get any ideas here. I am a trained professional and it will not be appreciated in the appropriate fashion if anyone attempts this. I will have set the proper boundaries for behavior and mayhem.

I'll give you some hints here, only because I care. These 'events' have been sanctioned by myself and should not cause any more alarm than needed, and we certainly do not need to call the authorities again.

• As mentioned, a nice firecracker for the cake. KA-BOOM!
• Big Mexican wrestler takes out B in the middle of the vows. Hilarity ensues.
• Crazy PETA activist runs up to Corrin and throws red paint on her screaming "FUR IS MURDER!" not recognizing Corrin is not wearing any fur.
• Expensive catered meal is quickly replaced with Arby's sandwiches.
• Groomsmen, during a quiet moment, bring back the Superbowl Shuffle.

Flock of killer doves released at 5 minute intervals.

Pair of teenagers are paid to awkwardly make out during ceremony and reception.

Instead of Bridesmaids, B's former girlfriends walk down the aisle in hate-fueled rage.

Again, this is just a sample of the hilarity that may occur. I just want to keep everyone on their toes during the ceremony.

Phew, planning a wedding is difficult, but planning an interrupted wedding is even more difficult.

Yo DJ, Spin Those Tunes *OR* If I Hear Any Miley Cyrus, I'm Walking

I am sure I have lamented the fact that so many weddings are so similar. There are only so many things you can do with a bride, a groom, a dance floor and some dried out convention hall chicken. I could be like Einstein here and make some amazing mathematical equation to get the generic wedding. Luckily, we here at Downward Brent Lee are not about generic weddings. Oh no, we seek out the unique, the unusual, the things that are going to stand out. Now, I admit that planning a wedding in the Central Coast of California opens up some beautiful locations, but does limit some of the other options. You try finding a good Elvis impersonator near Morro Bay. This ain't Vegas folks!

The same goes for DJs. You can't just walk on down to the Roxy (a notorious rock club in Los Angeles) and get some raw talent. No, you just have to ask around see whose iPod Micro has the most music.

I address the rest of this post to that "DJ" who will spinning the dope jams at B and Corrin's wedding. I am sure the couple has had some requests and for the most part, I will let those stand. But here are my requests:

• Shut up. No one is here to hear you ramble on about love, how cute the couple is, or how impressive it is to see Big Jim up there break dancing.
• You must play one Refreshments song. "Banditos" is my choice, but you have two albums to choose from, go wild.
• The crowd would like to hear at least one Vanilla Ice song. He is our personal hero.
• Bridesmaids are allowed to have one collective song. This song may be country. It may not be Shania Twain.
• If you try to scratch any records, I will scratch ALL of your records. Don't be a showoff.
• If you dare try to involve me in any shenanigans, I will cut you.
• If we must toss garters and flowers, you are not allowed any commentary. You are not Vin Scully.
• However, if the DJ is Vin Scully, no music will be played. I just want to hear stories.

• You are not allowed to play "Celebration", "YMCA", or "Baby Got Back."
• If you can find the "Mortal Kombat" soundtrack, you may play that in its entirity.
• Should you embarrass B's parents, I can assure you that you will be cut.
• I would encourage you to play the band Cake while the cake is being cut. It only seems right.
• Sappy Disney songs will get you cut as well.

Do I request a lot as a wedding guest? I don't think so. As we have established in previous posts, I am the life of the party and people are there to see me. I have been to enough weddings to know that there are plenty of things that I do not like. Should you, Mr. DJ break any one of these rules, I will...you guessed it...cut you.

*The author reserves the right to substitute "cut" with "shank" as he sees fit.

We've Done It *AND* Gimme Some Swag

This humble little blog, which used to be updated nearly 5 times a week and has now gone down to once a week (so sad) has crested 3,000 page views. I think only Facebook gets more traffic than this site. Why bother using another homepage when Downward Brent Lee has all the information you could want? News? Check. Entertainment? Check. Pictures? Check. Brent Lee? Oh yeah, double check. Blog dripping in sarcasm? Yup, check that one too.

Honestly though, 3,000 views? Crazy. It helps when you steal the right pictures and use some key labels in your blog, but I don't want to give away all of my secrets.

Back to what we are here for, exciting wedding information. You've been sitting at home all week clicking refresh on this website, just hoping that there would be an update. Well, wait no longer, here you are. I got a little lazy last week as I returned from a trip to San Diego. Not that you care, so moving on again.

I hear through the grapevine that the wedding between B and Corrin (remember them?), will feature some over the top things. I don't want to spill all the beans, otherwise I won't have anything else to blog about, but I hear the party favors are B-A-N-A-N-A-S. What does that even mean? That things are bananas? What a strange thing for something else to be. "Gee, I'm a fruit that Mr. Tallyman wants to tally."

While other weddings are content leaving you with a program, or maybe food-poisoning, B and Corrin are going to be hooking us up. Unlike Oprah and her favorite things, B is going to be sharing with us some of his favorite things. Now, keep in mind that 9 out of his top ten favorite things are either alcohol or Facebook games, which leaves us with one real option: DVD copies of COPS!

Yes, you get a DVD box set, and you get a DVD box set. One lucky person will also be taking home a pair of fuzzy handcuffs (don't ask).

Enough of the tiny little bag of M&Ms, no more candy in a little dish, no personalized CD of songs from the bride and groom. Nope, we're talking DVDs of the long-running television show where 97% of those appearing on the show are on meth. Even the cops themselves. Ever wanted to see what East Las Vegas looks like? How about Compton? Maybe rural Georgia is more your speed? You'll see them all in this exciting box set of COPS (filmed on location with the men and women of law enforcement).

I don't know about you, but I can hardly wait to bring my copy home, make some popcorn, put in my stadium pal and let the hours pass away.

Classy