The Adnostic

I promised myself that once I left my last job that I would blog about more personal and major life events on this blog, mostly to keep the ambient intimacy going with friends I don't talk to as much as I would like. Being able to broadcast and share your life is one of the major benefits of blogging and web 2.0 in general.

My sister's wedding is this weekend. Dave bought a suit for the first time in ten years just for the occasion and I have to admit that he looks dead sexy in it. I pulled out a silk Shelly Segal dress from my closet and loaded up on accessories - new black satin peep-toe heels, jet crystal earrings, a black satin clutch, and a satin bolero jacket (I'm still on the fence about the jacket, I may switch it out for a pashmina wrap at the last minute). The purchases were ill advised considering my lack of steady income, but my sister will only be getting married once. Right?

I'll be driving up to San Francisco by myself, picking up Dave from the airport, and driving the rest of the way to Calistoga together until we reach this quaint little slice of weekend heaven:

It looks a little too Laura Ashley for my taste, but for just a few days on my parents dime, I'd be crazy to turn it down.

Aside from the rehearsal and the actual wedding, Dave and I (crossing fingers) will be left to our own devices. I'm going to try to play it fast and loose, which is very unlike me. I can usually be counted on to have trips like this planned down to the minute, but this time I only have two items on the itinerary:

- Acme Fine Wines in Napa - I met the proprietors when I helped out as a roadie for my friend's band at the Napa wine auction a few years ago. They were volunteers at the event assigned to the green room. We really hit it off and they invited my friend and I to drop by their store before we left the next day. Most of their stock was way out of my price range, but they turned me on to two good bottles under $30 that were way better than anything I could have picked out for myself.
Karen, one of the owners, said that if I was ever in Napa again to give them a call and about a week ago I did just that.

- Hopmonk Tavern in Sebastopol - This is actually a gastropub launched by Dean Biersch of Gordon-Biersch fame. A friend of mine who is about to publish a book on American microbreweries turned us on to it. I know that it seems kind of pointless to specifically seek out a place for obscure European and domestic microbrews when you're in the wine capitol of North America, but Dave loves beer and I love doing the unexpected. So in that light, it makes perfect sense.

Then there is the wedding. It will be very traditional, rest assured. Leah doesn't do much that doesn't follow the rules. The dress will be Wang (consignment natch) (the marriage may be mixed, but the Isaacsons are still Jewish). The bridesmaids dresses will be J. Crew. The colors will be a very 90's combination of chocolate brown and light blue. The wedding will be at a winery with a beautiful outdoor setting.

And the reception will be in the wine cellar (Dave will have a hard time with the lighting for photos, but c'est la vie).

I'm looking forward to the event. Tom is going to make a great addition to the family and it will be good to see the whole family at an event that involves caterers with a distinct absence of turkey and pumpkin pie. I have been promised that I will have most of the weekend free to spend with Dave, but he's bringing a book just in case. He knows my family all too well.