1. I have a standing offer to join the Witness Protection Program that I don’t take as seriously as I should.
2. My mother gave up a life as a trapeze artist to marry my father.
3. My husband was the first person I ever kissed (and I was 22 when it happened).

This is a part of The Real Housewives of Oklahoma’s McLinky Monday. Go on over there and join in on the fun, but don’t forget to guess which one of these is my tall tale.

(Explanation on the two truths to follow, if you’re interested.)

• I got married and got a longer name. It never even occurred to me, mostly because my new name has the letter “L” in it and a lowercase “L” is pretty skinny. But what was already a long name is now one letter longer. I’ve got a post to write about this name writing business.
• This review covers my EXACT feelings on Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love. In short — I don’t think it’s a masterpiece, it didn’t change my life, I don’t believe full devotion to God and devotion to carnal pleasure can occur at the same time, and YES, if you hole up in an apartment having sex for a month you will get a UTI. Ahem. Interesting, but I don’t find Ms. Gilbert’s work to be authentic. If you paid me to go on a trip and “find myself and God”, consume all the carbs I want, and practice yoga all day (I am a practitioner) I’m sure I could wax epiphanic as well.
• Today Ronnica is asking a question over at The Ignorant Historian: What’s your favorite school supply to shop for?
• Waiting Without Worrying
• The reports mentioned here do not make me feel good about the well-being of children in Oklahoma
• Walgreen’s “Friends and Family” coupon!
• “The remarkable offspring of Jasper and Alice” — Mama, make it go away!
• Things You Might Be Mistaken For In This Hoodie
• Huxley was right: “Amusing Ourselves to Death“
• Hand it over and everyone will be safe. (I may have a problem.)

Back when I first posted about this topic, one of my dear readers, Laura, asked:

“What do you think is worth having the final say over, and what should you just let someone else decide for you? (In terms of flowers, food, decoration, stuff like that)”

Great question. It’s one that’s good to be thinking about ahead of time, but the answer is something you may not be sure of until you are in the middle of things.

Quick answer: It’s different for everyone. Not all brides put the same value or importance on different aspects for their wedding. You have to decide what is important to you. I covered this a little before, but I’m going to talk about some details here to help you get a better idea.

What is probably worth having the final say about

• The dress
• The venue
• The officiant
• The attendants
• The vows

I think we can all agree on The Dress. If it is as important to you as it is to most brides, this is something you’ll be heavily involved in choosing and make the final decisions on. Personally, I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way. However, I know that women exist in this world who care very little about clothing, their wedding gown included, and can toss this responsibility over to someone who does. And not bat an eye. I know they are out there. I’ve just never met one. 

Then there’s the whole “posse” method of choosing a dress. I had one with me, but they were trusted individuals who knew my taste, style, and helped me to look at the dress with the whole wedding in mind. (My mom, my dad’s mom, and Heather) A lot of wedding planners and stylists advise against bringing people along with you, but I can’t agree with that. A huge posse is a very, very bad idea. But close people that you trust and who won’t forget this is your dress? Not a problem.

When decisions are made for you

A few years back a friend of mine was getting married and I was in the wedding party. I showed up at her house one day to help her with preparations and she hurriedly rushed me back into one of the bedrooms and shut the door. I started to ask her what was going on, but before the words made it out of my mouth she opened the closet.

And there it was.

Lace, frills, puffy sleeves, a tall neck, and appliqued rose buds. I’m sure it was gorgeous in 1990, but now?

“Uh…ohhh. Is that your dress?”

“Are you kidding me?! I’d never wear that!”

Well, I had hoped not…

“My mom went shopping yesterday and came home with…this.”

She eventually told her mom that she wouldn’t wear the dress and I admired her for standing up like that. I know her mom was trying to be helpful, it was just something I couldn’t relate to.

Unless you want to count that Christmas season when I finally told my mom to stop buying me clothes that I didn’t specifically ask for.

Rude? Ungrateful, you say? Leave your address and I’ll ship you all my appliqued cat sweaters from the mid- to late-90s.

Prioritize and communicate

All that to say every situation is different. You never know what’s going to be thrown at you or what, in the middle of wedding planning, you suddenly care about. Or stop caring about completely. Think about the things that matter to you. The list above includes things that are pretty reasonable to want one way or another.

• The venue was important to me (I wanted to get married where the majority of my family would be able to attend; the groom is from out-of-state anyway so his family had to travel wherever we got married in Oklahoma).
• The officiants were important to both of us (He wanted his college mentor/pastor/friend to do the vows and I wanted to include the minister that married my parents and dedicated me, as well as the minister at the church my parents attend — where the ceremony was held).
• The attendants were important to both of us (He went ahead and had the larger number of attendants after some of my bridesmaids dropped out; I didn’t buckle under pressure to include family members who are not and have never been close).
• The vows were important to both of us (We both share a disgust for personal vows that are a little TMI/gushy/mushy/save-it-for-the-honeymoon, and wanted something that fit our personalities and presented our commitment toward each other in a joyous way that also conveyed the solemnity of the moment).

Don’t be afraid to let go of things that don’t really matter. At the end of the day — you will be married! That’s the important thing.

If you have any particular questions you’d like answered, feel free to leave them in the comments or email me at liz @ misswisabus.com

It’s a strong cup of French roast this morning. I have never tasted a light roast that I enjoy. Very few mediums. Any coffee drinkers out there have suggestions for me?

• We have a dehumidifier now! It’s as close as I’ll ever get to living in Arizona and I’ll take it. Feels great.
• I wish I was this good with a welder. Or, you know, that I knew how to use one PERIOD.
• On second though, it’s probably best that I stay away from the metal arts. Did you see that she mentioned setting the pasture on fire?
• Does blogging make you feel small? Don’t let it.
• How to Make a Gift Bag from Sofia’s World. I think even I could do this. And I’d rather make a gift bag than wrap a gift any day.
• I find this story terrifying. It’s about breastfeeding and one of the “on the job” hazards. Which means my brothers and my husband need to avoid this link altogether.
• Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. – Mother Teresa
• I really can’t begin to explain my love for dips, sauces, condiments, etc. So I’m just going to leave you with this link to a bazillion yummy “Cold Dips for Warm Evenings.”

Now I’m going to go scrub baseboards or something and live in complete denial that I go back to work the day after tomorrow.

Before we get started, would you care to see William Shatner scared to death by a dancing ape creature? Thought so.

This was one of my favorite shows to watch when I was a little kid and I enjoy it even more now. Kevin and I have been going through the collections disc by disc on Netflix and I’ve gathered a pretty good group of favorites. Do you have any?

I can’t really say much about the episodes, because you know how The Twilight Zone goes. Lots of twists and revelations toward the end of an episode that would really ruin it if you knew ahead of time!

13. On Thursday We Leave For Home
Classic episode starring James Whitmore. There’s some religious commentary in this one and a really great story about a leader, change, and fear of the unknown.

12. Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
Like aliens? This one is for you. It’s a bit of a mystery with a funny little twist at the end. Love it!

11. A Hundred Yards Over the Rim
This episode combines two of my favorite things — the Old West and time travel.

10. Two
In spite of the fact that I really, really don’t like Charles Bronson, this is a good one. It also stars Elizabeth Montgomery as they portray the last two humans left on earth.

9. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Simply because it’s also one of my favorite stories by one of my favorite writers, Ambrose Bierce. Also, I think you can gain a lot of insight about LOST from this.

8. Little Girl Lost
Little girl falls through a portal to another dimension in her bedroom. What more do I need to say?

7. Nothing in the Dark
I love the premise here. An elderly woman thinks that Death is waiting outside her door. Only the man she thinks is Death is a young Robert Redford. And he delivers one of the best lines in the entire series — “You see. No shock. No engulfment. No tearing asunder. What you feared would come like an explosion is like a whisper. What you thought was the end is the beginning.”

6. Stopover in a Quiet Town
A couple wakes up and has no idea where they are. Looks like a pretty terrible bender, but just you wait…

5. The Obsolete Man
Such a good episode. Some commentary on socialism and what appears to be the direction Rod Serling may have assumed our country was going. In his closing monologue there is another wonderful quote — “Any state, any entity, any ideology that fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of man, that state is obsolete.”

4. It’s a Good Life
There’s just something about a crazy psychokinetic child that I can’t resist.

3. Nick of Time
There’s a creepy little fortune-telling machine in this one. And there’s William Shatner. One that I actually find chilling.

2. The Invaders
Little aliens! Cah-reeeep-y! I recommend watching all of this one. There is a signature crazy twist at the end.

1. The Hitch Hiker
This one really scares me a little bit. You know me and my fear of highway deviance (à la Breakdown). This fits the bill.

That’s not a real excuse for not blogging. I guess I’m just worn out. Or not taking enough vitamins (ahem, ANY) or something. Been having some weird pains in my hand that I am trying to ignore, but they show up different times throughout the day in that little muscly part of my hand at the base of my thumb. Somebody needs to block WebMD on my computer because I am exactly the kind of person who looks at it and then assumes that I’m dying.

Potassium, maybe? Too much soda, no doubt.

Anyways…

• (I believe) I have an uncanny ability of knowing people’s tastes. As in, actual tastes. Once I’m around you for a bit I will start sending you recipes and pictures of food that I know you will like.
• Or maybe it’s some subconscious effort to make everyone around me overweight.
• I went through a Neil Diamond phase.
• Right before my Glen Campbell phase.
• People think I’m kidding about that because I’m 25 and couldn’t possibly have an interest in either of those guys BUT THEY ARE WRONG.
• Also, when I was like 8-years-old I had the biggest crush on Davy Jones of The Monkees and didn’t realize that he was old enough to be my grandfather.
• Allow me to make a list of men that I have had a crush on who are old enough to be my grandfather.
• Nevermind.
• Right after typing that last bullet point I was putting together a package to mail for PaperbackSwap and my arm was situated just right so that when I turned my neck I pulled a muscle or something. Now I’m in tremendous pain.
• I hate having ice on me.
• Just ask Kevin about that one time I had a very high fever and he had to get my temp down.
• Ow. OWWW.

(what I’m anxious to get back to)

♥ puppy dog
♥ my recliner
♥ my morning coffee (cause let’s face it, elsewhere it’s just not the same)
♥ watering my garden
♥ checking for blossoms & fruits
♥ snow cones
♥ the sound Penny (guinea pig) makes when Kevin wakes up in the morning
♥ the smell of home
♥ mail
♥ clipping coupons (I have a problem)
♥ the rare day w/ dry heat
♥ sunlight through our french doors
♥ …and puppy dog. again.

• If someone brings up the show Wipeout! in conversation I check out. Right then. Completely.
• Glee is almost dead to me. I like the music, but the plot is already getting old and until someone throws a Jim Jones flavored blue slushie in Finn’s face and rids us of his voice, I’m out.
• When setting up a wedding registry, consider the depth of your bowls and whether or not you will be consuming cereal from them (you will unless you’re some kind of heathen). Then don’t register for the shallow bowls, register for the deeper ones. For those of you getting Fiesta Ware that means register your place settings in PIECES, skip the bowl included in place settings, and opt for the Gusto Bowl. You will thank me later.
• I cannot visit the “Confessions” section of the Pioneer Woman blog without Usher’s song running through my head.
• It’s funny, that one episode of I Love Lucy left a permanent impression on me about the use of wallpaper. Never, EVER will I attempt to put that stuff up.
• I have a problem with my sweat not making it through my pores correctly and I’ve never been one to sweat much anyway, so that makes the heat and humidity we’ve been experiencing lately very uncomfortable. So far it hasn’t been too bad, but you can feel it coming. In the past I’ve had problems with going outside and immediately getting a headache from the heat or becoming nauseated. What can I say…made of sugar
• Heather emailed me yesterday to tell me the stereo she’d had for about 15 years almost being consumed by her pet grendel, Annie. It somehow survived and works better than it did before. Made me think of my little purple boombox (circa 1994) biting it with tape 3 of Wuthering Heights stuck in it.
• I don’t consider listening to audio books “reading.” Fact.
• Twenty-two pages into Yiyun Li’s The Vagrants and it’s fabulous. Read it.

SPOILER ALERT: Do not proceed if you haven’t seen the finale. Unless you’re my college roommate and just plain don’t care.

I loved it. It took me a night of sleep and a few clarifications and constant reassurance from my husband, but that’s where I ended up. Loving this episode as much as I loved the previous seasons. In fact, the longer I think about it, the more I like it. Sure, there are unanswered questions and I know a lot of people are really, really upset. I’ll address that later (in part two).

As for the 10 questions I thought they might answer, let’s look at how it turned out:

1. Is John Locke (The Real John Locke™) gone for good?
   In this life, yes. I think now that we can see what became of him there is much to appreciate. Also, that John Locke and his journey represent about 50% of the LOST viewership (more on that later).
2. What is the alt-timeline and how does it relate to the on-Island timeline? Is it the “end” that these “means” are getting us to?
   We certainly got this one. It is the end that the means helped our characters arrive at. I never imagined it was that kind of end, but it worked for me. It appears to be a limbo state/created universe/collective conciousness that our Losties built together (or perhaps Hurley did it for them, I’m hearing that theorized in a number of places) so that, according to Christian Shephard, they could “find each other.” I like this idea and looking back at some of the literary clues we were given, I should have seen this one coming.
3. What is Charles Widmore’s importance and is he really dead? (I do NOT believe he is dead.)
   Wrong, Lizzy. Apparently, he was. His importance to the story and role on the island are two of the many mysteries we are left to ponder for the rest of our days. Or until The Lost Encyclopedia comes out (assuming they address him).
4. How will Desmond act as a fail-safe this time?
   He got the plug out of the hole but wasn’t destined to be the one to put it back in. I would like to know how Widmore had planned to use him.
5. Who is David’s mother? (My guess is Juliet since they seem to be building up to it and she’s the only really important female character that we haven’t seen in the alt-timeline so far.)
   Picture me, fists stretched high in the air, as Juliet talks to her son, David.
6. Will Jack be able to kill the Man in Black? HOW?
   I don’t know if he would have been able to, considering that knife to the gut he delivered to Jack mere seconds before SuperKate blasted a once-again-mortal in the back with the bullet she saved for him.
7. Will Jack make it off the Island? (Guess: No.)
   Score. I figured the last scene would be what it was, but had no idea how they would get us there. The execution of this scene was something far more dramatic and beautiful than anything I could have imagined.
8. Who will Kate’s romantic choice be or will there be one at all?
   Clearly there was one. I had no idea it would break my heart like it did.
9. Were any of these people really special or was it all just chance?
   I have some theories for real life about who you run into, why they are in your life, their importance, etc. These lives were set on the same orbit, revolving around some magnetic force (I question if it was the island or just “something,” considering how many unknown [to them] ties they all had before the crash of Oceanic 815) that pulled them closer and closer together and on the island they finally collided. They were special. To each other.
10. What are they preventing from happening by killing the Man in Black?
    In a roundabout way, the destruction of the island and what I can only imagine would have ended up being the rest of the world and all mankind. Looked like that bathtub drain/portal to Hades was getting ready to suck everything down.

A few of my more in-depth reflections will be posted later today. I wanted to go ahead and get this out there, plus the rest is getting pretty long!

I have no expectations. In my quarter century of watching television I have learned better. How many shows have I enjoyed like this one? Thinking hard, I can say, “None.” I have had a deep, abiding love for Gilmore Girls since my mom introduced me to it at the beginning of high school (Rory and I were both class of 2003 high school graduates and basically hit the same milestones at the same time; I always felt that if you mashed her personality and her mother’s together you’d have a pretty good composite of my tendency to be long-winded, random, and filled with useless trivia) and I was terribly disappointed not only by the finale itself, but the last season or two of the show in general. But with that I had some expectations from the very beginning about where the show was going to go. When they changed a lead character’s personality and general decision making ability on a whim, I nearly checked out. There was some emotion to that ending for me, but the show had stopped being very important to me a few seasons before then anyway.

With LOST, not so much. Tomorrow I will be explaining my affinity for the show, but for now I will say that it was the first TV show that I got into on my own and really stuck with. I have been watching it longer than I have known my husband. That’s saying something.

There are some questions I would like them to address. The ten I list below are ones that I could imagine being answered tonight. The others I just can’t see them having the time for, or the willingness to touch with a 10-foot pole. There are plenty of examples out there of movies, TV shows, books, etc. that have left parts of themselves shrouded in mystery. Some of those have gone on to gain a cult following (think Star Wars, Twin Peaks, The X-Files, The Lord of the Rings trilogy) that thrives on what devotees can do with their imaginations, using the gaps that the writers left to theorize and create works of their own, building on the original work. I think that if everything gets wrapped up with a bow it will be doing a disservice to all the fans who have thrived on developing theories surrounding the mysteries of the show. Some things must be answered. Others, for the sake of the show’s legacy, can’t be touched. People will love this show for as long as they can talk about it. If you give them all the answers there is nothing left.

1. Is John Locke (The Real John Locke™) gone for good?
2. What is the alt-timeline and how does it relate to the on-Island timeline? Is it the “end” that these “means” are getting us to?
3. What is Charles Widmore’s importance and is he really dead? (I do NOT believe he is dead.)
4. How will Desmond act as a fail-safe this time?
5. Who is David’s mother? (My guess is Juliet since they seem to be building up to it and she’s the only really important female character that we haven’t seen in the alt-timeline so far.)
6. Will Jack be able to kill the Man in Black? HOW?
7. Will Jack make it off the Island? (Guess: No.)
8. Who will Kate’s romantic choice be or will there be one at all?
9. Were any of these people really special or was it all just chance?
10. What are they preventing from happening by killing the Man in Black?

And a few they could throw in there if they have a second to spare:

• Who is/was Annie and did she have any importance?
• Were ALL of the dead people we saw on-Island manifestations of the Man in Black?
• Is Jacob truly good and the Man in Black truly evil? (You could say that was answered in Across the Sea, but it wasn’t [pardon] black and white.)
• Does the DHARMA Initiative play any greater role than what we have seen?