Thursday, September 28, 2006

Guide to Proposing to a Chick...if you are one

Step 1: Listen carefully to your girlfriend
If your girlfriend starts pointing out sizeable rocks everytime you pass a jewelry store in the mall that means she probably wants you to buy her one. If you and your girlfriend are helping out a buddy pick out a ring for his/her gal and she starts telling you exactly the size, cut, stone, and metal then she probably wants you to buy her a specific ring. If you suggest all the rings look similar no matter the size and metal and she gives you that look, you should probably write down exactly what she wants because even though you can't see the difference she will...

Step 2: Covertly start shopping for the ring
It's always good to take friends and family for second opinions, even if the sales people think your brother is your fiancee and you are picking out your own ring. This can be a touch embarrassing, but just remind the sales person that although this may be legal down South I happen to be purchasing the ring for a very special girl. Next you watch the look of confusion cross their face and then the giddy realization that if one woman equals one expensive diamond ring that two women equal two expensive diamond rings (all the better for their commission).

Step 3: Cut the crap and find that special sparkle
When talking with jewelers about different rings, they will launch into all of this confusing jargon about facets, clarity, cut, angles, light refraction, and on and on until you're back in vector calculus calculating the gradiant or some crap like that. But honestly, who cares! Just find the one that sparkles the most. You girlfriend is not going to ask "wait a minute honey, how many facets does this really have?" or "is this very very slightly included or very very very slightly included." The best you had hope for is "ohhh sparkly!"

Step 4: Don't leave shopping remnents around
Don't leave ring flyers or ads laying around in say your car or on your desk. If you happen to do something idiotic like this, no problem we can fix that. The next day flip the page to some diamond earrings or necklace and circle it. She think oh yay, I'm getting a necklace. If you're feeling really bold circle the ugliest ring you can find and that when you see her gasp of abhorrence say "yea, can you believe that Chris wants to get Sam that ring? Chris just wouldn't listen when I said it was a bad idea." Problem solved. Also, remember to close Internet browsers after browsing online.

Step 5: Getting a ring sized
Steal a ring that fits your gal perfectly on her ring finger. No it can't be her right hand, if she's right handed that finger will always be a little bigger. Don't steal her favorite special ring her mother bought her that she wears everyday. She will notice it's gone and then be upset and make you help her look for it everywhere. Bad idea. Try to take a second or third string ring that she won't notice is gone.

Step 6: The proposal

Pick a special place that has a special meaning to her or both of you. The humble bagel where you used to have morning dates or the dorm room of your first kiss or the path by your old house you used to hold hands on. Or maybe on the first big trip oversees you take together...

So pretty much the short version of the story, I asked on the first leg of our trip in Paris, she said yes and now Emily and I are happily engaged.






P.S. More trip photos coming soon....

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Hello from Florence

I just wanted to do a quick post, since I have not updated my blog in a long time and I just recieved a special request :)

Emily and I are right now in Florence, Italy after arriving in Paris on the 6th of September. After about a week in Paris, we successfully made our way to Rome. We stayed in a particularly interesting B&B there (I will talk more about it later) and we are now in our second day of Florence. Ok, I am off to find Emily so we can grab breakfast.

Ciao