rantcomics (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} rantcomics) wrote,@ 2005-12-18 22:53:00 |
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Rant Comics: Engaged!
For those who might not know, this past Thursday night I orchestrated a miracle in which I asked my amazing girlfriend and now flustered fiance, Laurie Sternberg (known to regular readers of this humble blog as 'L') to marry me and THANKFULLY she said yes... otherwise this post would have to be about comics or something! The preparation for the engagement has been keeping me pretty quiet and low key around these parts, but now that there's two of us around here, I'm sure things will pick on up!
Keep on reading to hear the whole enthralling edge of your seat tale!
Two weeks ago, I called my pal Benjones, owner and proprietor of Jigsaw (www.jigsawnyc.com), a shoestring media/small press comix store and art gallery on East 11th street, to add a little note to the end of his weekly e-mailer. Ben was to mention a special "Friends of Jigsaw" Holiday party taking place on Thursday, December 15th. The dress was black tie and cocktail attire, would feature brand new art from a reclusive genius artist, and would last all evening. The e-mailer was rigged so that it was only sent to me and I then forwarded it along to Laurie, expressing that I wished to attend with her, to which she agreed. All last week I reminded her that a) it was black tie and that folks would be arriving in tuxedos and wedding-appropriate clothing and that b) I wanted to get there early, so could she leave work an hour or two early to get there?
Thursday arrived and I left my job at 12pm and headed to Jigsaw where Ben and I (well, mostly Ben) hung nine canvases on the Jigsaw walls, each with a cartoon illustration documenting another month in Laurie and my relationship ala NINETY CANDLES (my graphic novella which does the same with years in a cartoonist's lifetime) and covered them with a blue sheet and a sign that read "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL (INSERT YOUR WINTER HOLIDAY OF CHOICE)". I planted roses, a camera and a bottle of champagne in the back and headed home, making sure to call Laurie and pretending I was on my lunchbreak from work, finalize a meeting time that evening of 6 o'clock.
That night I arrived at Laurie's apartment to find her dressed to the nines while I was decked out (purposely) in a button shirt, a pair of jeans and a brown sport coat - not exactly black tie. I did it to throw her off - this way, when she saw i was in jeans, there was no way she'd think we were getting engaged that night. Laurie was livid but still, we went, accidentally taking the wrong train and having to hail a cab in the sleet to Jigsaw. When she saw we were the first to arrive at the place, Laurie's mood went from bad to worse while I was estactic, knowing that she was going to be surprised and that her rage would soon turn to happiness. Of course I was being risky. I can't believe she didn't deck me for toying with her emotions like that.
Anyway, I quickly excused myself to the bathroom while Laurie engaged Ben in small talk. He turned and launched a song on his computer/MP3 hookup - Joe Firstman's "Saving All the Love' - which "coincedentally" happened to be one of Laurie's favorites. She said as much, marveling that someone besides herself had heard of such an obscure song at which Ben pulled the sheet off of the canvases, revealing the illustrations, and I emerged from the back with the roses and ring, singing the song word for word - a song Laurie had played me ONCE when we first began dating and which I knew meant a great deal to her.
She teared up, and once I explained why I had worn the jeans then, and apologized for riling her I said my piece, getting on bended knee and asking her the Big Q. The dame said yes and made me the happiest Jew cartoonist in New York.
Ben opened the bubbly, we grabbed the drawings off the wall and jumped in a town car for the Island of Staten to mix and mingle with family, friends and well wishers until the small wee hours.
Ain't I a stinker?
For those who might not know, this past Thursday night I orchestrated a miracle in which I asked my amazing girlfriend and now flustered fiance, Laurie Sternberg (known to regular readers of this humble blog as 'L') to marry me and THANKFULLY she said yes... otherwise this post would have to be about comics or something! The preparation for the engagement has been keeping me pretty quiet and low key around these parts, but now that there's two of us around here, I'm sure things will pick on up!
Keep on reading to hear the whole enthralling edge of your seat tale!
Two weeks ago, I called my pal Benjones, owner and proprietor of Jigsaw (www.jigsawnyc.com), a shoestring media/small press comix store and art gallery on East 11th street, to add a little note to the end of his weekly e-mailer. Ben was to mention a special "Friends of Jigsaw" Holiday party taking place on Thursday, December 15th. The dress was black tie and cocktail attire, would feature brand new art from a reclusive genius artist, and would last all evening. The e-mailer was rigged so that it was only sent to me and I then forwarded it along to Laurie, expressing that I wished to attend with her, to which she agreed. All last week I reminded her that a) it was black tie and that folks would be arriving in tuxedos and wedding-appropriate clothing and that b) I wanted to get there early, so could she leave work an hour or two early to get there?
Thursday arrived and I left my job at 12pm and headed to Jigsaw where Ben and I (well, mostly Ben) hung nine canvases on the Jigsaw walls, each with a cartoon illustration documenting another month in Laurie and my relationship ala NINETY CANDLES (my graphic novella which does the same with years in a cartoonist's lifetime) and covered them with a blue sheet and a sign that read "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL (INSERT YOUR WINTER HOLIDAY OF CHOICE)". I planted roses, a camera and a bottle of champagne in the back and headed home, making sure to call Laurie and pretending I was on my lunchbreak from work, finalize a meeting time that evening of 6 o'clock.
That night I arrived at Laurie's apartment to find her dressed to the nines while I was decked out (purposely) in a button shirt, a pair of jeans and a brown sport coat - not exactly black tie. I did it to throw her off - this way, when she saw i was in jeans, there was no way she'd think we were getting engaged that night. Laurie was livid but still, we went, accidentally taking the wrong train and having to hail a cab in the sleet to Jigsaw. When she saw we were the first to arrive at the place, Laurie's mood went from bad to worse while I was estactic, knowing that she was going to be surprised and that her rage would soon turn to happiness. Of course I was being risky. I can't believe she didn't deck me for toying with her emotions like that.
Anyway, I quickly excused myself to the bathroom while Laurie engaged Ben in small talk. He turned and launched a song on his computer/MP3 hookup - Joe Firstman's "Saving All the Love' - which "coincedentally" happened to be one of Laurie's favorites. She said as much, marveling that someone besides herself had heard of such an obscure song at which Ben pulled the sheet off of the canvases, revealing the illustrations, and I emerged from the back with the roses and ring, singing the song word for word - a song Laurie had played me ONCE when we first began dating and which I knew meant a great deal to her.
She teared up, and once I explained why I had worn the jeans then, and apologized for riling her I said my piece, getting on bended knee and asking her the Big Q. The dame said yes and made me the happiest Jew cartoonist in New York.
Ben opened the bubbly, we grabbed the drawings off the wall and jumped in a town car for the Island of Staten to mix and mingle with family, friends and well wishers until the small wee hours.
Ain't I a stinker?
