Offbeat

I went to talk to the neighbor last night about the bikes. She told me her landlord had called to tell her that the garage door was open and he closed it for her as a favor. Awesome. So we now know that the thieves got in through the garage door--the door J and I don't use. The neighbor was sympathetic ("Yeah, we don't keep our bikes in there! This neighborhood..."), but not particularly helpful or apologetic, since I now believe that she left that door unlocked to be opened by the thieves. I'm sure it was a mistake and there's nothing to be done about it, but when I got home I got a little angry. Couldn't she at least acknowledge that it was probably her fault the door was unlocked? Ugh. I guess they could have jimmied the lock on their own or something, so there's no proof that she's to blame, but if the roles were reversed I'd be mortified that possible negligence on my part could have resulted in other people's stuff being taken.

Okay. I have to let it go, because this is one of those things that will just eat you up inside otherwise. Besides, I wanted to talk about good things. Like this new book, Offbeat Bride by Ariel! I have a special affinity for this book because it represents my first official book deal (aaand my last because I don't work for a literary agency anymore). It was a lot of work on Ariel's part to get from where we started to where we ended, and a good amount of work on my end to get it into the right hands, but the finished product is really something wonderful. She's started a website dedicated to offbeat brides everywhere, and I love it. We were developing the book around the time of my wedding, but I wish all this had been in place while I was doing the planning.

While the really offbeat brides are the most fun to feature, what I love about this book and the website, is that it's really for anyone who feels uncomfortable picking up the slew of bridal magazines out there, or who feels weird about buying wedding-themed things, or who wants to make the wedding their own, but doesn't see a lot of guidance in the mainstream books, magazines, and websites. For instance, her flickr pool, is this fabulous mix of pictures from real people who did things a little off from the "norm" and had fun doing it. You've never seen a less stiff, more fun collection of wedding pictures. All of Ariel's work really serves as a reminder that there are a million ways to do a wedding, and it's okay if your way isn't featured in Brides. In fact, it's more than okay, because your personal touches are what makes the day special, and what makes you and your guests have fun. So if you know anyone planning a wedding, this is a perfect little gift to get her started.