Disaster
The day started out going to ITT Technical Institute to look at their programs. We were going for "me" but I knew that they had game design programs, so I dragged Jason along hoping something might spark his interest, since we both know there is no way that we could ever afford for him to go to UAT. However, there was no luck for either of us there, and the adviser I saw was so pushy and not knowledgeable that she didn't really promote the school well. She kept trying to push other degrees off on me for computer technology, when I specifically walked in there saying, I want a Bachelor's in design, I saw online you have a program. Well, she knew nothing of that program, and tried to shove game design off on me, and I kept telling her no, I want to build webpages, do advertising logos, stuff like that, oh, well how about Computer Aided Drafting? No, I want to build webpages! So we are walking down the hall, and she's showing us all these posters of the different classes, and asks me, "How about Criminal Justice!?!" No! What the hell does Criminal Justice have to do with the main reason I was here. Needless to say, Jason and I left there both very, very frustrated.
Disappointment
So who remembers when Jason made fun of me for planning way to far in advance for his tastes? I know I do, and it backfired in his face yesterday when we approached our first reception destination. While absolutely stunning and beautiful, The Waterfront, is already booked for October 3, 2009. We decided to look around anyway in case we decide to change our date (which I don't want to do.) It was absolutely gorgeous, and everything sounded great there. The people were really nice, it was relatively easy to find, and the price was right (or as right as it can be for the poor kids. :P) Fortunately/unfortunately for us, they were setting up for a wedding so they had some stuff set up, but a lot of stuff was still in the works (like in the Bridal suite and hallways, and such.) But anyway, here are some pictures:
When I realized what time it was, I quickly called the person whom I told that we couldn't meet on Friday with, and asked if she still had an oppening for us to go visit The Farm. It was a very quaint, and cute place, and another one that Jason liked. We headed over, and it was a pain in the ass to find. We met with the coordinator, who was nice, but eh, there was something about her that neither one of us liked. The place, despite the outside part, was not really well kept in our eyes, and they had tons of restrictions, like no confetti or fake flowers, the bridal suite was tiny (and with no bathroom), you had to use their caterer, whose food was very pricey, and the fact that she told us they were "pruning" their trees and you could tell that the debris on the ground had been there a long time. It was a nice retreat from the regular Phoenix atmosphere, but I don't know having to hike through a 2 inch mount of pine needles and leaves mixed with dirt, didn't sound like the place for us. At one point, Jason said, I walked through the dirt, not over it. Yuck. Also, they make you park across the street (and it's already a hike to get around there) and you can rent a golf cart for anyone who needs assistance. That seemed kind of off to me... that should definitely be something provided to those who can't walk or have trouble doing so, not an extra fee. Needless to say, this was also not the place for us. Here are some pictures anyway:
Dummies
After we finish with the two venues, we started to head downtown to get Jason's check. The entire thing about Jason's check is ridiculous. Every Wednesday for the last 6 months, his check had been deposited into our bank account. It wasn't in this Wednesday and I told Jason, he forgot, and ended up calling on Thursday to make sure it was even turned in. The goofy ditz (I can say that, I met / saw her yesterday) told him, without even checking that technically it doesn't have to be in his account until Friday, but he should have it by then. So Friday morning rolls around and still no check. So he calls the company again, and they tell him, oh, sorry, since it's your final check you have to come pick it up. What kind of crap is that for a temp agency; especially since they just offered him another job the night before**?! I personally think that it's bullshit that because one job ended, and he is still technically "employed" by them as they are still actively looking for placement, that it's not his "final" check. What about those people who do a different job every week? They have to drive 30 minutes to get their check? Lame.
Destruction and Dummies (continued) with the added fun of Dresses!
So while we're in the pits of hell (downtown) I told him to head to the dress shop! We decide to skip the freeway, and take surface streets because (technically) it's close. Wrong-o. Forgetting that downtown has a stop light every 10 feet makes it a long trip. Also, they are test running the Lightrail, which wow, I can't even believe the way it's set up. I guarantee you when they open streets up again, there will be many, many deaths. First, we saw it turn left in front of 4 lanes of cars. That was crazy. God forbid someone be over the line at a stop light or run it, then SMASH, there they go. And that's not even accounting for those really stupid people that shouldn't even be driving. For example, there are signs posted everywhere, DO NOT DRIVE OR STOP ON TRACKS. We didn't see anyone driving on the tracks but we saw at least two people actually stopped on them. One of them to make a left turn against a RED and one, who knows what he was doing besides just kinda chillin' on the tracks. Also, they have the entire area torn up, its all these huge like 3-5 square blocks of asphalt taken out of the ground that are probably anywhere from 2-6 inches deep so its like you're constantly hitting pot-holes. Ugh, it was a bad trip. But we finally got to AZTECA Plaza where they have every possible wedding need in the universe. We first went into the dress shop. Jason went in with me, I know, how shocking and un-traditional, but once I told them the dress I had found online, he was sent away, and I was sent upstairs to go look at dresses. I picked out a total of 4, as they didn't have the exact dress that I wanted, but they had one very similar. Online you can't even tell, but apparently the fabric is different, and the bead work is a bit different as well. I tried on all the dresses except for the one that was similar to the one I saw online, and I wasn't really impressed with anything. I definitely saved the best for last. Once I tried the dress on, I loved it! The bead work (versus the original one I liked) can be customized with several different colors, and of course the one I had on was purple! The dress I tried on was too big for me, so the corset back didn't really work, and she had to pin it up. She put a veil on me, and I thought I was going to cry. It was perfect! She asked if I wanted Jason to come up, and I said yes (on with tradition :P) we were a few yards apart because no boys are allowed upstairs, but he seemed to like it as well. I asked about purchasing, and she said that it takes about 4 1/2 months to get the dresses in, and you have to put down 50% when you order it. I'm pretty sure she said it was around $495, so that shouldn't be too difficult to do once we get back on our feet when Jason starts working again, we just need to hurry, hurry! No camera's (along with boys) we allowed in their building, so these are the only pictures I can conjure up:
Next week, we hope to look at these three golf resorts, so wish us luck!
The End. : )
** He will not be taking that job, because while the price is right, its a temporary job, that would interfere with him getting a permanent job in January with his old employer, or Schwab, should they actually pull through.
[/caption]