8-8-88! Lettuce celebr8 our st8 of welded bliss
Intertwingled
“The day started out as uneventfully as any other, and continued thus to midday, and from there it was nothing at all to ease into an evening of numbing, undiluted monotony that survived unmarred by even the least act of momentary peculiarity—in fact, let’s skip that day altogether and start with the day after.”*
Times twenty years. AH, what a fun ride it’s been, getting old together. I am throwing in a picture when we were mere middle aged kidless kids with a bicycle factory to play with and a whole mountain to play on.
My Italian friend Raffa reminds me that OTTO means eight. Of course I know that, but that is in the “proximal foreign linguini” lobe of my brain, and I had not quite integrated this numeralogical coincidence…whew. Beats going in circles…(JP thinks for a mintue, trying to work a moebius strip into the monologue…no luck. She’s tired, she’s done a three hour ride today to mark the time in weather IDENTICAL to the day we tied the unafraid knot. Fogggggggy below, suuuuunny above Mt Tam’s waistline).
Like virtually every other wombat with control issues, I proposed to Charlie.
I also picked the date.
The hell with it being a Monday, let’s see who our real friends are!”
The letterpress invitation would be easier with most of the numbers coming out of the same little box in the job case.
Besides, I wanted to bowl that line of little eights over–domino-style–leaving four infinities rolling about in an attempt to confer good luck and longevity upon Charlie’s and my ‘lawful welded union’.
A quick google search of the that quartet of numbers broke my heart: along with our merryiage, the date marked the outbreak of the bloody, failed Burmese uprising where thousands were killed by soldiers in the streets. Guess it was a lousy date to have a revolution, luck-wise.
Meanwhile, back in Marin, fifty mountain bikers loafed about the West Point Inn that sunny Monday, eating their very first taste of ratatouille (mtn bikers were–and are–unadventurous eaters), and discussing a ‘cosmic convergence’.
As if the heavens even paid attention to that sort of thing.
In the ensuing years, Charlie and I learned (from the telly) that wombats have a little courtship dance that involves pursuing one another in figures-of-eight!
WOW! Proof of something, but we’re not sure what.
Wombats were ice-skaters in another life?
We aspire to another boring twenty, and praying the Burmese get to experience the luxury of boredom in this lifetime…
FEEDBACK! WE could really use about eighty eight comments from you 215 daily readers…
*This is something I WISH I wrote, but no, Jay Solmonson wrote it, winning mention in the Bulwer-Lytton writing contest, which takes place each year around here, inspiring writers to crank out turgid prose.
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Jacquie Phelan's Weblog 
Hi Jaquie i like almost anything you post, i say almost because some thimes i can’t understand what are you talking about, i blame it on spanish being my first lenguage! anyway ill keep reading if you queep writing.
I’d like to be part of the 88 comments today, even if I don’t think I understood all of what you wrote… Anyway, it makes me practice my english, so, it’s ok! Lots of kisses!
Congratulations Charlie and Jacquie. Marriage is hard under any circumstances and I would imagine must be even tougher lived in the public eye since you are both certifiably famous (what did you think I was going to write?) Here’s to many more years of peaceful and contented marriage. I love the idea of 88 comments. And I often read your blogs several times, especially since I have noted that there is often editing going on after my initial read. I have to come back to see what has changed.
Happy Anniversary!
As far as feedback goes, I really like the blog and love your quirky writing style and sense of humor. Please write a book! About…anything! A children’s book, a cross country bike tour (“I Freegan Rode My Bike Across The US, For Cry Sakes!”), a how-to book (“How To Win Friends And Influence Fruit From Their Trees That They’re Probably Not going To Pick Anyway”), anything!
Please? 😉
Keep riding and writing…
“We aspire to another boring twenty…”
Based on the short time I’ve been reading here, I kind of doubt the last twenty have really been all that boring.
Here’s to happiness for you and Charlie, and freedom for the Burmese and peoples everywhere.
HAPPY anniversary happy ANNIVERSARY happy anniversary HAPPY ANNIVERSARY – isn’t twenty the year where you give mud?
Congrats to Jacquie and Charlie!
I’m not surprised at all to learn that twenty years of marriage brings China, and that the anniversary of your 8-8-88 nuptials falls on the opening day of the China Olympics in the land where 8 is greatest.
What does surprise me is that in today’s opening “8” graphics you include no photo of you and/or Charlie as you “ate” your wedding cake.
I can’t recall if you ate it or smeared it. Anyone with photographic evidence?
May your day of 8s be great.
Here’s wishing you 20 more gr8 ones!
A happy day to you both. May all the 8’s, 1/8ths, and ates bring you happiness and luck.
Congratulations. Way to go. Good luck and happiness in the next twenty.
I love reading your stuff so I hope you keep it up. And I second that comment about the book….. with recipes and art works and puns.
Yay! Bike makers and writers give gifts that keep on giveng…we appreci8 what you do out ther 🙂
In a funny bit, known as christian mysticism, (really is such a thing, whoda thunk it?)
8 is representative of what lies beyond time.
7 of course, having all of it’s own overhead,
and things repeat 1-7, but 8, lies beyond all
that.
So, here’s to beyond all that, many happy returns
of the day, love to all ya’ll.
–chipper
Happy Anniversary Jacquie and Charlie! Twenty years is beating the odds! Keep it going!
Happy annivairsary from Scotland! We are 8 hours ahead of you, so we know how it all turns out early. Or something. Whoops – I’m supposed to be *working* (damn!). Back to the salt mines …
Sweetie and I will celebrate 5 years of domestic partnership (someday they’ll let us put the word “marriage” on the certificate) next Sunday. What’s wonderful is how many people are so happy for us. What’s a little sad is that they’re amazed that any couple can remain so happily wedded after five years. Hell, we’re gonna be married for a zillion! All it takes is lots of work and mad love for each other, as you and C have shown to all who know you.
Here’s to another zillion years of “convergence” for you and your beshert (yiddish for “divinely intended”). Mazel Tov!
Happy Vesary. You two are beautiful together…Another twenty like falling off a log.
Happy Anniversary – six days late and a dollar short!
My wife proposed to me, AND set the date. Drive-up window in Vegas, in a hearse, on her birthday. 15.5 years ago.
Me and my OCD like the number thing. I’m unreasonably pleased that my son’s birthday is a palindrome of mine.
“Eleven years later still don’t know any better ’bout… eight. Eight. Eighty-eight. It’s way too late for me to change and…”
Where you gonna be on 10-10-2010? :^)
Oh, and I liked your Paddy song. I turned off Black 47 to hear it.
Love the picture of you and Charlie. In fact I love all the pictures I’ve ever seen of Charlie and Jacquie. The happiness, contentment and mutual admiration is wonderfully evident. Here’s to many more.
Congratulations! Many more, many more!
My wife and i will be joining the 20 year club next month.