The online diary of Caroline
Westbrook and her forthcoming marriage on September 6 1998 to Leslie
Bunder.
Wednesday April 1 1998
Spent a happy and productive day playing April Fools jokes on people, mainly
convincing them that the location of the wedding had been changed to atop a
Himalayan mountain, with everybody wearing moonboots. OK, I didn't really,
just another April Fool.
Thursday April 2 1998
Should have the invitations any day now. Started making the preparations for
our apartment's debut Seder next Friday, by buying a huge amount of Pesach
food. It was to my particular relief that Leslie opted for American wine
instead of the old British stalwart known as Palwin No. 10.
Those in the know will be aware it has a taste not unlike extra-strength cough medicine; those
now in the know will be advised to give it as wide a berth as possible.
Friday April 3 1998
We have the invitations! Or, at least, we will do by Sunday, when they'll be
personally hand-delivered to my parents' place. Also, the folks from that
lovely lovely Fade To Black magazine got back to me, suggesting we should give
them a few weeks and they'll try and recommend a stand-up comic for us! Very
productive day.
Leslie and I had Friday night dinner with Anthony and Dorothy, my aunt and
uncle, and cousin Deborah, 50 per cent of the bridesmaids. Who, again, are so
raring to get to New York they're just about to book the flight.
Saturday April 4 1998
Went to see Karen and Edward's new house - positively huge place in the middle
of Finchley, North London. They'll be moving in on May 2, so we're happily
awaiting our invitation to the house-warming . . .
Sunday April 5 1998
Leslie is talking about a complete re-vamp of the Web Site, which seems to me
like a pretty good idea - not that it isn't utterly superb already! Still, a
fresh design would make it look even better!
As promised, the invitations arrived today, looking pretty good - so glad we
opted for the cream and green design as it somehow looks more festive than
going for black and white. We'll try and start sending them out after Pesach.
Monday April 6 1998
Good Friday coming up, hence bank holiday. Love four-day weeks! Even though
this one's going to be hugely busy getting ready for Pesach.
Tuesday April 7 1998
Leslie is going to work on the Web site with work colleague Richard, as both
of them are pretty whizzy at site design.
Went to parents' for dinner, where my mum showed me a letter she'd had from
the caterers recommending florists, photographers and bands who would make the
wedding an even nicer place to be! Will probably go with one of the flower
folk they've suggested, but we're still going to try out a few snappers and
musicians for ourselves when we pop over next month!
Wednesday April 8 1998
The new Web site should be up and running in the next couple of weeks, which
is good news. Popped to Golders Green to pick up the rest of the Pesach food -
the place was full of frantically sweating people trying to get last minute
bargains on Kosher cheese. Well, almost.
Thursday April 9 1998
Last day of real food for a week! Made the most of it, but with a pound and a
half of smoked salmon sitting in the fridge for Seder consumption and beyond I
should eat very well this Pesach.
Friday April 10 1998
After hours of frantic preparation, brushing toast crumbs under the microwave
etc. etc. (only joking) the Seder thankfully went off without a hitch. Our
guests included my parents, Leslie's mum and cousins Stephen and Jackie, Ian, Marsha and Juliette, and my parents'
friend Leslie Hamilton (yes, having two Leslies at the table did make things
very confusing!)
The boneless roast turkey dinner cooked by Leslie's mother was an outstanding success, and my
centrepiece potato pudding was the biggest hit of the night. Thought about
taking up catering for a living . . . for all of five seconds. Fell into bed
exhausted at about 1 am. Yes, I do have to do it all again tomorrow but being at Anthony and Dorothy's place, at least I can sit back and let someone else wait on me!!
Saturday April 11 1998
Exhaustion has set in. Extreme relief that I am going to somebody
else's Seder tonight. As per usual Anthony and Dorothy's was very inviting, offering up chicken soup and chocolate mousse on tap,and giving me a chance to update the rest of the rels on the wedding plans. All washed down with a gallon of Palwin's No. 10. Oh well.
Sunday April 12 1998
Went to synagogue this morning, spent the rest of the day with the
family before heading back home to live out the rest of my matzah eating days under my own roof. Easter Monday tomorrow, so another day off work. Yippee!
Monday April 13 1998
Woke up late, relaxed, went shopping. The perfect end to the 96 hour
bank holiday.
Tuesday April 14 1998
Top news! I am going out to Los Angeles on Sunday to hang out with some folks from DreamWorks, the production company run by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. It's the animation wing I'm heading for, to find out more about the new cartoon flick The Prince Of Egypt, based on the Passover story (how's that for impeccable timing?). I knew the trip was coming up, but I had no idea it was going to be at such short notice.
Thankfully I fly out on Sunday, the day after Pesach, and - and here's the really terrible deal - not only do I have to fly Virgin Premium Economy (I,e wider seats than Economy) - but when I get there I have to stay at the Four Seasons Hotel! Damn!
Still, it not only gives me the chance to see the family out there, but
also to hand out some wedding invitations personally. Oh, and do a little
work as well.
This evening Leslie and myself went to a sneaky peek of a movie called
Dead Man's Curve, which was directed by a friend of ours, Dan Rosen. We actually met via the Internet about two and a half years ago, when he dropped me a line as a visitor to London seeking some info about the city. And kind of stayed in touch ever since. Anyway, we finally met for the first time this evening, assured him his name was on the wedding invitation list etc. etc., and then watched the film which was really rather splendid.
These two college students, who have heard an age-old myth that if your roomate commits suicide you get an A Grade to compound the grief, get together and kill off their fellow dorm sharer. Go see!
Wednesday April 15 1998
The web site is shaping up very nicely indeed. Leslie has been working
on it
with Richard, one of his work colleagues, and it's been transformed
from plain
white backgrounds and blue text to a beautifully designed, blue and
yellow
creation with easy to follow sub-headings. I honestly don't think
they've left
anything out - it includes The Players (i.e us, parents, etc.), The
Ring, The
Food, The Invite, The Synagogue and, of course, The Diary, among
others. It
should be going live very soon. Exciting!
Thursday April 16 1998
Had to work horribly late to get everything done pre-LA. 12 hours in the
office. (goody).
Friday April 17 1998
Finished! Can now go off to the States with a clear conscience. Funny,
it
doesn't seem so long since the last time I was getting on a plane. To
top it
all off, I'll be back on terra firma for a month, then we fly out to
New York
to finalise all the wedding details. Every single conversation I have
with any
of my friends now seems to end in the sentence "What, going away again!
You've
only just got back!" or "Whaaaaat? You're always going away!" or words
to that
effect. I would dearly love it if someone were to call me up next week
and say
"What?! You're home?!"
Saturday April 18 1998
This is, however, a far easier trip than Australia. For one thing, I
have a
full day to pack, organise everything and straighten out the apartment
(turn
off the cooker etc.) Secondly, as I am only going for four days I don't
have
to take nearly as much stuff with me. And I don't have to get up at the
crack
of dawn on Sunday to go to the airport, as my flight isn't until 12. In
fact,
I was packed by lunchtime and couldn't work out why everything seemed
to be
done.
Went to tell Don and Trudi next door that I was going away ("What, going away again! You've only just got back!" etc.), and even found time to mark the end of Pesach by going out with Leslie for a curry down in the East End of London. Yum!
Sunday April 19 1998
It was extremely nice to find I had an entire posse - Leslie, his mum
and mine - to accompany me to Heathrow Airport. Which was where I discovered the first advantage (or not, as the case may be) to flying Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy. Namely, that they only have one check-in desk as opposed to about ten and your priority check-in takes twice as long. By the time it was my turn Premium Economy was full. So they had to upgrade me to, um, Upper Class. Bummer!
Needless to say, the flight was wonderful. I had a footrest that went
right up, a headrest that went right back, and my food was served to me
course by course off a trolley. And snacks kept appearing every couple of hours.
By the time the afternoon tea appeared I was reeling under the weight of food and pampering.
Noticeably the only turbulence occurred during the occasions when I had just been served cups of tea. Typically, the only flight I had ever been on which was comfortable enough for sleeping rendered me so excited I was unable to nod off for a second.
We landed at around 2.20 pm Los Angeles time (about 10.20 pm here),
cleared all the authorities, and I then took a cab to the hotel - we are talking luxurious here! The bellman carried up my cases, showed me where the pool was, put ice in my ice bucket and collected a fat tip for his troubles. I should
have slept but I was too excited. DreamWorks were not only picking up
the tab for the hotel room but also added on $100 a day room charges to spend on whatever I wanted - room service, mini-bar, whatever.
There was a huge TV with cable, and a mini black and white set in the (monumentally sized) bathroom. Spent some time trying out the facilities (mini-bar, free snacks, cable TV,
bath robes etc.), then met up with my cousins Gerry and Marlene, who
live in South Hollywood and came by to take me out to dinner.
Went to this ace Mexican place - The Garden Of Taxcos - where there's no menu - the waiter comes round to every table and recites what's on offer. He's soon followed by a guy with a guitar who does do requests (provided they're Mexican origin, of course). The food was excellent, and it was great to see Gerry and Marlene again, asobviously we live quite a way apart and don't get to see each other very often.
We exchanged presents (they got Thornton's
Continental Chocolates, we got a set of gorgeous pewter butter knives),
and I passed on the invitation. They'll try to come, but they're going to
Nashville for their granddaughter's Bat Mitzvah two weeks before and so it may be difficult to get time off work. I left the invitation open-ended,
however, as they have four children, so hopefully somebody should be able to come.
Slept very well tonight, largely due to a combination of jet-lag and
Mexican sherry which rounded off our meal. Have to be at DreamWorks by 7.30 am.
Monday April 20 1998
A very long but very successful day. I was taken back to my hotel via
Coldwater Canyon, a very quiet part of the city right up in some hills
and heavily populated by coyotes, skunks, etc. The latter apparently have a habit of spraying people's cars but luckily this didn't happen to us.
When I got back to my hotel I decided I would pop to the cinema at the
Beverly Center, around 5 minutes drive from the hotel, so I went to the
entrance and asked the doorman to call me a cab. Turned out, however, the hotel has a complimentary car service, and as such, I found myself being transported to my destination in the largest stretch limo I have ever seen! And they even told me to call when I was ready so they'd pick me up! Too bad the film (Lost In Space), wasn't as impressive. Talk about a waste of money!
Tuesday April 21 1998
Relatives day! Got up early, took advantage of the gym and jacuzzi,
then went out for lunch with my Auntie Rosa, who's 80 (but certainly doesn't look it) and has lived in Hollywood almost half her life. Had a wonderful time and a very delicious lunch, she is delightful company and has a shedload of anecdotes.
Finally returned to the hotel at 4 pm, too full to move.
Which is a pity, as Gerry and Marlene took me to The Cheesecake Factory in Marina Del Rey that evening, which, as you might expect, serves slabs of cheesecake the size of barrage balloons. And their gorgeous main courses are just as gargantuan.
Finished the evening feeling enormous and very very tired.
Wednesday April 22 1998
No upgrade this time, alas, but Premium Economy still proved pretty
good. I managed to sleep for most of the flight, but woke up and started
watching Scream 2, which I hadn't seen and thoroughly enjoyed - until, that is, they switched it off about half an hour before the end as we had to land. So I still don't know who the killer is!!
Thursday April 23 1998
Went straight from plane to taxi to office. It was 85 degrees in Los
Angeles and I was dressed in summer clothes, feeling very Californian. Decided after half an hour in the office to pop out for some lunch, slipped into gorgeous new Isaac Mizrahi (who else?) jacket I had bought on the last morning and left the building. Got absolutely drenched in the ensuing heavy shower that greeted
me, bringing with it Arctic winds. Gosh, how I love London.
Nobody in my office will tell me who the killer is in Scream 2. Hate
them!!!!!!! (not really)
Friday April 24 1998
Found out from my editor that I am going to Paris on an assignment next
Thursday. What! You're going away again!
That joke isn't the only thing which is tired around here. Went to
Leslie and his mum for dinner, which was lovely (salt beef, rye bread, lashings of salad), but I was so tired I was fast asleep on their sofa by 8 o'clock so Leslie had to take me home. Thank goodness it's the weekend.
Leslie and Richard have done lots of work on the Web site in my
absence. It now looks spectacularly cool, especially given that Leslie has begun putting up pictures of his mum and dad. Our family photos will follow soon.
Saturday April 25 1998
Still tired, but not too tired to go out for a curry.
Sunday April 26 1998
Went round to my parents and picked up some of our old photos - them as a young couple, my mother as a little girl, me playing chess at the age of about 18 months (a personal favourite) which should be taking pride of place on the Web Site any day now.
Monday April 27 1998
Spent the whole day watching movies (three in one day, to be precise).
My mother, on the other hand, got in touch with the caterer to confirm
further details, for example the order of service. We are having a traditional service, but need to clarify whether certain aspects of the American service are different from the British one with which we are familiar.
Tuesday April 28 1998
Leslie is looking into renting apartments for the week of the wedding,
something which seems more economical than booking a clutch of hotel rooms.
The idea is that he'll stay in an apartment with his family and I'll do
the same until the wedding night, when (naturally) we move into a hotel.
The Web site is now fully functional, most of the sections have been
completed and it looks great! We are getting around 80 unique visitors a day and lots of feedback, which is really good news. And what's more, those who run a search on weddings on Yahoo! Will find our name at the top, as ours in the newest site!
Wednesday April 29 1998
Off AGAIN tomorrow, this time to Paris. Luckily this one's only
overnight, so I don't even have to check my bag in. All I have to do is pack a few things in my hand luggage, flash my passport at the gendarmes and I'm done! I fly at 2 pm Thursday afternoon on Air France and I'll be back by 10 am the next day. Easy!
Thursday April 30 1998
Arrived in Paris mid-afternoon, made my usual attempt to converse in
fluent French and realised that I can speak the language perfectly well but hit a serious stumbling block when it comes to understanding what is being said to me in reply. Still, J'aime Paris, c'est tres grande et magnifique, et it a le tour eiffel et L'Arc De Triomphe et personnes francais.
OK, now I am just showing off. Whiled away a very pleasant evening on the Champs Elysees, which was still buzzing at 1 in the morning, due to the May Day Vacances the next day. And I thought everybody there just went to bed extremely late!
