oh the anna french

well, like max, i hav acquired a design job. a real, honest to goodness design job. a job in which i play assistant while someone else, namely sassybosslady, plays the person who tells me to do menial tasks, like fold fabric samples. but really? i absolutely love it. i have an extremely funny sassybosslady, who is just about the best boss i have ever had. i mean, she calls me chickadee and has a partner who is hondurian. my co-workers are also super-sassy and one happens to be a brazilian, the other hailing from san fran. i am talking fabulous, people. i have to say, it is my most favorite job i have ever had, aside from teaching those really talented kids how to sing.
and.....i get to play with fabulous, fabulous high end fabrics. we are talking 250 dollars a yard. A YARD. and the best is this german line. oh. it. is marvelous.

so definitely feeling a bit more optimistic about the future. if we can just get over this july rent business and find ourselves a livable apartment that king max accepts, then life will be good.

an addendum

max actually walked six miles, both ways, to a total of 12 miles altogether.
you, dear reader, may decide the moronity.

smooches
a

how about a nice side of slave labor

my mother just called to inform me that the china buffet, a restaurant that i used to frequent in college and otherwise, is having major governmental issues and is closing 6 michigan restaurants due to slave labor. yep. evidently the china buffet is being accused of locking chinese employees in hotel and carting them off to work, without much food or any pay. i wonder if they are still operating in indiana? needless to say, i feel totally grossed out and horrified. there is nothing quite like aiding the economy of slaves....


Jun 9, 12:11 PM EDT

17 Chinese restaurants raided in Mich.

By JOHN FLESHER
Associated Press Writer

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- Authorities raided 17 Chinese restaurants around Michigan that they suspect of ducking millions of dollars in taxes and importing undocumented workers as a "modern version of indentured servants."

Search warrants were also served at 21 homes of suspected undocumented Chinese workers. Dozens were involved in the scheme, State Police Lt. Curt Schram said.

"It cost them X number of dollars to come to this country and they're trying to work off that debt," Schram said.

Investigators believe one family or related families own the restaurants, which are mostly in the central and west-central areas of the Lower Peninsula, the statement said.

The owners are suspected of claiming only a third of their actual income and sending part of the proceeds out of the country, while shortchanging the state and federal governments of millions of dollars in sales, unemployment and use taxes, police said. About $400,000 in cash was seized.

Nine people were arrested at a Chinese buffet in Petoskey, and two people believed to be undocumented workers were charged with driver's license violations and jailed in Montcalm County. An additional 13 people were found to have deportation orders and were handed over to immigration authorities.

"It's some sort of modern version of indentured servants," Emmet County Prosecutor James Linderman said.

The investigation began with one detective checking out a report in Newaygo County and eventually involved 22 local, state and federal agencies, Schram said.

Businesses in other states also are being looked at, although warrants have been served only in Michigan, he said.

The raids turned up "a tremendous amount" of business records written in Chinese that must be translated, Schram said.

my right hand is so tired

the past few days have been hectic -- lots of cleaning, lots of organizing, lots of writing thank you notes. i refuse to be THAT bride who doesn't properly thank each and every person for being a part of the wedding. they made a sacrifice to attend, and i can sacrifice some time to extend my thanks.

tonight the max and i met up at the store and in that couple-ly way, shopped for groceries and made dinner together. oof! gross! love! we did, however, make the best hamburgers along with homemade fries and corn on the cob. delicious!

in spite of the gloriousness of love in my life, i cant help but feel utterly rejected in my job search. it has been rough. three serious interviews so far. and i have absolutely nothing to show for it. i cant help but think that if i was more awesome at (insert ridiculous ability here), then i would for sure get the job. i totally have talent. i totally can sell a lamp, i mean, JESUS. if ethan allen wont take me, who will?

smooches
a

i finally learned what 90% humidity feels like

so, it was a whirl-wind of a wedding.

i was very happy with how it all turned out -- everyone worked like dogs to make sure everything was as great as it could be. so much to do! my mother and sister created beautiful decorations and the huppah! oh the huppah! the rabbi was great, if a little too drunk at times, and it seemed like all the right people were there.

not that there wasn't a fair share of nerve-wracking moments. but those didn't outweigh the really good stuff that happened. i don't know why i thought i would have so much time with people. i think there were a few people irritated with the fact i wasn't able to see them more. but i think that is how weddings go....i did try really hard to make everyone feel as important as i view them to be!

there also was some snafus with driving people to the airport. really, there were many family members who needed rides and few cars to take them in. i feel bad, but i also feel like i shouldn't have had to bear the responsibility to make sure everyone got where they needed to be. i actually was very very busy decorating, shopping, cleaning, organizing, and making food. it wasn't alyson with mai tai's on the beach everyday. we are super broke, but we rented a car. i sincerely appreciate the sacrifice it took to come to myrtle beach, but i also had ALOT to deal with.

but truly, it was a glorious couple of days, even with the rain, crazy and stress. i will post some pictures soon! you can also check the reluctant receptionists view of the trip.