This is the second post in my Wedding Week series. Make sure you check out our engagement story, and come back on Wednesday and Friday for how we afforded rings, assorted gifts, and a honeymoon while living on my $27K salary and groom in grad school. 

It should come as no surprise that one of the most important parts of my wedding–you know besides the vows, my dress and the rings–was the music. I genuinely didn’t care about the flowers or chair covers but I did have some strong opinions about the music. For instance, under no circumstances was there to be a conga line (I loathe conga lines. They are the worst. Thing. Ever. Except for horses. Horses doing a conga line would make it so I never left my house ever again). Also, no electric slide or any form of organized dances (I hate them and I can’t follow along. Yup. I’m that uncoordinated). Because I’m Jewish, I allowed the drunken circle of madness that is the Hora and the torture that is being lifted in chair, supported only by groomsmen who, of course, are of varying heights so one side of your body is substantially higher than the other (For extra points, at my wedding, the groomsmen knocked my mom’s head into the chandelier. Nothing says a good time like the mother of the bride almost getting a concussion).

I also had very specific artists and songs that had to be played. Fortunately, our DJ was a college friend of ours (this was complete coincidental, actually. Our location gave us a list of preferred vendors and when I called this one particular company, I received a call back from a gentleman who identified himself as my across the hall neighbor from sophomore year of college who we remained friends with for the rest of college and lost touch with over the years. This was pre-Facebook. Yes, I’m old) and was more than happy to comply with my pretty specific but only slightly neurotic list of “must play and never under any circumstances play” songs.  Interesting side note to this story, because we knew the DJ, we got the ceremony music for free and about $100 knocked off the total price. Pretty sweet deal for us. It’s good to know people and have them randomly show up in your life and have them save you money.

Anyway, after some discussion, we picked the major songs: our first dance (Edwin McCain’s “I Could Not Ask for More), my dance with my dad (“You’ll Be In My Heart” by Phil Collins) and his dance with his mom (“I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack) but the one song that was a huge bone of contention–the song we were going to walk in to. He wanted Nine Inch Nails’s “Closer” but I had huge issues with using a song that says “I want to fuck you like an animal” with my grandparents in the room. He saw nothing wrong with it but he’s not smart sometimes. Guess who won that battle?

We discussed (and by discussed I mean argued). Eventually we settled (and by settled I mean I made the ultimate decision since he showed poor taste with the NIN debacle) on the beginning instrumental part of Metallica’s “Wherever I May Roam”.

What? You thought I’d pick something normal?

This week’s song, “Deathbed”, has absolutely nothing to do with money. At all. Not even one remote iota. But that doesn’t mean it’s not relevant. And it’s probably a song you’ve never heard.

There is so much I love about this song. It’s upbeat, it’s kick ass and it’s performed by a band that almost no one outside the Philadelphia area has heard of (the band? Ike). It’s this last point that I need to focus on. I have been feeling really…down lately, specifically about my blogging efforts. I have been feeling like my sites will never measure up to the bigger kids out there and that what I have to say isn’t significant or meaningful or even important. It’s pretty awful to think about and many days, I feel like quitting. But then I think about bands like Ike.

Ike freaking rocks. They have a loyal, if small, fan base. They keep evolving and putting out good, quality music. They work hard, don’t quit, and do whatever they need to do to promote themselves when no one else will do it for them. They don’t give up just because another band is more successful. And that’s exactly the kind of inspiration I need.

This is the first Ike song I heard and after the first listen, I was hooked. My favorite lyric? I can’t even pick a favorite because I love them all. And if the song isn’t for you, just fast forward to around minute 3 and look for the dancing snowman. It’s totally worth it.

I love The Muppets. Like really, really love The Muppets. It’s been a lifelong obsession, going back as far as I can remember. In fact, when I was potty trained, I got a Scooter doll (TMI?). For those of you who don’t know who Scooter is, here you go:

My love of The Muppets has caused me to spend varying amounts of money on things like DVDs, stickers, Band-Aids, nail polish, and for Christmas, I got Muppets Monopoly (which I have not opened. It sits, pristine as can be, in its wrapped box). When the new movie came out last fall (and I totally had not been counting down to it at all), I took the day off so I could go to the first showing possible. I wouldn’t say that I’ve spent a small fortune on Muppets paraphernalia but suffice it to say, I’ve spent enough.

(I’m starting to think that a line item in my personal budget needs to be “Muppets stuff” because Muppet items are too hard for me to resist. Everyone has her weakness. Is it wrong that mine is puppets? Anyway…)

I suppose, now that you know all of that, it’s not a surprise that my favorite video of all time is Weezer’s “Keep Fishing”. Not because the song is that amazing but because…well, watch and see: