Chicago: Totally hands-free!!!

Longshot here, but do any of you know anything about the laws regarding who can officiate a wedding in Michigan? I've looked up several resources onling but I seem to be getting conflicting information and convuloted answers. Basically, we want a friend of ours to marry us next summer. We were hoping she could just do what she needed to do get a justice of the peace or whatever, but it seems pretty clear MI doesn't have that. Anybody happen to know a way around this?

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(snylweubbyehxdr0pmqwe355))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-551-7

Also they are on ESPN2 tonight vs. Dallas. I am going to try and get the bar to turn it on if there are TVs.

xp: I think they're pretty lax. Two separate friends of mine have performed weddings after getting certified online.

also what que said

Jordan, there's one of those in New Jersey, too -- except without the mopeds.

I'm pretty sure Larry Bell is de facto authorized to marry people in MI.

jon, my best friend bill is presiding over the ceremony of his wife's best friend and her fiancee in michigan this weekend. i'm watching their dogs while they're away so i'll ask them when i see them.

to the best of my knowledge bill is not a member of the clergy, a judge, or sea captain.

Wingman, nice. The one here is apparently called the Bender Defenders.

I'm pretty sure Larry Bell is de facto authorized to marry people in MI.

We're playing at Bell's on Oct. 12. I am STOKED.

Kevin, that would be great. Sounds exactly like what we are planning to do.

Aw, I am jealous. The band used to play there back in the day (and is playing on the jukebox during the Bell's part of that beer documentary), but I never have.

Oh yeah, my sister's wedding was performed by her husband's cousin and I am nearly certain she (the cousin) got certified online too.

Katie just reminded me that I can't go to the 10/6 Fire game. Fuck.

If anyone in the band is going to K-zoo and back home the same night, I would be up for a road trip.

I think Jeremy might be coming back that night, EZ. I'm probably going to stay, just so I can hang out and get drunk. The show is technically part of the Class of 1997's 10-year reunion (although it's open to the public, too), so there might be some old faces in the crowd.

kraftbrau in k-zoo closes this weekend i think? landlord wants an insane amount in rent so they're being forced out.

Oh really?? That's a shame. I wonder where the indie rock shows are going to go. Maybe back to Club Soda.

Oh shit, Club Soda closed, too.

try lansing. one of the dude's who booked the place (bl@ck j@ck) is going to try to book in lansing until kraftbrau's owners find a new place (and if it's suitable).

huh, guess i should've read the link. when i first heard the owners were up in the air about re-opening.

Yeah, I'm just sad for kids in Kzoo. Kraftbrau didn't even host touring bands when I lived there, but I did see Blonde Redhead and Tortoise at Club Soda. It was nice not to have to drive to Chicago to see good live music.

Dan -- when you are planning on getting to the bar?

Um, leaving here within the half hour, so probably by about 6.

OK, like I said, I'll prob. be there closer to 6:30.

i've never been so glad not to have http://dlisted.com/node/153485.

Dan - the Reader has the National show listed as sold out.

listening to this.

My wife's brother got certified via the Universal Life Church online and performed our wedding in Michigan six years ago and nobody's called us on it yet. Since then my wife also got her certificate and has performed the ceremony for her dad in 2006 as well as my cousin this past July.

It's totally legal and super easy. It almost seems too easy, like there should have been more hoops to jump through or forms to fill out. This makes all the anti gay marriage arguements that invoke the sacredness of holy matrimony seem even dumber to me.

I have a black toiletry bag that has a metal tag on it with my initals. My lawyer sent it to me for my 18th birthday.

Collette, it took me a year to find a job after I moved it. So it can't possibly get that bad for you.

i just invented a cocktail after a bad day (i found out i didn't get a job i realllly wanted and thought the interview went really really well). gin, lemon juice, bitters, sugar syrup and pomegranate liquor. looks like a cosmopolitan but yum.

the main problem with not finding a job quickly is that we're moving to boston next june. so i feel a bit crap about not starting a job until like october now and then only working a few months and then moving away.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/raim0007/wost3307/melon.jpg

We have National tickets already! Hooray for Kat|e's foresight.

Hey, thanks for the NSFW warning on that pic, Jesse.

Yeah, WAY TO GO JESSE. I'm guessing that's the barbie person again?

I am going to BONDEDOROLE tonight. Do you think I could get tix if I just show up kind of early?

I liked those Bsignals songs linked above. They reminded me of Manda&theMarbles.

Hey! Persepolis is a movie!

Where are you jokers today?

When should this Baraba Steele-athon be? North Coast has Black Sunday, so we can at least get that one. I haven't checked for any of her other movies, but they have a decent selection of horror classics.

I just discovered the "Documents" function in gmail the other day. It's pretty crazy, it's basically a word processor inside gmail, with save functions and everything. So I'm using it to work on lyrics, because I can "save" them and then come back to them from any computer. It's not a big deal, but it's nice.

I love the documents thing. I've been using it to keep track of the movies, books, and music that I fuck with this year (/jaymc).

(music and books lists are sad and small, movies is huge beyond all reckoning)

Oh shit. Sorry. I was durnk as a skurnk when I posted that.

^^ NSFW

One of the partners left a message with a task for me. It's bizarre.

She wants me to find the number of casualties for the North and the South in the Civil War, and also the number of deaths at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Is she representing Gaybraham Lincoln?

I wish Amanda Lepore were here to talk to me. She would help me work through the, uh, problem I'm having.

I was a boozy floozy last night. Courtney and I smoked cigarettes.

She wants me to find the number of casualties for the North and the South in the Civil War, and also the number of deaths at the Battle of Gettysburg.

I can get you that first figure in a second...

I put an ad on craigslist trying to trade my Fender for a semihollowbody guitar.

Just in case any of you have a semihollowbody guitar you're looking to trade.

I have a trombone?

Union
Wounded: 281,881
Battle deaths: 140,415
Other deaths: 224,097
Total deaths: 364,512

Confederate
Wounded: 137,000
Battle deaths: 74,524
Other deaths: 124,000
Total deaths: 198,524

I copied that from the almanac I've been working on. Original sources were US Department of Defense and Coast Guard.