#please somebody talk to me about jeweler richard

[eco-lite]

Hello and welcome to my unedited notes while reading volume 1 of Jeweler Richard:

“The Pink Sapphire of Justice”

* Nakata Seigi, king amongst unreliable narrators. Your attraction to Richard is very clear, my guy.

* Not Richard falling asleep on the train next to Seigi. You barely know this man! Couldn’t be me, but it really establishes Richard’s feelings about Seigi quite early on. Or he’s just a fucking weirdo. (It’s both.)

* Flowers mentioned by name at the mansion in Kobe—pansies (romantic love and platonic affection), pale pink roses (grace, joy, happiness), cherry tree (unclear if it’s blossoming; renewal, rebirth, new beginnings). Also mentioned—“some blue flowers whose name I didn’t know, red flowers with round petals, and some sort of white double flowers” (38).

* Padparadscha meaning—joy, vital energy, foresight.

* I love all the ways Tsujimura entwines fate/coincidence into the narrative. Seigi just happening to be in the right place at the right time to save Richard from the drunks, Richard just happening to already have connections to the Miyashita family, the padparadscha just happening to be mined in the same town that Richard’s grandmother grew up in. “‘It’s honestly fascinating—a stone mines in Sri Lanka and cut in Europe ultimately lands in faraway Japan. To borrow a turn of phrase from you, perhaps the universe is trying to tell us something’” (48). Simply ineffable. 😉

* Even just the first story establishes Seigi and Richard’s personalities and mannerisms so well, and establishes their relationship dynamic so quickly. This is what character writing should be!

“The Ruby of Truth”

* Hmmm fascinating difference in Seigi’s immediate sparkly cutesy crush on Tanimoto and his reluctant, suppressed attraction to Richard. He talks to Richard and Tanimoto about the same thing, yet Seigi is much more mentally open to the idea of loving Tanimoto. That’s heteronormativity for ya!

* Speaking of heteronormativity, holy shit! I forgot this was the story with the lesbian couple broken up by one of them wanting so desperately to be “normal” that she disappears from her partner’s life and tries to force herself to marry a man. Then tries to kill herself when she can’t bring herself to go through with it. The fucking subtly of the setup is absolutely brilliant. But Mami’s story is so heartbreaking. “‘Do any of your friends live with their same-sex partner? Probably not, right? I’m not even talking about discrimination or harassment but the constant exhaustion of knowing you’re not “normal.” It’s like trying to grow vegetables in the middle of the desert. I always wondered why I had to go through all this hardship that other people didn’t…’” (119). Ouchie.

* “‘…I find a world with a variety of diverse units of measurement much more comfortable, beautiful, and rich for it.’ Mami giggled, like she understood something” (122-123). THE GAYS HAVE FOUND EACH OTHER AND THEY ARE COMMUNICATING.

* “She was a pretty impressive person to be able to ignore that face of his” (123). Sweetie, that’s because she’s not attracted to men, and YOU ARE!

* Richard giving Mami the gemstone ID on the house: mlm/wlw solidarity.

* Seigi is a very good ally for not even having thought about the existence of gay people before. It’s almost like he can relate on some kind of deeper level that not even he can understand… 👀

* Richard is fucking insane for sending Seigi that text, holy shit. Like I certainly understand why he feels that way, but that was so unprofessional. I know it’s painful when somebody you have unrequited feelings for gets your hopes up (not to mention his issues around compliments about his appearance), but damn, keep that shit to yourself!

“The Amethyst of Protection”

* Seigi: “‘If I’m being honest, your face is so beautiful it’s not even human—I wouldn’t compare your beauty to nice weather but rather to diamond dust or an aurora.’” Also Seigi: “I didn’t think I’d really said anything that outlandish…” (150) FUCK OFF! Richard literally had to go punch a pillow after that.

* Wow, this is the power of heteronormativity! Everybody Seigi tells about Richard is like, oh so you’re attracted to your boss. And Seigi is like NO I just think he’s the most beautiful human being I’ve ever seen! 😤 Right…

* Seigi’s argument that love and beauty aren’t the same thing is interesting. I totally agree that you can love things because they’re beautiful and think things are beautiful because you love them. That’s exactly why love and beauty are so intertwined. For me, when I love someone, the more beautiful they are to me. I think that’s how Seigi thinks of Tanimoto. So does Seigi love Richard because he’s beautiful, then?

* “My feelings for Tanimoto were wholly unique. I couldn’t compare them to my feelings for anyone or anything else” (160). That’s fucking funny, since that’s exactly what the narrative is doing with your feelings for her.

“The Diamond of Memory”

* “‘… Maybe beautiful things can make us happiest when we can just innocently call them beautiful without having to think about numbers’” (208). Yes, Seigi, I think you’re going to find that applies to people as well. It’s fascinating how Seigi can say such philosophically astute things sometimes but never apply them to his own life.

* Ahh, mistaken as a couple. My favorite trope. Richard blushing and getting impatient—so cute. “‘Congradulations on the Shibuya ordinance’” (215) hehsjdkdls. God damn, the jewelry department scene is so infuriating but so delicious. Seigi’s innocent ignorance truly knows no bounds. “‘If you ever go back to that department again, make sure you tell them that the wedding’s off’” (218) RICHARD. 😭😭😭 And then Seigi thinks “It’d be nice to bump into Tanimoto somewhere on a day like this” (218) FUCK YOU!

* It’s not even that Seigi has a hard time recognizing social cues. He recognizes them and then straightforwardly blunders right on past. 🤦🏽‍♀️

* Not Seigi calling Tanimoto a “space case.” You have no room to talk, mister!

* Richard really got back at him, though. Well played…

“To Wish Upon a Rose Quartz”

* Seigi couldn’t possibly put his foot in his mouth any less. Fucking wild.

* I love this little scene, though. It’s nice to see them just chatting, and a bit more of Richard’s humor coming out. Great end to the volume!

[newagesispage]

                                                                    SEPTEMBER       2019  

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 July 2019 was the hottest month in human history.

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This Ordinary Life has sent the world their new EP, Sadderdays!! Give it a listen!

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Judd Apatow is putting out a book about Garry Shandling.

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Debbie Harry: Face it will be out on Oct. 1

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This year the Kennedy center will honor Big Bird, Linda Ronstadt, Earth, Wind and Fire, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Sally Field.

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Kentucky principal Phillip Wilson who banned books from his high school in 2009 for homosexual content has been arrested on possession and distribution of child porn.

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In Illinois, the capital bill is funded through a doubling of gas tax and an increase in license plate fees. The money is supposed to be for roads, public buildings and bridges. The state constitution tells us the state shall not pay for aid in any school, academy, seminary, college, university or other literary or scientific institution controlled by any church or sectarian denomination. Organizations that are now receiving some of the funding are, Catholic charities, The ARK of Sabina, Inner-city Muslim action network, Gifts from God ministry, Chicago center for Torah and Chesed, Hatzalah, Keshet, Jewish united fund, Lewis University, St. Ann Catholic school and Mt. Sinai hospital, among others.

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Gary Busey will appear in the off Broadway musical, Only Human where he will play God.

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Eastwood’s The Ballad of Richard Jewell is in production with Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Kathy Bates and Jon Hamm.

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For a look into Brian Jones death catch the doc ‘Who killed Christopher Robin?’

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Dale Jr. and family were in a plane crash but everybody seems to be ok.

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I hear that Porn hub is planting a tree for every 100 videos watched.

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Days alert: Rex is out. What about Chloe? Who will love her now? They still had the chemistry. Oh, never mind, Chloe is gone too!** Ted is out. Tripp is out. Jordan will be back briefly.** OMG How my heart fluttered when Tony and Anna saw each other again. Oh, the magic of a soap!! **At last Robin Strasser is on the way as Vivian. ** Greg Vaughan is dating Angie Harmon and they are a pretty adorable couple.**Why don’t they try to charge Kristen with Holly’s murder? She may want to tell them where they are then.  And I am so sick of Eric leaving sweet women to sniff after Nicole, enough. He used to be one of my favorite characters but it has gotten old. ** Please Please put Xander and Sarah together!!!!!

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Dolly Parton’s America: A podcast will begin this fall.

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The new owners of the LA sex club that was known as Snctm are taking apps and promising carnal bliss.

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Scary Clown told workers in a GM plant in Michigan not to sell their homes. He promised the plant would not shut down and guess what? Lie!** Trump owes El Paso 470 thousand for his MAGA rally. ** Perhaps we should all refer to him as he refers to himself, Ttump.** A Nazi rally in Germany handed out hats inspired by the Trump campaign that read: Make Germany Hate Again.** We have to hit him where it hurts..$.. This is all he understands.** The evangelicals finally got a little upset when Trump took the lords name in vain. ** Trump wanted to buy Greenland, they wouldn’t bite and he cancelled his trip to Denmark.** Now he is The King of Isreal? The chosen one? The second coming of God? ** Word is that half of Trumps twitter followers are fake. Also, the US Labor Dept. says America created 500,000 fewer jobs in 2018 and 2019 than previously reported. **Rural farmers are 50-50 on Trump like the rest of us. Why do we categorize people? Things like this show that our differences don’t usually have anything to do with our religion, the color of our skin,$, job or location. We are different at our cores in what we think and feel about others and the world around us.** Scary Clown has told some staff to get this wall started no matter the coast and to just, ”take the land” if necessary and he will pardon them later. He has taken FEMA money to get the ball rolling as a hurricane bears down on the U.S.

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Why do we vote in those that allow the drug, insurance and credit card, lender companies to make all the dough?? Let’s ALL enjoy America.

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A newly invented bag can be dissolved in water after use.

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Pardon Blagoevich?? What??

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The Black Jewel Coal Co. has filed for bankruptcy. The miner’s last paychecks bounced. Nobody will answer their questions about their 4o1k’s. Since they are not technically laid off yet, they can’t receive unemployment. The company got 5 mil in emergency funds from the bank and they owe 976 thousand in fines.

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Kelly Craft, a major Trump donor is the new UN ambassador.**US ambassador to Russia, Jon Huntsman is out.

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I have to say, I don’t get why people aren’t more excited about the democratic candidates. There are a few that could go away but there are some really fabulous ideas there. I hope they put their egos aside when the last is standing. The lot of them would compose a great cabinet. And how do you not get excited about the future of our country?? How can you be so inside your own head that you put our own day to day ahead of your country? We all have to pay our bills, work, care for others and enjoy our passions from time to time but this is crunch time people!!! Pay attention!!** Beto’s REAL reaction to the El Paso shootings did more for him than all his relaunches. He was himself and not what he thought he should be. Trump and Biden were giving sympathy to the wrong cities for goodness sake!  Trump couldn’t even show any true feelings as he gave the thumbs up beside an orphan and tweeted about how lousy Shep Smith as he flew to the next photo op of victims.** It’s hard to look away from the freak show.** The next Dem debate is Sept.12.

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With no notice, immigrants who are here for life saving treatments have been given 33 days to clear out of the country.** Scary Clown is fighting with Comey again. What an unhappy schmuck this President is.

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It seems to me that if 2 people had run for student council president and the winner cheated and abused his office, they would make him step down. Would they have another vote or let the opponent step in?? The President of the US post is a bit more important than student council President. ** Now Trump is thinking that nuking hurricanes might be a good idea.

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If elected, Bernie says he will tell us what is known about aliens from outer space.** Hickenlooper is out.** Seth Moulton is out.**Jay Inslee is out (oooh, that one hurts). I love ya Jay!! He is now running for reelection as Governor.** Gillibrand is out** Former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh and former Massachusetts  Governor Bill Weld are in for the Republican side.

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Some studies show that over 50% of inmates have dyslexia.

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Jim Gaffigan made some jokes about craft beers including how labels might have say a penguin wrestling a cactus. Well, a small brewery in NY has made it happen with their blend called Penguin and Cactus

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6000 people of Oklahoma are dead from opiods and Johnson and Johnson have been ordered to pay $572 mil per the court verdict.

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The International wildlife regulator has banned the capture and export of baby African elephants.

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Leslie Jones is out at SNL.

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“Under the Trump administration, the pledge ”the right to bear arms,”  has morphed into “Don’t just stand there, shoot somebody.” – Carl Reiner

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In the event I am killed, organize, mobilize and get the peace plan passed and put my body on the NRA’s doorstep in Fairfax, Va. – David Hogg

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The trailer for this Joker movie with Joaquin Phoenix, Marc Maron and Robert DeNiro looks fucking amazing!! Hurry up Oct.4!!

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The NRA has 5 million members but one still has to wonder why the rights of gun owners supersede the rights of everybody else. Why don’t we hear more about their money scandals? Just when you hear that Trump is asking his people behind the scenes if the NRA still has power, he and LaPierre talk and the Pres backs off his tough gun talk. We know who is Wayne’s bitch. ** A group of surgeons have been showing X-Rays of what a gun can do as they protest gun violence.** The world now has bulletproof backpacks.**New schools are being designed to cut down the number of victims of a shooter. Hallways are curved and classrooms can lock.

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The Firearm dealer license certification act in Illinois requires those who hold a Federal firearm license to also obtain a state certificate of license and comply with state regulations. All dealers will be required to have security alarms where guns are stored in case of intrusion. Dealers will also have to keep electronic records of their inventory. Gun dealers and the Illinois state rifle association are challenging, of course before this all takes effect in 2020.

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“We don’t have an actual Presidency right now. We have a reality show whose ratings have begun to slide and whose fading star sees cancellation on the way.” – Eugene Robinson.

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The Bruce Lee philosophy , Be Water, is being used by the Hong Kong protesters. Be Strong like ice. Be fluid like water. Gather like Dew. Scatter like mist.

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As the crackdown on immigrants continues, word is that Trump still employs many undocumented workers. And why aren’t the employers arrested?** The administration wants to make it easy  for the wealthy and educated immigrants to come to this country. Again, only the rich have rights.** Trump has moved $150 mil from FEMA to the immigration courts as hurricane Dorian heads this way. ** He is telling his staff to just “take the land” and build the wall, disregard environmental rules and he will pardon them. A joke?? I wouldn’t be so sure.**

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Jews against Ice really let ‘em have it. They shut down Amazon as they marched against the internment of immigrants. The rally cry: We will not stay silent while tech companies profit off of cruelty.

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Jeff Epstein is dead and the conspiracy theories have begun. Many are glad that Epstein is dead and some wish he had lived to pay for his crimes. Would he have turned on his high end friends?  David Koch is also dead.** Word is that in 2008 Epstein bought female undies from the jail shop.

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A recent survey shows that 45% of people wear underwear for 2 days, 13% for a week. Tell me this can’t be true.

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Chris Christie and Anthony Scaramuchi are always everywhere and now Sean Spicer on Dancing with the Stars?? OMG.. Can we stop seeing these people?** Sarah Huckabee Sanders is joining Fox news.

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White Supremacy is officially the majority of domestic terrorism in the U.S. Now, let me see, who seems to want to be their leader?** Advertisers pulled out of Tucker Carlson’s show after he called white supremacy ,’not a thing.’

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Truckers have been really hurt by the tax cuts. Longer hours and less money have come since they can’t deduct expenses the way they used to. Regulations have been relaxed that limits hours on the road.

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The Department of labor is proposing a rule that would allow government contractors to fire workers who are unmarried and pregnant or LGBTQ.

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David Gilmour sold his guitars for 20 thou and used the money to fight climate change.

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Michael Cohen claims that Jerry Falwell Jr., his wife and a pool boy they met at a hotel became fast friends. Eventually Cohen had to intervene because of some lurid photos. He claims that the Falwell’s are quite kinky. The couple gave the pool boy over a mil to buy a resort that has become trendy with the LGBTQ community.  Apparently nobody else knows what is on those photos that Cohen brokered a deal for.

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Kathy Griffin: A Hell of a story won the Freedom of Speech award at the Traverse city film fest. She announced the release of the film by giving a heads up to hashtag emmyless Donald.

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California is trying to make those that run for President show us their tax returns. Illinois rejected that idea.

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Blaze it forward

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U.S. Fencer, Rick Imboden took a knee during the national anthem after taking gold at the Pan Am games.

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Stumptown looks like a good show but boy what a terrible name.

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Check out the new book, Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow.

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Ron Burgundy has been making the rounds.

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Yada Yada Yada politics has made its way into our thoughts with Marianne Williamson warning us of business as usual.

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Geena Davis is getting the humanitarian Oscar.

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In a joke that Seth Meyers told he said, ”Cleveland Browns win Super Bowl!”  So it may never happen but it was nice to hear.

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Chairman of the parent company of Equinox and Soul Cycle and owner of the Dolphins, Stephen Ross, caused a stir when he held a fundraiser for Trump.

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Liam and Miley broke up.

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Someone started a little joke about renaming the street in front of Trump tower. But people have started to take it seriously and NY is considering the name President Barack Obama Avenue.

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The administration is rolling back regs on the endangered species act. It has been a great success but Trump and the lobbyists think it just stands in the way of their profits.

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28% of delivery drivers have eaten some of your food.

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The Rolling Stones are trying to push a green agenda on the latest tour. At some venues fans can purchase a tones cup for $3, use it all night and then take it home or turn it in for your $3 back.** In 1964 the first Stones album came out and the Mariner 4 fly by satellite had its first look at Mars. In November last year the Insight lander thrusters disturbed a rock on Mars which has been dubbed Rolling Stones rock.

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Studies show that the most dangerous years of our lives are the year we are born and the year we retire. Depression spikes 40% after retirement. In Okinawa, Japan they don’t even have a word for retire. On the whole they eat a lot of fresh seafood and eat smaller portions. They seem to live the longest, healthiest lives.

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The green shirt guy was a thing for a few minutes.

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Wal Mart is really cracking down on security, one store at a time. Some people are asking the store to stop selling guns and donating to NRA backed lawmakers.

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The Black lady sketch show is Robin Thede’s new thing which is good but her last show was good too.

 R.I.P. Saoirse Kennedy Hill, Hal Prince, the El Paso and Dayton and Odessa/Midland shooting victims, D.A. Pennebaker, Toni Morrison, Jimmy Aldaoud, Valerie Harper and Peter Fonda.

[megadarkbouquettidalwavethings]

The Best Wedding-Proposal Stories in 2017

Two days later, Ms. Tang shared the good news with Wilhelmina, and Mr. DeLuca followed by promptly dropping to one knee, again, this time to explain to Wilhelmina the significance of an engagement ring, “and how it is really about a commitment to one another,” as he said to her. He then surprised Wilhelmina with a tiny ring of her own, made of hearts and diamonds.

”In the same way that the ring I gave to your mother represents my commitment to her,” Mr. DeLuca said to Wilhelmina, “this ring represents my commitment to you.”

That left the outspoken Wilhelmina with just one question: “Are these real diamonds?”

Her mother and Mr. DeLuca were married Sept. 9.

2. Uzezi Abugo and Jacob Alderdice

Mr. Alderdice did not want anyone else to know about a secret proposal he planned for Ms. Abugo back in April 2016, so he took an old ring and a picture of her to a jeweler. From that, he picked out a diamond-encrusted double band as an engagement ring he thought would fit her.

A few days later, having enlisted the staff at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx to assist in his plan, he got down on one knee and proposed, with “Marry Me Uzezi” spelled out in wooden letters covered in flowers behind him.

She said yes, but the ring was not as accommodating.

“It didn’t fully fit,” Mr. Alderdice said. “But we had to have the picture of the ring in the proper position with the flowers in the background, so she kind of pushed it on.”

Unbeknown to him, Ms. Abugo’s ring finger was a size 8½. The ring he gave her was a 6½.

A few minutes later, Ms. Abugo realized that the blood had stopped flowing to her finger, which was turning a dark shade of purple, and after trying and failing to remove the ring, they jumped into a cab and headed for the emergency room at Montefiore Medical Center.

Continue reading the main story

“I told him, ‘If you don’t get this ring off soon, I’m going to lose my entire finger,’” Ms. Abugo said, laughing as she recalled the incident. “I told him, ‘I can’t marry you without a ring finger.’”

When they arrived at the hospital, “everyone thought it was hilarious,” Ms. Abugo said.

Though the ring needed to be cut off — leaving her with a scar now hidden by a resized ring — Ms. Abugo’s finger was saved, as was the painfully amusing memory of the day she got engaged.

They were married June 17.

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Ariana Austin and Joel Makonnen.

3. Ariana Austin and Joel Makonnen

Mr. Makonnen, an actual prince who happens to be the great-grandson of Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia, and Ms. Austin, who is of Guyanese descent and is the maternal granddaughter of a Lord Mayor of Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, were engaged on Valentine’s Day 2014.

Their marriage had been more than a decade in the making when Mr. Makonnen bought a princess-cut diamond ring and showed up at the home of Ms. Austin’s parents with the bauble in one hand and balloons in another.

Perhaps a bit nervous, he knocked too loudly, leading Ms. Austin to think the house was being burglarized. She called her parents, who were returning home from a dinner party.

“She thought somebody was trying to break in,” said Bobby Austin, Ms. Austin’s father. “And it was just the poor guy trying to propose to her.”

Ms. Austin eventually opened the door, letting in her future husband.

“We always seemed to be in different cities following our ambitions and dreams,” Mr. Makonnen said. “But despite those long separations, I felt like I had proposed at exactly the right moment in our lives for us to make such a wonderful commitment to each other.”

Ms. Austin put less of a fairy tale spin on getting engaged to the prince. “It’s about time,” she said.

Continue reading the main story

They were married Sept. 9.

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Megan Prichard, left, and Amanda Rubenstein.

4. Megan Prichard and Amanda Rubenstein

Ms. Prichard and Ms. Rubenstein were engaged to each other twice, in a span of 17 days.

Ms. Rubenstein proposed first, on Dec. 10, 2016, sweeping Ms. Prichard off her feet with a surprise proposal on the beach in Laguna, Calif., complete with a gallery of pictures of their travels together and a guitar player singing their favorite songs. After returning from a trip to Bali on Dec. 27, Ms. Prichard “counter-proposed” as she put it, surprising Ms. Rubenstein with a treasure hunt around their Corona del Mar home that ended with an engagement ring served on a plate with freshly baked cookies.

“It was really important for both of us that we proposed to each other, so that we each had a full say in the matter,” Ms. Prichard said. “She’s the love of my life, and I wanted to be sure she wanted to marry me, just as sure as she needed to know that I truly wanted to marry her.”

They were married July 22 at the Seven Degrees Art Gallery in Laguna Beach, Calif.

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Lisa Bridge and Gilad Berenstein.

5. Lisa Bridge and Gilad Berenstein

Ms. Bridge was sitting at her desk in Seattle one Saturday when she received a card from Mr. Berenstein that featured a pair of matchsticks hugging along with the words “A perfect match.”

The card read: “Hey babe, change of plans for today. Please Uber to the Fairmont Hotel’s Georgian Room for a surprise. Enjoy! Love, G. Please arrive at 2 p.m.”

Her heart racing, she got into the Uber and told the driver, “I think I’m getting engaged.” She arrived at the Fairmont, “shaking slightly,” she said, and “expecting to see Gilad.” Instead, she saw her two closest friends waving her over to join them for tea.

She was soon handed another card, this one adorned with an image of a fluffy white cat in between chocolate and graham crackers that read “I want s’more of you!” Inside was another note: “Hi babe, I hope you enjoyed the tea and stories. I can’t wait for our next tea adventure! Your next surprise awaits you at 1427 5th Ave. You’ll know it when you see it. Love, G.”

She made her way to that address, which turned out to be her favorite nail salon, and there she saw two more friends who had flown in from Dallas. As they chatted, Ms. Bridge was Facetimed by yet another close friend who shared a few memories. As tears streamed down her cheeks, she was given yet another card: “Congratulations for being sexy and intelligent at the same time.”

Continue reading the main story

That card also recalled the night Ms. Bridge helped Mr. Berenstein celebrate his 30th birthday at a nearby favorite restaurant, where she found two more girlfriends, who had flown in from Los Angeles.

Ms. Bridge was soon handed a final card that read: “You are my bucket list.”

The card instructed her to return to the bar where she and Mr. Berenstein had their first date. Once there, she found him holding two glasses of Champagne. He escorted her to a private room with Frank Sinatra songs playing in the background and red roses set on a table for two.

“He looked at me with tears in his eyes,” Ms. Bridge said. “He told me how much he loved me and that he wanted to spend his life with me.”

With no more instructions needed, Mr. Berenstein dropped to one knee and proposed.

They were married Oct. 7.

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Dr. Michael Flaherty and Dr. Danielle Saly.

6. Dr. Danielle Saly and Dr. Michael Flaherty

In June 2016, four years after meeting at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass. — where the groom was completing his intern year, and the bride her third-year medical school rotation in pediatrics — Dr. Flaherty invited Dr. Saly to a purported screening of an independent film at the Regent Theater in Arlington.

Unbeknown to her, he had actually rented the theater just for the two of them to show a 30-minute video he had created of friends and family talking about their relationship.

The owner of the theater, who pretended to be an usher, said to the couple: “Business is really tough, it’s hard being an independent theater, but we actually have two other people coming, so you guys go ahead.”

Just before the movie started, Dr. Flaherty excused himself, but Dr. Saly was still alone when it began. She knew something was in the works when an R rating — “for romance” — appeared on the screen. Then came the movie’s title, “The Making of the Flalys,” a combination of their surnames, and soon after came a parade of family and friends onscreen, including a cameo by her grandparents, who live in Israel.

“I was completely overcome with emotion, laughing one minute, crying the next,” Dr. Saly said. “It was unreal.”

Continue reading the main story

As the final credits rolled, Dr. Flaherty was back in the picture, dropping to one knee to propose.

They were married Nov. 4.

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Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of “Hamilton,” with Leah Michalos, left, and Rachel Pitkin.

7. Leah Michalos and Rachel Pitkin

Ms. Michalos and Ms. Pitkin also took turns proposing to each other, albeit with a heightened sense of drama.

Ms. Michalos, a theater director, decided to make her pitch on the stage of “Hamilton,” because Ms. Pitkin, a history teacher, had a special affinity for the musical.

Ms. Michalos enlisted the help of a colleague who worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of “Hamilton,” and when the time came for the event, Mr. Miranda led Ms. Michalos and Ms. Pitkin through the backstage of the set. Then, Ms. Pitkin recalled, Mr. Miranda discreetly left them alone on center stage after giving a brief description of Alexander Hamilton’s marriage proposal to Eliza Schuyler.

“I did not get down on one knee,” Ms. Michalos said. “I could not for the life of me remember what I actually said — my heart was coming out of my mouth and pounding in my chest.”

After the couple left the Richard Rodgers Theater, they had a glass of Champagne in a Times Square boîte, and then Ms. Pitkin, rather than going to the restaurant that Ms. Michalos had reserved for their engagement dinner, insisted that the two set off on a different route.

As they neared the Walter Kerr Theater, Ms. Michalos turned to Ms. Pitkin and said: “I don’t know if you know this, but the Walter Kerr, that is the night I first realized I loved you.”

They proceeded about 20 feet farther down the sidewalk and there, in chalk that had only partly been obliterated by rain, Ms. Pitkin had inscribed almost exactly the same words Ms. Michalos had just uttered: “This is where I knew I loved you.”

Continue reading the main story

And, having not known that Ms. Michalos’s proposal would precede it, she’d added her own: “Will you marry me?”

They were married Sept. 16

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Charles Bentley, left, and Drake Carden.

8. Charles Bentley and Drake Carden

When Mr. Bentley proposed to Mr. Carden in May 2016, he brought along a 3-year-old named Al who carried the ring, which was attached to his bow tie. Al was neither a family member nor family friend. He was, in fact, a terrier mix, the couple’s dog.

“Yes, our dog was wearing a bow tie,” Mr. Bentley said. “Yes, this is ridiculous.”

As it turned out, Mr. Bentley had beaten Mr. Carden to the proposal punch.

“I had planned to propose at the end of the summer,” Mr. Carden said. “We were taking a vacation at the beginning of August in Central Europe, so I was hoping to do it there. He really did just beat me to it.”

As for Mr. Bentley, he never let on that a proposal was in the works.

“I thought he might be plotting something with this romantic weekend away, but he was very calm the entire day, Mr. Carden said. “He takes a lot of pictures so it wasn’t that odd that he set up a tripod to take a photo of us on a timer, so I didn’t think he had anything up his sleeve.”

If only he had searched Al’s bow tie.

They were married May 13.

9. YJ Fischer and Daniel Schwerin

In September 2017, Mr. Schwerin, who was the director of speechwriting for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, finished helping Mrs. Clinton with her new memoir, “What Happened.” The day after the book was published, he and Ms. Fischer left for a vacation in Italy.

Not usually an avid social planner, Ms. Fischer insisted on choreographing their first full day in Rome. She decided to string together several romantic events — a picnic in the Villa Borghese gardens, a Rossini concert in an old church and dinner in a charming neighborhood trattoria in Trastevere — so there would be a few opportunities to propose.

No moment seemed quite right until the end of the night. After a full day and a delicious dinner, she pulled Mr. Schwerin into a narrow cobblestone side street in Trastevere and got down on one knee. “Will you marry me?” she asked in a bit of a role reversal, rendering the speechwriter momentarily speechless. It took him a minute to realize what was going on, but then he laughed and said yes.

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They were married Nov. 24.

Photo

Mansi Snehal Kothari and Sushil Raja Atmakuri.

10. Mansi Snehal Kothari and Sushil Raja Atmakuri

In December 2015, the couple visited Central Park and stopped at a bench behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art that Mr. Atmakuri’s family had donated in honor of his grandparents — and by virtue of what they both called “a double proposal,” they became engaged there.

A small crowd gathered when Mr. Atmakuri, a gold wedding band in hand, went to one knee to pop the question, but the crowd grew considerably larger, and noisier, when Ms. Kothari, also holding a gold wedding band, took a knee of her own and returned the favor.

“At that point, people started coming over wondering what was going on,” Mr. Atmakuri said. “We are firm believers in gender equality, and I really feel that there is a gender imbalance when it comes to traditional wedding proposals, where the guy also asks the girl if she wants to marry him.

“But I have so much respect for Mansi, I felt she had the right to ask me the same question. Fortunately, we both had the same answer.”

They were married May 29.

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VINCENT M. MALLOZZI

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