7.29.2008

Shut It, Brimley!

Perhaps this is a sign that I'm watching a tad too much daytime television, but (at the early hour of 9:38 am) I am spectacularly annoyed at Wilford Brimley's pronunciation of "diabetes".

This kind of thing just might ruin my day.

7.28.2008

I Back

I've returned to NYC, triumphant (?) and relaxed. Vacation was mostly wonderful, with a few bumps (there are only so many hours of the day in which I can discuss the minutiae of the wedding with my family before I am ready to stick my finger into an electrical socket).

The house we stayed in was amazing. 2 blocks from the bay beach on one side, 2 blocks from the ocean beach on the other side. A roof deck with views of both. Enough space to not feel like I was on vacation with my family.

My favorite moment of the week might have been B attempting to explain his choice of beach reading material to The Peanut (my 4 yo, niece). He was working his way through The Stranger. I believe The Peanut now has a thorough understanding of French existentialist philosophy.

For my part, I fell just a little bit more in love with my nephews, if that's possible. They're at that stage where they've started rolling over and making their first tries at crawling. And oh, the smiling. The smiling and laughing is the best thing in the world.

Our kid-centric week may have freaked B out a tad...and given me a jump on my future mother-in-law's questions regarding when we're going to start a family. I think we'll wait until after the wedding. Maybe.

7.19.2008

I Out

I'm headed to the beach for a week.

Which will be waaaaaay different than my regular non-working activities.

Because it's the beach.

7.18.2008

B.Y.O.F.

One week ago, B and I went to a tasting for a potential caterer for the wedding. And it was AWESOME.

The only issue was that said caterer was about $4000 more than any other caterer that had sent a proposal to us.

So we wrote the next day and explained that we would love for them to cater the wedding *if* they could work within our budget. Which should be pretty simple, given that we provided specific ways in which to reduce the costs (example: eliminate one of the cocktail hour stations, explain why the rental pricing was much higher than other vendors, don't offer sushi, etc.)

When they didn't respond, I called them on Tuesday morning. I spoke with the catering manager, who was very nice, and promised a call back before the end of the day. Which turned out to be a big fat lie.

B called the next day and spoke with the owner, who assured him that we would have a response by the time we left town on Saturday.

Well, the clock is ticking, and needless to say, I'm getting nervous. I believe our guests would like to eat at our wedding. I also believe that if the caterer can't work with us, that it is pretty simple to communicate same.

B, on the other hand, is writing a "humorous" story (for publication, perhaps) about a quasi-bridezilla.

7.17.2008

I Went To Graduate School For This

I've spent a supremely fulfilling morning sorting laundry, organizing closets, and writing wedding to-do lists.

Now I'm waiting for the exterminator to come check out the mystery bugs in our kitchen cabinets. (As long as the bugs aren't near the bed, it's ok with me. I mean, I don't welcome the kitchen bugs. But they're not as bad as, say, some other pests.)

The alternative to the housework is to venture outside in the heat *or* to venture outside and then back inside, just not in the apartment. Unfortunately, most of those plans involve spending money, which is scarce. Also, I'd have to interact with The Public, and I'm just not that into The Public right now.

I stick close to the home base, turning small errands into large ones, and finding new and interesting ways to obsess over things that really shouldn't be obsessed over.

And then pouncing on B and forcing him to entertain me as soon as he walks in the door.

7.15.2008

Deeeeep Thought of the Day

If our dog was the Secretary of Defense, his name would be Caspar Whineberger.

7.13.2008

Oh Dear

After a very productive hunt for invitation paper (and stops for pretzel-croissants at City Bakery and cupcake sampling at Cupcake Cafe) I believe I've changed the entire color scheme for the wedding.

Pending B's approval, of course.

(Props to MS for his unwavering enthusiasm during the quest.)

7.10.2008

Very Sensible

Yesterday, after a disappointing (but not surprising) meeting with a possible employer, I took myself shopping.

Shopping? Isn't that just a little irresponsible, given your current state of unemployment?

No - and I can counter with these arguments:

1) I needed a present for B for our one year anniversary, and
2) Who am I to deprive myself of a little something while I'm shopping for him? also
3) If it put it on my Banana card, it's not like real money is being spent anyway, plus
4) I bought a new business suit for any interviews that might come up in the near future, which
5) Is actually very sound financial planning, besides
6) I am still seeing my institute clients at $6.00/hour, so I *do * have some income, as well as,
7) I've qualified for the top level of unemployment benefits

7.01.2008

So Far, So Good

On my first day of not working, I have:

- applied for unemployment
- drank a whole lot of coffee
- gone to the gym for an hour
- watched 2 episodes of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" (is that still on?)
- tried, and failed, to get tickets for the free Bon Jovi concert in Central Park (Livin' on a Prayer, yo!)
- tried, and failed, to guilt B into calling in sick to keep me company

Tomorrow, I am going to attempt to conquer the momentous task of going outside. Stay tuned.