I'll keep this brief. We had our not-rehearsal dinner tonight, and it was really fun, despite my impending sore throat/cold, and the lack of air conditioning at the restaurant on this muggy evening. Even Ryan's Mom seems to have boarded the wedding train, realizing there's no stopping it.

Right now I have to wind down so I can get some sleep. I think I'll pick up some of the mess that exploded in this place today. My last night as a single woman!

My colleagues are so sweet. Even though our team is slowly being broken up (at least and only temporarily, we hope), they all got together to take me to a nice 2-hour lunch today, to celebrate my last day at work as a single woman. They also gave me a very healthy gift certificate to Williams-Sonoma, and some cash on top of it that didn't make it into the gift certificate on time. It was very nice and I feel awfully loved.

I just cleaned off my desk. That was easy, since I was able to just toss a lot of client-related papers I will never need again. This is some good timing! It's 4:30 now, and I will probably leave fairly soon. I'm going to go down to Anthropologie and see if I can find a dress to wear to the dinner on Saturday night that isn't a rehearsal dinner because Jewish ceremonies don't include a rehearsal.''

I still need to find a good place to get a manicure on Saturday. Someplace in Cobble Hill or Brooklyn Heights would be better, since I don't want to have to come to Manhattan for that. Though the dinner is in Manhattan, so if I do it in the late afternoon, that'd be fine. Hmm. Actually, that would be the smartest thing, since the longer my nails are painted, the more they chip. And if I do it later on Saturday, then I can just go straight from manicure to dinner. OK, that's the tentative plan. I'm sure you enjoyed this excursion into the minutae of my nails.

I have to call Knitting Hands about that Tahki yarn for Alex's baby blanket. No news so far and I ordered it May 31st, told that it would be a week. OK, I just called (bet you didn't even notice I was gone - it's like magic, eh?). Everything I ordered is on backorder. Well, wouldn't it have been nice for them to friggin CALL ME and TELL ME? I asked them that and got no intelligible reply. I know Jackie had some problems with an order from them, too. I like to shop there, but I don't think I will ever order from them again. Now I can't get the fucking yarn before I go away and I can't start the baby blanket on my trip. Thanks a lot folks. I could've ordered it online and had it by now, but I wanted to patronize my LYS. Well, when my LYS can provide the materials I need when I need them, I will patronize them again. Grrr.

4 days. That's FOUR days, people.

Nothing to do at work. Literally nothing. I'm going to be assigned to a new client, but that won't happen until I return from my honeymoon. Who wants a brand-new writer 4 days before her wedding? No one! Tomorrow is actually my last day, and my team is taking me out to lunch, which is awfully sweet. Makes up for the incredible awkwardness today.

I ran out for some tasti-d-lite after lunch, and when i returned, I ran into one of the executive assistants in the elevator lobby. She said to come downstairs because they were having cake for this guy who is getting married on Sunday (I knew he was, we've chatted a few times). So, totally without thinking, I said "me too!" and went downstairs because I couldn't exactly get out of it. Of course, word spread to the HR people who organized it, and they felt really bad that they threw one person a party and not both of us. They apologized and said "we didn't even know...and Neil's been here so long..." and I was totally gracious and told them not to think about it for a second, I was just happy to be able to share the fun with someone.

Of course, it was really awkward and I wish I had just come back a few minutes later and avoided the whole scene. Or had the ability to shut my mouth when she said his wedding was Sunday. But really, it's a totally natural thing to say. On June 3rd, if someone said it was their birthday, I'd say "me too!" too. Anyway, I am more excited about the team lunch with people who really care about me than the corporate-sponsored party with a ton of people I've never met coming for free cake.

We got a tremendous box from Bloomingdale's today. Big enough to fit a baby in, if you weren't too careful about the cushioning (I don't know why, but I keep using that analogy - am I sick?). Inside was a lot of paper and... a pizza cutting wheel. Which was indeed on our registry. It took several minutes of confusion to discover the packing slip on the floor next to all the paper, telling us that the friend who sent it had also bought us the tart plate off our registry. This was funny on so many levels - the giant box for the tiny gift, the fact that at first we thought someone really got us a pizza cutter as a wedding gift, and, only to me, the knowledge that this particular (male) friend certainly picked the tart plate very intentionally. Hehehe.

Ryan's sister says not to sweat his mother, and that she will behave. Good.

I am disjointed today. Sorry.

I stopped by to see our florist today (right down the block, pass him on the way home) and got sent home with such a beautiful peony. I think I'll go snap a picture.



Doesn't quite do it justice. But that's what I am going to have in my bridal bouquet, along with cream sweetpeas (typo fixed after Alison pointed out that I wrote "sweatpeas" - eeew). My florist is also working on getting snowberries, which I requested, but he's not sure if that will work. I'm excited about the flowers. It's been so fun to work with them, and they have been really inspired by my ideas, they said. Lots of wheatgrass with pretty fleurs. You'll see later.

Oh my! I wonder if I can make this fabulous skirt between now and Sunday. It would be so cute in Hawaii! Damn!

Lots of wedding progress this weekend. I am marrying the most fabulous guy ever. He has been so helpful in the past weeks, since he's finished his thesis. He's made our adorable programs, neato menu cards, and has been running lots of errands and stuff. He even offered to go buy me the yarn for this skirt! I wonder if Knitting Hands has it?

Oh, who am I fooling? That is NOT going to happen!