Why, oh why do I wake up at 7 a.m. when I do not have to go to work? I stayed up until midnight, and at 7 a.m. couldn't sleep anymore. But I'M STILL TIRED! Argh! This is really frustrating. I didn't want to sleep too late, since we are meeting Deb at 10 a.m. to go to the beach, but would it have killed me to sleep until 8?

Not much else to say. I found some cool yarns from Artfibers online, and discovered that they will send 5 yard lengths for swatching for just 50 cents each. I got Luna in Nightlight, Iris, Patina and Coral; and Cousteau in Lisbon and Venice for the bridesmaid tops. I also got Chianti in Ruby and Grape; and Sanskrit in whatever color they want, just because I want to see what the texture of this funky yarn is like. The woman I spoke to was so nice, and I can't wait to play with the yarns!

OK, gotta go get ready for beachiness. Have a happy Friday!

Here's the information on the NYC (and other cities) KNIT OUT activities.

Ugh, I am so bummed to learn that I am going to miss the New York City "Knit Out" day! And it's right around the corner from my apartment, too. Unfortunately, on October 6th, I will still be in Syracuse, celebrating Homecoming and my 10-year reunion with some of my former roommates who I never-ever see. I think that is also the weekend of the Chili Pepper festival at the BBG. Why do they always schedule all the good stuff at the same time?!

Other than that, not a lot to talk about today. Oh, except the real cool present I got last night! I have been bending Ryan's ear about wanting a sandwich press for ages. It got even worse after we got back from Italy, where I ate panini at every turn. So guess what showed up last night? I was really psyched - it's not just a sandwich maker, but a waffle maker, too! Now I can make panini AND waffles! I think Leanne might actually have the same model, and it made great waffles. I remember she made a whole bunch one time and froze them, sending me home with a few - much better than the store-bought frozen waffles. I see many happy breakfasts, lunches and dinners in my future! Something tells me I will be stopping on the way home to get some good bread and panini fixin's. :-)

I am hoping to have the day off tomorrow as scheduled so I can go with Deb to her beach club. I think Ryan is going to join us, too. There's this silly brochure here at work that has to be sent to the client, but all we are sending are layouts with a headline and two subheads, plus a content outline. I've written all of that and should be settled and internally approved today, so there's no good reason I should have to be here if they are still doing layout on it. All it needs is someone to read it and say "yes, that's what I wrote" so I think I can get Bernie (who is actually my boss's boss, and is the creative director on this project) to do that. Let's cross our fingers. I have not been to the beach here all season, and that is just ridiculous for a beachaholic like myself! When I lived on Long Island, I spent just about every weekend at the beach, and many weekdays when I was in school and not working. Now I am lucky to get there a few times during the whole summer.

So, I think I have exhausted all my interesting (semi-interesting?) conversation for this morning. I did not do any knitting yesterday, but I fully expect to finish my Paper Phil tank between tonight and tomrrow. Then I think I need to decide for good whether I am going to make Diana a sweater for her birthday, and if so, buy yarn and get that sucker moving. If not, I will work on the Moo blanket some more. I also want to find a good pattern for my Gedifra Dandy (it's colorway #1445). I am thinking about a cardigan, but a pullover might work just as well.

And, as always, there are the bridesmaid tops to think about. A major shout-out to Shetha who has been using this as an excuse to scout out every LYS in the Portland area and report in on groovy yarns. Talk about personal shopping! Once I have a bit more free time and Downtown Yarns is back on their regular schedule (after Labor Day for both, I think) I will head down there and check out their stock as well as their suggestions. Of course the problem is everyone is getting their Fall/Winter yarns in now, and I need lightweight summer stuff. Ah well, somehow it will all get figured out. :-)

OK, I just really want to be home today in the AC, knitting my way through the top of my tank. I got up to the armholes last night and just need a couple of hours to finish the thing. But instead I hauled my butt out of bed and here to the office, with the icy AC and the space heater on to counteract it. How ridiculous.

Stitch-n-Bitch was really fun last night. I made it a point to get there early so I could get a space on the sofa. At first it was a little crowded but by the time I left I could have stretched out and taken a nap there. Which, oddly enough, was why I had to leave - sleepiness set in around 9ish and I still needed to go change the kitty litter and stuff.

I am so glad I found this group of cool knitting women. It's just such a fun break in the week to hang around and chat and knit with a whole group of ladies who "get it." And it's always fun and inspiring to see what everyone is working on. I was really taken with the little eyelet camisole that Joanna was working on. She's using Morehouse Farm Merino lace weight yarn. The color is lovely - somewhere between a lavender and a blue. I am thinking I might like a color like that for my bridesmaids, though probably not merino for the middle of June. I still would like to pick up some of the Morehouse yarn for myself, but according to their website they aren't back at the Greenmarkets until September. (I know, that's a few weeks away but I hate to think that summer is almost over!)

I sat next to Jackie for most of the evening, as she was working on the top of her pretty Guernsey dress. It's such a cute little girlie dress - that is one lucky niece! And Marney was busy socknitting again. I swear, that girl just churns out stuff like crazy. I think I would go broke if I knitted as quickly as Marney does. I know for sure who I am going to beg for help if it rolls around to Memorial Day and I still have bridesmaid tops to knit! ;-)

(For the record, I do NOT expect this to happen!)

I keep forgetting to mention the good news Ryan and I received on Sunday. His sister Kristy called us to announce her own engagement! We were both really happy. Tom, her fiance, is a really good guy, and a good match for her. They are a lot of fun to be around - a smart couple with a good sense of humor. She said they are probably looking at a Spring 2004 wedding, since they don't want to squeeze in ahead of us (which was very thoughtful) and he doesn't want to get married in the fall/winter. Something about a Celtic belief that those are "seasons of death." Hmm. The wedding would be in Miami, which rarely feels deathly, but you gotta respect people's feelings on this stuff. Anyway, we'll all be recovered from our wedding by then, so it will be fun to do it all again for them.

So, do you think I should work today? I guess so. I have a lot of reading to do. Here I go!

I now believe my wardrobe is conspiring against me. This is the second time in as many weeks that I have been threatened with very indecent exposure. Last week it was a wrap-around skirt that decided to unwrap while I was walking down 3rd avenue and trying to pull my cellphone out of my purse. Quick reflexes saved me from complete embarrassment.

This morning, it was my new flowered pants. I swear they were OK when I left the house. But when I went to the bathroom at work, I discovered a large rip in the butt seam. These pants zip in the middle of the back, and from right below the zipper to the bottom of the crotch was wide open. And I hesitate to attract the porn crowd, but I was wearing the kind underwear that would make this problem particularly embarrassing! I didn't have my little sweater with me, so I sort of covered up with my bag a bit and ran to Vanessa's office.

Luckily, Vanessa had a needle and some somewhat matching thread. So, I came back to my office, barricaded the door (no lock) with my guest chair, took off the offending pants and sat with a jacket around my waist while I sewed them. How precious. Luckily no one needed to see me right then. The thread doesn't match perfectly, but if anyone has their head that close to my butt they (a) already missed the really exciting show and (b) are about to get hit with a sexual harrassment charge.

The day since then has been quieter, thank goodness. But I am now very concerned about disintegrating clothing. Eek!

Speaking of clothing, I decided to post my wedding dress photo, but if you want the link, you need to email me for it. I just think it's too tempting for Ryan to see the link here and look, even though he really wants to be surprised. It's kind of like if he had done the same with my engagement ring. Even though I didn't want to see it until he gave it to me, I could see the possibility of temptation overcoming me one day. And that was just a few weeks that I knew about it - this is nearly a year.

Also on the wedding and knitting combo subject, I tried swatching some of that Berocco Cotton Twist for the bridesmaid tops the other night. Awful! It splits like crazy and is just terrible to work with. When it doesn't split, the fabric is lovely - soft and luminous - but I can not see myself dealing with that splitting through four garments. Nuh uh! So, I am definitely still open to yarn suggestions. Something that will be cool to wear in June, has some sheen, and is pleasant to work with. I don't really want to go much finer than 5 stitches per inch if I can help it. The Lurex Shimmer was 7 and I thought that might kill me.

As for design, I am thinking I might try to do it myself, most likely with help from someone with experience in this area. Now that I have my dress, I want to do a neckline that will coordinate, so it will probably be easier to do it myself than to find something just right in the right gauge, etc.

Looking forward to Stitch-n-Bitch tonight. I am a few inches into the back of my Paper Phil tank, and will be working on that while I give the Moo blankie a rest. I'm going to be a good girl again and leave at 9ish so I can go to the supermarket and do some stuff around the house. Good Betsy!

It was a rollercoaster weekend, that's for sure. I think I'll stick to the high points.

I found my wedding gown and ordered it! When we went to Priscilla of Boston on Friday, they had a rack of the new designs, and only one gown really caught my eye on that rack. It was the first one I tried on, and my immediate thought was "oh no - I can't fall in love with the first gown I try!" So, I tried on many others, most of which looked nice on me, but nothing hit me the way this one did. Something about it just made me really happy. The ladies at the store were really nice and helpful, and encouraged me to think it over, and to keep the appointments I had at other shops the next day "just to be sure." That really impressed me.

So I did just that, and went to the two other places I had scheduled. At the Bridal Atelier I tried on about 8 dresses, most of which looked good. There was one that was prettier than the others, but it still didn't make me feel better than the dress I already loved. These dresses were also nearly $1k more than the Priscilla dress. So we left with a list of what I had seen and liked, and went to The Gown Company, which is right near my apartment.

The Gown Company was sort of a letdown. Tiny little curtained-off dressing room, only big enough to fit me. At the other places I had a spacious area (curtained at the Bridal Atelier, and a full room nearly as big as my apartment at Priscilla) to change in, and they gave me a strapless bra, shoes and a petticoat to try the dresses with. Here, they handed the dresses through the curtains and I struggled into them on my own, barefoot. That would have been OK if I had found anything I truly liked, but I just didn't. They had a lot of designer gowns at a good discount, but most were samples which had definitely seen better days. I think it's sort of a hit-or-miss type of place. If I didn't already love my dress, I would possibly have come back in a month or so to see what was new.

After those two stops, I was more certain about my choice, but still wanted to see it again. So Dad (who had driven Mom into the city and gone to the Whitney Museum with Ryan) drove us back out to Roslyn and I tried on my dress once again. This time I actually teared up a bit when I saw it on, and knew then and there that this would be the dress I would get married in. I showed it to Dad, and he got all teary, too. Mom had already gotten her tearies over with.

So, there you go - I have a wedding gown! And I love it! I'm also intrigued that since it is a brand-new trunk show, the rep there told me I was the first person in the U.S. to buy that gown. And if it doesn't prove popular, it won't make it into the collection for real and there could only be five or six made ever. That's kinda cool. The gown is definitely 100% recognizeable as a bridal gown, no question there, but it is somewhat unusual. I didn't see anything like it either online or in the other shops. I like that. :-) It is being made just for me in Spain, so it will be several months before it shows up and I can go visit it.

Obviously I am not describing the dress here on the blog, because I don't want the boy to know. And since it is a new gown, there are no photso online. If you're really desperate to hear, you can contact me personally. Otherwise, photos to come next June!

No time to write much, as I am starved, just walked in the door, and have to walk out momentarily. But I wanted to say that dress shopping today was fun, if exhausting! Almost two hours of standing and having dresses put on me and taken off, and being ooohed and aaaahed over while they were there. And, I can't believe it, but I think I have found "the one"! I am keeping my appointments tomorrow, but I am almost positive I won't find anything that I love more and that is more perfect for this wedding.

That's all for now! I'll write more when I can.

The rollercoaster seems to be on its way back up the tracks, as I have been surprisingly busy here today. Some new project stuff, some old stuff I am cleaning up for people who are away, etc. Glad to have work and hours to bill. And glad to definitely be getting my Summer Friday tomorrow!

To take advantage of the free day, I am going to get in another dress shop, this one out on Long Island. They are one particular designer only, and they are having a trunk show from today until Sunday. Part of the deal is 10% off if you buy during the show, and while Mom said not to stress about that, I am never one to ignore the possibility of saving some money. I have seen a few dresses from them that I really like online, so the trunk show was serendipitous timing.

I'd say more about the dress but I am trying to figure out how much I can say without tipping the boy off too much. I would like the dress to be a surprise, and really about all I plan on telling him is that it's white, long, and pretty. I really want him to have the full impact of seeing me all dressed and fabulous as I make my way down the aisle, so he gets that "WOW" feeling as fully as possible. I feel like letting him see the dress beforehand would definitely minimize that impact. Maybe it's kinda goofy, but that's my plan. There are plenty of other areas in which I am eager to break tradition, but this isn't one of them!

Went to Yarn Connection at lunchtime yesterday to scout out yarns for the bridesmaid tanks. Picked up a ball of Rowan Lurex Shimmer in Pewter and a ball of Berroco Cotton Twist in the only color they had available - baby blue. I just wanted to be able to knit some swatches with each and see how I like working with the yarn, etc. So far I have made a swatch with the Lurex Shimmer and I love the way it looks. But I am not sure I have the patience to make four tanks with such fine yarn. Also, I am concerned that it might be itchy. The Cotton Twist feels very soft and nice but I haven't gotten to swatching with that yet. It's a heavier weight (4.75 stitches per inch vs 7 for the Lurex Shimmer) so would probably require less patience. It also comes in some very pretty colors.

Something tells me I will be playing with a lot of different yarns over the next few weeks, until I settle on something to make these tanks out of. I want to start on them as early as I can, though I have one bridesmaid who we're hoping will be pregnant by then, so I will put hers off to last and cross my fingers.
I'm also having some major color issues. Most of the girls will wear just about anything and be fine and not complain, and will look good. But my maid of honor (who I love as a sister, but who is very high-maintenance and doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut) feels that she only looks good in a few colors (black, red, olive) and none of them are what I am going for. So, I am pretty much resigning myself that she's going to have something to say about whatever I pick out, and that really irks me. The thing is, she has the same complexion as two of the other girls, and they are fine with any color, so it's more of a mental issue than a physical one. Argh. She already told me she didn't like sage green when I was thinking of it, so now I am not saying anything until I pick something for real - at least then she can only complain about one color, not a range of them. I'm leaning towards the purpley-orchidy colors right now. The Cotton Twist "Sea Anemone" color looks close to what I am thinking of at the moment, but don't hold me to anything!

In between all this stuff I have been working away on the Paper Phil tank. This stuff just knits so quickly! I am halfway through the front side armholes and will probably finish either tonight or tomorrow morning on the train. At this rate, I will be wearing this tank by the middle of next week. No complaints there - it's nice to have a quickie project once in a while!

Miracle of miracles, I have a new client to work on! Something I can "own" a bit, as my boss put it. Halle-friggin-lujah! Right now there's just a lot of background reading to do, but there will actually be real projects soon. Jeff (my boss) also thanked me for being so patient the past months, and said that they really were trying hard to find me a project, since I'm good and they didn't want to lose me. Always nice to hear.

Now, hopefully, I can return to my less-whiney blog content. :-)

Discussion with Vanessa this morning and she says she talked to our boss (Vanessa is a notch up the totem pole from me) and thinks I shouldn't be worried. She says there is enough work on their antipsychotic client to keep us all busy and relieve some of the stress on that account. We shall see. That is a comforting thought, but I am not going to put all my eggs in this basket anymore. We are certainly living in "interesting" times.

So the apartment-hunting appointment with Diana was exactly as I expected. Although she called and asked the guy if we were going to see apartments, and he said yes, that didn't happen. We didn't even see that particular broker. The guy we did see was not bad, but all she did was fill out their form, and chat. Her price range is really low for Manhattan (she's a social worker - not the highest-paying job out there) so it's going to be tough. His advice was to wait until after September 1, when all the college students (whose parents pay their rent) are done and the landlords are hurting a little more to fill vacancies. My feeling is she's not going to find something in Manhattan that is liveable and affordable, and she should just look in Astoria, Queens, which is her backup plan. But, I guess you have to try and get your ideal first before you give up on it, so I will cross my fingers and wish her luck.

I didn't go to Stitch-n-Bitch, but I did get a lot of knitting done last night. This Paper Phil knits so quickly! I am just a few inches away from the armholes on the front of my Ginger tank already! I know I said it before, but I will say it again - after working with the unforgiving Topas, this stuff is like a dream.

Tonight I've got dinner plans with Dawn, a friend I went to high school with. Haven't seen her lately, so I'm looking forward to catching up.

Egads, the rollercoaster never ends. Today, yet another client had to postpone the launch of their new drug. Their new drug which was just about the only client I had left to work on. Shit. (Wow, that might be my first actual "four-letter-word" on this blog. The situation seems to warrant it.) Pretty much the first thing I did after that was email the headhunter who got me this job. He's a great guy, and really works hard. He called me about 15 minutes later and told me he is almost positive he can get me interviews at at least one other agency.

One problem I have is that most of the work I have done here has been concepts for ads/TV for products that have not launched yet. So, showing that work is tricky, because obviously I can't give away what their advertising is going to look like, especially if it's to a competitive agency. Trying to figure out if just deleting the product name and replacing it with "Product X" is enough. If anyone in the field has any ideas on that, I would love to hear them.

This is seriously stressful. I was laid off in December 2000 and again in April 2001, and it took me many months of freelancing to find this job in March 2002. No one has said anything specific yet about layoffs, but it seems absolutely ludicrous to believe they aren't coming. Unless some gigantic new business shows up, I can't see how they could avoid it. One way or another, I have to stay employed. Can you imagine the damage I would do if I had 24x7 to plan this wedding and no money coming in? Eek!

Feeling kinda crappy today. For several days I have been fighting off some sort of "bug" - sore-ish throat, general achy feeling, a strong desire to get back in bed. It comes and goes, and today it's back again. It probably didn't help that I was in some sort of time warp this morning and thought it was Saturday for an instant when my alarm went off. Not fair! So I came to work but really wish I were home in bed, instead. I'm tempted to leave, but feel like I should stick it out unless I feel crappier. Fun fun.

Our meeting at the photographer's studio last night went well. We were both impressed by the work, although we're not sure which of two photographers we like better. Since one of them (Joel, who owns the studio along with his wife) is on vacation this month, I think there's not incredible pressure to decide right away. That's good, because there are two (possibly three) others who we ought to meet with. But I really liked that they were offering to do a free engagement shoot, where the photographer would take us to various places around the city and get some really unusual portraits. I never thought we'd do engagement photos because it's just an additional expense and not necessary, but this would be fun, and a great way to get to know the photographer before the "big day."

I'm not sure if I am going to make it to Stitch-n-Bitch tonight. First off, there's the aforementioned crappy feeling. Also, I may be going to look at a few apartments with Diana, my maid of honor. She has an appointment with a broker tonight, but I have a weird feeling that he is just bringing her in to fill out forms and chat, since he asked her to meet at his office. Usually, they meet you at the apartment, and his office and the apartments she's talking about are nowhere near each other. She's never looked for a place before, so I am fine with going to help her do that, but I really have no desire to go and sit there while she tells the broker what she wants, how much she makes, and where she wants to live. Especially when I just want to be in bed! So, either way, there's a strong chance of me being a no-show at Java-n-Jazz tonight.

Well folks, we finally have a just-about-FO! The knitting and the seaming are done on the Melon boatneck, and all I have to do is pick up for the neckband and weave in my ends. Hallelujah! I tried it on already and wasn't 100% crazy about the way it looked at first. I sort of felt like the bottom being striped and the top being solid made me look a little bottom-heavy and small-boobied. Ryan said otherwise and the next time I looked I liked it better. I think as long as I wear skinny pants in a darker shade, it's AOK.

To celebrate finishing that one, I started another tank! I decided I liked Ginger so much that I would do another one, this time in the blue Topas, this is quite a treat. I expect the tank will work up very quickly, as I've got nearly 4" done already and I only started it yesterday morning for a brief while, and then had about 25 minutes to work on the subway this morning on the way in from Ryan's.

Other than knitwise, the weekend was good. I made the most delicious watermelon sorbet on Fridy night, then had it as a treat after I cleaned up around the house and did laundry on Saturday! Then we went to the Peter, Paul and Mary concert with Mom and Dad. This is the third year in a row that we've gone with them, and it's always a good time. There are so many good memories in that music. I think my favorite album as a child was Peter, Paul and Mommy.

Going to a PPM concert is a really great experience. Ryan likened it to singing around a campfire. Probably even more so at the Westbury Music Fair, since it actually is a theater in the round. It is inspiring to see that after 40 years together and in such troubled times as ours, they still have a meaningful message of hope. Their words and their music make me believe that peace is truly possible. It is equally comforting that there are still enough people who feel the same way to go to their concerts. I do intend to raise my children (when I have them) listening to that music, and to use songs like Blowin' in the Wind and Don't Laugh at Me to help them understand our world and grow up caring about others. I love that my parents brought me up listening to that music, even though on the outside they don't seem like "folkies." I guess I'm kind of the same way.

On a totally different note - I bought a new Palm yesterday. The M500. My old Palm V only had 2 mb of RAM, where this has 8 and a faster processor. Very very happy. Plus, Circuit City had a sale, so I got it for $175 rather than $200! Now I can have Vindigo, AvantGo, and all the other "essential" Palm apps, without running out of room.

More fun with Google search terms this morning. On google.ca, betseeee knits is the first site you get if you search on "cool knits." That was kind of...well - cool! And when I wanted to see more about someone finding me through searching for "rent cabbing boat nj" I discovered this weird Austin Powers-ization of my blog page! I investigated further and found that if you go to The Goldolizer you can do this to any page. Very silly. Got me wondering about who actually thought to enter my little blog in there.

Someone here at work just told me about the NYC Rejection Line - 212.479.7990. It is so worth the call, even if you're calling long distance. You can get the text online, but hearing it in person is way funnier.

It's been a nice morning so far. I am back to working on the Melon boatneck, and am a few inches into the armholes now. I was working on it on the bus this morning when the lady sitting next to me told me I was a good knitter. She was from Sweden and has done lots of knitting in her time, so it was a fun little chat until I had to get off the bus.

Then I saw a sight that really made me wish I had my camera on me. A trash can filled with bunches of yarrow flowers. There were a few coffee cups and ice cream wrappers amidst the flowers, which led to comment that it was the oddest floral arrangement I'd seen yet. Unfortunately the only person to hear me was some little snotty twenty-ish girl who looked at me like I was a nut.

Had a nice message from my boss this morning, thanking me for working on so many different projects, and assuring me that my contributions were not going unnoticed. That was so in character for him, yet so pleasantly surprising to hear on a Friday morning, especially when he is not even in the office today. Here I have been feeling like kind of a loser at work because I am sort of pitching in here and there and not "owning" anything. I guess it's good because I've gotten to work with a lot of different people within the agency, and apparently they all think I do good work. Definitely a plus.

So happy it's Friday. And a quiet one, to boot. Vanessa and I may be able to get out of here at 4, she says. Vanessa's slightly senior to me in our group, so if she says let's go, we can go. She's also extremely cool and fun.

Managed to book an appointment with the photographer we're most interested in, Joel Greenberg. His work looks really interesting from the website - a nice mix of portraits, photojournalism and artistic work. A friend here at work, Kate, recommended him because her friend was working with him and was very pleased. He is available on the big day, so we're very pleased. Apparently they also have an early booking incentive, which includes engagement photos and web hosting for free. Neato! I never thought about an engagement photo, but if they shoot it for free, why not, right?

The weekend is shaping up nicely. I'm taking the first half of tomorrow to clean the apartment, etc. And then we're going out to LI to see Peter, Paul and Mary at the Westbury Music Fair with my parents. I think they may be the one musical group that we all like. It turns out that Ryan's parents listened to them a lot when he was little, and so did mine, so we all have a special feeling about the music. It's especially nice to see them at the Music Fair. It's close to home for all of them, and there's a really special tradition where all the little kids in the audience bring flowers up on stage when they sing "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" It's very sweet to see people who've grown up on the music bring their little ones, too. Maybe someday...

So, Rowan has their new fall book on their website now. I didn't want to spoil the fun of receiving it in the mail, but a quick glance showed some nice patterns, and a few possibilities even for the bridesmaid tanks. Joy and Nightfall both fit the bill and are made with Lurex Shimmer, which is a really pretty yarn, and would make a nice dressy look. Of course it also has a gauge of 7.25 stitches per inch, which makes me wonder if I will want to shoot myself halfway through this undertaking. There's also a question of color and whether there's one that fits the bill. Hard to tell from the site, especially with the sparkly stuff. Maybe I'll brave the heat and humidity and wander over to Yarn Connection at lunchtime.

Rowan also has their free pattern of the month up for August. Unfortunately, it's another friggin blanket. I think it was a blanket two months ago, and last month it was a crocheted jacket. Very pretty, but crochet is not my forte. Frustrating - I haven't found a single one of those that I want to make since I joined in June. Maybe September will be better.

I'm also looking for a nice cardigan to make for Diana (maid of honor) for her birthday September 16th. Preferably something that's not going to take too much time - probably chunky or bulky weight. This cardigan from Rebecca might fit the bill. I'm also open to suggestions! I should probably start this one in the next few weeks, which will mean taking a break from the Moo blanket. Then again, the chance of actually seeing Diana on her birthday is slim. Hmm, actually it appears to be a Monday and since she's working in the city these days, I guess it's not so out of the question. We'll see.

Sent off my contract and large deposit check with the boy to send certified mail to the Palm House. Yay! I spoke to a second person there yesterday with a few questions, and she gave me some recommendations for florists, bands and a photographer that they like. We weren't all that impressed with the photographer - nice work, but not terribly interesting. So, we're investigating on our own, with a few recommendations from other people. We both like the work we've seen here, particularly Joel and Terise. One of the florists is located right around the corner from Ryan's place, so I think we'll visit them sometime soon. And I will check out the bands she mentioned, but also want to talk to the band that played my cousin Jill's wedding several years back. I remember them being fantastic.

We've also got to find someone to do that little thing called the ceremony. This should be fun. We want to have a "modern Jewish, easy on the God" ceremony. My mother really wants a chuppah and a rabbi, and I sort of do, too, even though none of us is particularly religious. Of course, Ryan is not Jewish and not religious at all, but he says he is OK with that as long as it doesn't get heavily religious. I agree. My friend Wendy had a Jewish-Indian wedding a year and a half ago, and I remember that being fairly mellow, so I ought to check with her about her rabbi. Or maybe we won't go with a rabbi at all, and instead have a cantor. They are allowed to do wedding ceremonies and tend to be more flexible, from what I have read.

Oh, and good news - my boss, true to his kind self, told me he is going to try and let me make up my missed Summer Friday on August 16th. Of course if we are swamped, it won't happen, but it will probably be OK. That would give me every Friday (except tomorrow) off for the month of August. Yay!

Just gave myself several minutes' worth of entertainment reading these hilarious comments by Zagat reviewers.

Feeling pretty good about myself today, because I had a good time at Stitch-n-Bitch, got another inch or so done on the Moo blanket, and I left at 9 as planned so I could go to the supermarket and get home at a decent hour. That's easier now that Stitch-n-Bitch is about a 7-minute walk from my apartment. Well, until I move to Brooklyn sometime in the next few months.

For some reason I was even motivated enough to clean my bathroom last night at 10:45. It had been really bugging me, but I have hardly been home to do it, and when I have, it's been so unbearably hot in there because the air conditioning doesn't quite make it all the way there. Last night wasn't so bad somehow, so I took the 15 minutes it needed and it looks ever so much better.

Still wishing for that elusive day off. It's highly unlikely to happen this week, so I told Ryan I just need the day to myself on Saturday to finish off my cleaning, laundry, etc. I hate to "waste" a weekend day like that, particularly in the summer, but I think I will go nuts if I don't. If I start early and finish early, I can finish up that silly boatneck and cross one more thing off my list.

10 a.m. meeting to run to now. Have a great day!

Just checked UPS.com, and my Vogue Knitting book is listed as "out for delivery" today! I can't wait to see my friendly UPS driver, John, at my doorstep this evening. He sometimes shows up as late as 7:30, so I may be slightly late for the Stitch-n-Bitch. Have no fear, ladies, I will be there!

I'm definitely in a bit of a knitting rut. I haven't managed to finish anything in ages. Somehow my boatneck is just sitting there, finished up to the armholes on the second side, and I haven't touched it in over a week. I have been working on the Moo blanket here and there, but it's such a big project that I really ought to have something else to finish so I will feel better about things. I'm going to Stitch-n-Bitch tonight, so I guess I could work on the boatneck. I think I've decided that even though the yarn is beautiful, it's not that pleasant to work with. Also, since I'm feeling like the neck is going to be too high and uncomfortable, I've sort of gotten grumpy with the whole thing. Bad bad bad.

Last night I thought I was going to knit but I ended up on the phone most of the night. It was fun to talk to my old roommate, Heather, and tell her my good news (we don't talk that often so there was lots of catching up to do). Then Mom and I made plans to go dress shopping the weekend of August 10th. All of my bridesmaids (except future sister-in-law Kristy, since she is in California and moving to Hawaii any minute now) have told me they want to come shopping for my gown. But the idea of doing that with such an entourage is a nightmare, so I am going on the first scouting mission with just Mom, then will invite the others to join me another time, after I have narrowed it down. I think that just makes sense, and I think that's what the two of them who are married did.

Ryan and I talked last night about photographers and what we're looking for. I think he's going to do the research on this one, since he is an artist and has a great eye. I am good at distinguishing crappy photography from good photography, but the middle ground is vast and I think he's perfectly suited for it. Not to mention that I'm happy to have him do some of the work! I think he will also be instrumental in finding a band. OK, that pun was honestly and truly unintentional, and I am not changing it because it amuses me that I wrote it!