Crap.

The list below is missing number 23. Thanks a lot, jerks!

Why not do a listy thing?

1. What time did you get up this morning? Alarm went off at 6 . . . I dragged my arse out of bed at 6:30
2. Diamonds or Pearls? Refuse to choose!
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Hmm ... crap. I have NO idea.
4. What is your favorite TV show? I'm pathetic -- GMA.
5. What did you eat for breakfast? Nature Valley Chewy Granola Bar
6. What foods do you dislike? Sauerkraut.
7. Your favorite potato chip? Lay's Mediterraneas (not available in the US, despite my letter-writing campaign).
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Don't have one.
9. What kind of car do you drive? I ride the bus.
10. Favorite sandwich? "Alice" from Toasties.
11. What characteristics do you despise? Brattiness (other than mine)
12. What are your favorite clothes? my wedding dress
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Spain
14. What color is your bathroom? Full bathroom is builder white; half bath is all white except for a pool-cue-chalk blue wall (we haven't had a chance to repaint)
15. Favorite brand of clothing? Eh, I don't care.
16. Favorite time of day? Bedtime
17. Where would you want to retire to? I'd stay in Bay Ridge
18. Favorite sports to watch? Football
19. Coke or Pepsi? Diet Coke
20. Are you a morning person or night owl? Neither
21. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Nope.
22. What did you want to be when you were little? Sadly, a lawyer.
24. Nicknames? Panda
25. Piercings? Ears. Used to have my bellybutton pierced too.
26. Eye Color? brown
27. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
28. Favorite restaurant? Kion
29. Favorite ice cream? Chocolate or coffee
30. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Century21
31. Bedtime? Usually around 10:30 or 11:00
32. What are you listening to right now? The very loud hvac system in our office
33. How many tattoos do you have? zero.
34. Next film you'll see? Hopefully SATC but all my girlfriends have seen it, and there is no way my husband will accompany me to view "the downfall of Western Civilization."

Alright, People ...

I'm back.

All the wedding craziness -- and a very busy couple of months at work -- really threw me off course. Once I had time (sort of) to post, I was too intimidated by the thought of recapping all those weeks that I kept on putting it off. Sort of like when I don't post my billable hours every day ...

Anyway, I am not going to try to summarize the last couple months in detail. I'm going to pick it up again starting today, and, I hope, return to a regular routine.

I will say this much: the wedding was perfect. We had an amazing weekend with all of our friends and family members, from the rehearsal on Friday through the brunch on Sunday. Every second of Saturday was just absolutely perfect. I didn't cry, I didn't get too overwhelmed ... I just stood through our wedding ceremony, following the service, and feeling very much like I did the first time we went to church together (the day after our first date): I am standing next to my husband in church, and I will do this for the rest of my life.

And then we partied.

The food, the flowers, the music -- everything was just right. Better than just right. Over the top without being over the top. Incredible. Memorable. Perfect.

Our first dance went really well (especially if you ignore the few times we both got caught up in the many layers of my dress!). I will always be happy that we took time out of our ridiculously busy schedules to take dance lessons together. It was such a great opportunity to spend quiet alone time together, and we really felt comfortable on the dance floor. Later in the evening, we even obliged when our guests shoved us onto the dance floor for some Arabic dancing. I have to say, for once, my arms didn't look like duck wings, and my husband moved like a sheik.

The honeymoon was idyllic. We spent the week doing very little. We sunned on the beach, swam in the Caribbean, read a ton of books, ate a ton of food (I think I'd outgrown my wedding dress by day 3), and did the things that newlyweds like to do. Oh, and we had a surfing lesson, which was 3 parts fun and 9 parts torture. We both got up on the boards, though, and it was a good experience.

And now, here we are, exactly one month since the wedding. Life at home is great -- I love being married. I really didn't know if I would feel any different as "wife" than I did as "fiancee," but I really do. Something just changes, and it's wonderful. Of course, concrete -- and not just abstract -- things change, too. Like my name! It is weirder than weird to have a different last name after nearly 27 years with this one, but I am getting used to it. I finally jumped through all the hoops with the attorney registration people in NY and NJ, and am, as of yesterday, practicing under my married name in both states. I'll get my new email account set up today, and I can officially pass out the business cards. Next up: the DMV and my credit cards. I wish I could take another week off just to deal with the paperwork!

I'm so glad summer is finally here! We went to the Mets / Mariners game last night (thank you, Noah, for the suggestion), and my hubby was very happy to see his Mariners win (even though we missed the legendary grand slam because we were in the concession line). I want to keep doing fun summer activities and not get too dragged down with work. We are hoping to go to a movie at Bryant Park one of these Mondays, and we are really happy to have our weekends free again to roam around Bay Ridge.

Oh, and we went to the funniest show last week: Boeing-Boeing. I laughed so hard, and so continuously, that I actually worried I was going to throw up. I loved Dirty Rotten Scoundrels when I saw it a few years ago, and I have to say, Boeing-Boeing was even funnier. Go see it! It's winning Tonys and stuff! And it's frickin' hilarious!

And that is all for now ... so much for getting in early to catch up on the stuff I was supposed to do yesterday! Oh well ... It will get done.

PS -- I'm updating my blog roll. Make sure to check out the new link!

copy editing?

"Assessing his loss in Pennsylvania, the Illinois senator said Tuesday's primary result was not primarily due to how working class Democrats voted — a voting bloc that has long supported Clinton over Obama — then with the decisions of older voters."

2 Questions -- What the heck does that sentence mean? Why is it on Cnn.com? Why don't I have that person's job?

Okay, that was 3 questions -- just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

And finally, the bachelorette party ...

I know both of my readers have been desperately awaiting the follow-up to my Bridal Shower post.

My last entry left off as the girls and I were getting fixed up at my apartment. I wore an absolutely killer dress, a picture of which I am still hoping to find online. If all else fails, I'll post a picture of myself in it, but I'm not sure about that. Anyway, it was a smoky blue-gray, with braided straps, an incredibly low V-neck, and a silver braided double belt around the ribcage. It was a nice bouncy jersey fabric, a-line, that hit just below the knees. Super duper hot, if I do say so myself.

We took a cab/car service into the city, which in itself was pretty hilarious. Our driver was a guy about our age, who was having serious lady drama. Every once in a while his phone (a blackberry pearl, like mine) would light up with at least 20 lines of text message. He'd glance at it and keep driving. Finally the phone rang and he answered it. The portion of the conversation we were able to hear went something like this "Yo, I ain't trying to read that right now, why you keep sending me essays? I'm driving! Oh, is that what you think? You think I'm with you so that when you piss me off I go get with someone else? That's what you think? I ain't got time for this." Hangup. Poor guy. He wasn't helped by the fact that we were stuck in major traffic, and the girls and I said "no" when he asked if he could smoke. Sorry, dude ... I just didn't want to stink all night. Anyway, I feel bad for the guy. As we were getting out of the car, I told him it's really not supposed to be that hard (it's really not). I wonder what happened with them.

+++

Finally, we arrived at Toloache. My amazing cousin and maid of honor arranged an absolutely terrific meal to kick off the evening. I thought only a few of us would be there -- like maybe 4 or 5 girls, but there were sixteen! The table was covered in confetti, each guest had a goodie bag and a place card, and there was a huge wedding-cake-shaped "Congratulations" helium balloon tied to my chair. I was immediately crowned with what turned out to be the "veil" my older cousin (and matron of honor) had worn at her own bachelorette party nine years ago.

The food was out of this world. I cannot say enough about it. There was a stuffed hot pepper, a roast suckling pig dish, a chicken quesadilla ... everything was amazing. I was drinking Toloache's signature drink (something potent and blueberry), and everything was wonderful. Dessert did not disappoint -- I had an outrageous warm, melty, gooey chocolate cake. There was a perfect flan, and delicious churros con chocolate. This place is terrific, and I will definitely go back.

I really enjoyed having more time to chat with the girls, since the shower had been sort of insane. I know everyone had a great time.

From Toloache, we went to one of my favorite spots in the city -- Divine Bar. Unfortunately, I no longer have to specify that this was Divine Bar West, since, I am informed, Divine Bar East has recently closed. To say I am heartbroken is not an understatement. Enough sadness, though ... that night we were at DBW, and it was, as always, a perfect venue.

The drinking and cavorting continued. At one point, someone had the absolutely inspired idea to give me a scavenger-hunt-style to-do list. Off the top of my head, I recall that I had to do the following:

Kiss a bald man (other than the bar tender, who wrote this item) on the head.

Find a guy named Mike and take a picture with him.

Get somebody to sing you a love song.

Get a condom from somebody in this bar.

Get somebody to buy you a drink.

Find your way home!

I'm pretty sure that was everything. You'll be glad to know I scored a perfect 100%, though I do have to thank the strange, slightly cross-eyed and relatively unattractive bachelorette who was also there for one of the items. The young lady wore a necklace that was adorned with tiny penises and a variety of condoms. She gladly donated one to my cause. It was ... bizarre.

Anyway, we had an absolute blast. Someone had the brilliant idea to do Irish Car Bombs, which are probably my favorite drink in the world. Anyone who knew me in college knows that I gained 15lbs of Car Bomb during my semester in Salamanca, Spain (We drank them at O'Neill's, by the Plaza Mayor, and called them "Coche Bombas"). Well, first of all, the bartender, Alejandro, did not know how to make a car bomb. I was shocked. I told him, it's a pint of Guinness or another Stout, and a shot glass filled mostly with Jamison and topped off with Bailey's. I explained that you drop the shot glass into the pint glass and gulp the whole thing down. He left, and came back with a manager. She told us that wouldn't be possible, since they don't have regular shot glasses there, just little mini wine-glasses, with stems. Part of their whole wine bar theme. I suggested that we could just pour the Jamison and Baileys from the shot glass into the pint glass and drink it down. But then, my maid of honor remembered that inside each of our goodie bags, she had placed pink plastic shot glasses that said Girls Night Out on them (excuse the cheesiness -- my "no penis" request had left her with few options). Yes, we're the kind of girls who bring their own shot glasses to bars. They rinsed them out for us and we went to town. I love car bombs.

From Divine Bar, those of us still standing went downtown to Le Souk. For some reason I can't get past the welcome page of their website, but I assure you, this place is awesome. It is huge annd packed, multiple floors of bars with hookahs and great Arabic music. I will have you know that this uptight nerd danced on the bar. And I made three dollars. And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

We did find our way home with no problem. We crashed and slept until noon. It was fantastic.

Dancing with the Spaz

Well, some things never change: I am still a terrible dancer. Fiance and I had our first ballroom dance lesson last night at Fred Astaire New York Midtown Dance Studio. Five minutes into the lesson, our instructor, Zahar (a cute Ukrainian guy) was asking Fiance if he'd ever had dance lessons before, and whether he played an instrument. I got patient and sympathetic looks from him. And I got tapped on the shoulder, in an effort to make me hear the beat. Gloria Estefan I am not. I cannot, for the life of me, hear the percussion while I'm trying to figure out what to do with my feet. And God help me on the Under Arm Turn in the Rumba. I think the situation might be hopeless. We signed up for 5 more lessons. Hopefully I won't embarrass myself at the wedding. Good thing I have a big dress to hide under!

...and we're back

I apologize for the hiatus -- my writers were on strike.

The last few weeks have just been insane. Work has alternated between overwhelming (when I'm too busy to blog) and coma-inducingly boring (when I'm too uninspired to blog). But, someone brought chocolate cake to work today, and I had a modest piece, and I'm feeling good.

Where to begin ... last weekend!

My good friend from high school (and bridesmaid) flew in on Friday the 28th, and came straight to my office. I skipped out of work early, we grabbed a coffee, and headed back to Bay Ridge. I was really excited to show her my apartment, especially because my last apartment was so small that I couldn't even invite her and her husband up for a cup of coffee the last time they were in town, let alone have them over night. So, I gave her the grand tour, and we headed off to do serious business -- shoe shopping at Century 21 on 86th in Bay Ridge. I love this place. While we were on our way out the door, my best buddy from college called to say he was out of court and ready to meet up. He lives in Philly, and despite the fact that he'll be a groomsman in my wedding in less than two months, he hadn't yet met Fiance. So, I was very excited that he was in town, and I insisted that he stay over as well. We met up with him right by Century 21, and he was a good sport about shoe shopping. Thanks to my girlfriend's expert eye, we were in and out of there rather quickly, with a pair of four-inch gold stilletos for me to wear to my shower. It was sort of difficult to match this dress:

And this is why I love Jessica Simpson:

See? They were perfect. Hooray!

After the successful C21 trip, Fiance met up with me and my friends, and we went to my favorite Bay Ridge restaurant for dinner: Circles Grille on 3rd Ave and 91st Street. Excellent food. I had shimp kebabs, and I can't remember what anyone else had.

Then, we went back to the house, girlfriend and I changed and got fixed up, and the boys played Wii (they were instant best friends). We headed out to Tarboosh on 5th Ave and I think 75th (in Bay Ridge), for an Arabic music festival. Three of our good friends were there with a table, and we had a blast. The place was loud and crowded, and lots of fun. We drank a little, smoked a little hookah, danced a lot (even Fiance!) and stayed out until 2am (well ... it would have been a little bit earlier, but due to the close proximity of Bay Ridge Ave and Bay Ridge Parkway, there was a little bit of confusion as to where the boys had parked the car. I'm over it ... ). We went home and collapsed.

Of course, I never should have stayed out that late, given that I had to wake up at 8 am on Saturday, to get ready for my shower. Ooops! Thank God for coffee. I got up, said goodbye to college buddy, and started getting ready. We were all in the car, looking fabulous, by 10:30ish. We showed up about 10 minutes late (as planned) to my 11:30 shower. Fiance dropped me off and high-tailed it to my parents' house to chill with my dad, my brothers, and the babies. I understand there was some basketball involved, and they had a good time.

My shower was AMAZING. I think that if it had been a suprise, I absolutely would have passed out. I knew all about it, I knew that 50 people would be there (I even saw the RSVP list), and I was still completely overwhelmed. And I don't overwhelm ... ever. I seriously had trouble making out people's faces, couldn't remember how I knew people and who knew whom. I walked up to two of my best friends from college and almost introduced them ... to each other. Oops. It was insane.

Everything was so beautiful. It was held at Broccolini Restaurant in Madison, NJ, and the food was delicious. I understand the beautiful cake was also delicious, but I somehow never got a piece! It was wonderful to see everyone. Some of my mom's neighborhood friends were there, and I don't think I'd seen a few of them in years. All of my aunts and cousins and my mom's cousins were there too, and it was just fantastic. My grandmother seemed to be feeling really good, and it was great to have her there. My bridesmaids were amazing -- everything was perfect.

I spent about 14 hours unwrapping gifts, and the little girls helped me with the wrapping paper, and my sisters-in-law wrote down all of the gifts. There are about a thousand pictures, which I might post at some point, but I like the (relative) anonymity of this blog so far, so we'll see. I got a ton of great stuff -- all of my everyday flatware (all 24 place settings!), two settings of my china, a ton of serving pieces, beautiful tablecloths, placemats, and some other really creative and wonderful gifts. My bridesmaids got me a huge basket filled with all of my baking pans and my hand mixer, and my sister-in-law designed the most adorable recipe box, which all of the girls filled with recipes. My cousin put in the cookie recipe that her late father -- the best uncle ever -- used to make the most amazing chocolate chip cookies ever. I teared up a little at that point but was mostly able to control myself. I can't wait to make the cookies, though.

After the shower, fiance picked me up, and we, along with two of my bridesmaids, went back to Bay Ridge to change and get ready for the bachelorette party! Fiance got out of the house as quickly as possible, and went to stay with our priest (a very good decision).

Stay tuned for details about the bachelorette party ... (time to get some actual work done).