Dental Success

I did it!!!!! I finally went to the dentist after about 5 years. The first 4 years was a lack of health insurance and this past year was busyness and fear. But not only did I make a New Year's resolution to go (something I never do), I chipped a back tooth this past weekend in Albany. And there's nothing like being stabbed on the under side of your tongue over and over again to give you a kick in the pants.

B's dad told me that they had made great strides in dentistry over the past 5 years. It seemed like such an absurd thing to say that I thought he was kidding, but he wasn't. And thank god, he was right. I had a computer screen in front of my chair! And instead of two x-rays taken in a back room, I sat right there while they took about 2o detailed x-rays of each section of teeth. The pictures popped up on the screen and they explained everything. They also used this special camera - I think it was actually called "Denta-Cam" or something - and took full color pictures of my teeth so I could see exactly what they see.

Also, the cleaning was much less painful than I remember. Of course, I bled like a hemophiliac since I hadn't been there in so long, but it was still pretty survivable. I found out that: I brush too hard, I clench my teeth when I sleep, you should "hug" each tooth when you floss, dental bacteria is the same kind of bacteria that causes heart disease and strokes, one of my "i" teeth has 2 roots (very rare apparently), and my oral surgeon left a tiny piece of tooth in my jaw when he pulled my wisdom teeth (not a big deal).

And the good news? Only 2 small cavities after all this time! I figured I had an entire mouth-full, especially after B took a flashlight to my mouth to see the chipped tooth and announced to everyone in the room how awful my mouth was and how decayed it was. As it turns out, he should stick to engineering. The "cavities" he saw were simply the wear on my back teeth from clenching.

So now I'm converted. I am dedicated to perfect tooth care from here on out!

Sleep Deprivation

I am in serious need of sleep right now. Normally I go to bed around 9pm every night and sleep until 7am - I need quite a bit of shut eye to function. Not to mention the naps - do you have any idea how many random pictures we have of me napping? I've never been able to figure out why that isn't built into the work day the way it is in kindergarten.

Sunday night I had a case of "Sunday Night Work Rebellion" syndrome. It happens pretty often as I desperately try to claim the last remaining hours of my weekend, but it was worse than usual this week since there was a Dane Cook comedy special on that we couldn't tear ourselves away from. Then this morning I got up at 3:50am and haven't seen a bed since. B had to fly to Texas and there were all kinds of flight issues that kept me from seeing the sweet sight of my dark bedroom.

So that's it on this end - B is in Abilene, Texas until Thursday and I'm tired. With lives like this I really don't know how you all can compete.

Back again

We're back from our brief trip to Albany. As always, it was a zip-in and zip-out situation, but it was still nice to see everyone. B's sister got her bridesmaid dress (very pretty!) and B got to use a Christmas gift certificate to get a new putter. Now he's all set for the bachelor extravaganza weekend in S. Carolina in May.

This evening, after B got home from work (don't ask), we worked on the seating chart for the wedding. Suddenly I'm seeing the whole world in groups of eight. I'm sure you're all going to tell me we're crazy for doing that so early, but we know most of the people who are definitely coming. This way, when it's time to do it for real it's more fine tuning rather than the horrible disaster everyone tells me it can turn into the week before the wedding. Our mutual goal for the entire year has been "No Stress!!" So far, it's going great, but I'm trying to stay on top of everything so we'll look back on our engagement year with nothing but wonderful memories.

Fat Cat

Dizzy went to the vet yesterday and I'm sorry to tell you that even after a full year on diet food, he's officially fat. She told me that we were feeding him too much (3/4 C per day) and also that some cats just have slower metabolisms - like people! The problem though is that Miles is always begging for food in the morning, to the point that he freaks out around 6am - scratching, crying, bumping my nose, etc. So she told me to keep some food in our nightstand so I can secretly slip it to Miles in the morning. That way he gets some extra food and Dizzy only gets the measured amount.

We're headed to Albany this weekend to see B's family. Hope you all have a good weekend, if you're bored come take down our Christmas tree - I'll leave you a key.

More checks on the checklist

• Cake
• Honeymoon
• Wedding day details

Check! Check! Check! Very productive day here in wedding land. The cake was a very fast appointment since we knew exactly what we wanted and even had a picture. We tasted two cupcakes, picked some flavors and fillings and we were finished.

We also picked up maps of Canandaigua from the Chamber of Commerce for the out-of-town bags, and then headed to the resort to work out all the details with the wedding coordinator. I thought the wedding day timeline and details would take a lot longer, but it was actually pretty quick. I guess just because I have five million details in my head and on my to-do list doesn't mean she does!

The only small thing that struck us as a little odd is that they do the cake cutting immediately after the first dance. We couldn't decide if it was weird to cut the cake when no one has even eaten yet, or if it was nice to just do it when everyone is paying attention and not have to worry about it later. I feel like most weddings I've been to, the cake cutting part is always a little odd because no one really cares and it's hard to get people's attention and it breaks up the flow. I don't know... input welcome.


After the meeting, I called the travel agent and finalized the details for the honeymoon, which is a wonderful thing to check off because it was so much to figure out. So we're headed to the Royal West Indies Resort in Turks and Caicos for nine days! It's a small group of islands at the top of the Caribbean island chain. I put some links and details on the wedding website if you're interested. All in all a very productive day, now I need to revisit the big checklist and see what's up next!

Plant Progress

Here's the latest progress on the little NASA gel tube plant... very impressive! The top is going to have to come off soon and my co-worker and I are a little unclear as to how exactly you get the delicate little plant and gel out of the very skinny tube. I'll let you know what she figures out - I'm sure the suspense is just killing you.
Tomorrow B, my mom, and I are headed to Canandaigua to have our long meeting with the wedding coordinator to figure out aaaalllllll the details. She said there would be pages and pages of questions, but that we would feel much better once the meeting was over because everything would feel very settled. We're also meeting with the baker to order the cake. Lots to do tomorrow!

Rings and things

Quick post before I go home for the day. B is in St. Louis on business so there's no computer waiting for me at home. It's fine though, I'm still slogging my way through the piles and piles of laundry that built up while the septic was being fixed. Not to mention the piles that we had from before that were clean but not folded. Getting ready for work has been slightly easier now that I see that I actually do own clothing, contrary to what it felt like for the past few weeks.

I was so excited about the Giants game (more on that later) that I didn't mention that we bought our wedding rings this weekend! It was probably the easiest decision we've made during this whole crazy process. Of course, I forgot to prepare B that the price tag on my ring would most likely have an extra zero at the end, compared to the price tag on his ring, but I thought he knew that! Oops. Not that he felt that much better about his own ring: "I can't believe I'm spending that much on my ring! If I were going to spend that much money on myself I would have bought a new set of irons!" I delicately pointed out that, unlike the irons, this was the only wedding ring he would ever buy and, also unlike the irons, he would have it forever. Silly men.

As for the Giants game, Dino Girl pointed out that we should have a Superbowl party. I told her that if we agreed to do that, there would be a very firm delineation of the house... the game is for focusing and watching, I told her. All visiting must take place away from the television, over in the dining room. This is serious stuff - the Patriots are good.


Anecdote to make you all feel better about yourselves: It's looking like the Christmas tree will still be firmly in place for the Superbowl party unless I can really get my act together!

Pics for your Pleasure

Once again, my week is kinda boring, so I'll give you some pictures. All is moving along in the world of the septic - as of last night we no longer have to leap over the big trench to get into and out of the house, so that's progress. Miles in particular is happy about it...

Here are the little sunflower seeds in the NASA gel - they're growing very fast! Only a week in the space gel and they've already sprouted and come up to the surface.

Me and Ithaca Chick yesterday afternoon in the museum library - taking a little break from fundraising to help with a project.

Chaos

Remember how I told you that we had all of the septic problems a few weeks ago? Well, it’s been a minefield around here as a result. Not only are they putting in an entire new septic system, they are redoing the entire water system – well, tank, pipes, filtration, etc. There is not one piece of our yard that doesn’t having a gaping hole in it. And really, I’m not complaining because it doesn’t effect us, but it’s pretty crazy out there so I thought I’d show you some pics from my cell phone.

This is what used to be a lovely back yard. There is a hole the size of a school bus back there.

This is the trench on the side of the house that we have to hop over to get out of the house.

And last but not least, I wanted to give a HUGE cheer for our wonderful New York Giants and the even more wonderful Eli Manning! Once again they showed what they are capable of and beat the Cowboys, who are not only their biggest rivals, but who were ranked #1 in the conference until yesterday when our little #5 G-men beat them on their own turf. I was telling Ouiser this morning that not only did B look like a novelty store puked Giants gear all over him, he was screaming and running around the house and fielding tons of phone calls after the victory last night - it was like the boy-version of getting engaged :)

Too many choices!

More wedding stuff today. As I mentioned the other day, I feel as though the wedding walls are closing in. I have to keep reminding myself that the order of the months goes: January, February, March and not: January, June, July. That's what it feels like.

The two things that have been far more complicated than I anticipated are the invitations and the honeymoon. Picking the invitations was basically instantaneous when I opened the photo-invitation catalogue I ordered - everything after has been so annoying. After settling all the other stuff (far too boring to launch into) I tackled the big nemesis today - lettering. Do you have ANY idea how many damn fonts there are to choose from!!???!! And do you have any idea how little I care? But even though you think you don't care that much, when faced with what feels like thousands of options, you start to care because it's the only way to narrow all of that down and make a decision. It's like the flatware all over again (and didn't I say that about something else wedding-related recently? I can't remember what it was).


So, the invitations are basically done and now I just have to mail them in. As for the honeymoon, much like the fonts, do you KNOW how many Caribbean islands there are!!???!! And do you KNOW how many resorts are located on each of those islands?! Lord help me, it's ridiculous. We went to Sandals Jamaica a few years ago and it was totally amazing, but we didn't want to go to another Sandals because we felt like we would get there are and have a "been there, done that" feeling. But again, once you open yourself up to so many options, you start to lose your mind. And B and I have been taking turns on the honeymoon research, but I think we're getting close.

I spoke with a AAA travel agent and she sent me a link of all the resorts she could get discounted bookings at, organized by island. And then last night on the travel channel was a show called "Top 10 Caribbean Resorts." The show didn't help much in the way of specific resorts since our budget is slightly under $1600/night, but it provided helpful island information. Earlier this morning I emailed her asking about one resort on St. Martin and one on Turks & Caicos, so we'll see what pans out.

In other riveting news, B got his very first spa massage today! I bought him a gift certificate over a year ago that he just used today. Not surprisingly the woman told him that he was "a rock" and needed to stretch and relax more. But he got the full robe/slippers/tea room/sauna/steam room experience and loved it. I think it was a good experience for him to feel what real relaxation feels like since he doesn't even get hints of it in his daily life.

Mid-week Hello

I haven't had anything good to tell you lately, so I haven't posted. And I still don't have anything interesting to report, but I thought I'd say hello anyway. Typical work week around these parts. Wedding planning feels more pressing now that it's a brief 5 months away (ah!). Lots and lots to do, but I'm also starting to get excited at how close it is! It felt too far away before to get super excited - especially since I'm very much of an "in the moment" kind of gal - but now it's starting to feel real.

Here is the first of many pictures of a funny little growing experiment my co-worker is trying. Not "trying" like she invented it, just "trying" in the sense that her friend (my former intern and all around cool cat) bought her this for Christmas and she's seeing if it really works. It's a tube with "NASA gel" at the bottom that you put sunflower seeds in to grow. It'll require quite a bit on patience on your part to see the final product, but we'll update you from time to time. Happy hump day!

Oh, I forgot! If you haven't bought your re-usable shopping bags yet, 1 Bag at a Time is having a sale right now! You can get 10 bags for $15 instead of the usual $20. Go make yourself a little greener!

Check! Check!

Two more wedding things done. Yesterday B and I drove to Macy's (an hour away) so that I could take advantage of the huge New Year's "One Day Only" sale and buy the bridesmaids gifts! It was so great - I found beautiful gifts and since everything was so discounted, I got to buy everyone things that normally would have far exceeded my budget. Then this morning I put my own crafty/pretty touch on the packaging and put the main gifts together with some other smaller things and ta da!! I now have 5 of THE prettiest gifts for my girls. They're all so pretty and color coordinated, I just love 'em!! In case you have forgotten, few things in life make me as giddy as pretty wrapping, packaging, paper, ribbon, etc. I wish I could have a teeny tiny store where I could sell pretty paper products and my own craft creations.

Item #2 was almost equally exciting as it involved paper as well. I ordered our very pretty thank you cards online. And none of this "one card for before the wedding/one card for after the wedding" stuff- too much money and too complicated for my taste. One card, a Cabernet-colored vine, our names and the date. Lovely.

Lastly, I want to give a big hooray to the Giants. Eli, bless his heart, continued to show great talent and he led the Giants to their first playoff win in seven years! Seven! It was a slow start, but a great game after that. Hooray!!!!

It's Always Something

What now, you ask? Nothing too horrible that it's truly bad, just enough to be really annoying and make me sigh and shake my head and say "really?" I'm very good with perspective in life - I pretty much figure that if everyone you love is around and doing well, you don't have much to complain about. Having said that, we found out last Friday that B was driving on a secretly suspended license and had he been pulled over at any time in the last two years he would have been thrown in jail, and then Sunday the entire septic system in our house backed up and every appliance and bathroom fixture flooded all over the floors. In jail and covered with poop - yikes.

Two immediate thoughts - thank God B didn't get pulled over, and thank God we're only renters.

When B went to the DMV to renew his license he found out that the plates from his old beater car were never received by the Albany DMV, even though he mailed them in. Major suspension, though we've never received so much as a letter. It's not your fault, but there's nothing you can do, the nice lady told him. Unless you can prove you sent them, your license is suspended until July... it just happens, I'm sorry. (Insert a healthy dose of Friday Flip-Out here) Luckily B's brother-in-law is a cop and told us to go to the local police station and see if they could help. They definitely looked like they had zero interest in helping until he dropped the "My brother-in-law is a cop and thought you might be able to help me out" and then we made significant progress from there. After we got some other forms from our car dealer, B is headed back down to the DMV today to try again – cross your fingers. In the meantime, I’ve been his permanent chauffeur.

As for the septic... I went into the bathroom on Sunday and saw that the floor was covered in clear water. I figured it was just a bad seal on the toilet until I looked in the bathtub and it was filled with black water. No good. B immediately ran to the washing machine (which was running) and found our entire entryway and the second bathroom covered in not so clean water. Many, many phone calls and plumbing appointments later and this is what we found: The septic tank out back is completely illegal. Instead of having a pipe from the tank into the leech field, the pipe comes out of the ground and stops. All of the overflow and grey water run straight into the stream behind our house!! Nice, huh? So not only is the septic tank in need of being pumped, it's going to cost our landlord anywhere from $7k - $14k to redo the entire system. Right now we're allowed to use the water in limited quantities, but there is still quite a bit of clean up to do - the carpet in our bedroom smelled like a bus stop bathroom until we sprinkled it with coffee grounds and baking soda (at the advice of our landlord for a temporary fix).

But like I said, we're renters not owners, and B is a very safe driver and was never pulled over - thank God for small favors!

Caucus Day!

Today is the beginning of a very important political year - today are the Iowa caucuses, the very first of the presidential primaries! Regardless of what side of the political fence you find yourself on, I think we can all agree that this administration has done shocking and horrific damage all the way around. But the best way to fight back is in the ballot booth, so be sure to vote for your candidate in the primaries! To make it a little easier for you, I’ve listed the dates of the primaries for your various states (organized by earliest date). If I forgot your state, click the link below to get the full list.

• New York 2/05/2008
• Massachusetts 2/05/2008
• Colorado 2/05/2008
• Arizona 2/05/2008
• Washington 2/19/2008
• Texas 3/04/2008
• Vermont 3/04/2008
• Pennsylvania 4/22/2008
• Oregon 5/20/2008
• Kentucky 5/20/2008

Full list of presidential primary dates.

Since I’m pretty sure I don’t have any visitors from Iowa, none of my 6 readers will be voting today, so be sure to watch the news this evening to see how things play out. Iowa can make or break candidates. Happy (eventual) voting!!

Happy New Year

Happy 2008 all!! It occurred to me last night as the ball was dropping that this is the year B and I are getting married!!!!!!!! It all feels so close now, I just can't believe it. I think it's going to be a big year with a lot of changes, and I hope they'll all go smoothly and happily. Speaking of happy, here's a random picture, but one that I'm happy to finally have: B, me, our brother-in-law M, and B's sister.