Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

The extreme heat we've seen over the last couple of weeks is now abating somewhat. This means our dog, Una, and I can resume our afternoon dog walks.

On the hottest days we were down from two walks a day to just one morning walk. Even in the morning, it was so hot that Una was listless, not her usual cheery self.

Now, it's still shorts weather but definitely more comfortable.

One of our neighbors, a retired man who spends a lot of time gardening, observed that "the cold weather is just around the corner." I hope not. Of c0urse, this is the same guy who is always predicting rain.

Our wedding planning is going well. We'll stop by the AAA office this weekend to finalize our honeymoon plans. My sister is coming up the following week and will help me take care of some details, such as putting together the slide images we'll project during the reception. We're projecting images of '60s pop culture and science to help create the retrofuturistic feel.

So far, we've had responses from a little more than half our guests, with only a few declining. One or two trickle in every day or so.

We've taken care of some incidentals, such as ordering some personalized champagne flutes and a cake knife set from the web site Now and Forever, an excellent wedding site featuring affordable items from which we also got our thank you cards.

Speaking of thank-yous, we have received a mystery gift, namely a set of silverware from our registry that arrived with neither a card nor a packing slip. We have no idea who sent it. Since it arrived before our invitations went out, I'm guessing that it was sent by one of the women who was invited to my bridal shower but didn't make it. I need to follow up with them and figure it out. If the mystery gift giver is reading this, please contact me!

I checked in with the DJ, and he said he's got all the music together. He's only waiting on paperwork from the hotel.

Now we're down to primarily details that depend on how many people are coming, such as ordering favors. Every day or so I check the master list and try to work towards accomplishing the things on it.

In other news, I ordered a couple things online lately, with mixed results. The Teva sandals I bought last year had fallen into disrepair, so I ordered a new pair in a slightly different style. This one has a different style of instep, which I hoped would show less dirt.

When I put them on, I noticed they're not as immediately comfortable. The other sandals had a suede instep that was soft and cushy from the moment I bought them. The sole of these sandals is a bit rougher. Not only that but the metal ring that holds the front straps in place pokes into the fourth toe on my left foot. In the previous model, I notice, the metal ring was covered with leather. It hasn't been enough to cause a blister, so I'm hoping that as the surrounding leather softens up, it won't be such an issue.

I wear my sandals a lot during the summer for dog walks and every day errands, primarily. They need to be comfortable and durable, and the Ventura Cork sandals I bought look nice, too. I got them in red, just for a little splash of color. I wear them so much I have a "Teva tan", with white stripes where the straps go. I'm hoping my sister and I can figure out a makeup solution to minimize those lines for my wedding day.

My other recent purchase was a T-shirt from Threadless.com, which I ordered after I saw a staffer wearing one of their shirts at the recent Otakon meeting. Threadless holds contests where designers compete to have their designs printed on a shirt. They're artistic and creative, and they offer a women's fitted T-shirt, which fits much better than a typical T-shirt.

I ordered a design called Love*Rain by Yeoh Guan Hong, which I think is very Mod. After examining the size chart, I found I was probably between a Girly Small and a Girly Medium. Instead of opting for the medium, I gambled that the material would be soft enough that the small would work. I have shirts that are the same measurements that are a soft cotton and fit perfectly.

When the shirt arrived, I tried it on. It fit but was definitely snug, because the cotton they used was kind of stiff. Fortunately, they have a good exchange policy, so I filled out the exchange form and sent it back. Hopefully, the correct size T-shirt will arrive shortly.

I order a lot of stuff online, so much so that the UPS guy waves at me when he sees me around town. I don't know his name, but he certainly knows quite a bit about me, at least the fact that I order things from a variety of sites, from Amazon.com to clothing, accessory and other sites. I guess it's people like me that keep him employed!

More on Alyce's wedding planning:

Musings on Alyce's Wedding

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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