Monday, August 02, 2004
Hot damn am I knackered! I planned to have a short day today to gradually ease myself back into working life. Like all good plans, this one lasted, oh, about a nanosecond (for those of you who aren't technical, that not very long) . I strolled into work at the normal time of about 8:15 am. By 8:30, I was sitting in a meeting room having my back-to-work chat the with the Wormski (my team leader, Andrew, whose surname happens to be Wormleighton. And I've complained about Oesterle being difficult! Not only does him name sound as though it should have a number following it - he would make a superb Andrew Wormleigton the third - but he was always last in line at school). This chat started off with, "we have an incredibly complex site to deliver for Aug 13," and finished with "we've hired a contractor in to help out and you need to train him- he starts in 20 minutes."
So alongside the ever present "Mrs" jokes and the questions about the Wedding, I've spent the entire day either working with the new contractor or getting up to speed with my assigned tasks and timescales. It went a bit like this: "task 'x-y-z' says it will take 45 man hours - you can get it done in half that, right?" So my leisurely 7 hour work day turned into a 8.5 hour marathon, and I expect no less until the site goes into the testing cycle on August 13th.
Meanwhile, I'm swiftly moving towards narcolepsy.
Right. Chapter 2: Essential Wedding Preparations.
Essential wedding preparations are commonly mistaken for the last minute details that need to be taken care of prior to the wedding. They tend to be known quantities that are expected and scheduled according.
Except in my case. While I did have a list of errands I needed to run, the list seemed to swell instead of shrink as the week went on. On Monday, I went to visit the photographer. Easy enough; you walk in, talk about poses and positions, find out when he will be arriving and where to be and Bob's your uncle, you're set. It would have been this easy if the photographer didn't insist on answering EVERY SINGLE QUERY IN MINUTE DETAIL. Don't get me wrong, I like knowing things. This is why I asked questions in the first place, but I don't need to know the entire 20 year lifecycle explaining the development of his technique. Just spit it out and be done with it.
The next day was the flowers and some "light" decoration. We must have detailed every single flower for every single centrepiece, corsage, bouquet and other adornment that was needed for the wedding. By the end I know every colour flower that was included in the decor and what country it was shipped in from. All I remember is Giles had a white Gerbera, and Charlie made a pretty piece with feathers for my hair. The "light" decoration was just that: me up a stepladder twisting fairy lights around the rafters in the pavilion outside the summer house. I wanted fairy lights at my wedding, and if the only way I was going to get them was to do it myself, so be it.
So flowers, lights, and pictures are out of the way - what's next? The dentist. Little did I know a simple cleaning would result in having to return the next day to have four teeth "sandblasted" to remove little cavities. There went four hours of my life and a hefty bit of my bank balance. But I don' have any cavities (score!) and the dentist fixed my chipped front tooth. After the initial visit to the dentist on Thursday, Jo and went to the Indiana Dunes State Park. Now I've never had a bad day at the Dunes (that I can remember) Wednesday was hot, muggy, overcast and windy. Picture this: two white little sun deprived bodies slathered in sun lotion laying in the middle of the beach being buffeted by particles of sand. This trip was a testimony to what women will do to get a bit of colour on their skin! There was no sun to speak of so the sun lotion served very little purpose other than to make it easier for the sand to stick to us. I was proud of Jo, she stuck it out 45 minutes longer than I expected.
While I could go on and on and on about the various other activities that cropped up- the fake nails, the numerous trips to the drug store for "stuff" and my constant cravings for Dairy Queen Chocolate Chip milkshakes - I think I'll spare you the tedious details. The only other chore I needed to do by the end of Thursday was get the marriage licence, and that came off without a hitch. The women at the Courthouse struggled with the passports and the English licence (that really was a sight - a middle aged women just not getting that English licences had a paper bit AND a card bit) but, we made it through.
And that was that. Which will leave us to the best and final chapter: The Parties. Stay tuned!
So alongside the ever present "Mrs" jokes and the questions about the Wedding, I've spent the entire day either working with the new contractor or getting up to speed with my assigned tasks and timescales. It went a bit like this: "task 'x-y-z' says it will take 45 man hours - you can get it done in half that, right?" So my leisurely 7 hour work day turned into a 8.5 hour marathon, and I expect no less until the site goes into the testing cycle on August 13th.
Meanwhile, I'm swiftly moving towards narcolepsy.
Right. Chapter 2: Essential Wedding Preparations.
Essential wedding preparations are commonly mistaken for the last minute details that need to be taken care of prior to the wedding. They tend to be known quantities that are expected and scheduled according.
Except in my case. While I did have a list of errands I needed to run, the list seemed to swell instead of shrink as the week went on. On Monday, I went to visit the photographer. Easy enough; you walk in, talk about poses and positions, find out when he will be arriving and where to be and Bob's your uncle, you're set. It would have been this easy if the photographer didn't insist on answering EVERY SINGLE QUERY IN MINUTE DETAIL. Don't get me wrong, I like knowing things. This is why I asked questions in the first place, but I don't need to know the entire 20 year lifecycle explaining the development of his technique. Just spit it out and be done with it.
The next day was the flowers and some "light" decoration. We must have detailed every single flower for every single centrepiece, corsage, bouquet and other adornment that was needed for the wedding. By the end I know every colour flower that was included in the decor and what country it was shipped in from. All I remember is Giles had a white Gerbera, and Charlie made a pretty piece with feathers for my hair. The "light" decoration was just that: me up a stepladder twisting fairy lights around the rafters in the pavilion outside the summer house. I wanted fairy lights at my wedding, and if the only way I was going to get them was to do it myself, so be it.
So flowers, lights, and pictures are out of the way - what's next? The dentist. Little did I know a simple cleaning would result in having to return the next day to have four teeth "sandblasted" to remove little cavities. There went four hours of my life and a hefty bit of my bank balance. But I don' have any cavities (score!) and the dentist fixed my chipped front tooth. After the initial visit to the dentist on Thursday, Jo and went to the Indiana Dunes State Park. Now I've never had a bad day at the Dunes (that I can remember) Wednesday was hot, muggy, overcast and windy. Picture this: two white little sun deprived bodies slathered in sun lotion laying in the middle of the beach being buffeted by particles of sand. This trip was a testimony to what women will do to get a bit of colour on their skin! There was no sun to speak of so the sun lotion served very little purpose other than to make it easier for the sand to stick to us. I was proud of Jo, she stuck it out 45 minutes longer than I expected.
While I could go on and on and on about the various other activities that cropped up- the fake nails, the numerous trips to the drug store for "stuff" and my constant cravings for Dairy Queen Chocolate Chip milkshakes - I think I'll spare you the tedious details. The only other chore I needed to do by the end of Thursday was get the marriage licence, and that came off without a hitch. The women at the Courthouse struggled with the passports and the English licence (that really was a sight - a middle aged women just not getting that English licences had a paper bit AND a card bit) but, we made it through.
And that was that. Which will leave us to the best and final chapter: The Parties. Stay tuned!
Sunday, August 01, 2004
I'm sure my house has shrunk since I left three weeks ago. Or maybe living in my Dad's ENORMOUS house with 15 foot ceilings has just made it seem a wee bit smaller (my entire little semi-detached would fit into my Dad's utility room). Either way, there is NOT ENOUGH ROOM! I keep telling myself "we live in England and space is at a premium," but what I'm really thinking is: "I want to be able to swing a cat in my front room!" (not that I ever would). Is it asking too much to be able to walk around your bed without turning sidewise, or have more than two dirty dishes in the kitchen without fear of avalanche? Currently, I have to walk to another room in the morning- one without curtains I might add- to pick out my knickers.
Giles has spent the last two days attempting to talk to me through my haze of jet lag about the state of our new house. True, we do need curtains. True, we have "all natural sea grass carpet" (yuk) throughout the entire house. And true, the shower curtain is harbouring a colony of creatures. At least the bathroom can be cleaned (did it today!) . The rest of it needs thought, planning, workmen, and money. Sometimes I wish we had stayed in the old house. Yes, it was in the middle-of-no-where-fun, but at least it was decorated and had a "Stylish Interior" (that's what the "for sale" sign said!) . I know why the people who lived here before moved out, I'm just not sure why we decided to move in!
So for the next year we will be painting and sanding and hanging and spending loads of money to make 21 Barnes Avenue habitable. We'll probably stop speaking to each other, but who said a healthy marriage requires constant communication? I think silence is a GOOD THING.
I'm sure I'll have lots to say when we finally decide to start the whole process. It Definitely won't be boring. But back to the wedding - that IS what started this blog, isn't it? So I'll start with
Chapter 1: the Bridal Showers.
For those who don't know, a bridal shower is a chance for your friends and your mothers friends to throw a party in your honour. These are big deal in the States and can range from a small get together to a huge lavish affair. A bride can expect to have at least one to as many as PICK-A-NUMBER bridal showers depending on the circle of friends and her proximity to said friends.
I had two bridal showers thrown for me. Both were lots of fun, and not just because I was fawned over and given presents though I DID really enjoy that part. It was just incredibly flattering that two women who hadn't seen me in years (truly) through me such fantastic parties. Jane's was on Sunday at her house, I'm sure I mentioned it earlier, and we had Mimosas (Buck's Fizz to the English) upon arrival and then after a HUGE number of pictures were taken and I saw people I hadn't seen for years upon years, we sat down to a fantastic lunch. I'm sure Midwestern ladies throw the best luncheons. The food was all made by the host and would easily put me to shame. There were even little white chocolate boxes filled with pink chocolate as table favours. Note to self: never invite these ladies to lunch and try to cook for them - scrambles eggs on toast is not an option!
Rosemary's shower was on Friday at Woodmar, the Country Club we all used to go to as kids. By then I was exhausted from running essential wedding-preparation errands (as will be detailed in the next chapter). As usual, we arrived a bit late, but I was the bride and the party couldn't start without me could it ( girls, here's a tip for when you get married: the bride can get away with almost anything!) ? So after almost entering the party on my backside (the wooden floors are not made for high heels) I wandered through the party in a sleep deprived, wine induced haze. Of course, I still had a ball. Rosemary's daughter, Sarah, travelled up from Indianapolis (she's a clinical pathologist, and no, she doesn't cut up dead people, I asked!) and she made some fantastic desserts. I stuffed myself on chocolate-chip-cookie-dough cheese cake and chocolate covered strawberries. (Another tip: the food you eat the night BEFORE your wedding won't show up until the honeymoon. By then it doesn't really matter, you're already married!)
So a short summary on bridal showers for the un-initiated. You dress up. People you haven't seen for years tell you how beautiful you look. You get to drink Champagne and eat delicious food. And then, people give you fantastic presents! I will never have to buy another handbag ever again. English women, you are missing out!
So here ends the chapter on the bridal showers. Next chapter: Essential Wedding Preparations or "All the things that need to be done that no one told you about until the week before the wedding."
Giles has spent the last two days attempting to talk to me through my haze of jet lag about the state of our new house. True, we do need curtains. True, we have "all natural sea grass carpet" (yuk) throughout the entire house. And true, the shower curtain is harbouring a colony of creatures. At least the bathroom can be cleaned (did it today!) . The rest of it needs thought, planning, workmen, and money. Sometimes I wish we had stayed in the old house. Yes, it was in the middle-of-no-where-fun, but at least it was decorated and had a "Stylish Interior" (that's what the "for sale" sign said!) . I know why the people who lived here before moved out, I'm just not sure why we decided to move in!
So for the next year we will be painting and sanding and hanging and spending loads of money to make 21 Barnes Avenue habitable. We'll probably stop speaking to each other, but who said a healthy marriage requires constant communication? I think silence is a GOOD THING.
I'm sure I'll have lots to say when we finally decide to start the whole process. It Definitely won't be boring. But back to the wedding - that IS what started this blog, isn't it? So I'll start with
Chapter 1: the Bridal Showers.
For those who don't know, a bridal shower is a chance for your friends and your mothers friends to throw a party in your honour. These are big deal in the States and can range from a small get together to a huge lavish affair. A bride can expect to have at least one to as many as PICK-A-NUMBER bridal showers depending on the circle of friends and her proximity to said friends.
I had two bridal showers thrown for me. Both were lots of fun, and not just because I was fawned over and given presents though I DID really enjoy that part. It was just incredibly flattering that two women who hadn't seen me in years (truly) through me such fantastic parties. Jane's was on Sunday at her house, I'm sure I mentioned it earlier, and we had Mimosas (Buck's Fizz to the English) upon arrival and then after a HUGE number of pictures were taken and I saw people I hadn't seen for years upon years, we sat down to a fantastic lunch. I'm sure Midwestern ladies throw the best luncheons. The food was all made by the host and would easily put me to shame. There were even little white chocolate boxes filled with pink chocolate as table favours. Note to self: never invite these ladies to lunch and try to cook for them - scrambles eggs on toast is not an option!
Rosemary's shower was on Friday at Woodmar, the Country Club we all used to go to as kids. By then I was exhausted from running essential wedding-preparation errands (as will be detailed in the next chapter). As usual, we arrived a bit late, but I was the bride and the party couldn't start without me could it ( girls, here's a tip for when you get married: the bride can get away with almost anything!) ? So after almost entering the party on my backside (the wooden floors are not made for high heels) I wandered through the party in a sleep deprived, wine induced haze. Of course, I still had a ball. Rosemary's daughter, Sarah, travelled up from Indianapolis (she's a clinical pathologist, and no, she doesn't cut up dead people, I asked!) and she made some fantastic desserts. I stuffed myself on chocolate-chip-cookie-dough cheese cake and chocolate covered strawberries. (Another tip: the food you eat the night BEFORE your wedding won't show up until the honeymoon. By then it doesn't really matter, you're already married!)
So a short summary on bridal showers for the un-initiated. You dress up. People you haven't seen for years tell you how beautiful you look. You get to drink Champagne and eat delicious food. And then, people give you fantastic presents! I will never have to buy another handbag ever again. English women, you are missing out!
So here ends the chapter on the bridal showers. Next chapter: Essential Wedding Preparations or "All the things that need to be done that no one told you about until the week before the wedding."
