GLUG! It's Monday again!

What runs through the woods with arms flailing, has a penchant for gummy bears, eats pad thai twice in three days and skips out on going to plays in favor of drinking booze and watching Disney movies?

Why, that would be R (who deserves a nickname) and I!

I took Friday off and had those strange dreams I described in my last post. On Friday, I was pretty darn happy and quite blissfully ignoring the inevitable return of Monday, but here I am, suffering from it once again.

A rainy Saturday afternoon was spent at the jeweler, where I sat down with the engraver that created my engagement ring, and designed my wedding band. I have to admit how excited I am about it and will now spend a few minutes describing my thoughts regarding the wedding-band-designing process! If you're not interested, just skim over the next couple paragraphs.

Initially, I'd thought I'd have to wear my wedding band on my right hand, since my engagement ring has all sorts of engraving, filigree and milgrain along both sides, which would be a shame to cover up. But K, the engraver, said he'd match the band exactly to the engagement ring. That's when I went a little crazy. I decided upon a narrow band with a single row of leaves engraved upon it (the same leaves that adorn the engagement ring), with six purple diamonds interspersed evenly all around it. After each diamond, the leaves change directions, and the band will have the same milgrain on both sides as the engagement ring. They can be worn alone or together.

The funniest part of all of it was the fact that I was given a "loaner ring," which I've been wearing instead of my engagement ring - since K needed it to match the alloy and engraving. It's a little silver band with a floral pattern on it, very cute! I only get to keep it until this weekend, when I pick up the band. S picked out a very cool titanium band with a carbon fiber section in the middle of it. It will outlast an apocalypse, probably.

We went out to dinner with N at a really neat Mexican place on Saturday, and I watched Pitch Black and read the Foreigner series while S and N saw Paranormal Activity. Bren Cameron, the main character of the Foreigner series, is probably my life's most influential role model, and has been for a decade. And he doesn't even exist. Gack.

Sunday, R and I went trail running at the state park for the 2nd time in a week, probably around 5 miles. It was marvelous. The trail, which wound around bluffs, over creeks and through deep, silent forest, was blanketed by yellow leaves. The wind soughed through the branches, and that and our footsteps were the only sounds.

Afterward, which I hinted at in the opening paragraph, we showered and got ready to go see a play... But, en route (after we learned the play would be about 3 hours long), we decided to go pig out on Thai food instead, buy a pile of candy from Wal Mart (I dunno about those "gourmet" blackberry cobbler flavored candy corns...), open a bottle of chardonnay, mix up a couple of gin & tonics, and watch Bolt for the rest of the evening. An excellent decision, says I!

I got to work this morning at 7:30 and realized I'd left my computer in the foyer, at home, curses! I went to retrieve it, and when I arrived back at work, my boss told me I should have just stayed and worked from home. Double curses cubed!

In other news, all of the relatives which my mother and I had hypothesized would not be able to make it to the wedding due to geographical distance, old age and/or young children... Are actually coming. My mother is going nuts, and has plans to paint the house, put in new double front doors, have new carpet installed, and rearrange furniture to accommodate potential family members.

This is going to be the best Christmas ever. ;)