veiled

i’ve never had any article of clothing professionally altered.  like, ever.  so on the advice of a friend with experience in such matters, i visited aiko’s alterations late yesterday afternoon. 

aiko greeted me with a loud ”heh-row!” as i entered the door to her crowded shop.  short, round and very japanese, aiko has the spunk of a teenager mixed with a heady dose of business woman savvy.  she pointed me toward the dressing room and i put on “the dress”.

“where you wearin’ dis dwess”, aiko asked. 

“oh, this is my wedding dress”, i responded.

aiko: ohhhhh!  my, my.  how plitty.  plitty, plitty dwess. we take it in dis spot and pin dis pwace.

me: wow. i didn’t even notice that little pucker along the bodice.

aiko:  know what you need?  you need veil.  i show you one!

me:  um, well, i’m not really wearing a veil.  the wedding is very non-traditional.

aiko:  oh, no.  veil make dwess more wedding.  make you more bride. 

me:  uh, i can try it on but i really think it will make me look too -

aiko:  here!

at which point aiko shoves a few feet of stiff tulle attached to a cheap plastic hair comb into my scalp.

and she was right.  it was magical.  it was the first time in my life that i actually felt like a bride.  i’ve heard this from other women – that the veil adds a feyly quality to the wedding day attire – but i’m not the type of bride that wears a veil, right?  right??

let the guest list wars begin!

just when we thought the guest list was down to a manageable number…it has ballooned…again.

mr. d and i are both at fault.  it’s a strange dance, this guest list thing.  you put someone on the list who you haven’t talked to in years but neglect to invite someone else who you see every day.  you move things around – take someone off, put someone on.  but the someone you put on has a significant other so that ups the list by one.  and then you get a call from your aunt fifi who says she and uncle bubba can’t come but they’ll send a toaster and you’re all like, “cool!  down two!!”  so you start thinking about whether you should invite that one dude you went to college with who does keg stands on his bare knuckles or that couple that you don’t really know very well but who invited you to their wedding a few years ago.  you invite college friend and couple.  you’re obsessed.

the invitations go out on monday.  i anticipate 367 changes in the meantime.

enough

yeah, yeah.  it’s been a while.  do you think i didn’t realize?  i’ve actually been quite busy.  thank you very much.  if you thought planning an akawedding was hard, try running for public office.

yes.  you heard me right.  i’m running for public office.  it’s a tiny, unpaid office.  but it’s public and i actually have to convince people to vote for me.

so, yeah.  i’ve been busy.  and totally overwhelmed.  although i’m super excited about the prospect of winning i am an impossibly lazy fuck who sees all of the work ahead of me and thinks, “why did i agree to do this?”  the fact that i will be out of the country on my honeymoon for the three weeks before the election doesn’t bode well for my chances of actually being elected.   

my other problem is one of self-confidence.  the worry that i will ”fail” in one way or another weighs heavily on my mind.  will the copy on my website and campaign literature convey my message enough?  can i answer potential voters’ questions clearly enough?  do my stump speeches come off as intelligent and natural enough?  am “i” enough?

of course i hope so.  and it will take every ounce of me to make it so.

wish me luck!