Wedding Shower went well. Good time, and special thanks to Auntie Ann, Auntie Helen, Hazel and Jenny for hosting and running it. Well played. And thanks for everyone who came. So that was Saturday, and Tracy and her mom drove home, and I went back to my place, stopping by Whole Foods in Palatine on the way back to pick up stuff for the Master Cleanse, which I planned to start on Sunday, but have now decided not to do because of scheduling issues. Oh, and got checked out by Doctor Monje Saturday morning as well, blood tests and all. Waiting to hear back on that stuff. Sunday watched some TV while waiting for Tracy to show up. Then, more couch lounging with leftovers for dinner. Moved the desks around in the 2nd bedroom for more space for gifts, picked out some readings for the ceremony.

I completed my Vitamin Water bottle collection today. Couldn't wait until Friday on the bottle a day plan. The only odd thing? Essential used to be Orange-Carrot, not Orange-Orange like it is now. Just check the side of the vending machines. So I don't have that. Best flavor that's hard to come by? b-relaxed, a nice jackfruit+guava combo. Very tropical. But smooth. And endurance is a sweet treat, a peach mango that goes down easy. Anyway, picture up soon. Leftovers for dinner last night, turned into fried rice. Definitely feels like Tracy's moved in, which is a little odd. Wedding stuff is definitely in high gear it feels like, with only 39 days, 9 mins left. Getting in touch with photographer, videographer, and DJ. But getting there. Still have occasional DNS issues with the AEBS. Goes fine for a while, then I need to reboot it at some point. Starting to record lots of movies on the DVR. Not sure when I'll be able to get a chance to watch them. Might also get out to see Blades of Glory this week. Maybe tomorrow night.

Dance lessons have started anew, this time the individual sessions with Kelly, our instructor from Group classes. Looks like we'll be doing the Rumba, which is cool. Yeah, I know, giving away surprises. Got those scheduled out for the next 5 weeks, which is about how long till the wedding. Crazy. Sadly, some people apparently didn't get mailed invites, and stuff like that is hard to find out. I'm waiting till the end of the week before bugging the rest of my friends who haven't responded yet, giving the benefit of the doubt that it's in the mail. Otherwise, a fairly relaxed night at home. I came home to dinner, Tracy had made Italian meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes, with a carpaccio appetizer, meat from Gepperth's Meat Market, so it's all good. Cleaned up a little bit more in the 2nd bedroom. And that's about it. Trying to switch into the domesticated mood a little more.

Finally, upgraded the firmware on my 8 bay firewire enclosure, which means it shows up with no problems on Macs. Much better. It was getting annoying trying to get it working properly. Next step? Ripping the Battlestar Galactica DVDs to disk so I can start transcoding for use with the Apple TV. The Apple TV is what I wanted the Roku to be all that time ago. So if anyone's in the market for a Roku, let me know. Not sure what it'd be good for anymore. Dance lessons went well. Going through Dancing for Every Occasion I and II was a great idea, since we got the basic stuff down, and get to do some tweaking. Afterwards we went to dinner at Nacional 27, since it's been a while. So good. The Latin Steak Frites was especially good. Later that night Bryan dropped by to pick up the video camera to tape some of his brother's guitar teachings, so I went digging through tapes to see which ones were blanks. Funny stuff found, like Got Rice? footage from Poultry Days and Paganello footage from some year, mostly of Marc in an airplane, and some Kaze Nationals stuff. Oh, and I copied my brother's wedding video to some tapes, and got to see their first dance. Definitely some moves I want to copy. Or at least ask about. Going to see Blades of Glory tonight, way up there at Village Crossing 18 up in Skokie for a change. Just wanted to get out of the city for once. Start getting used to going to the 'burbs to hang out with friends. Because that's coming.

Saw Blades of Glory last night. Pretty good. That Jon Heder likes his slapstick. Good stuff. Not so sure on the Village Crossing 18 as a theater. I guess River East 21 is still the top dog, unless you want food and alcohol, which means Hollywood Boulevard, or funnel cake, which means Woodridge 18. Didn't get a chance to go running, as had to take care of some tasks late last night and bring down boxes to Tracy's car this morning. Got an eye appointment this afternoon. Marks a month since LASIK. It's awesome. Totally. I still catch myself taking my glasses off before taking a shower. I'm still pretty protective of them, still try and shield my eyes from any touching of any kind. Staying out at Tracy's until Sunday, then we're headed up for Easter with the Walls. I thought I had my Vitamin Water collection complete, but there's a new flavor, Charge (it's green) that I need to get my hands on. Found that out from BevNET. 35 days, 22 hours or so.

The eyes are still good. Which is great. Tracy picked me up and drove me out there, and we found a Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. Yum, crab legs. She's now gotten me hooked on them again. We stopped into the IKEA in Bolingbrook since it was on the way, and looked around. We might have found a closet organization system, so that's good. Back at her place, her dad had gotten the new all digital STB from Motorola, the 3412, which is interesting. Had to look up how to remove closed captioning. Ended up watching Little Manhattan from HBO On Demand, because they now get HBO for some reason. Saturday more shopping, some wedding related. Sam's Club, Orland Square. Picked up a couple more sweaters and finally a new belt. Mrs. Argao made Corned Beef and Cabbage for dinner. Much better than when Tracy and I made it. Sunday, Easter mass at SS. Cyril and Methodius before heading up to the Walls for food. A great spread by Mrs. Wall and others. Talked to Al a bit on the phone. Drive back into the city was a pain, 2 hours. But then caught up with The Office and 30 Rock before bed.

Got in touch with the last few responses for me that were missing. Why is it that a good portion of my friends are bad with mail? Maybe I should have just gone the evite route. Or sent them out closer to the return date? Either way, I would have been in the same boat if it was me. And another thing about my friends: no one wants to bring dates. That brings down my guest total a bit. Maybe I should extend the invitation out? The more the merrier. Last night had langonisa and tocino for dinner, watched Inside Man which was pretty good, interesting for the lack of a good guy, well, a completely wholesome good guy. Dance class today, and dinner at Sai, where Karl gets to meet Tracy. Yay, sushi. Running again today. That's good. Not necessarily losing any weight yet, but things are tightening up some, so it at least looks better, and I feel better.

Realized yesterday that it's Friday the 13th on Friday. Spooky. Sushi's so good. Definitely some quality fish going on last night. Good to catch up with Karl. Dance class continues to be fun. Meeting tomorrow with the DJ. Tracy's also going through a hair test run. Teeth got bleached this morning, with another 2 sessions left to go. Means I'm staying away from coffee as much as possible. Running again this morning. Scales are funny. I weighed myself before and after running and I had lost a pound but gained a percentage point in BMI. I think. Not sure how that works. Oh, and it snowed. And just read that the cicadas are coming out this year. Right around wedding time. Awesome.

Got my at home blood pressure monitor. First try? 120/78, 58 pulse. Standing. I try it later, both arms, about the same, 48 pulse. Awesome. So maybe keeping away from salty foods and exercising often can make a difference. Does it make sense that it changed that much in 2 weeks? Don't know, I'll leave that for the doctors in the audience to let me know. Also, the percentage posted yesterday isn't BMI, but Body Fat percentage. I think. Again. I keep forgetting to look at the manual to see what it really is. But weight is trending down, but today was the forth day in a row for running in the morning. So that's probably got something to do with it. And that percentage is also trending down as well. So leaving healthy does work. Although I walked by a McDonald's yesterday and it looked so good. Same thing when I walked by a Dunkin' Donuts. My mouth started drooling. Anyway, leftovers for dinner last night, watched some TV, How I Met Your Mother and Raines. Just read that Apple's delaying Leopard until October. I actually don't think that affects me. The stuff I've got now seems to be working pretty well. Can't say there's anything computing-wise that I'm needing or wanting. Which is good.

Seriously, the future is now. I got a Sony Reader a while back, using my Sony Points. But it sat on the charging stand as I finished up my tree killer book, Debt of Honor by Tom Clancy. If it was available from the Connect Store as an ebook, I might have just rebought it and read it with the Reader, but it wasn't so I didn't and I just finished it last night. But that meant I got to start using the Reader. It's small, the screen's great, and I don't have to carry books in my backpack anymore. It's small enough to fit in my jacket pocket. Which means I pretty much have reading material wherever I go. And what's the first book I choose to read on my e-ink ebook reader? The Diamond Age, of course. I might reread Busting Vega$ before heading out there, or maybe I'll continue with the Neal Stephenson and do the Baroque Cycle. And I got Seven Seconds or Less too. And Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash. Seriously awesome. Don't think I've noticed anyone else using it on the bus ride to work yet, but I sat next to a guy on a Samsung Blackjack. Anyway, meeting with the DJ went well last night. We now have to start gathering our music together and making some choices. Afterwards, we had dinner at On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina in Naperville. That town's changed a bunch since the last time I drove though, oh, maybe 5 years ago back when I took the wrong way to the Naperville Polo Fields for Tune-Up. On the drive back, I picked up a milkshake from Steak n' Shake. Good, and I know I slipped, but I was planning on running in the morning anyway, which I didn't do. Picked up the video camera that I lent to Bryan and watched a bit of Planet Earth. Wow. And then watched my brother's first dance, maybe to steal a couple moves. Dance lesson this afternoon. Cubs game tomorrow. Oh, and Tracy did a trial hair and makeup run yesterday. Went well. Took me a couple hours before I got used to it.

Friday night, couch bound. Tracy made a sun dried tomato pesto penne with chicken. Really good. I think we watched Wedding Bells. Last one ever, probably. Which is too bad, cause it was starting to grow on us. Saturday, got a work call for the first time in a long time, fixed that up, went running, then a Cubs game with April and Scott. Pre game lunch at that mexican place next to the liquor store right off the El stop. Game was good, but cold. And yay for churros. Nap time afterwards while Tracy watched Click. Then off to dinner at Kuma's Corner with the Russells and Carlo and Sally. Watched some National Lacrosse League, apparently the last game of the season for the Chicago Shamrox. Renewed the interest in going to one of those or a Chicago Rush game. Hopefully soon. Afterwards met up with the gang at Piece for live band karaoke and Rachel McCarthy's 30th party gathering. Sunday more relaxing, after going running, and finally watched Click before making dinner for Tracy's parents, brother Mike and girlfriend Amy. Good stuff. Then, instead of bed, we ended up watching the tail end of Dirty Dancing, and then practicing our dancing ourselves.

Thoroughly enjoying my Sony Reader. I put another 63 books on there, all I've owned at one time or another, that I'll buy if they ever become available on the Connect Store. But seriously, 63 books in a gadget roughly the size of Old Man and the Sea? Awesome. Spent some time last night getting the books properly formatted. Leftovers for dinner. Watched some Dancing with the Stars and a How I Met Your Mother rerun. Got to pack tonight for my 4-5 days in Vegas. Planning on bringing my running shoes to keep up the exercising. I'm starting to get addicted to it. Realized it's been a little over a year since my last trip there, and a little under a year since the last time I've taken a vacation day or flown on an airplane. Wow. That's a change from before. Also found my passport yesterday, just to make sure I don't have to get it renewed anytime soon (Next year). Dance class was good today, learned one of the steps my brother did in his first dance, the cradle. Tracy and I are gonna have to practice tonight.

Headed out shortly to Las Vegas. Online check-in via Southwest. Yes, I'm checking a bag. Don't want to worry about trying to find space, and I don't even think it's small enough to be considered a carry-on. Another teeth bleaching session this morning. One more next week. sinigang for dinner last night. Good stuff as always. Another blood pressure check last night, 124/80, pulse rate of 58. Got cold again, and I'm not sure what it's gonna be like in Vegas. Lunch with Tracy today at Caffe RoM, a nifty Italian coffee bar place with only a few locations in Chicago. It's pretty good. She brought me a Ziploc bag for my eye drops, since I don't know if that's considered a liquid to declare, especially since they're individually wrapped. Wait and see. Did some more dance practice in the living room last night, realized we need a nice consistent music selection as well as a bigger room to dance in. Got to practice the Waltz with my mom this weekend. 24 days or so.

Still need to catch up on sleep. But surprisingly not that out of it, yet. So Las Vegas was, is, and will remain to be awesome. Probably head out there once every year or two, with friends, family, or friends and family. The best part? 11 friends and family opening up a craps table at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and playing for 3 hours. Awesome. I did manage to pick up a nice black jacket, a grey zip up, and a yellow long sleeve in my shopping on Thursday. Note to self: don't fly Southwest to Vegas, use America West, because of terminal and gate choices. Even if it's more expensive, it's worth it. Also, try and fly out earlier on Sunday, or wait a day and fly out on Monday. Wednesday night late flight are pretty empty, I had a row to myself. Also, airport taxi line is pretty much non-existant on a Wednesday night. Very nice. Tracy picked up me, Bjorn, and Akira from Midway late Sunday night and drove us all home, which means I didn't actually get to bed until 3am. Then another late night last night after practicing dancing means I'm running on fumes. So early bedtime tonight. I haven't run for the past 4 days (I managed to sneak in a couple runs in Vegas on Thursday and Friday mornings, outside since Paris Las Vegas doesn't have an open gym for guests). And I do need to do that. I also have the final teeth bleaching session tomorrow morning. And it's like 18 days. Seriously. Wow. That's awfully close.

I really need to get lots of sleep. I'm still playing catchup. Worked a bit on the program text last night, sent that over to Tag & Company, hoping we can get it done in time. I might do a mockup myself just in case, and get ready to print it out since I slacked a little too much on that. Tracy made Chicken Parmigiana last night, which was good. So nice having dinner all ready when I get home. She also did laundry as well, which was awesome. Teeth bleaching this morning went fine. I guess I could have scheduled a touch up before the wedding, but I don't want to bother. I'll just stay away from coffee and other stainable liquids for the next 17 days or so. 17 days. Wow. Tracy also went out today to confirm flower arrangements. Also watched some TV last night, some Scrubs, House, American Idol. Background for me. Just did a weather check, looks like high 50's the week of. But who knows given Chicago weather and forecasting systems.

16 Days? Went shopping at Water Tower last night with Tracy, then dinner at Grand Lux Cafe with her friend Yhumadah. Then home and a quick dance practice session before bed. Managed to drag myself out of bed this morning and go running, which wasn't too bad. I figured after 5 days off that it would have been harder. Weight continues to drop, which is nice. Otherwise, not much else. Plan on I think finalizing guest list and start table arranging tonight. Another dance lesson this afternoon, learned the alternate spot left turn, or alternate left spot turn. Went back over some salsa as well. Lots of learning going on, that's for sure. Definitely need to practice some more. Apple stock was flirting with $100 all day, which is pretty cool. I'm guessing another split's coming. Also seems like I'm using the artificial tears less and less. Figured I would have been all over them while I was in Vegas, but that wasn't the case at all.

Didn't end up doing any Wedding stuff last night. Whoops. Instead ate some leftovers, Tracy made some bruschetta and crab stuffed portabellos, and we watched The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Not a bad movie at all, considering how bad I thought it could have gotten. I still haven't seen the second one yet. Although I'm guessing I'm not missing much. So definitely have some wedding stuff to do, compiling guest lists, start layout design for possible stickers for the wedding favors as well as place cards, and start getting an order of the weekend together. Probably need to update the website with additional information. Got a meeting with Jill on Sunday, and the 'rents are coming out this weekend as well. I guess it's nose to the grindstone time. I'm just looking forward to finally sleeping in tomorrow. I didn't go running this morning cause I turned off the alarm before I got up, even though the alarm gave me plenty of time for exercise. Maybe tomorrow.