One of my best friends from High School is getting married this weekend back home in California. I've been calling her up recently to keep in touch and to get all of the dirt leading up to the wedding. Apparently, the dump truck paid a visit last week with not just one, but two events that would have put any other bride-to-be-within-two-weeks-of-her-wedding into the psych ward.

The first was her DJ. A former Bay Area radio guy who lost his job about 3 months ago (well after Orshi booked him). Lucky for the DJ, he found a new job... in another state. They wanted him to start the week before the wedding. The DJ did the humane thing and was able to find a backup, but neither the bride or groom have met the dude before.

The other load to hit the fan related to the priest. The father's mother, who lives in Ireland, has gone through many recent life-threatening health episodes and the family was 'gathering' - not the best of situations. Needless to say, the Father is now on his way to Ireland and will miss the ceremony. As far as I know, there is no backup holy man waiting in the wings.

The Bride-to-be is taking everything in stride, just as if it was bound to happen. After planning this ceremony from the middle of nowhere (the unofficial name for South Dakota) almost a year in advance, you'd think she'd be in a coniption fit to some degree. Nope. Solid as a hockey puck.

Now for those of you wondering if I'm in the wedding, I'm not. Janine, however, is. Why's that, you ask? Well, let's just say if only I could fit into a size 8 with an A-line skirt...

I'll spare you the boring details, but it's nice to know that after a crappy beginning to the week, there are one or two days that help make everything a little happier in the world.

In other news, Janine and I are going to begin classes for SCUBA certification. My ultimate vacation dream is to go down under and SCUBA dive the Great Barrier Reef (among other things to do in Australia/New Zeland). In order to do your own thing underwater and not have to deal with an instructor-led dive, you have to be certified. Janine's work has a rec program that offers a ceritfication class about once a year, and this weekend is the class. We'll be busy with classroom and pool sessions for most of the weekend, and then we'll finish up the certificaiton later this Spring with open-water dives somewhere up in Wisconsin. It should be pretty cool, and I'm definitely looking forward to it!

People need to learn how and where to use their cell phones. The restroom is not an acceptible place to talk on the phone... especially while you're 'in the act'. You may think it's a rare talent to do all of this with one hand glued to your ear, but it's not.

Oh, and washing your one hand with only water doesn't count.