2014, anyone?

I haven't been to a college homecoming since I graduated--had never made a point to go, thinking that surely my friends and I would all gather at our five year reunion, which is this year.

Unfortunately, I'll have only been back from my honeymoon for a couple of weeks. After throwing our own wedding, I sincerely doubt we'll be able to spring for a ticket to Iowa.

Too bad. I hope the rest of you go and send me lots of pictures.

I especially wanted to meet Kendra's babies! They are so freaking adorable! Wah.

A happy(ish) ending.

I heard a rumor that if you didn't call CondeNast to request a different publication, Domino subscriptions would automatically be transferred to Architectural Digest. Horrors! I had enough of that magazine at my first job.

So I called and a really nice girl switched me to a 20-issue subscription to Vogue. I'll still avoid Plum Sykes's columns and, in fact, MOST of the columns...and articles..., in an effort to keep my eyes from bleeding, but, hooray for (photographic) eye candy.

Just thought I'd mention this opportunity to any other Domino-widows out there.

While on a fashiony topic, here's my Oscar round-up:

FAB
Marion Cotillard (my favorite of the night)
Natalie Portman
Taraji P. Henson (I would like to get married in her dress)
Penelope Cruz (my second favorite)
Halle Berry
Alicia Keys (both Portman and Keys looked incredible in the rosy tones)
Tilda Swinton (she's crazy, and I love it)
Meryl Streep (classy, well-cut gown. Wish she'd worn brighter lipstick to offset the taupe)

NICE
Jennifer Aniston
Kate Winslet (bad hair, though)
Angelina Jolie (black AGAIN, blah)
Nicole Kidman (lovely dress, but boring color)
Marisa Tomei (loved it, minus the shoulder)
Diane Lane (nice dress, but boring black)
Evan Rachel Wood (GORGEOUS dress, but vacillating on the color on her skin tone)
Anne Hathaway (tasteful but boring dress AND it washed her out, but it's still better than that black-and-white bow contraption of a few years ago)

YUCK
Amy Adams
Sarah Jessica Parker (the dress itself isn't ugly, but woman, DRESS YOUR AGE. You're too old for ringlets, especially in tandem with a flirty skirt! I can't stand her for some reason.)
Jessica Biel (I like avant-garde as much as the next person, but that bath towel was just awful)
Freida Pinto (I confess I didn't love Slumdog Millionaire, but she is SO PRETTY. So I can't decide which is the greater crime: the fact that this dress dwarfed her frame rather than playing it up, or the fact that it was just generally an ugly '80s nothing dress.)
Reese Witherspoon (and her facial mugging didn't help)

Happy weekend!

I thought I'd leave you with some happy spring anticipation (I know it's bitterly cold today, but it's also almost March!) via this photo of an arrangement by Saipua, a florist near my apartment, and someone whose work I drool over whenever I see it on the web or, increasingly, in a magazine. Check out her website; you'll be happy you did.

Help requested.

Please leave your links. For both our sakes:

me: i'm having a hard time finding invites. are you?
Sent at 11:34 AM on Tuesday
Derek: Yep.
Everything is either too frilly and formal, or not formal enough.
And expensive.
And often ugly.
me: yeah
everything is either blah blah plain traditional, or else cutesy urban outfitter
i mean, i CAN find ones i like
Derek: Exactly
me: but they're $5 apiece.

On a lighter note.

So, it's Fashion Week in New York, and I've been reading in the free daily newspapers some little fashion tips--essentials that every girl must own, that kind of thing. And on one of these lists literally like five of the top ten items were jackets of some sort, including a trench coat.

Now, I've been vaguely keeping my eye out for a good trench coat for a little while. My mom sent me a vintage one a year or two ago, but it's kind of stained and even if it was cleaned I'm not sure it will fit my shoulders. There's a funky tiered one at H&M, but it's $70. A woman on the third floor of my office has a red trench coat that's a total knockout (Carmen Sandi-who?). And of course there are the traditional ones with the belt loops on the shoulder and the leopard-print or plaid lining that are lovely classics and would go a long way, no doubt, towards making one feel like Ingrid Bergman.

Here's my question: when is it ever the right temperature to wear a trench coat? Or ANY of these jackets that are being featured? The other week I bought a zippered fabric motorcycle jacket at the thrift store because it was $11 and I loved it and I haven't gone shopping in months, so shut up. But I can't wear it to work currently because a jacket under a coat is just too bulky, and it's too narrowly cut to wear a sweater underneath IT, and if this year's anything like years past, we'll have about two days of jacket-weather before it gets too hot. And for those two days I'll have a choice between the new jacket, the swing jacket from Gap I bought on clearance two years ago, one of three blazers, my jean jacket, my white day coat that my mom gave me in 2005, a black sweater coat, two gray sweater coats...do you see what I'm saying?

What YOU'RE saying is probably that I shouldn't even GLANCE in the direction of trench coats because clearly I need to have a yard sale. I'm already planning an eBay sale, don't worry. Also, every single thing I own was bought on 70% off sale because I inherited my grandmother's Scotch blood, so don't think I'm all Confessions of a Shopaholic or anything.

I guess now wouldn't be a good time to discuss the sandals I have a crush on.

In case you were wondering...

I didn't get laid off on Tuesday. But a lot of others weren't so lucky.

I can't tell if it's the caffeine or the atmosphere that's making me feel so anxious.

Good eats.

Without jinxing anything (knock on wood), we think we've found our caterer and we're incredibly excited about her. We also have strong leads on the music and the florist, and I stocked up on candles and ribbons at Michael's with my mom and did a practice centerpiece-arranging run, so all in all I'm feeling like it's becoming reality! Er, maybe I should get to work on the website so we can send out the save the dates before it's too late.

I haven't been second-guessing my dress at all because I love it, but I did have to stop looking at wedding magazines* because the spring collections are out and seeing all the $12,000 (literally) dresses was making me feel ... insecure. But this morning I emailed pictures of it to my grandma and one of my bridesmaids, and they both wrote back at the same time that it was "so you" and so I'm back to feeling delighted.

*I also stopped reading wedding blogs (except for A Practical Wedding, which I highly recommend) after one of my daily clicks proclaimed "The absolute number one rule that you cannot break is that you MUST choose A COLOR SCHEME" and I've got to tell you, my brain feels so much cleaner and happier. I find myself thinking about non-wedding things. Not that you'd notice from my blog, but it's true.

In conclusion, I'm excited to go see Coraline and Frost/Nixon and to bake Valentine's cupcakes, which leads me to my final tangent. I love Valentine's Day! But I always have loved it, even before I met Chris. To me it's such a fun day to be all pink and red and chocolatey and frostingy with your friends and family, as well as your sweetie, if you have one...I never understood the anti-Valentine sentiment, except for Alison's hilarious anti-Valentine's Cornellian column of 200...3? I mean, I know it's a Hallmark holiday yada yada yada, but I like to make my own Valentines anyway. What are your feelings?

Update: Lavender lemonade! They're providing lavender lemonade!