Friday, May 9, 2008

Friday Five

1. I forgot to put on my make-up this morning. Plum forgot.

2. Some of my weekend plans include ripping out some sagebrush and preparing a patch of land for a garden. I am nervous about this for a plethora of both rational and irrational reasons, the most pressing of all that I will get dirty. I am a wuss and a pain in the ass when it comes to dirt. I would think this an ominous trait for a hopeful, some would say insanely naive, would-be gardener, no?

3. Since we are talking dirt and how it drives me batty, even worse than the cold, cold! COLD! water when wet-wading and fly-fishing (wandering into the river with bare legs and feet only in sandals) is the ride home. Little bits of river dirt and smelly stuff drying to my feet is positively torturous. Not to mention then my feet also get that really horrid, dry, stretchy/crackly feeling from drying out, too.

4. But! I cannot wait to go fly-fishing. Just a few more weeks!

5. A. and I are starting wonder if we will be able to attend a wedding later this month because of fuel costs. The wedding is an 11-hour round trip on the road. The groom, JR, is a dear friend, and I am sure he will understand if our budget dictates that we stay home. I've been pinching some pennies to try and make it work. I'd love to be able to celebrate with him, and many friends that I only see every couple of years will be there. We'll see.

However, if we just can't manage it, we've already sent in our RSVP as attending (before fuel went up to $3.48 a gallon and looks to keep on climbing). I feel terrible that the groom and his future wife will be paying for two extra plates at their reception and we might not be there.

Would it be terribly tacky to offer to send some money to cover the cost of our meals? Or, maybe without saying so, send some cash along with a wedding gift? I know the groom very well and feel like we could chat about this. But he is an old-fashioned sort of guy and would probably refuse any money. Thoughts?

Hopefully all of this can be avoided because A. and I will be there, toasting JR and his new bride.

Happy Friday to you!

10 comments:

  1. I don't think it's tacky to offer to pay for your RSVP'd place settings if you're not able to make it. I think it's very polite, as a matter of fact. Of course, JR won't accept it, but the offer will still make him feel good.

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  2. What Erica said on the place settings. It's a very sweet thought, but I'm sure your friend would never accept.

    I'm so BUMMED slash ENRAGED that you might not be able to attend your friend's wedding because of gas prices! Our economy at work! For EVIL! ARGG! I really, really hope it works out.

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  3. Thanks, guys. Of course, the place settings could be more than the gas and then WE WOULD JUST HAVE TO GO. Hmm...

    This morning on NPR, they reported that oil is going for over $125 a barrell right now, but oil companies think it will drop significantly - to less than $100 a barrell by the end of the year. Why?

    THOSE BASTARDS ARE MAKING A KILLING.

    And - we've set up our entire lives - where we live, work, eat, everything - so that we absolutely must drive. All of us. All the time. We have no power to boycott.

    DAMMIT. I am getting PISSY.

    Down with suburbs! Let's start demanding sidewalks and little, mini-downtowns in our neighborhoods! Let's retro-fit our suburbs into neighborhoods!!

    Who's with me?!

    I feel another post coming on...

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  4. We're roto-tilling our little patch of garden this weekend! I'm kind of like you, only not with the dirt, more with the Creatures of the Soil. I'm fine until I see a worm or a snail and then I'm all EWWWWWWWW.

    I don't know what to tell you about the wedding, except that if you let them know enough in advance that you can't make it the food thing might not even be an issue. I know our caterer didn't need a final head count until 1 week before our reception.

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  5. Why don't you see what you've got around the house that you could put on eBay or something? Yeah, sure, you'd have to drive to the post office to mail them, but you could quite possible make enough to cover your trip!

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  6. Welcome, FG! And thanks for the idea. I NEVER would have thought of it. I know I could find something of A.'s to put up for auction...BWAHH AAAH AAH...

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  7. As someone who is planning my wedding, if I had a friend who had to cancel because of gas prices, THE LAST THING I WOULD WANT would be for them to then PAY ME for the meal. If you want to offer to be polite, do so, but seriously, when he turns you down, don't send the money! I would feel TERRIBLE if my friend sent me money to cover their plate. A couple of plates is really not that big of a deal, cost-wise, in the grand scheme of the overall expense of a wedding.

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  8. I hope you can make it to this wedding!!!

    Our gas price went over $4/gallon on Tuesday and I actually cried. I just can't believe how depressing the U.S. economy is, and also, my bank account.

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  9. I'm a new reader (linked to you through Shauna at Pickles & Dimes), but I second Jess - don't send money if he refuses to take it. Also, a lot of places ask for an estimate around the time RSVPs are due and a hard number a few days or a week before the wedding. So you could always (and I would say should) call and let him know you won't be able to make it if that is the case. Then he could tell the caterer. But really, like Jess said, a couple of plates isn't much in the grand scheme of a wedding, and your intentions are good!

    All that being said, I really hope you guys can go. Boo to expensive gas and terrible public transportation!

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  10. Oh, I'd meant to welcome you a while ago, Becky. Welcome!

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