One week from now I will be staying at my parents house, spending quality time with distant relatives, and preparing myself for The Big Day. One week and two days from now, I will be sitting on a beach in Mexico doing nothing except drinking and chilling.

Aliza, in her concern for my pale skin, has arranged for us to borrow a beach tent from some friends to take with us. From what I gather, it's a large-ish tent that opens in the front, so that I can sit in it and still feel like I'm on the beach. I like the idea of sitting in it with the front all zipped up so I am entirely enclosed. Aliza can sit next to my tent, so that it seems like we are still together, even though I will be cocooned up in my little hide-away. I am told there are little windows on the side so I can talk to Aliza, and a little mail-box like slot where she can pass me food and drink. If I can come back from Mexico even paler than I am now, then the honeymoon will have been a success...

Aliza is lucky - she can tan, she will be able to take full advantage of all the sunshine in November.

Excellent review of Gabagool!'s # 1 -3 on the Comics Journal web site today. It's the second review down.

I caught the tail end of the debates between all seventeen Democratic hopefuls the other day. The only bits I heard were a part where each candidate defends him or herself against their biggest criticisms, and the part where they get to sum up their platforms in a minute or less. It was hard for me to keep track of everybody, since it was radio and not TV, so I was only able to really form an opinion about the people who I already knew about.

Al Sharpton: You know what? I like Al Sharpton. He gave the best speech in both segments. He was rousing and inspiring, and he made me want to vote for him. I have at least two friends who splutter with rage whenever you try and talk about Al Sharpton as a serious candidate, and I feel bad for them, because they're really just victims of a media which tells us to think Al Sharpton is a buffoon no matter what he says or does. I think he is a smart man, and he probably spoke the most honestly and earnestly about anything, but it doesn't matter because he's got funny hair. Oh, and also, he's black. Next candidate please -

General Wesley Clark: I liked him before he threw his hat into the ring. I was very impressed with a segment I saw of him talking on the Bill Maher show. I was a little let down with what I heard on the debate because he sounded like a broken record repeating that he served in the military. One exchange I remember went like this:

Moderator: Wesley Clark, what do you think?

Clark: Well, when I was in the military I learned about running things and making a plan. The military taught me how to be a leader. I was in the military.

Very insightful General.

Don't get me wrong, I probably like Wesley Clark the best in terms of somebody who might actually win, I was just a little let down that he seemed to be pandering. I can just imagine his publicity people telling him to emphasize his military service. People love the military, so he brings it up every chance he gets. Reminds me of Arnold's campaign a few weeks back - ignore the issues, don't forget to mention that you were in True Lies.

I wish this wedding was here already. It's still almost two weeks away, and I am just ready to get to it at this point. We've been engaged for almost exactly a year now, it's quite a long time. I would really like to have something else to have hanging over my head for a change. Like trying to find a new apartment or something.

Had final meeting with the Rabbi. He's a nice guy. Both him and the Cantor are very friendly, and have both helped me feel comfortable with everything. Now I need my final meeting with the DJ, and we're done.

The wedding comic was finished yesterday. We're calling it "With this ring..." which sounds a little corny, but makes sense with the story which is about us trying to buy the rings and discussing our various options and disagreeing with each other. It's probably sickeningly cute, but that's fine. Our gift to the people who came to our wedding is a small glimpse into the world that Aliza and I share. People probably don't want to stay there (we are too adorable to stomach...) but they'll have an idea of how it is in our little shared microcosm.