normally i don't do black friday. i think it's mean to the employees and mean to the rest of us who can't buy crap b/c it was all snatched up a week before payday. however, walgreens had this on sale for $70 + $20 mail in rebate. . .

. . . so wolf and i both now own one. it's not the best camera, but for $50 I'm not complaining. we decided to trek up to mervyns and best buy. they were both pretty dead considering the day. picked up a few things at best buy but were disappointed that the stainless steel cookware set was sold out at mervyns. bah!

my other big weekend purchase. . . . my wedding dress. i didn't want something big and white and poofy. . . but i fell in love with it when i put it on. mom convinced dad to buy it for me. it's the only money they'll spend on the wedding, and i'm grateful since i know some don't even get that. that leaves me trying to find a really cheap way of doing the wedding locally. the best i've found is a winery in the east bay and runs about $3000 (that includes everything - ceremony/reception venue, food, unlimited wine and non-alcoholic beverages for 4 hours, furniture setup/tear down, sound system, rehearsal time beforehand, coordinator, and bridal room). we'd have to keep the headcount to under 65, which would be difficult. i've mainly been looking at the east bay since most sf venues are $2000+ and require you to use their certified caterers that run $25+ per person. any suggestions of dirt cheap places (not churches) that can handle 80-100 people? i'm hoping for a house or hall, heck even a community center, that has a room, garden, or patio area for the ceremony on the same property.