The first official day of the summer equinox is May 21, one month away. My friends are ready for the summer and what it holds for them: internships, both local and abroad, mission trips, road trips, fun, sun and relaxation.

My friends are ready to embrace the summer with tanned, open arms. I wish I had another month or two of spring.

It is nearly that time of year again, and you ladies know what I am talking about. With June just over a month away, it is time for people to get married.

Here comes the bride.

In my years at Tech, I have been invited to 12 weddings. I attended three, I think.

But that still means that all of my friends have joined, or soon will join, in the bonds of holy matrimony.

That isn't really any big deal, in and of itself. I've put on my dancing shoes and smiled graciously while I hated everyone there. Ladies, again, know what I mean.

We hate the way the bride smiles and waves, and we hate the groom for no real reason other than he proposed to her, not us.

That has always been my wedding role, spectator.

Well, not always. I lit candles in my aunt's wedding when I was twelve, and I was the official "boutonniere-pinner" at a wedding in Iowa. In early September, I will have the most important role in a wedding there is to have, next to the priest and the couple.

Maid of Honor.

I don't know why I was graced with this position. I think the bride-to-be was, and is, off her rocker.

I really do not know what my duties entail, other than keep bride sane, throw a million showers, and straighten the veil during the ceremony. Hold flowers, now and then, keep the bride and all mothers happy and, most importantly, keep tabs on the groom.

Piece of cake. I'm gonna die.

A few weekends ago I went, dutifully, to be fitted for my green dress, and I kept peace between future bride and mom, future groom and mom. I am friends with half of the people there, and still I thought I needed a flak helmet.

I'm a slacker in life. I write my English papers no more than two nights before they're due, and I always do my Spanish homework 15 minutes before class. I wrote this column a full day after my deadline for it.

I can't keep my own life straight; how am I supposed to run a wedding?

With the wedding still months away, I thought I had plenty of time for showers and the like. Turns out, the bride and a few of her other maids scheduled the lingerie shower for a tentative May 6Éor 5Éor something. I can't remember.

I'm all for slinky showers and whatnot, but I'm freaking out trying to get everyone together and plan things and pretend I'm in charge. I'm too scatter-brained for this job.

Can anyone help me? Please?

Sharon Moore is a junior journalism major from Simsboro, and serves as senior news editor for The Tech Talk. E-mail comments sem010@latech.edu.