When is the big day? (From Cristina)

August 28th, a mere 123 days from now. I am such a dork, I even put a counter on my About page.

I'd love to see a picture of your engagement ring. (From Bond Girl)

Posting engagement ring pictures on the internet reminds me too much of those creepy forums on the Knot where they do just that, comparing and bragging. Still itching for a pic? See this.

Oh, and also of your new apartment.

The apartment is currently not at my preferred level of cleanliness (i.e., there is more than one sock on the floor and yesterday, I even saw a speck of dust) so I didn’t take pictures last night. Wait till we paint, or put up some art… then I’ll be happy to show off our walk-up penthouse.

Did you have that built up shell after your not-so-great relationships prior to Alex? If so, how'd you get rid of it enough to give Alex a real shot?

I suppose you are asking me if I was bitter about past relationships when I met Alex and I would say yes, but it passed. I now think that things happen for a reason. When my last boyfriend dumped me, I began this site; through this site, I met Alex. How can I say it was really a bad thing that happened?

Additionally, I keep a flask in my purse. Helps when all else fails, you know?

How'd you come up with your web log title? (From Stewbie2)

“Smite” is defined as both “to strike sharply or heavily especially with the hand or an implement held in the hand; to kill or severely injure by smiting” and “to captivate, take” as in “smitten with her beauty.” Basically, it sounds all swooshy but it’s actually all kick-assy. I love the word.

What advice would you give to a 24 year old Smitten, knowing what you know now? (From Eve)

Let’s see: Dump the cheating Doctor. Stop complaining about your ass, it will only going downtown from here. Otherwise, I think she’d could teach me a thing or two; she was having a damned good time.

How about where you grew up, where did Alex grow up, where'd you go to college and study, where'd Alex go to school? You know, things like that... (From Cate)

Alex and are both from suburban New Jersey. I went to George Washington University both undergrad and grad. Alex went to New York University and then Carnegie Mellon.

Paper or plastic? (From Wicked H)

Paper. Preferably parchment.

What is the best menu you have created? (From Rachel)

Two years ago I would have gone on about my penne a la vodka, roasted garlic bread, bruschetta, arugula salad with artichoke hearts. Last year it would have been sesame noodles with cucumber, scallions and tofu, and some sort of grilled portabella with a balsamic reduction and roasted red peppers; I was also stuck on cabbage salads. And they’re good, really good; but lately my only infatuation has been Indian food. I’ve been making a lot of red lentil dal (Nigella Lawson, recipe lost), roasted cauliflower, halve the oil and the spices), beans (if you can find either of these mixes, they’re awesome; again halve the oil and the spices), raita (tastes great with Total Greek skim yogurt), and shrimp for Alex (his favorite recipe ever.)

Anything to-die-for and chocolate/raspberry in your archives? (From Miss Kat)

No. But, I’ve never met a flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce that I didn’t like. Damn, that just made me hungry.

What did you like to eat when doing Weight Watchers? (From L)

I am still doing Weight Watchers. Almost there, but not quite, much to my chagrin. We eat many of the same foods we always have, just less of them. And, we’re choosier; we may love bagels from Murray’s and pasta, but they don’t seem worth it when you have a limited daily calorie budget. We try to have a salad with every dinner. And we never skip dessert, be it a scoop of fat-free frozen yogurt or just some berries. It helps to keep you from that feeling deprived/binging on bad food cycle that I would never, oh no NEVER, take part in.

What if it WOULD kill me to wash a dish? (From Colleen)

You are so damned cute. If you are certain it might, and even if you are not sure but do not wish to find out, I recommend that you get a dishwasher. A handsome one. Who hums to himself when he works, and never complains about the three different bowls you needed to put together one salad. Such individuals make for both excellent kitchen accessories and arm candy.

And yes, I’ll probably be washing the dishes for the next month because of this.