Yes, forno bravo pompeii plans and particularly the forums were amazing. I have no masonry experience before this project, but I'm generally pretty handy. I used a tool, usually called the "indispensable tool" to help me align each brick perfectly (or almost). You can see it in some of my facebook pics, the blue rod in the middle.
Thanks again for all the kind words. I can't wait to make more pizza this weekend!