See, I'm sympathetic, because "no gifts" would make me uncomfortable. I wouldn't be mortally offended by seeing it [ok maybe aesthetically offended], but there is no way I would not give some sort of wedding present no matter what the marrying people tell me.

Hooray for Hecubus! That is awesome, sir!

See, I'm sympathetic, because "no gifts" would make me uncomfortable.

I'm with Rio on this one. I've seen it done where the couple basically "registers" with a nonprofit or two of their choice. It wasn't mentioned on their invitations, any more than you'd mention the fact you were registered at Macy's or Williams-Sonoma, but they put it on their website and had friends spread the word. We gave what we normally would've spent on a gift in their honor to one of their choices.

Yay, Hec! I am glad the book is doing well. I'm also happy to hear that Emmett is doing better.

Hooray for Hecubus! That is awesome, sir!

Thanks and Thanks! I have no idea what this means in real sales, however. Still. It's definitely good news.

You know what one of my favorite parts of Easter is (especially since I don't really get to have a Big Ham anymore)? Making deviled eggs. Man, I fucking love deviled eggs.

Skipping ahead to ask if anyone has any neat tricks for getting nasty smells off your hands. I had to reinflate a tire using that Fix-a-Flat stuff, and I've washed my hands a bunch of times but the smell is still there. Anyone?

Skipping ahead to ask if anyone has any neat tricks for getting nasty smells off your hands.

Lemon juice works for a lot of smells. I'm not sure about chemically things like that, but it's probably worth a try.

Coffee is supposed to work too, Brenda.

Tomatoes or tomato juice, too.

Man, I fucking love deviled eggs.

Gagging.

Also, Whoot! Best-selling Hec.

See, I'm sympathetic, because "no gifts" would make me uncomfortable. I wouldn't be mortally offended by seeing it [ok maybe aesthetically offended], but there is no way I would not give some sort of wedding present no matter what the marrying people tell me.

Yeah, I'm not real easy with it. The thing is, people want to do something to commemorate. It's not necessarily a kindness to let them off the hook. But then, I've never really subscribed to the idea that the wedding is for you. The whole point of a wedding is to make it about more than just you, to make your friends and family a part of things. And the wedding gift is a very meaningful thing for a lot of people.

OTOH, having a bunch of stuff you don't need and/or returning things willy-nilly aren't great options either. I like the idea of registering with a charity or three, and I think it would be a lot easier to propagate by word of mouth than the "no gifts" message would.

Coffee! I have that! In fact, I have a bowl full of used grounds from my espresso machine this weekend so I won't even have to waste the good stuff. I'll bet I can use it as a scrub. Thanks y'all!