Many sympathies, Nicole.

Did I do OK?

Nora, what you did sounds like what my mother used to do for wedding showers. She'd buy a kitchen wastebasket and fill it with little kitchen necessaries -- a potato peeler, a paring knife, etc. In other words, stuff that you need if you're furnishing your first home, but nobody's going to buy as a gift because any one item on its own is a pretty cheap gift.

I've always thought it was a great idea.

I'm trying to find a couple baby gifts myself. There's this sense that we should send something Greek, but there's hardly any specifically Greek stuff for babies. I'm sending both babies these onesies or shirts I make, [link] but having trouble finding other stuff. I got the little boy some tiny athletic shoes that say "Hellas" on them, and I got the little girl days-of-the-week bibs in Greek, but I need a little more.

Nora, what you did sounds like what my mother used to do for wedding showers. She'd buy a kitchen wastebasket and fill it with little kitchen necessaries -- a potato peeler, a paring knife, etc. In other words, stuff that you need if you're furnishing your first home, but nobody's going to buy as a gift because any one item on its own is a pretty cheap gift.

I love these sorts of gifts. I'm big on them. For high school graduations I buy a laundry basket and fill it with Tide, Bounce, quarters, mac and cheese, Ramen, Mountain Dew, towels, and anything else I think the individual person might like. It's quite a fun gift, and very useful.

Raq, can you repost the link to your shirts? It's trying to sign me in as you.

Nora, if you take dinner over, you might want to -- if it's not too much trouble -- make something like a pan of lasagne that's more than one meal's worth of entree and can refrigerate/freeze well, so that they can pull stuff out of the freezer and fling it in the microwave when things are crazy.

Of course, I also hit myself in the back of the head with it, and in the ass a couple of times, too.

I wish I had this part on video.

Keep on wishing, 'bot.

2. I want to be sure that talking with her won't always be a sparring match.

billytea, is it sparring in a bad way? Or a banter-y way? Or do you just really dislike that type of badinage? Because, frankly, banter-y verbal sparring is, in fact, a form of flirting; one I engage in as often as possible.

Ok, maybe a little bit doomed.

Hmm. I dectect some smitten-ness. Smitten is good. Yes.

you might want to -- if it's not too much trouble -- make something like a pan of lasagne that's more than one meal's worth of entree and can refrigerate/freeze well, so that they can pull stuff out of the freezer and fling it in the microwave when things are crazy.

What I planned to do was put it in freezer safe individual packages that can be pulled out and tossed in the microwave one-handed. I did that for my cousin's housewarming (she never cooks) and it worked out pretty well.

What I planned to do was put it in freezer safe individual packages that can be pulled out and tossed in the microwave one-handed.

That's a great idea. New baby time is crazy schedule-wise.

Ugh. Going to be a bad day today.

{{{Gud}}}

((Gud))

(((Aimee and Em)))

billytea, you are indeed doomed.

I had a great conversation with her tonight. It feels very comfortable talking with her, starting to get into more personal stuff too. One of my concerns, that talking with her won't always be a sparring match, has been allayed. Ah, but there's a problem. She's already played the 'friends' card. Her stated reason is that she thinks this is the start of a beautiful friendship, and doesn't want to jeopardise that. Could very possibly be a cover for just not being interested, of course, but if I have a read on her, I think there's a good chance that isn't decided yet.

Anyway, I disagreed with her, first because if you don't form a relationship with someone with whom you have a friendship, who are you going to form one with? And second because I believe that in such a situation, you reach for the brass ring. If there's the possibility of more, you're shortchanging yourself not going for it.

I'm seeing her tomorrow night. I see a good chance the line "Time to choose. Do you want to play it safe, or will you go for the brass ring?" could come up. Possibly just before kissing her. Well, depending on how things go.