You could always embroider a few bats on it.

Does she love you already? I'm guessing so.

I don't think the quilt is gothy or bordeline gothy--I'd never ever buy it from the store. But if someone I loved gave it to me, it'd be a whole different thing.

So decide if a labour of vw's love is gift enough--and a well done labour at that. If it is, you're golden. If you want to get her the thing that's so totally her, you may have missed your mark.

I just don't think it's the only mark in town.

I'd never ever buy it from the store

Oh, how I love this kind of honesty! :)

Thanks, guys.

The doors are going to have red doorknobs. I'm hoping that helps a bit too. I'm going to put them on tomorrow. I'll also be machine quilting around the houses, which might help break things up.

vw, what everyone else said.

Cindy, sorry about the staple injury and the ER disaster.

sj, sometimes, it helps to vent a little.

My new tattoo.

I survived the bachelorette party. Spent a load of money. It was sort of low-key for that sort of thing but I think my sister was happy. We have a spa date on Thursday, manis and pedis scheduled for Friday and the rehearsal and dinner Friday night. Then the wedding on Saturday. I'm excited for her but I'll be glad when it's over.

Cass!! I need advice!

Or really, anyone:

My coworker and I will be in Portland Monday through Thursday nights, and we need nice places to eat dinner! We'll be on an expense account, though not a *huge* one (no shrift-ian Charlie Trotter dinners, but generally cost is not a worry). So, dinner suggestions?

The only other preference would be near our hotel...not that I know where that is (it's the "Hotel Vintage Plaza" on 422 Broadway?), since we won't have a rental car. (We can and will take taxis but hugely out of the way might be stretching it)

{{{Cindy}}} I'm sorry the ER was such a waste.

vw, I like the quilt, and I think your friend will love and adore it because it's from you and for all the effort you put into it.

Oh, how I love this kind of honesty! :)

I hope I was clear that I thought it was lovely. It's not me, but it's beautiful. So receiving it would be about the giver, and really? That's quite the bargain.

I hope I was clear that I thought it was lovely.

Oh, yeah. It just made me laugh when you said that.

Only a quarter of a century ago? My mom goes back to stuff that happened as far back as the '30s.

Well TCG will be 40 in the Autumn, so she is limited to how much of his past she can bitch about. They're going out to dinner alone on Thursday. I'm dreading it because she tells him he's awful, etc, and then I have to fix it when he comes home upset.

Cashmere, did you get the tattoo, or is it just in the planning stages?

I survived the bachelorette party. Spent a load of money. It was sort of low-key for that sort of thing but I think my sister was happy. We have a spa date on Thursday, manis and pedis scheduled for Friday and the rehearsal and dinner Friday night. Then the wedding on Saturday. I'm excited for her but I'll be glad when it's over.

This wedding seemed to come up so fast. Wow. I'm glad you survived the bachelorette and that your sister was happy.

I don't mind the ER being a waste. I'd much rather take them and be told they're fine, than have the visit validated. I was just annoyed that the doctor didn't even clean the wound or re-dress it. The nurse gave me about a 20th generation photo copy of instructions on how to care for a laceration. Of course this is a puncture wound. It's okay. It gives me fodder for teasing my cousin the nurse, and my mother the grandmother.

Well TCG will be 40 in the Autumn, so she is limited to how much of his past she can bitch about. They're going out to dinner alone on Thursday. I'm dreading it because she tells him he's awful, etc, and then I have to fix it when he comes home upset.

Ugh. I'm sorry, sj.