I had no energy or motivation to cook dinner, but I made some scrambled tofu and a salad rather than getting junk food. I really need to remember more often on nights like this that real food doesn't really need to take all that much effort.

Erin, there's some fairly awesome flannel and/or fleece at fabric stores, and drawstring pants are wicked easy.

Erin-- I am super good (and love) making ribbon roses if you need a hand!

I suggest Love My Goat red. What's better for a wedding than a love-themed bottle???

That winery is so near to me. I do not like that wine, though.

I do, Erin. (Heh.)

(double heh). I am just tickled pink and green by actually having conversation with another Erin. I mean, i know that it was statistically a very popular name round about when i was born, but i never knew another Erin growing up. I think there was another Erin in my first high school, but we were two years apart so there wasn't any overlap in classes. I felt like a special name-snowflake until very recently when i actually saw stats.

Ok, it's a little confusing sometimes when i pop in and see the wedding conversation, knowing that i am entirely single, but still pretty darned awesome.

Erin, on my old porch I used wine bottles as suncatchers, and collected all the shapes and colors of glass I could. Oh the hardship of sampling those diverse wines.

I couldn't afford schmancy centerpieces at my parents' 50th anniversary bash. I ran around the house scooping up vases, perfume bottles, china dogs, whatever had a touch of gold on it. We had some tin candy boxes, and pretty paper and fabric covered boxes, and I put a box on each table and stuck in a few photographs of Mom and Dad and their friends over the years. The photos were a huge hit. You could do heart-shaped boxes of all kinds, or wrap boxes in wide purple and green ribbon, and put a box of pictures on the tables for guests to look at.

It's going to be so pretty--and so will you!

Hivemind question.

OK, so I'm trying to get a bead on an answer to "how much would it take to make you take the job" in anticipation that tomorrow goes swimmingly. I've looked at a dozen websites for cost of living comparissons. The range is HUGE! Saying that CA is more expensive by a factor of 15%-80%! um. HUGE differences. What the heck do I go with?

Also, is there a good guideline for ballpark of what take home pay is? I've got 30% for non-retirement deductions. Is that about par for state, fed, FICA, health insurance, medicare, SS, etc?

Also, the underwear names are awesome. I like Priape and Candyman, but by fave by far is MANZONE. I hear it in this booming movie announcer voice, in asscaps: MANZONE. (Much like my favorite all-time men's cologne name: GRAVEL.)

My personal favorite so far (of the 638 underwear choices) is Male Power® D-Ring Rip Off Thong

The D-Ring Rip-Off Thong is a risqué look. Made with soft faux leather for the ultimate comfort, this thong has D-ring styling on the front for a bondage-inspired look. The front panel is removable for easy access.

Kinda freaking out.

I hate stress.

I've got 30% for non-retirement deductions. Is that about par for state, fed, FICA, health insurance, medicare, SS, etc?

Depends on which tax bracket you're in, but it's somewhere around there.

Jilli, vacuvin is your friend. Cork wine stoppers are okay for up to about a day, but they won't make a good seal unless they are very hard to get into the bottle. I have left opened bpttles and resealed them with a vacuvin and left them in the fridge for months with no ill effects.

Wish I could help, omnis, but that is the sort of thing I turn to Google for. 30% has always worked out to be a pretty good estimate for me, at least.