According to the NYT, castles can be had for bargain prices. Shall we chip in for Fortress Buffista?

Dude, CASTLE DRACULA IS FOR SALE. The current owner can't deal with the taxes. Guess how badly I want this, go on, guess. I could even make a quasi-legitimate family claim for it, since we are descended from good ol' Vlad by way of a serving girl.

If we could have swung the airfare, we would have been there.

Awwww, thank you, love. I'm still poking at the budget and seeing if we can swing a quick trip down to see you.

Oh, Jilli. I hope your friends and family were and continue to be a comfort.

In other news, man, the internet makes it easy to be lazy. I just ordered jeans from both Banana Republic and Gap in one fell swoop. I'm guessing the Gap won't work, but at least I didn't have to go shopping. I tried on some Banana jeans at Goodwill yesterday, and they fit really well, but I couldn't tell if they were flattering, because the mirror in there was the worst mirror ever.

The Banana Republic jeans I got a year ago are the best jeans I've ever had. My one true jeans, I think. I got them at the outlet, though, and I'm not sure they still make this cut. But the fit and the length are perfect for me.

I've loved the BR jeans in the past, and their "regular" inseam is totally my inseam now, which I think is crazy, because doesn't that mean most people have to get them hemmed? Or I guess they are meant for wearing heels.

Old Navy jeans used to work really well for me, but they changed the cuts. I also bought a pair once that I loved, and ordered the same size and length in another wash online, and they fit completely differently. Really disappointing.

Annoying! I've heard that their fits are erratic because they cut big piles of fabric at once, which is cheaper, but means that the pair at the top of the pile is significantly different than the pair at the bottom. Not sure if that's true.

Or I guess they are meant for wearing heels.

Absolutely, the presumption appears to be that we're all wearing at least 3-inch heels with our jeans.

I'm interested in BR's trouser jeans, but I kind of want to try them on before buying any, and I haven't seen them in any of the stores. Most annoying.

That's weird. That would definitely affect the cut.

I just want to keep believing jeans weather is almost over. I want skirt weather! Appropriate for bare legs, I mean.

I'm interested in BR's trouser jeans, but I kind of want to try them on before buying any, and I haven't seen them in any of the stores.

Yeah, and they were sold out in most sizes online. I guess they agree it's not supposed to be jeans weather?

I've heard that their fits are erratic because they cut big piles of fabric at once, which is cheaper, but means that the pair at the top of the pile is significantly different than the pair at the bottom. Not sure if that's true.

That's probably true of any manufacturer that churns out clothes in large lots. I have ordered clothes that turned out not to fit, sent them back, re-ordered the same size, and the ones I got the second time fit. Same size, same everything. Buying clothes is a miserable chore sometimes.