I'm pretty sure families have their own gift-giving rules, and you should go with those

If we had rules, I wouldn't be wondering.

The unwritten rule in my family is that people will give what is easy for them to give. Like, when my brother worked at Joe Boxer we could all expect pajamas, that sort of thing. Which probably doesn't help you.

My sister and I are particularly crap at birthday gifts for each other, though. So many lengthy phone calls on one another's b-days ending with "so, I had no idea what to get you..." and "really, I don't need anything, we're good." giving each other the relief of not having to shop, essentially.

If we had rules, I wouldn't be wondering.

Fair enough.

I am hugging my teddy bear and waiting for Zenkitty's comfort food!

I can put in a standing weekend order for chocolate and wine, if you like.

Birthday gifts are hard. Everyone should have an Amazon Wish List, dammit.

I'd like to be feeling better about the social media situation today, but I'm not. The person who was poking at me is now all hurt because I was "unkind" in suggesting that he simply unFriend me if he didn't like what I'm saying.

Connie, I have the same problem you described, with getting rid of stuff that I know someone else would want, and the thrift store would probably just throw away. Freecycle is totally the place to get rid of things like little bottles! Useful-but-I-don't-want-it things. Freecyclers will take *anything*. Egg cartons, cardboard tubes, broken stuff. You don't even have to meet them. At least around here, the accepted etiquette is to leave the item in an accessible place outside your house, and let whoever's got dibs know where to find it. Some people leave things in their mailboxes.

I'm not sure there's a Freecycle in my town. And then I'll need to get past Hubby's phobia about "giving away good stuff to people we don't know." Issues. we have them.

Hot damn, taking bits and bobs of leftovers and putting them on warm corn tortillas makes for some pretty good tacos. Especially when you can put some fresh avocado and good salsa on top.

(Leftovers: last bits of baked chicken, Rice A Roni, black bean veggie chili with corn.)

And then I'll need to get past Hubby's phobia about "giving away good stuff to people we don't know." Issues. we have them.

Tim's thing is "But I could NEED that some day!" Never mind the fact that we are both employed and could just purchase the theoretical thing, if the theoretical day ever comes to pass that he does actually need it.

It's frustrating, to say the least. (Of course, I have my own issues, and feel like I don't have the right to suggest getting rid of things, since it's his house and I'm only his girlfriend. As if being his wife would suddenly magically change things. I know it wouldn't, but I let it be an excuse so I don't have to be That Girlfriend who tells her boyfriend what to do in his own house.) (I know it's "our" house now, after nearly 5 years of me living here, but, as I said, I let it be "his" house when I want to use it as an excuse.)

(Issues, we all haz them.) (Along with an attic full of crap.)

Unrelatedly, I am hungover as BALLS. I forgot my head could do this.

In my defense, that was really good rum.

Okay, I got my ticket home bought for my sister's birthday. I only have one extra day to spend with my parents, a day my sister will spend doing airport runs, but I'm lucky I'm getting any time off then at all. And, of course, my extra day tacked on the end to do an ER visit before getting back into the office.

Man, I am really groggy today.