I wish I was still there. Had a great send-off the day we left: a 4.9 - 5.1 earthquake while we were still in our 14th floor hotel room. Rock'n'roll! I'll be reposting some stories to MySpace and can PM you the link when I get it done, if you wish. But yeah, I loved it and would move there right now if not for our pets here and the lack of good pizza there.

Well...everyone is kinda tired from the big orgy. Were you there?

What, you don't remember me????:p

were you the guy whispering all those sweet cromulent things in my ear?

:D

Why don't ya come back in there and find out, sugar-pie?

Bought my bro two presents for his birthday. Ordered one ?five? weeks ago because it struck me as really cool. Ordered another on payday because I knew I had the money and had to get him something while I did (birthday on 13th, will have no money by then!)

I didn't exactly forget I'd ordered him something else, but it was sorta buried in my mind.

Both arrived today. One I ordered in giftwrap, so I'm not going to open the box because I won't even be able to see the present. I'll just leave it sealed and put my own address label on it.

The other... Well I knew it wasn't gift wrapped, because it wasn't offered as an option. And it took my completely by surprise when it arrived (outsize parcels come separately to normal post). So I opened it, to see if I liked it. I do. I really do.

Now bearing in mind I shouldn't really have ordered him two presents. And bearing in mind the second (wrapped) present is more suitable. And the first was paid for on the company credit card, which I have now been invoiced for and paid off (making returns a hassle)....

Okay, yes. I want to keep the first present I ordered. It's an umbrella with LED inserts. I thought it was SO cool when I saw it, I couldn't resist ordering it for Stevo. But in the mean time I remembered he isn't really an umbrella person. And the one he has is an ickle one he can fit into a voluminous coat pocket. And he's not as flamboyant as me.

Am I just being selfish because I have seen a sparkly treat and covet it? Or am genuinely worried that my gift might not hit the mark?

Keep it, Sundae. If he's not an umbrella person he will never understand it's beauty the way you do. No guilt---just umbrella love (a love hardly understood, but universally embraced when the rain storm hits)

Besides, if you meet a guy you like you can program your display to show offf your phone number! ;)

One of my friends actually did this with an LED belt he had at a club. But he was a dufus.

Ah it only has two settings, shine and twinkle [it wasn't that expensive].
But with the winter coming I am soooooooo tempted to keep it.

I'm a shining and twinkling kinda gal

It's also a safety feature. It's practical..You have to keep it.
:)

If you give him two presents, he will fill bad about not having given you two for your last birthday.

Spare him the embarrassment. Keep the brolly.

"Philosophy is for giving us good reasons for doing what we already wanted to do." Betrand Russell.

Christmas isn't that far off.

Quite right.
I used it today and felt overwhelmingly guilty.
I would not intentionally have spent that amount of money on myself in my current situation (I was a little more settled when I paid for it).

I'm going to save it for Christmas.
Not even sure who to give it to - probably my bro after all - he and I are the only real walkers in the family.

Well, my niece is too, but I spoiled her for her birthday, and anyway you never know with young teens - something I see as standing out from the crowd in a great way might just be shameful to her.

I think I did want someone to tell me not to keep it for myself.

You used it? Got to keep it now. Can't be giving used gifts... until they become antiques.;)

Nah - I kept the tag on because I was uneasy in my mind. And it's an umbrella, not a bottle of wine, it doesn't get used up.
I'll give it a quick once-over (10 minutes in the rain) then repackage it.

I might even let Stevo know I gave it a test drive a couple of months after :)