I’m not an expert, but I’m pretty sure that when I’m in an antique store and turn over a dish to look at the bottom and discover that it is “dishwasher, freezer and microwave safe,” it is not an antique. It may not even fall into the category of “old.”
Here’s an entry that I originally posted on April 25, 2011. Our wedding anniversary is soon, so I’m trying to figure out what to buy for hubby. I notice that I have a book on my Amazon wish list that is perfect for the occasion: Life Is Yours to Win: Lessons Forged from the Purpose, Passion, and Magic of Baseball by Augie Garrido (the coach of the University of Texas at Austin baseball team).
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Men get the short straw when it comes to a lot of “special” days, don’t you think?
Take Valentine’s Day. Pretty much everyone knows the stereotype gift of what the man is supposed to buy for the woman: chocolate candy and flowers. And what is the woman supposed to buy for the man, stereotypically speaking, that is?
Right. No one knows.
Then there are birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas. A man can’t hardly turn around before it’s time to figure out the next perfect present. And they are all supposed to be perfect, right? I can’t say that I have the answers to these questions. In fact, I don’t have the answer to all these questions. I can say that couples should look to their common interests for gift ideas. Hubby and I both like baseball.
You know the stereotype anniversary gift story: the man buys a woman what he wants to receive: golf clubs, new tools, a wax job (for the car!), sports magazines. I thought, “What a great idea!” Here’s how I’ve applied that structure. And it’s not a stereotype if I’m the only woman doing it. (Just how many of something does it take for a stereotype to get started?)
Anyway, the traditional gift for the 5th wedding anniversay is wood. The modern gift is silverware (if I can believe everything — or anything — I read on the Internet). I gave my lucky hubby a baseball book that I wanted to read: Wait Until Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
The traditional gift for the 10th wedding anniversay is tin or aluminum and the modern gift is diamond jewelry. I gave my lucky hubby a baseball book that I wanted to read: Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig by Jonathan Eig.
The traditional gift for the 15th wedding anniversay is crystal; the modern gift is watches. I gave my lucky hubby a baseball book that I wanted to read: Baseball in the Garden of Eden: The Secret History of the Early Game by John Thorn.
Of course, I let him read them first. After all, they are his gifts. I’m still trying to figure out perfect gifts to get him for his birthday, Valentine’s and Christmas. Hey! We both like football. Now that gives me an idea ….
I make my bed every morning. Except yesterday morning. I didn’t remember not making my bed and so I was startled when I came home from work and saw the bed unmade. The same dogs that I can’t teach to sweep or vacuum do not make beds, so there it was, waiting for me.
I looked at it and then looked at the clock. In about three hours I’d be going to bed.
Make the bed or leave it? I made the bed. I’ll sleep better for having done that.
It seems a little early to be thinking about summer camp, but I already received the Xplorations Summer Science Adventures 2012 schedule from the Houston Museum of Natural Science. That means they have been thinking about it for quite some time. Every year when I receive their summer camp schedule I wish I was a kid again so I could go to these camps.
The 6-7 age group has some fascinating classes. The Da Vince Science class is “a week of gizmos, gadgets, and ingenious inventions! Discover Leonardo and all of his amazing contraptions. Learn to write in “mirror writing” and explore how Leonardo would have lived in his Renaissance world. Experiment with simple machines and build some of your own inventions.” I’d love to go to this one!
Mummies and Mysteries is another class that is calling my name. The museum has their very own mummy, Ankh-hap. Who wouldn’t want to get a close-up look at the work of Egyptian masters from thousands of years ago?
They have their own version of Survivor for the 8-9 year olds. You don’t watch it, you do it! “Learn to navigate by the stars, tell time with the sun, and find out what kinds of bugs make good snacks. Participate in Friday’s survivor competition. Camp includes optional bug tasting activity.” Not sure if that would be yummy or yuck! Only one way to find out!
Full Tilt Physics shows up in the 10-12 age group classes. They get to “explore the science of speed from acceleration and air resistance to collisions and crashes. Design and build hovercrafts, cars, planes and other vehicles then modify them to maximize their velocity. The race is on!”
That’s how science should be taught: by interaction, by participation, by hands-on experience. If there are any open slots when registration ends, I wonder if the museum would let me register my inner child. I promise to behave.
When I started this blog, I added the weather widget for Buda, Texas, as that’s where I hang out a lot, usually at B&B Quilting and Gifts. When I checked the weather on my iPhone, I noticed it brought up Buda, Texas and Buda, Illinois. What a coincidence! Another town called Buda.
Around these here parts (Texas), we pronounce it “BEEYOU-duh.” You can tease the tourists and your out-of-town family members if you tell them it’s “Boo-DAY” or even “BOO-duh” (as in Buddha). There’s a couple of theories as to how Buda, Texas got its name but I’m not sure if any one theory is accepted as definitive.
Then I wondered about Buda, Illinois. How is it pronounced there? How did it get its name? Looking it up on the Internet, I found that both Budas have a Wikipedia page. The Buda, Texas page mentions the regionally famous Wiener Dog Races. The Wikipedia page for Buda, Illinois doesn’t mention any such sport.
I briefly considered randomly phoning people in Buda, Illinois and asking if they knew how the town got their name and it is pronounced. I decided against it, probably for the better. Instead, I added that weather widget to my blog as a nod to our northern sister city (lower right side of the blog).
Hello, Buda, Illinois!
It’s a lot colder there. And I won’t be surprised that in the summer, it’s a lot hotter here.
It's a long story ... 