Books on my bedside table

Yesterday was lovely. Dad was in town and offered to hang out at the house while Drake was napping so Richard and I could go on a date.

We went down to Half Priced Books and spent an hour, sans the two-year old perusing the stacks of books. It was an amazing feeling to walk through the aisles at a leisurely pace... reading backs of books and enjoying the smell of musty books.

I added a few to my ever-burgeoning stack of books by my side of the bed. The first one I read through was: "More Things You Need To Be Told" by the Ettiquette Grrrls.

It is trying to be a modern look at ettiquette. However, although amusing at times, it just tries way too hard to be both proper and hip. I am particulary annoyed with the fact that they refer to themselves in third person and with initials (EG). It's cute at first but gets very old.

There were a few parts that find worthy of noting:

"Ettiquette Grrls' Rules to Live By:

1. Never purchase anything (in particular, household items of any sort - e.g. silverware, china, crystal, furniture, rugs, fabric etc.) with any of the following words in its name: Grand, Renaissance, Baroque, Victorian, Glamour, Hollywood, Atomic, Floral, Euro Style, Rustic, Post-Modern, or the name of any specific sort of flower.

2. Buy Low, Sell High

3. If it ain't broke don't fix it, and don't try to break it either.

4. Trust your gut instincts. Most of the time.

5. By the time you graduate from college, learn to do the following things:
launder your clothes (with nothing shrinking, bleeding etc), remove common stains; iron everything in your closet; fold t-shirts and sweaters properly; thread a needle; fix a hem; replace a button; cook at least one meal appropriate to serve to guests; operate a vacuum; mop; and assorted scrub brushes; have a basic familarity with major brands of cleaning product; know what does what and how to use them without hurting anyone

6. Know how to prepare one recipe that is good for potlucks.

7. Murphy's Oil soup cleans almost anything.

8. Know how to figure a tip at a restaurant (or anywhere), even if you are not good at Math.

9. Learn how to drink Real Liquor, and while you are at it, to Hold Your Liquor.

10. Nothing is Anachronistic about Kindness, Common Sense, Respect, or Courtesy."

I pulled the above quote from pages 181 and 182.


The rest of the book is trying to be both pretentious and hip. It makes my head hurt.

Jerusha's Basic Rules of Ettiquette:

1. Be Humble and Kind
2. If you get a gift, send a thank you note
3. Don't assume... anything
4. If you are invited to a party, bring a gift
5. After attending a social function or night at someone's house: send a thank you note (are you seeing a trend?)
6. Dress properly for the occasion
7. Engage people in conversation, and then let your words breathe. There is no need to talk a million miles a minute.
8. When in doubt, less is more, and then: send a thank you note :D


A big thanks to Dad for the break.