Dora's Corner: The Art Of Gifting (Age) Appropriately!

As it always happens most toys/items that we prefer to gift - mainly for the youngsters - tend to be for older kids.  Being without children I expect I have become more wary of buying more suitable, age-appropriate presents for children.  Not because I care about what others might think because I really do not.  I merely wish for kids to have toys/items that they will get the most out of and can play with right away.  Besides being different has always been my hand-to-play --if you will, but gifting is an art-form, and I always strive to buy gifts that others will like.  Not something I like, but what I know others are into and such.  It really just boggles my mind how often so many others do not take this 'unwritten rule' of buying age-appropriate gifts to task, and end up gifting things that a child may not be able to use for some while.

The last present I bought a couple of days ago was for my great-niece who is a wee 15 months-young.  No special occasion this time around.  It was something I do for all children in our family or circle of friends.  But I must say that this one little girl has just tugged at all of our heart-strings.  Personally, she is the 'apple of my eye'.  I don't demean the place that the other children in the family have in my life.  Nor do I place them on different  levels of priority: "no one is more loved than anyone else!"  I do not love one person more than another.  However, I will not pretend that some have a different place in my life.  There is a difference in all relationships.  The more some do for me and communicate with me then the more I cherish that relationship we have.  But this great-niece of mine perhaps took such a role in my heart and in my life because she was born a year after we lost my mom to esophageal cancer.  Oh but how my mom would have loved this little great-granddaughter of hers.  My great-niece surely would have been spoiled even more-so by my wonderful mom! 

Anyway, back to story-in-point, in being at many parties for children --I have seen some people gift things that were intended for older kids.  Do most people just not get the idea behind companies printing the age-appropriate data on their items.  My guess is "no!"  It bothers me and maybe it can be considered one of my pet peeves because of the obvious reasons I stated above.  If the gift is for older children, then I would like to think that the people on the receiving end will take-to-heart or better yet, take-to-mind and just wait until their child is old enough to play with respective toy or whatever.  One could avoid all of this if people just learned the idea of appropriate gifting.  You wouldn't give a newborn a book (unless it is for a collection or something), but you get the gist of what I am stating today.  Hey, at the end of it all, maybe it is just me who gets disturbed by such things.  Oh, bother!

Just my take for the day!

Dora's Corner: Ain't Misbehavin': Survival Of The Fittest (Parents)!

...So in taking that business trip yesterday, not only did I see too many kids acting up everywhere we went, but I may have found a solution.  A solution for people like me that is.  And who am I?  A person happily involved in an awesome relationship of 16+ years, double-income, lots of freedom, beaucoup spontaneity with no kids!  No kids, but...thoroughly concerned about our youth.  Why?  Well, for one I am a fighter for the well-being and good treatment of children everywhere.  Wanting to save everyone's innocence, per se --kind of like Catcher In The Rye (1951) maybe I am a little like Holden Caulfield --or more like one J.D. Salinger since he did write this wonderful book.  I am a protector of children especially (and of the elderly).  No, I am not mentally incapacitated or mentally disabled as Holden was, but he had a way of looking at things and of wanting things.  I would love to save the innocence of our children, but I live in the real world.  Try as hard as I can --there are so many (too many) who slip through the cracks every single solitary day.

Second, being sans kids, I adore the children in our family; they are "my kids!"  Not only do I love them, but I enjoy spending time with them.  Teaching them anything I can.  Discovering what they in turn have learned from what we taught them, what they learned in school or from wherever.  As long as it is positive and enforces good nature and encourages a love for learning...I am agreeable to it.

 Well, it seems I went off on a tangent there, and I have not yet explained my solution for kids who act up in public. 
It's so simple (I love saying 'simple')...wear earplugs!  Wow.  How freaking insightful of me, right!  No, not really.  I shall explain...for one, do not ever approach anyone's child and never insinuate (vocally or otherwise) your dislike of said child in any manner because you will suffer the wrath of respective parents, guardians, care-givers, etc...  DON'T DO THAT!  Everyone at one time or another has had to publicly endure the occasional rants and cries of a child.  "Town-crier" being earned by kids acting rotten.  Do you seriously think that the parent does not hear the same thing.  Do you think that the parent enjoys hearing or seeing his/her kid act so badly. 

If I had children I know I would not appreciate anyone telling me or my child anything negative.  I would like to think that my child would have good manners and would act nicely and courteously at all times, but I know that no one (not even me) lives in a perfect world.  A Utopian society where people are perfect and make excellent parents does not exist.  Having perfect children does not exist.  Be mindful of others because one day it could be you in their shoes.  Just bear and grin it.  You and only you have the final solution to matters such as this or any others like this.  So just be nice and remember the things you can do:

1) leave the area

2) keep quiet and stay pretending like it is not bothersome to you

3) wear those earplugs

Children will be children and we gotta love 'em!

Just my take for the day!

CONGRATULATIONS TO US: ROUGH RIDE BUT WELL WORTH IT ALL.

...Sixteen years since the day we (Sara and I) got together and 18 since we first met and became best friends.  We can talk about anything.  We take many trips and seldom listen to music or anything offered up by satellite radio.  Even when we are together for a lengthy time, we just talk and the times just passes.  Many others like going on trips with us because they enjoy our way of communicating; we make others laugh.  We help others have a good time.  We are so easy-going.  Sara taught me that (to be easy going).  We make one another laugh (I taught her to be extra funny).  We give each other room when needed.  Always respectful of each other and of our separate views and ideas; i.e. Sara being an Atheist and me being in the middle of a religious crisis.  Scientology just did not do it for me.  Catholicism having become much too dogmatic and less pragmatic for me, too.  Hardly anything escapes our conversation.  We have endured good times and bad times as everyone does.  That is just a part of life.  We have survived so much and it has made us stronger, and like Bill said, it brought us closer than we ever imagined.  The love just grows.

We overcame so many hard times (some much too heart-wrenching to share here) but other hard times like when Sara was in grad school --we had to cut back on things here and there.  But on that glorious day of her graduation ceremony with all of our family and friends in attendance, she proudly walked that awesome stage and received her master's degree (History/English).  She walked high and proud donning the beautiful academic regalia as she was hooded as well.  Soon it will be my chance to do the same.  But for now, getting into a profession (programming, I.T., System's Administration) that I really love and am so passionate about was what Sara gifted me by her patience and encouragement all these past few years.  I also appreciate her often 'kick in the arse' of me!  She brings me back to reality. 

We bring out the best in each other.  I certainly have strived to be a better person because of her.  I hope she says the same about me when I am not around.  J.K. --many have told me that she adores me.  We are so lucky but remain humble.  Knock wood for many more happy and healthy years...

Dora's Corner: Picking A Fine Wine: First, What Is The Occasion?

While there are a lot of places on the Internet where you can locate data entailing the Do's and Don'ts of picking an appropriate wine, it is simple...just pick what you mostly like.

Unless you are going to a dinner party and you want to take a bottle of wine for the host(s) and it is vital for you to make a good impression...don't sweat the small stuff.  Getting perturbed and antsy about picking such a beverage should not drive-up your blood pressure.  Honestly, in all my days as an executive manager, dining with a boss, having a nice meal with friends, celebrating a holiday with loved ones, hosting dinner...my levels of fretting over such things has come to a draw.  A draw where I do not dwell as much on such things.  The most important thing when selecting a wine is to remember that you are first and foremost there to celebrate and/or to pass time with people whom you hopefully like.  The time spent together with family or friends/colleagues should trump the time spent picking a wine.  Fun and relaxation should be the final point of destination, if you will.

However, if you remain as obstinate and adamant about picking the perfect wine (like I end up doing for certain important events I must admit --so maybe disregard my points above about trying to quell your wine-picking-nerves) just do your research!  Read, drink and savor.  Get drunk doing so --have fun.  I love red wines, mostly Merlots, Syrahs, Pinot Noirs, Zinfandels...but Merlot is really my true love.  My partner on the other hand prefers sweet wines.  For her a nice bottle of Riesling or a  Pinot Grigio will not only suffice, but it will win you many verbal accolades, and figuratively-speaking, it will garner you many brownie-points, too.

So many, too many categories of wines to decide from is what plagues our inner-child and the fears we have always had when having to make such decisions.  The list is vast and often too complex: Red, white, blush, in-betweens, table, house (might be the same), party, etc...  Oy vey + Mon Dieu!  In my many travels aside from the frequent parties and such when I had to take a wine or times I hosted such parties and had to decide which wine I would serve for which course (trust me when I say that I am severely anal perhaps due to my OCD), I always turned to one source:  French Scout (website).  French Scout is an awesome Internet venue that gives details of all kinds relating to wines.  Details on red wines and white wines is just fascinating.  This website is the one which first guided me long ago and gifted me my tutelage of Wine 101. 

But, there is always my most favorite website, the one and only premiere wine data: Primer Magazine  PM gives so many wonderful details that once you read it you are ready to tour the fine vineyards and wineries in the Napa Valley area.  I insist and really recommend a subscription to this magazine.  If you are going to have one magazine in your home, I would seriously pick this one.  Yep, visiting these beautiful rolling California hills of the grape G-ds will no longer intimidate you.  Just make sure you not only read anything and everything you can, but maybe buy some bottles of what you might be sampling.  There are a lot of good vineyards/wineries here in Texas.  Try visiting those, but still do the homework because as certain as tax-day arrives, there are sure to be plenty of wine-snobs in these lesser-known, less-popular wineries.  Everyone is a damn critic.

I have been an avid collector of wine for many years now.  I do not have access to a wine cellar or I might have a larger collection.  For now my little corner in our home will suffice.  Soon we will be adding a refrigerated wine cooler.  Hey, give me time and a humidor will accompany it as well a nice array of hookahs.  Life is about trying new things and enjoying what most brings a smile to our faces and creates a nice tingling sensation in our hearts. 

Politics Or Something Like It: Defining Millennial and How Millennial Are You!

Millennial: a person born in the 1980s 1990s usually in the United States; generation Y.

Read story via my political blog: Dora's Political Blog
I took the 'How Millennial Are You' quiz...my results as follow:

You may take the quiz here:

'How Millennial Are You'