Okay, so this is not the first of the books that I’ve read from the April 2018 Friends of the Christian County Library Book Sale–I’ve read Iroshi in 2018, the two Sally Forth books, A Woman’s Work Is Never Done and Sally Forth in 2018, and Naked Came The Manatee last year. But this year, I have read two books from that book sale: This book and The Secret Power Within: Zen Solutions to Real Problems by Chuck Norris. Wow, I’m almost done with that book sale, although I have been dodging the sequels/latter two thirds of the trilogy after Iroshi and Rex Stout’s Death of a Doxy, all of which are facing out on the book shelves in the library, for several years.
But, about this book: Wow, is it an artifact of its time. The author apparently made a franchise of this topic and based it on a series of seminars he ran, presumably for upper middle class businessmen and strivers (and their wives). So although the book came out in 1993, it definitely has a 1980s sensibility to it, which is why businessman is probably an accurate depiction–the 80s women from 9 to 5 and Helen Reddy and Ronnie McDowell songs (geez, did I have to listen to those an awful lot when I was growing up)–and, I guess Trisha Yearwood‘s poet-narrators were coming up in 1994, women were hitting management positions, but, again, this book was just coming out with its sensibilities from the previous decade. Wow, that’s a lot of exegesis on an off-hand assessment that the book was geared to businessmen and spouses, but I guess I did get to dump a number of music links from way back.
A lot of the individual items are pointers to catalogues or 1-800 numbers where you can get different types of gifts; in just a couple of years, that advice which would have worked for thirty years would be out-of-date as the Internet replaced everything. Some of the ideas are definitely for the successful businessman, as they involve international travel, cruises, and riding the Concorde (also, soon to be dated). Maybe they’re just targeted to businessmen who did not buy fractional ownerships in brief periods when they were feeling flush (successful businessmen would probably have parlayed that capital into further success). The book encourages men to look for inspiration in numerous women’s magazines of the day (mostly now folded). It encourages women to look for inspiration in both Playboy and Penthouse(!) magazines.
The author favors Earl Klugh and Yanni as mood music–and I have a lot of Earl Klugh records (no Yanni, though–you don’t tend to see him in the wild, or I would probably buy it–I have Kenny G, for cryin’ out loud).
And, dig this: Books. I was a little surprised by how many of the books I’d read (poetry by Susan Polis Schutz, Chocolate: The Consuming Passion by Sandra Boynton, The Prophet by Khalil Gibran). I was surprised by the number of books in it by Ayn Rand’s inner circle (well, an excommunicated member, Nathaniel Branden’s The Psychology of Romantic Love). And I had a little flashback when I came across the title I’m OK – You’re OK by Thomas A. Harris. This book was everywhere in the 1980s, but mostly in paperback. I think my sainted mother had a copy. Which means I might very well have a copy around here somewhere, although I do not remember seeing one.
So I did flag a couple things for individual snarkiny:
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Have you made your plans for the New Year’s Eve celebration to end all New Year’s Eve Celebrations? I’m talking about the next millennium! It’s less than 10 years away! When the calendar changes to the year 2000, and then to 2001, the planet’s going to party like never before! Start planning!
As it would turn out, I was newly happily married, but I was working in tech, so I had to carry the beeper that week in case the Y2K bug required a documentation update. And, as it turned out, I was laid low with the flu the whole week.
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For sensual, silly time:
- Blindfold her.
- Sit her on the floor next to the refrigerator.
- Feed her a variety of delicious foods: Strawberries, Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses, cherry tomatoes, cheese, ice cream, Cheerios, cookies, popcorn, yogurt, watermelon, leftover chicken, pickles, olives, maple syrup, etc.
- (There’s a great scene like this in the movie 9½ Weeks.)
You know, I’ve seen bits of 9½ Weeks late at night on Showtime with the volume off when we lived in the trailer park, but I’ve not seen the film in its entirety. I have, however, seen 9½ Ninjas many times which features a similar scene.
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You could update his entire album collection! Convert his aging album collection of beloved Beatles albums, Moody Blues tunes, and Rolling Stones records to compact discs. Converting a lifetime collection of 500-some albums would cost about $6,500.
You can see about how some of the ideas are spendy. Plus, this has not aged well: The records would have been worth more in the long run. In 2026, you would probably want to go the opposite direction, but only for Gen-X or older–so many albums of this millennium were never released on vinyl.
Oh, and 500-some? My beautiful wife wishes I were sane enough to be that limited.
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How about a custom-made brass bed to give your bedroom an extra-personal touch?
Holy stars and garter snakes. Brass beds. Now that was a piece from that time, ainna? I’m not sure I’ve even seen those in estate sales any more. I know my favorite aunt had one, but I have not see one of those since…. Well, the 1990s, when they were passing so far out of fashion that they never made a comeback.
Or maybe they did and I missed it.
At any rate, mostly interesting as an artifact of its point in time. I guess I did get a couple of ideas from it, but a lot of things that would have been romantic for a breadwinner to do for his stay-at-home wife at the end of the 20th century, I already do. Do a chore to relieve her of it? I do most of the housework (those who will tell you women think it’s sexy are probably women who like the thought of it more than the execution of it). Make her a sweet treat? I bake pies most weeks these days, and I’m told I should make less as she is dieting. Get her chocolate? As the primary shopper in the household, I made sure that she always had dark chocolate on hand (but she’s dieting now, so don’t do it!).
I’ve gotten a few ideas and have thought of reviving some of our past traditions, however: She knows I’ve read the book, and I might be accused of getting the ideas from the book. Which might diminish it somehow.
