The Perfect Anniversary Gift

I've been pondering what to get my husband Erik for our 30th anniversary. He loves gadgets, as long as they aren't extravagant. He teaches technology. The most important lesson he has ever taught me about computers is this: when your computer goes nuts, just turn it off, unplug it -- and go have a cup of coffee. Then try it again. This bit of advice works 99.9% of the time. The rest of the time it's handy to sleep with the tech guy.

What to get him? We can't afford an iPhone. Then serendipity gave me a clue. I walked into the living room where he was watching the news and starting flapping my lips as usual. Erik didn't take his eyes off the screen; just stretched out his arm and held up his palm in a serious "STOP" gesture. "Shhh," he said, "I'm listening to the weather." This happened several weeknights in a row. Eureka! One of those sleek wireless weather stations. Under $50. That's it!

I was about to go online and order it, but something was gnawing at me. It was the fact that we live in Ventura, California, and we really don't have weather. We have glorious, relentless sunshine--day in, day out. Temperatures span the whole gamut from 60-70 degrees. So the next time the "Shush" arm came out, I decided to sit down and watch the weather, too. After all, I grew up in Baltimore where watching weather was important. It changed every ten minutes and had tremendous consequences on how my hair would look. It is vital for a woman to know the weather, particularly when humidity is involved. As I looked at the screen, I realized I would have to rethink the gift. Below is a video of our Channel 9 local weather. You don't have to watch long to get the picture. 



If you have trouble viewing, search for Jackie Johnson, "hot weather girl," on YouTube. I googled her, and would you believe that in college she actually majored in meteorology but switched to broadcasting? Good move, Jackie.

I still don't know what to get for Erik. A boob job? Nah. Maybe just keeping quiet while he watches the weather is enough of a gift. Yeah, he'll appreciate that. You don't stay married for 30 years without knowing when to shut up.