Yesterday James and I went to Mt. Airy. He had to take his car to the dealer, and I went with him because I’ve been wanting to go to the antique mall that’s on Main Street. I love going to antique malls. They’re much more interesting than small antique shops, as you generally have a much better chance of finding something that’s both fascinating AND affordable.

This trip to the antique mall was something of an experiment for my relationship, actually. It’s called discovering our common interests. We have things we like to do together, but I’ve often made the mistake of assuming that James probably wouldn’t like the things that I love, such as poetry, history, antiqueing, etc.  Now that I’ve realized how stupid I’ve been, I’m making up for lost time. The other week, James and I pulled out my poetry books and read together. We both enjoyed it, and I was thrilled to find that he really does like the same things I like.

The trip to the antique mall was a success in this way, too. James had fun looking at everything, and we ended up splitting off and exploring items that interested us. I ended up buying a postcard from 1909 with an old stamp on it, a second printing of a Nancy Drew book, and an old 1914 geography textbook that was used in the D.C. Public Schools. It was fascinating, for several reasons. First, the book was extremely racist by today’s standards, and it was interesting to see how prejudice pervaded the classroom. Second, the maps and information are pre-World War I, so it includes Austria-Hungary, the German Empire, the Russian Empire, and Africa divided into colonies. Third, the section about the United States lists the nation’s top 10 chief trading partners doesn’t even list China, of course, which shows you how much the world has changed. The book wasn’t in the world’s best condition, but overall it was the most fascinating thing I bought yesterday.

Lesson learned: Don’t assume that your handsome, tall, sweet boyfriend has no interest in poetry, antiques, and other things that you love. It seemed too good to be true but… it’s true. You CAN have everything.

After the antique mall, we went bowling, then Christmas shopping. With the blizzard of the century on the radar, you can imagine how the stores were packed. The parking lot was a mad house. Despite the insanity of it all, we had fun finding presents for people. I think my shopping is finished.

Now I’m just sitting here, lounging around with my laptop, watching the blizzard. I’m considering getting up and actually doing things today but… oh this is just too much fun 🙂