John (husband John, as opposed to co-host John, or producer John, or all my friends named John, or of course the CUSTOMERS I REFER TO AS JOHNS) - anyway, John and I met up for lunch downtown yesterday. It’s funny meeting your husband for lunch. First of all, I actually spent a moment considering what to wear. Secondly, when I arrived at the restaurant, he got up to kiss me. We have been married for 23 years, and I just spent the last 5 days sniffling around the house wearing his old ratty bathrobe, but all of a sudden we’re Nick and Nora Charles.
Then we went jewellery shopping. Yes, we actually did. Now before you start thinking we’re the Howells or something, let me tell you that on the few occasions that we buy each other watches or jewellery, we do so at auction. With both my birthday and Christmas coming up, John likes the idea of one stop shopping, and while my radio sponsors won’t appreciate this, it’s way more cost effective. I don’t have a lot of bling, but what I do have is genuine, old, and quite often has someone else’s initials on it.
It’s all very civilized. You show up at the auction house, register, and then they buzz you through to a little room where you sit at a table and peruse their catalogue, then fill out an order form of the items you’d like to see. It’s a bit like ordering dim sum. They bring you your selection on a tray, and you can take your time trying stuff on and making notes. The pieces can range from small, inexpensive trinkets to Elizabeth Taylor-style rocks. Other patrons include couples like us, collectors, professional jewellers and appraisers, and society ladies presumably up or down-sizing their stashes. Witness this discussion between two tweedy matrons:
Darling! It’s been ages! What are you here for?
Beth needs a graduation present and I thought sapphires. What about you?
Christmas. Arthur wants Patek Philippe. And I’m tired of servicing the Rolexes.
(I felt like leaning over and telling the ladies my studs weren’t big enough, but one of them was sitting there with me, so……)
I picked out a couple of items, and John will probably bid on them at the actual auction next week. No guarantee. One year I picked out a watch for Christmas, and I got a casserole dish instead. At least I don’t have to service it.