Does course on dating require kissing?
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I didn?t think it was right to vote Pluto off the island when it happened in August and I don?t think it?s right five months later. However, last week I did receive a bit of consolation.
The American Dialect Society has chosen ?Plutoed? as its 2006 Word of the Year. When defined as a verb, ?to Pluto? means ?to demote or devalue something as happened to planet Pluto.?
In honor of my beloved Pluto, I?m going to try to work Plutoed into regular conversation. I could use a sentence like, ?President Bush?s approval rating has really Plutoed.?
The American Dialect Society, which has been in existence since 1889, has been choosing Words of the Year since 1990. In 2005, the winner was ?truthiness,? which is defined as ?what one wishes to be the truth, regardless of the facts.?
I won?t bore you with dozens of examples where I use truthiness and President Bush in the same sentence.
Since I?m on sort of an academic theme with all this talk about words, I?m going to stick to the topic and talk about a new course being offered by the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota. The university has unveiled a one-credit dating course called ?Finding Dates Worth Keeping.?
As you might expect, the class has been the target of criticism, but it?s not a joke. According to the instructor, the class offers valuable information.
?Some people may think it?s a slack course, but I think they?ll come out with something that changes their lives,? said Laurie Chaplin, the relationship counselor who is teaching the course. ?We go to college and get an education. But our love relationships impact us more than anything else.?
My main question centers around homework. Do you have to go on three dates then submit a term paper?
And what about date behavior? ?Gee, Brandy. I?m required to kiss you after the movie or I won?t get at least a ?B? on this assignment.?
The class might actually be a huge boost for students struggling to find dates. Girls might not be so quick to shoot down a guy?s advances if they know it?s for a school assignment.
And in one final education-related tidbit, the world record for an overdue library book that was finally returned may have been set last week in Hancock, Mich. Robert Nuranen finally turned in the book he checked out as a ninth-grader ? along with a check for 47 years worth of late fees totaling $171. He said he found the book ?Prince of Egypt? while looking through his parents? attic.
?I figured I?d better get it in before I waited another 10 years,? said Nuranen. ?Fifty-seven years would be embarrassing.?
The book had a due date stamped June 2, 1960. Despite having the book for decades, Nuranen said he never finished it. The library had long ago lost any record of the book, librarian Sue Zubiena said.
?I?m going to use it as an example,? she said. ?It?s never too late to return your books.?
Catering business blossoms at new bed and breakfast
I think it?s really neat McMinnville has a new bed and breakfast on Old Smithville Highway called the Bonnie Blue Inn. The inn is probably best known around these parts as the old Orville Foutch home.
Owners Brett and Rebecca Merritt have brought new life to the storied home while keeping its historic charm. It?s now virtually finished with only a few final details upstairs to hammer out.
?We traveled around and looked at a lot of other bed and breakfasts before we did this,? said Rebecca. ?That gave us some ideas of things we could do.?
The gist of this write-up isn?t the Bonnie Blue Inn, however. I just mention it because it looks great and I think it?s cool. The gist of this write-up is Southern Belles Cakes and Catering, which is really starting to pick up business now that the inn is operational. Rebecca runs Southern Belles with master cake maker Cynthia White.
?We?ve done weddings for several years but having a place has really helped,? said Rebecca. ?People like a place to go for their special events, some place different.?
If you want to have a party, a rehearsal dinner or any type of event at the inn, it will seat between 36 and 40 people. Since the inn was built without indoor plumbing, there was never a true kitchen area so Brett has built a state-of-the-art kitchen behind the home. From the outside, the kitchen looks like an old wood shed and that?s by design.
Catered events are by no means confined to the inn. Cynthia and Rebecca will take their food anywhere. Southern Belles is a full-service catering business, although elaborate cakes are certainly popular.
?I helped my sister make her wedding cake in 1972 and that?s when I got the cake bug,? said Cynthia, who can do just about anything when it comes to flour and icing. ?Groom?s cakes are my favorite cakes to make because that?s when you can really get creative. Groom?s cakes can show a lot of personality.?
Added Rebecca, ?We always tell people we can do anything. Then when we leave we have to figure out how to do it.?
With cakes that are sometimes five layers high, I had to ask about any cake disasters.
?I don?t know if we?ve ever had one to collapse, but we had one to lean that we had to do some work on,? said Rebecca.
Cynthia cooked up some tasty samples for me to try Friday and I must say the food is impressive. I tried a sausage and cheese tartlet, and an almond date wrap that were both scrumptious ? and scrumptious is a word I use very sparingly.
Rebecca and Cynthia are flexible. They have a wide menu to choose from for catering events or they can make a special entree like salmon. They can also cook special dishes if you supply the recipe.
?The only requirement is that you don?t compare us to mom,? said Rebecca.
To help make your special occasion a more memorable one, you can call Cynthia at 668-7811 or Rebecca at 668-2944.
Photography studio coming to Main Street
Warren County native Stephanie Edens is having a homecoming of sorts, returning to McMinnville to open a photography studio on Main Street.
I say it?s a homecoming of sorts because Stephanie never wandered far away. She?s currently living in Woodbury to shorten the drive to work for her husband, who works in Murfreesboro.
?I love the renovations they?ve done downtown and I do a lot of my shoots there anyway,? said Stephanie. ?A lot of teens like the urban look so Main Street works great. I can take some shots in the studio and then walk outside and shoot some more.?
For only being a photographer for a short time, Stephanie has a knack for using a camera. She used to teach at Warren County High School before deciding to devote more time to her three children.
Stephanie does any type of photography and she has an impressive collection of pictures on her Web site which is www.stephanieedens.com. If you?re wanting wedding pictures or pictures of the kids and family, Stephanie appears to be a good person to call.
?Families and children are what I love to shoot the most,? said Stephanie. ?I enjoy the family dynamic and seeing how the parents and kids interact with one another.?
Stephanie says she plans a very modern approach to studio photography ? no backdrops. She?s been busy shopping for furniture and other items to decorate her new business, which she hopes to have open in March. It will be located next to Attitudes, which is next to the district attorney?s office and child support office, which are now both up and running.
Even though her studio isn?t open, Stephanie?s calendar is filling up fast. She already has several weddings booked and other photo shoots have been scheduled. To give her a call, the phone number is (615) 765-3360.
Open house this Friday for new DA?s office
Speaking of the DA?s office and child support office, there will be an open house this Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. for anyone interested in checking out the new facility. Junior Medley has spearheaded remodeling efforts and those buildings really look great.
I know there have been a few bumps in the road, but it?s been well worth it to bring the DA?s office downtown. It?s expected to increase Main Street traffic and benefit revitalization efforts. So be sure to remember the open house this Friday.
Wideman and Bess accept Edward Jones partnership
Investment guru Dave Wideman has worked for Edward Jones since 1980. His office administrator, Tanya Bess, has been with the company since 1999.
Now the two have become limited partners at Edward Jones, which gives them some ownership.
?Knowing I share ownership of the company I work for is tremendously rewarding,? said Dave.
Added Tanya, ?I?ve always enjoyed my job ? it?s both challenging and rewarding. But being invited to become an owner in the company is really exciting.?
I think we should all give a big round of applause to Dave and Tanya.
That?s all folks
I?ve conveyed all the business news I know. I?m not sure what I?ll come up with for next week?s column, but I?ll try to find some business somewhere in the county to spotlight.
Give me a call with any tips, pointers, suggestions or financial advice. The phone number is 473-2191.