Time. We can waste it, lose track of it and supposedly make and buy it. But even with our ability to function 24/7 and our mastery of multitasking, even as the owners of the latest and greatest electronic organizers, we can’t add more time to our days (except for next Sunday when we turn back the clocks). There’s no app for that … yet.
Enter Buy Ketchup in May and Fly at Noon: A Guide to the Best Time to Buy This, Do That and Go There. The book by veteran journalist Mark Di Vincenzo recommends ideal times to eat, travel, shop, visit the doctor and a whole lot more. Below are just a fraction of of Di Vincenzo’s “bests”:
Time to have a baby shower - Four to six weeks before the due date.
Place in the sibling order to be born - First. Research shows that firstborns spend about 3,000 more hours with their parents between the ages of four and 13 and that helps explain why many are successful later in life.
Season to be potty-trained - Summer. Fewer clothes to peel off Junior as you run him to the bathroom.
Month to get pregnant - August. Di Vincenzo admits this one is debatable but reasons that if you get pregnant in August, you won’t be pregnant during the hot summer months and you’ll be over morning sickness once holiday party season rolls around.
Day to give birth - Any day but Saturday and Sunday. Hospitals aren’t fully staffed on the weekends.
Time of day to have a prescription filled at the pharmacy - Late morning.
Time of day to buy shoes - Late afternoon when your feet are swollen.
Time to throw out make-up - After six months.
Time to apply for a passport - Fall (Get moving!). The State Department isn’t receiving as many applications.
Time of year to buy condiments - Mid-May to early June. Companies that make these products offer deep discounts then; they’re hoping you stock up on their stuff and won’t have a need to opt for a competitor’s ketchup come the height of barbecue season.
To quote Styx and Charles Dickens, “These are the best of times.”
Available at amazon.com.