Sideswipe: December 10: kinda Christmassy

Oy to the world. Photo / supplied

Behaving with decorum

"The perfect hostess will see to it that the works of male and female authors be properly separated on her bookshelves. Their proximity, unless they happen to be married, should not be tolerated."— Lady Gough, Etiquette, 1863

"No matter what the fashion may be, the gloves of a well-dressed woman are never so tight that her hands have the appearance of sausages."

— Margery Wilson, The New Etiquette, 1947

"A beautiful eyelash is an important adjunct to the eye. The lashes may be lengthened by trimming them occasionally in childhood. Care should be taken that this trimming is done neatly and evenly, and especially that the points of the scissors do not penetrate the eye."

— Eliza Bisbee Duffey, The Ladies' and Gentlemen's Etiquette, 1877

So what's behind the door?

The door to nowhere. Photo/ supplied

Surreal scenes at Greenlane Hospital bus stop. I've heard of the road to nowhere, but not the door.

Resale to old flame

"In 1998, I decided to get rid of my very 1980s-looking bachelor furniture. After posting on Craigslist, a gentleman came over with a tape measure. Everything would fit, including my king-size platform bed. He just needed to run it by his girlfriend. The next day, the doorbell rang. When I opened the door, I saw the man and my ex-girlfriend from 20 years earlier. We shared our surprise, then moved on to the bedroom set. They said it was perfect. I said to my ex, "That was ours — are you sure you want it?" "Absolutely." And off they went. New York Times Tiny Love Stories)

Kindness of strangers

A reader writes: "I was bashed up and rushed to Middlemore the other night. The next day I was allowed home but explained to my nurse I had no money to get home. A man looking after his son in the next bed overheard and insisted on giving me $100 to get home. He would not listen when I kept refusing his offer. God bless you stranger, and your family. I will never forget what you did. I will be paying it forward."