Sugar and spice and everything nice

This is the first year that I've had more young women than young men in my lessons. The only place where this makes a difference is that this makes shopping for birthday gifts much, much easier. They're small presents - better than a glitter pencil, not as great as their own personal penguin - but I think it's important. (It's all selfish, really, because I just like birthdays lots. ;))

I've resorted the past few to just giving most of the guys gift certificates for fast food (Sonic is the #1 request, by the way) because I cannot come up with anything else that I think they'd like. The music-related gifts the girls seem to appreciate (clarinet push pins, little clarinet lapel pins and the like) are just too cutesy for the guys, and the non-music related gifts the girls get are, well, too girlie. Now, however, I can go crazy with my lip gloss set purchases (Mmmmmmm.... Dr Pepper) and gift certificates at Claire's. Shopping for girls = easy. Shopping for boys = food(?).