By KRUI News Reporter Kuper Bergman
Museum of Broken Relationships in Croatia
What becomes of a garden gnome hurled in fury at a car during a stormy breakup? Or a teddy bear that was once a Valentine’s Day present? A wedding dress from a marriage gone awry? An axe that smashed through household furniture? All are on display at the Museum of Broken Relationships in the Croatian capital, each with written testimonies telling tales of passion, romance and heartbreak.
On Valentine’s Day, the museum sees its visits almost double.
“The objects that are here represent all the stages of a breakup … and how people go through love,” said Drazen Grubisic, a designer and artist who co-founded the museum in 2010 in the Croatian capital.
“We might say it’s a love museum, just upside down,” he said.
The mementos — collected from all over the world — are random and varied, ranging from fake rubber breasts to a cast from a broken leg. Each item comes with dates and locations of the relationships, and notes by their anonymous donors.
Some are funny.
The note next to a garter belt says: “I never put them on. The relationship might have lasted longer if I had.”
Grocery bagger wins $10,000 prize in bagging competition
A Wisconsin grocery bagger took home the $10,000 grand prize at the National Grocers Association’s 26th Best Bagger Championship in Las Vegas.
Stephanie Teteak, 30, who has worked at grocery stores for more than 13 years and is currently employed at Larry’s Piggly Wiggly in Kaukauna, Wis., was named the top bagger among the 24 competitors Monday.
Teteak and her competitors were judged in categories including speed, accuracy, and weight distribution.
“Bagging is the most important job in the store,” Teteak said. “No bag of mine goes out there, that isn’t perfect.”
Teteak said she will likely spend her winnings on paying off her bills.
George H.W. Bush’s socks continue to be “outrageous” according to staffers
Staff members at former U.S. President George H.W. Bush’s Houston office said the ex-official’s socks have “gotten more outrageous” in recent months.
Jean Becker, Bush’s long-time chief of staff, said the 41st president has long been a fan of socks with bright colors and unusual designs, but recently he has been wearing them nearly all the time, including at functions such as last year’s commencement ceremonies at Dartmouth College, and giving them out as gifts.
“It’s his trinket now,” Becker said. “This is his signature gift. He’s sort of becoming famous for his socks.”
“He used to wear them on special occasions and not very often,” Becker said. “But he has lately gotten more outrageous. Now he goes out of his way.”
Becker said the “sock thing” has escalated in recent months, which saw the 87-year-old former president diagnosed with lower body Parkinson’s disease and has occasionally confined him to a wheelchair.
Bush said he has long been a “colored socks fan,” but his love of the garments “is not a big thing” in his life.
“I suspect some people think this old boy is a little strange,” Bush said.
Strange Stories sources from: The Huffington Post and UPI.com
