Gifts for Civil Engineer girlfriend

[jcwalter88]

Hey all,

First post so hello! I have been to this forum before to prep for the FE which my girlfriend and I took this October. We both graduate this December with our bachelors, I am an ME and she is a CE. Graduation is December 17th, her birthday is December 10th and then there is Christmas so I need to come up with something extra special this year.

We are a very serious couple and live together. I have already done the typical gifts, a "promise" ring, necklace, expensive purse, etc. Last year I got her a book written by a CE that was funny and she enjoyed that. I want to get her something to let her know I am proud she is going to be an engineer and want something along those lines. Cafe Press and Zazzle have lots of CE shirts and mugs and stuff but not sold on the quality there.

So my question is: What kind of neat things would you like or have seen that would relate to engineering? I have googled this topic a bunch lately and haven't turned up much. Any ideas or help would be much appreciated.

Happy Holidays,

Jon

 

[YMZ PE]

I'll post some real suggestions before the double entendres start flying. Not sure where you are, but when my hubby and I were dating, he took me to a Christmas musical called "A Mulholland Christmas Carol", which was a hilarious civil engineering themed musical about the life of Bill Mulholland, founder of the Los Angeles department of water and power. They put it on in December in the Hollywood area. That was the best engineering related gift ever. Maybe you can look into some local shows with a similar flavor?

Other than that, an IPad, Kindle Fire, or other tablet loaded with productivity apps would be a great way for her to stay organized as she starts her engineering career. I use my iPad to track my tasks and deliverables. There are also nifty note taking apps and even an Autocad app that allows you to markup drawings in the field. David Allen's "Getting Things Done" is also a great (if somewhat dry) book on staying focused and maximizing workflow that could help her in her career.

 

[DVINNY]

I'll post some real suggestions before the double entendres start flying. ....

Geesh. I had a few ready, but now will refrain...

 

[YMZ PE]

Were you going to suggest stripper bottoms or a cast-in-place diaphragm?

 

[DVINNY]

More along the lines of a "how to" instruction manual for a STANDARD PENETRATION TEST, or a technical demonstration on EXTERNAL FORCES ON A WOOD MEMBER.....

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

I'll post some real suggestions before the double entendres start flying.

Dammit, I'm too late!

Maybe you should invest in a VIBRATORY COMPACTOR for her.

 

[Otter]

Vegetables can be really sensuous, don't you think?

​

 

[The Car]

Ladies love a monster driveshaft.

Udden, udden

 

[Blake]

As you all know first prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Anyone wanna see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you're fired. Get the picture? You laughing now?

 

[csb]

I like anything vintage. Ebay is a good place to look for older CE manuals and rules and whatnot.

 

[engineergurl]

My husband got into my "tools of the trade" looking for a protractor and a ruler for some sort of Army thing and found a lettering template... he asked me what it was and since I didn't have a scriber of my own (I utilized on at the school during drafting and when needed during surveying), I told him that the template was pretty well useless for me but explained it anyway... he in turn bought me an very old mechanical lettering set for my birthday... obviously with today's technology, it's not needed, but it was a very sweet thing for him to get me because he knows I feel like drafting is a lost art...

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I used to teach hand drafting before moving on to computers. I think it gave the students a better idea of why things are done certain ways in drafting. Also gives them a huge appreciation for moder software.

 

[engineergurl]

I used to teach hand drafting before moving on to computers. I think it gave the students a better idea of why things are done certain ways in drafting. Also gives them a huge appreciation for moder software.

Completely agree, I trampsed through the woods dragging a two- chain tape, and had to pass several levels of proficiencies before we were even allowed to look at a total station...

and now days, when I get praised for the neatness of my handwriting... I think, it is from all those dang lettering excercises!

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

I wouldn't complain if I got a little hand drafting on my birthday.

 

[Exception Collection]

I used to teach hand drafting before moving on to computers. I think it gave the students a better idea of why things are done certain ways in drafting. Also gives them a huge appreciation for moder software.

Absolutely agree, I started with hand drafting and moved swiftly into CAD. Of course, I'm not very *good* at hand drafting - these days I won't produce anything except a rough preliminary sketch by hand out of embarrassment - but having the basics really helps.

Edit: And if you're buying a girl hand drafting equipment, you can't go wrong with a vi mechanical eraser.

 

[pbrme]

Whipping out a good old fashioned manual one is relaxing. Remember back in the day, we'd do it all day long, over and over again just for fun...but, there was always one or two sloppy ones because we were tired and/or lazy and just wanted to get it done with. And then the advent of the auto-arm?... I mean how cool was that. Looking back on it now, I guess it was a little creepy having the teacher stare over your shoulder watching you, pointing out mistakes, or inversely, commenting on your skill.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

Nothing like a good old fashioned.

 

[pbrme]

Get her an Order of the Engineer ring. Or a subscription to ME magazine (as a gag), "or you could build her a cake or something..."

Your also forgetting, FE results party! The EIT is a pretty good gift.

Tickets to a CE workshop in vegas would be cool. Allegiant tickets are cheap.

 

[jcwalter88]

Thanks for the suggestions and humor! Yeah I don't think she has probably seen any drafting equipment while in school. I think they just start out straight away with total station. I was trying to find some kind of game that was engineering related or some kind of toy. I know Lego has an architecture series that I find pretty cool but I don't know that she is really into that kind of stuff. She interned with the city water department for two summers and I think her interests are in water and environmental type stuff.

Excuse my ignorance but would an Order of the Engineer ring be for someone who has a PE?

Thanks again for the help!

Jon

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

Hookers and blow.