OK, I'm irritable. Our state primary isn't until May. May, for pete's sake. Nothin' like having zero say at all in the primary process. I imagine my choices will be McCain and Pon Raul. Gee, thanks.

So in theory, Michigan was right. Even though they forfeited their delegates, they still got to influence the outcome. They get no votes later, but at least they got the media reaction. Meanwhile, states like mine get nothing at all, no influence, no delegates that matter.

So we still have about 20 states left, and it's done. And my candidate was out after only six states. Maybe if the primaries weren't spread out over five freaking months, he might've had a better chance. Or someone would've had a better chance. More importantly, people would've voted for the candidate they agreed with, not the candidate that the media steered them towards by telling them their first choice had no shot.

Not happy.

Posted by: Sarah at 12:41 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The Flag has to come first
if freedom is to survive.
--Col Steven Arrington--

Every once in a while, something on the internet takes my breath away.

Over Our Dead Bodies

This is something I don't like to talk about because it makes me seem cold and cruel. I also think it makes me somewhat out-of-the-ordinary. And some will think I'm plain psycho for even thinking such things. But I believe in the premise of this article, that man is dispensible for the greater cause.

My husband is one of those dispensible men.

I have tried to come to terms with exactly how that makes me feel. And Lord knows I don't ever want to have to put my convictions to the test. But should I have to, I will come back and read that article again and find solace, and I will try very hard to remember in my grief what I knew to be true before grief struck.

I have thought about this a lot over the past years, as you must when your husband's job is war. But I've thought about it in other scenarios too. There was an episode of 24 where terrorists hold a wife and kid hostage and send dad out to provide a detonator to the man holding a nuke. Dad would do anything to save his family, even enable a nuclear weapon.

No way.

I put myself in those shoes, and I just couldn't do it. There's no way I could kill 20,000 to save my 2. I'm not going to go Keyser Soze on my family, but there's no way I will cooperate in arming a nuclear device just to save my husband.

He and I have also talked about this in regards to Jill Carroll and the Brit hostages. I will not beg and grovel, I will not trade his life for the lives of others, and I will remember in my heart the brave Fabrizio Quattrocchi as I do the hardest thing that could ever be asked of a person.

My husband is dispensible.

I do not say that lightly. Not at all. The moment I typed the words, I felt the beginning of tears.

But my personal happiness is not more important than my country. I will do my best to remember this, even when I often think that the Middle East is not worthy of my husband. I will remember that surely there were wives who thought that their husbands' lives were not worth taxation without representation, the end of slavery in far away states, or fear of the domino effect. Yet they sacrificed their husbands, and I would do the same.

That is our profession. Harooh.

I think the movie 300 took people by surprise. The Spartans were not a perfect society, not by a long shot, but they lived by the credo that men are dispensible for Sparta. And the movie resonated with people because they still want to believe that such men are out there. They want to believe that 300 would step up and defend our country too, risking all.

But I think they're afraid that those 300 don't exist. Most of the moviegoers don't number among them.

Some have asked me how I'd feel to get pregnant before my husband deploys. The thought makes me sick to my stomach. I want to raise a child with my husband or not at all. But I asked him while I was pregnant if it made him feel better or worse that he would leave a child behind should something happen to him. He said he did find comfort in thinking like the Spartans, that only men with progeny should be sent to battle. Thus I pray we get pregnant before he leaves again soon, so he has the peace of knowing that his legacy lives on.

And as hard as it is for me to think of my husband as dispensible, it will be all the harder to think of that child as dispensible too.

But the flag comes first.

(Thanks to Kim du Toit for the article and for writing "Not all of us are at the mall. We are with you as surely is if weÂ’re going out on patrol with you, or standing next to you in the chow line back at camp.")

********

I sat on this one for a while, mulling it over. And in the meantime, I came across an article that Baldilocks' father wrote.

If you are so convinced that an ideal is vital for your society, then shouldnÂ’t you make it your duty to live long enough to help your society to realise it? Once you are dead, of what use are you?
...
But, clearly, a soldier is much more important than a tool. That is why the law on self-preservation is even more significant to humans. Sure, a good soldier fights bravely in battle. But his bravery must include every stratagem that helps him to return to base unharmed.

Only then can he be available for another battle. Hence the saying: Live for your country: never deliberately die for it.

Trust me when I say that we also know this to be true. No one was more diligent about not dying needlessly than my husband was the last time he was in Iraq. (That's why he put two soldiers in jail when they failed to ensure the safety of the other men.)

My husband is the last man to promote swashbuckling or chest-thumping. But some must go to fight the Dragons, and those men must be ready to be dispensible.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:47 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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How do I love my pal Erin? Let me count the ways...

Erin's first knitting project was this baby sweater, intended for a pregnant friend. But I wasn't there when she started it, so she didn't know that she could float the yarn up the side of the work instead of cutting at every color change. When she finished all the pieces and saw the tangle of mess she had to contend with, she picked the whole thing up and placed it in the garbage can.

Luckily, I was there at that moment, and knitting -- no matter how heinous -- does not belong in the garbage. I took it home and dumped it in a box of yarn, where it sat for three years.

And if Erin had adopted a girl, it would've sat there until eternity.
But Erin had a boy, and I had work to do.

I cursed those tails as I wove them in, but I did it because I couldn't wait to hear the awe in Erin's voice when she realized that the first knitting project she ever made would actually be worn by her new baby.

And it was totally worth it.

"Tucker, look what your mommy and Aunt Sarah made for you," I heard her whisper over the phone.

Yep, totally worth it.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:03 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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toothpastefordinner.com

Our cell phone contract is almost up, which means we're eligible for phone upgrades and such. We went in today to find out about fancy-pants phones like Blackberries. And the sales lady looked at us like we were the freaks for not wanting to pay $140 a month towards cell phones. Um, nope.

And if that weren't enough, we spent the rest of the day at the DMV.

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CaliValleyGirl once said that the reason she started blogging was so I would notice her and be her friend. Now that I am her friend, she sends me enormous emails about her thoughts but doesn't blog anymore.

So I hereby announce that I am no longer certain that I want to be friends with her. Heh. Maybe that'll get her to post again.

P.S. Why didn't anyone tell me that Annika was blogging again? For pete's sake, she's been at it for months and I had no idea. Also she wrote about Tom Petty last month, which brings me full circle today. Also I want to hear more about The Karate Kid. Incidentally, I had to bite my tongue hard not to ask CaliValleyGirl to take me to Reseda or the Golf n Stuff when I was in L.A.

And now I'm full circle within this post.

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The husband hated the last season of 24. I was not ready to let go just yet. But somehow, I think I might be able to stop watching now. Also, Butterfly Wife might need a new name for her hubs; seems Jack Bauer is going wuss on us.

On May 31, the show’s head writers went in for a meeting at the studio to present their first big idea: sending Jack to Africa. In various incarnations, Jack would begin the season digging ditches, building houses, tending to orphans, providing security for an embassy or escorting around a visiting dignitary. “One of the themes we discussed was penance, that Africa was a place Jack had gone to seek some kind of penance. Some sanctuary too, but also penance for things he’s done in his life,” Mr. Gordon says.

You know what would make 24 even better? They could feature a big gay pile to stop terrorism.

AirForceWife lent us Sleeper Cell; looks like we'll watch that instead. And I could use more Deadwood when they make it.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:08 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 You gotta watch Sleeper Cell.

Posted by: Erin at February 04, 2008 05:07 AM (y67l2)

2 Mmmmm, Oded Fehr. Almost as good looking as Air Force Guy, but still falls short. You'll love it! I know you will!

Posted by: airforcewife at February 04, 2008 05:21 AM (mIbWn)

3 And now, thank-you-very-much, that you mentioned Deadwood I can't get that line about Nebraska *ahem* genitals out of my head. I hope I don't talk in my sleep. AFG will really be wondering what the heck is going on.

Posted by: airforcewife at February 04, 2008 07:20 AM (mIbWn)

4 I read that article. Seems like the lead writer just changed his mind as time went out. I don't think it makes Jack a pansy. I've never watched the show but Jack is still who he was. He's just realizing the truth. Sounds very American to me. Sounds like the writer has some big and interesting ideas. I want to watch this season.

Posted by: Will at February 04, 2008 08:29 PM (ZBuK9)

5 LOL - they got a hit show doing the most un-PC stuff they could write about. Then when it became popular they were freaked and didn't know what to do. I won't watch it again. Last year was the limit. I also understand that Janeane Garofalo (however you spell her name) will be joining the cast - oh HELL NO! I'm now watching the Sarah Connor Chronicles. Not great, but not bad.

Posted by: Teresa at February 05, 2008 02:00 PM (rVIv9)

6 Hmmmm.

Posted by: Butterfly Wife at February 05, 2008 06:12 PM (K0acE)

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I loved this exchange between mom and teen about the Tom Petty halftime show.

We were surprised that they chose Tom Petty. Pleasantly surprised, but surprised nonetheless. I half expected 50 Cent to come out halfway through and start doing a rap version, followed by Marilyn Manson screeching "Mary Jane's Last Dance" with Faith Hill on backup or something. Looks like they've maybe given up on the "get artists from all different walks of life and make them sing a song together" idea. "Also, make one of them wear a sweat sock on their arm. That will appeal to the youngsters." Blech.

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Liveblogging the Super Bowl...no, just kidding. But I thought the Declaration of Independence segment was touching. Makes me feel so proud and embiggened.

And I am about to burst, I ate so much junk. Yum.

FYI, Super Bowl knitting includes another SWS Danica for Love My Tanker and a dishrag for my brothers' new apartment.

Posted by: Sarah at 02:01 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Ok, so what type of yarn do you use to make dishrags? Sounds like a simple project for someone like me.

Posted by: Vonn at February 03, 2008 06:43 PM (L56+J)

2 Ok, so what type of yarn do you use to make dishrags? Sounds like a simple project for someone like me.

Posted by: vonn at February 03, 2008 06:44 PM (L56+J)

3 Vonn -- The easiest and cheapest route is to use those little balls of Sugar n Cream 100% cotton. They wash-and-wear pretty well. I'd recommend a colorway that doesn't have white in it (so they get less grimy looking). And there's a great website with a ton of patterns; google Dishcloth Boutique!

Posted by: Sarah at February 04, 2008 02:40 AM (TWet1)

4 I have never, ever felt more loved!

Posted by: LMT at February 05, 2008 03:25 AM (y9taJ)

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Mmm, only an hour left until I get to start eating foods that are terrible for me! We're having beefy cheese dip, basil-pesto cracker spread, and Paula Deen's version of pigs in a blanket. Oh yeah, and there's some football or something, whatever. We ate salad for lunch so we can gorge ourselves in front of the TV.

Also, I had a laugh today when CaliValleyGirl asked me how we pay such low taxes. Um, that's what happens when one of you has a job with an annual salary of $900. Knitting teacher doesn't exactly pay the bills.

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The husband did our taxes this weekend and somehow, against all odds of us trying to contribute the bare minimum, we are still getting a refund. The husband just said, "Sweet, the government is hooking us up!" And I feigned horror and said, "Do not ever say anything of the sort again. They are not 'hooking us up'; they are merely only keeping $7000 of our money instead of $9000."

If everyone looked at taxes that way, maybe we could get some reform.

And as I was digging around for receipts on charitable contributions and my husband was trying to figure out how much state sales tax we could deduct, we kept muttering how nice the Fair Tax would be.

Posted by: Sarah at 06:09 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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One year ago today, I assumed I was in the process of getting pregnant. I could barely concentrate on the Super Bowl because I thought there were miraculous changes going on inside my body. If you had told me then that I would be watching the next Super Bowl unpregnant and without a baby, I think you could've knocked me over with a feather. I can't believe we've been running in place for a year.

I know some people think I was incredibly naive when I went into this process. And apparently I was. I did not know that people had to try to get pregnant. Sure, I had friends with actual medical conditions -- endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome -- and I knew some people tried for years to get pregnant and then had to have fertility help, but I thought that if you didn't have Major Medical Problems, you just got pregnant. I know people who got pregnant by forgetting to take one day of their birth control pill. I know a lot of R&R babies, which means people managed a one-shot-one-kill tactic in the random two weeks their husbands were on leave from deployment. And within three months of the husbands' return from Iraq, our entire street in Germany was pregnant. I know of so many people who got accidentally or immediately pregnant that I thought that the female body was dying to procreate the first chance it could get. I honestly thought that all you had to do to get pregnant was not prevent it from happening.

And here we are.

The sad thing for me is that I now feel smothered by a blanket of apathy. Where last year I fretted and fussed over temperatures and charts, now I just don't care anymore. I don't feel excited about getting pregnant, and once I do finally get pregnant again, I know I will feel nervous and detached. I am not going to enjoy it the way I should, which frustrates me beyond belief.

So this Super Bowl is a "grim milestone" of sorts for me. And tomorrow when my husband takes his DLPT, our Safe Year officially ends. And we have absolutely nothing to show for it.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:34 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 You don't have "nothing to show for it". Yes, you do not have an infant, but you had a year with a loving husband. Trust me, that's more than a little "something" to have. Many people go their whole life without that. (Don't jump to any conclusions. I have a loving wife, we've been married for 17 years. I'm just stating something about what you have from the last year.)

Posted by: Gus at February 03, 2008 04:45 AM (V+clK)

2 Incredibly sad post! Just keep trying. That apathy is defensive. When your body deceives you, it's difficult to trust it again. I still don't believe that I have babies. I never, ever, in a million years, ever thought that I would be so lucky. Just keep trying. At least THAT part is fun. If you had to get root canal to get pregnant, that would SUCK! Try not to worry about it. Drink some wine. It worked for me! And I'm OLD.... I wish I could take your burden. I've already been there and back. It hurts to see people that you care about suffer.... I wish I could snap my fingers and make everything all ok.

Posted by: Allison at February 03, 2008 07:12 PM (f2kPQ)

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Yay, the hat I made for Tucker fits!
(I am used to making preemie stuff, so newborn stuff looks gigantic to me.)

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We watched Ratatouille last night. What was the deal with all the guns? Doddering old grannies in France do not keep shotguns in the living room, nor do quarreling couples go at each other with pistols. It was France, for pete's sake. France does not have a gun culture.

Other than that, it was good. But the gun thing was mighty weird.

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This Chicago Boyz article is really good but also really painful for me to read because I know I am "educated beyond [my] intelligence." But at least I know and can admit it, right?

Yeah, reading that post made me want to puke.

(Gee thanks, David...)

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I'm just kind of flabbergasted that it looks like the Republican candidate might be McCain. Six months ago there was no way on earth it'd be McCain. Shoot, one month ago in Iowa he got slightly less delegates than Fred. I don't know about you, but I sure as heck didn't see this coming.

John Hawkins lays out some good points in his new article, "Why You're Going To Vote For John McCain In November And Like It!" There are some on teh internets who say that they'd rather stay home than vote for McCain, or that we deserve four years of Hillary to wake us up to just how bad it can get.

I told that last one to my husband, who replied that stupid, stubborn Republican voters will indeed deserve Hillary if they can't hold their nose at the polls and punch a chad for McCain, but that our military doesn't deserve Hillary. Our troops don't deserve a fate of fleeing Baghdad à la Saigon. Our troops don't deserve to be told again that they fought and died for nothing.

So hold your nose, throw up in your mouth a little, whatever it takes, but vote for McCain if he's our guy. There may not be a huge difference between him and the Dems, but there certainly is a difference when it comes to the GWOT.

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"So, who are you going to vote for?"

There are few words that strike fear into my heart like those. How much should I say to someone I am just getting to know? Should I let on how much I follow this kind of stuff? Dear heavens, what if she says she's voting for Hillary?

It worked out just fine in this case and we had a lovely chat. But man, do I hate when that comes up for the first time.

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I heard on the TV last night that, before he got out of the election, John Edwards called Clinton and Obama and asked them to promise to keep hammering his message of ending poverty.

Ending poverty...from the most expensive home in his county.

Look, I have nothing at all against Edwards living in that house. But don't talk to us about how there's Two Americas and then live in the one that you have contempt for. That's ridiculous.

Someone who seriously wanted to help fight poverty could get by with a smaller house and use his "extra" money and time to do things in his community that actually help fight poverty: volunteer at an adult education program, donate money to the soup kitchen, whatever. But seriously, stop lecturing us about how we have to pay more in taxes and get by with less in order to end poverty.

End poverty. Snort. There's no such thing anyway; they'd just raise the bar for what constitutes the poverty level.

Posted by: Sarah at 08:42 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Mrs. du Toit has a lengthy but good post covering a variety of ideas. One segment I particularly liked:

Take something like a Happy Meal at McDonaldÂ’s. While it might seem affordable to us today, even in todayÂ’s dollars, the idea that someone would spend $3.00 a meal for the kids, when the ingredients cost 50 cents, would have been considered a luxury item. What we have done as a society is put a value on our time, and a willingness to pay someone else to add the value of preparing it. The ingredients cost 50 cents, and if you add your free labor to prepare the same meal, thatÂ’s how much it will cost you (plus about 5 cents to cover the energy costs).

If, however, you do not want to spend the time to prepare the meal yourself, then you have to pay someone else to do it, and that is why we say “a couple can no longer live on one income.” They sure as hell can, IF they are willing to assign to the job description of a wife the same level of labor that was assigned 100 years ago.
...
My point is that what we define as “getting by” now includes luxury and non essential items. A welfare recipient once said, “I can’t afford a Happy Meal for my kid on the money I get.” Nor should she! She is not working, so she has plenty of time to prepare the meal and save the labor costs.

That last sentence killed me.

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1 I guess the only consideration that is left out of the second paragraph is the desire many women have to work, which, although it puts a premium on time, is pretty fulfilling.

Posted by: Nicole at January 30, 2008 04:45 PM (jyFmj)

2 I'm actually a little offended by the "if they are willing to assign the job description of a wife the same level of labor that was assigned 100 years ago." The most obvious reason, of course, is that I'm not willing to go back to being a second class citizen because I'm female. If a member of a household wants to take on household responsibilities in order to save money, I'm all for it. But it doesn't have to be a wife's assigned duty. I take pride in taking care of my family and finding ways to cut expenses--like cooking at home rather than eating out. That's my choice, not my job description. Secondly, the level of labor which a modern day wife/mother/household adult is no less than it was 100 years ago. The responsibilities have changed, and generally take less intensive physical labor, but we are just as busy as we were then, if not more. Technology creates as many new responsibilities as it alleviates, in my experience. Not only that, but our children have more activities, schools have more demands. Sometimes I would love to go back 100 years when there weren't phones ringing all day with people needing things, and without all the appliances that break or have to be cleaned or demand attention in one way or another. I completely disagree that today's household executives have less to do than their equals 100 years ago. Also, with the Happy Meal example, say the ingredients and energy costs equal $.55 and it takes you an hour to prepare it. My time is worth more than $2.50 per hour. I understand that the savings are cumulative, but time is certainly a factor when considering cost/benefit ratios. I don't buy my kids Happy Meals because they are gross, full of fat and salt and are otherwise nutritionally deficient. I do, however, agree that the last sentence is disgusting and represents an incredible problem in our society.

Posted by: Sis B at January 30, 2008 06:31 PM (qPf1j)

3 I'm not sure I read that the same way that you do, Sis B. What I was thinking about were the families where both parents work, so then they pay for daycare, a cleaning lady, a second car payment, meals in restaurants, etc, and use up all their disposable income and say that you "can't get by on one." It's just an opportunity cost; if you WANT to get by on one, you often can...but we've definitely redifined "getting by." At any rate, I mostly posted the excerpt for that last line, which I had never heard phrased that way and which made me guffaw.

Posted by: Sarah at January 31, 2008 02:54 AM (TWet1)

4 i was on board with the whole thing until the wife sentence, then i got all riled up. and guffaw is an awesome word, and totally applies to the reaction of that lady's comment.

Posted by: Sis B at January 31, 2008 03:26 AM (qPf1j)

5 Yeah, the wife comment bugs me too. But most families have a pretty equal division of labor. I don't think it was intended to offend/piss off anyone. That being said, I have been cooking since I was 9 years old. I had a single mom, it was one of my chores so to speak. I cannot tell you the number of people I know who simply don't know how to do it. It's a life skill, like balancing your check book and knowing how to fill out your taxes. And I am APPALLED at the sheer volume of people who simply don't know how to cook simple things. But I do agree that what we consider getting by today is much different than it was 20 years ago. People need to get a grip.

Posted by: Mare at January 31, 2008 04:18 AM (EI19G)

6 I emailed Sis B and commented that, if you know the du Toits, you would never say that Connie is subservient

Posted by: Sarah at January 31, 2008 04:49 AM (TWet1)

7 Dang it! I wrote a sparkling comment that was eaten alive. At any rate, as to the 'wife' comment, I took it to be gender neutral or as in the definition of what a wife did 100 years ago regardless of who would do the duties now. Plus, I often lament how I need "a wife" even though I am one! My husband does way more than many of my friends' husbands do, but even now, with my crazy school schedule, when push comes to shove & something out of the norm has to be done, it usually is seen as obvious that I as mother/wife will do it rather than father/husband. I guffawed too & immediately thought of the Eddie Murphy stand up (Raw?) in which he talked about his mother telling him she could make him a hamburger 'better than McDonald's.' a RIOT.

Posted by: Guard Wife at January 31, 2008 06:14 AM (20Lnu)

8 Sarah, I loved this part of the post. You and I have spoken before at the cost of being a SAHM. It can be done. If people want it bad enough. I have women tell me all of the time, that they want to do it, but cannot afford to. I would beg to differ. You can do it, you will just live differently than most of your peers. We do not have a McMansion, we cannot go out to eat, I cannot buy books (thank GOd for the library), I do not go to Starbucks, or have a cleaning lady, etc, I get my hair done when we can afford it, I rarely get my nails etc done those are luxuries to us. $3.oo is a lot for a Happy Meal in our home. We rarely go out to a movie. If we do, it is usually the dollar movies on 50cent Monday. I ration my gas, and do errands accordingly. You learn to live differently. I have been a SAHM for 6 years, and although I am looking at getting back into the workforce soon, I do not regret spending that 6 years with my children. My Husband reminds me frequently that I can always go out and make $$, but I will never get that time back with my children. And as I am packing I keep looking through the baby books, and wondering where that time went, it goes so fast. I am glad I have been blessed to SAH.

Posted by: awtm at January 31, 2008 08:36 AM (x5J2q)

9 I guess, from my perspective, I was assuming that many working moms still many of those chores themselves...so in addition to working, they still clean their own homes, cook many meals, and take care of other household chores. The childcare expense is definitely a big one (from what I've heard) and it's true that gas and transportation costs are getting bigger and bigger all of the time. When I hear people (especially dual income families) say that can't live on what they make, I assume they aren't doing a good job of managing the money they have. Maybe that's presumptious.

Posted by: Nicole at January 31, 2008 09:09 AM (jyFmj)

10 I worked until kid #4 was born, and quite frankly we had more money after I stopped working than we did while I WAS working. The reason for that was exactly what Sarah listed above - we didn't eat out very often anymore, I didn't have to pay childcare anymore (except for the oldest, my kids came close together), the gas, the car payments -- and more -- it all added up. Not to mention the fact that I was mentally stressed beyond belief trying to balance the two, work and home, even though my husband has always been wonderful about helping out. Once I stopped working, I was no longer too tired to cook. I was no longer using my credit card to put gas in my car. And so on. So, in our case with a somewhat large family, it saved us money for me to stay home.

Posted by: airforcewife at January 31, 2008 02:09 PM (mIbWn)

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I had the thought today that, if Hillary Clinton is elected president, as a woman I will probably be expected to be happy that we have reached a historical milestone. Instead I will feel zero percent joy. I don't care if we ever have a woman president; I only want a good president. I don't care if it's a woman, man, Rhodesian Ridgeback, whatever, as long as they approach the job from my value system. Otherwise, I will be bummed.

(Also, do go and read that link of Rachel Lucas' dog's platform, if only for the little quotes under the issues. See here and here. It is teh funny.)

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I read Rachel Lucas' fisking of 10 Things You Should Never Say To A Woman. She is spot on at how stupid they are. Actually, come to think of it, I have never had any man ever say any of those 10 things to me, so either 1) I have surrounded myself with high quality men since puberty or 2) the article is a bunch of hooey.

I will say though, that I have had the opposite experience of #2 ("They both look the same to me"). When we were registering for our wedding gifts, my husband thought I would be mad if he didn't express opinions, so he announced that he liked blue dishes. I searched high and low for suitable blue dishes, thinking that I should do something nice for him since he thought it was important. Turns out that weeks later when I broke down in frustrated tears and apologized to him that I couldn't find any blue dishes...well, he had no idea what I was talking about. He said he was just trying to be involved and pretend like he gave a whit of difference. That's when he got in trouble. Men, if you really don't have a preference, say so rather than making your woman tear her hair out trying to please you over something you made up just so you'd look "caring."

Also, I completely disagree with #9. My husband quotes movie lines to me all the time, and I think it's very romantic. Whether he's telling me in all sincerity that I am his Rushmore, or hamming it up and giving me a creepy "I wish I knew how to quit you," I think it's cute. Because for us, every day is Double Soup Tuesday, and every day we choo-choo-choose to be together.

I feel sorry for men trying to pick up women, worrying about offending her at every turn. Maybe if women weren't so full of themselves they'd be happy with a nice man who treats them like a person instead of a delicate little flower. And maybe poor men wouldn't have to change and fake everything about themselves in the hopes that some woman will like the new him.

Sheesh.

FRY: OK, you're on a date. What's the first thing you do?

ZOIDBERG: Ask her to mate with me.

FRY: No. Tell her she's special.

ZOIDBERG: But she's not. She's merely the female with the largest clutch of eggs.

FRY: Well, tell her that. And then?

ZOIDBERG: Then mating.

FRY: No. Make up some feelings and tell her you have them. Yes?

ZOIDBERG: Is desire to mate a feeling?

FRY: You're not even trying!

[Zoidberg buries his head in his claws and groans.]

ZOIDBERG: It's all so complicated with the flowers and the romance and the lies upon lies.

Yep, we quote that too. And yes, I consider it romantic when we do.

Posted by: Sarah at 05:07 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 493 words, total size 3 kb.

1 My husband always whispers "I promise, I will NEVER die," as foreplay. And (completely unrelated to foreplay) he also tells me to relax when I'm really upset, but it's always very soothing and accompanied with warm cuddles. I think he's the "Sis B Whisperer" because the tension melts out of me when he does that. And I wouldn't have married him if he could point out the differences in dinnerware. Seriously.

Posted by: Sis B at January 28, 2008 05:22 AM (uahf1)

2 Ha, yeah, I forgot about "I promise I will never die"; my husband says that all the time too! And even though it is totally not applicable, I melt when he quotes Deuce Bigalow: "You may only have one leg, but it is the most beautiful leg in the world."

Posted by: Sarah at January 28, 2008 05:28 AM (TWet1)

3 AFG says, "I promise, I'll never die," TOO! How hilariously widespread! I actually LOVE it when hubby says, "I don't really care which plates you choose." It gives me carte blanche to go with whatever I want, which usually looks like something vaguely hippie-ish in colors like olive green, brick red, deep purple, or all three at the same time. Then hubby might cringe when he sees the plates, but it is fait accompli and done. It's also how I acquired a duvet that was a deep red with burnt orange designs on it. I LOVE that duvet. AFG... well, he turns the lights out as soon as possible at night. Yay for men who hate shopping with women!

Posted by: airforcewife at January 28, 2008 07:43 AM (mIbWn)

4 i have been watching more Futurama than usual lately because of the reruns, and i think i just saw this episode. is it the one where they are stuck with the amazon women? hilarious.

Posted by: Kate at January 28, 2008 11:36 AM (JIGe1)

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