Post One Hundred Sixty Two: Rough morning

So my darling youngest (3-year-old) daughter decides to come into our room this morning . . . at 3:30 this a.m. . . . and ask whether she can go back to her room and play. My youngest has grown quite addicted to her Leapster hand-held game and seems to be playing with it more often than not. At least it's an educational toy (well, the cartridges she plays are anyway).

Regardless, we both have woken up due to the sound of her voice, but I don't stir thinking my wife will handle this appropriately.

"Sure, honey, just go play in your room."

Me: "WHAT?"

Now, I'm giving my wife the benefit of the doubt and going to say she obviously had no idea what time it was and naturally thought that was closer to her typical rise-and-shine time (@ 6:00 a.m.). I [nicely] point out that it is actually 3:30 in the morning, twice as it didn't register the first time. My wife recognizes the problem and valiantly gets up to put the little trouble-maker to bed.

Of course, I never got back to sleep. Having fallen asleep sometime around 11:30 p.m., that gives me a total of 4 hours sleep last night (generously).

I got out of bed at the sound of my 4:50 a.m. alarm to go work out, kind of grouchy, but I did get a good workout in. I then return home, wife still in bed but finally wakes up as I turn on the bathroom light. "I didn't even hear you leave," she says.

Well, at least one of us got back to sleep.

grumblegrumblegrumble

I am then reminded that I have an eye doctor appointment at 8:00 a.m., which I thought was next week (serves me right for not looking at the calendar yesterday), so I am now in a mad rush to get ready and out the door.

Post One Hundred Sixty One: And I'VE got the complex

A friend of mine posted a link to this article on his blog. It's an interesting read for purposes of a he-said/she-said point of view of marriage when both spouses work. But part of it set me off: the "she-said" portion of the article reads, in part:

Note to guys: Start by going to the gym. Then try some new music. Or a book. Or a movie. Keep connected to the rest of the world. You'll win--and so will your marriage.

It's a two-way street, lady. And from what I can tell, the guys have fewer problems going to the gym. Or trying some new music. Or otherwise staying "connected" to the rest of the world. In fact, based on my experience it is the wives who have the more serious problems doing any of the foregoing.

Case in point: I have started working out again (every morning at 5 a.m. ) and am taking it seriously since I weigh more than I ever have (232 lbs. now). The wife, meanwhile, complains about her clothes situation, the way people perceive her at work, and how "tired" she always is. She has a Curves membership but hasn't gone in weeks. Think there might be some relation there?

Well, I get home from my haircut yesterday evening and put the kids to bed, and as we are winding down for the night the wife decides to go get some leftover birthday cake. I decline a piece. She comes back upstairs with two frosting-laden pieces of chocolate cake. I make a comment about it, and she jumps down my throat saying I have a "complex" because I've been concerned about my weight.

Never mind that I might be a little concerned about her health, her appearance, and her mental well-being myself. You just can't win.