Smart Women Doing Dumb Things

My father's birthday dinner is in an hour and a half. My sister R. isn't going because her husband D. is a little sick, and is acting like a jerk.

I can't believe she's falling for this one! How many times did we see our own mother do this? Forego something she really wanted to do because Dad wanted to sit at home and sulk? Because he wouldn't participate, or wouldn't approve, or because he was just being a shit?

Mind you, I'm not mad at the guy in this situation. Everyone is a shit from time to time.

I'm livid that R. is letting D's moods dictate her actions. She actually told me not to worry, that he would "pay for this." And who does that freaking help? More resentment isn't the answer here.

If her daughter did this R. would plunge ahead with her plans. She would ignore the tantrum, go to dinner and enjoy herself. But since D. is supposedly an adult she's letting him get away with this childish behavior.

She should go to dinner and come home radiant and relaxed. By then D. would be over his little snit, or at the very least be asleep. R. wouldn't feel the need to "make him pay" any longer. It would be water under the bridge the next morning.

I'm happy I avoided marriage. It seems to suck the intelligence out of smart women.

(later)

And, BTW, they aren't freaking going to change!! Use your energy to something useful, like re-landscaping your yard. They're always going to be the negative thing they are right now -- uncommunicative/talkative/slobby/neatnick/mean/gullible -- whatever it is you're stuck with it. If you're very very lucky you might convince them undershirts actually worn under a shirt are in bad taste. Maybe.

(later)

I love it when things go right. It so seldom happens -- I feel the need to celebrate.

Dinner was great -- everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, even the children. I don't see how the Steak and Ale in Arlington stays in business. It's the most run-down-looking restaurant in the area. Sagging ceiling tiles, threadbare carpet, wobbly furniture. I sometimes think their saving grace is the bad lighting combined with the average age and eyesight of their patrons.

After dinner I drove back home, answered a few emails, and played with my floor. I still have that one area to varnish, and I'll do that before the evening ends, but my real goal was to find an easier way to mark off the floor. Last time I used a five-foot ruler, a laser level, an aching back, and over four hours of torture. I knew their had to be an easier way. After thinking about this for, oh, six months, I finally came up with two ideas. The first one seemed too easy. I was sure it wouldn't work. But it did!!

I put a ruler on the floor, and put a piece of blue painter's tape beside it. Then I walked across the room while unrolling more tape. When I reached the opposite wall I put the ruler on the floor and pressed the tape down beside it. Yes, it's that simple. Are the lines perfectly straight? Probably not, but it's good enough for my purposes.

I did about half of the vertical stripes, stopping a few feet from where I need to varnish. Imagine -- if I varnish tonight and spend Friday stenciling and the weekend sealing the stencils I could actually finish my room by Sunday!

Naahh . . . who am I kidding?