Maybe it's a female thing, but my wife continues to behave in illogical fashion about more things than I can keep track. For example, this morning. I get up every morning at 5:00, which is 1.5 to 2 hours before the rest of the clan. This allows me some time to ease into the day, although I still have to do the usual pre-work prep - shower, shave, breakfast, teeth, dress, pack bag - plus make lunches for myself, the girls and, occasionally, Maxine. This pretty much fills my alone time: if I want to do anything else - write, for example - I'm going to have to start getting up earlier.
Then there's my wife. Maxine was working today, so she asked me to wake her up at 6:00. She went to bed really early last night because she was fried after getting her B12 shot (as she usually is). One would think she could handle an early wakeup call. One would be mistaken. I went in at 6:00 and 6:10 and was close to my 6:20 visit when she toddled out. At 6:30 she was out of the shower just as I went to wake the kids. If I were in that situation, knowing that (A) I had to leave by 7:45 for the girls' sitter's place and (B) that my spouse would not be helping with breakfast, pushing the girls to get ready, etc., I would haul ass after getting out of the shower. Instead, she made a coffee and sat down in the dining area and started chatting with me about something that could certainly wait while I finished up lunches. When I pointed out her situation, she got snooty and went to get ready. When I left the apartment at 7:10, my three female roommates were all in an uproar.
Maxine lives at her own pace, doesn't like to be rushed, but then expects the world to rush when she rushes. She gets overwhelmed when a time crunch hits, but does nothing to preemptively stop that time crunch. It's maddening as hell, because I am the exact opposite. My entire childhood was spent waiting for a mother who lived on what I call "Norma time". My mother's basic attitude is that no event worth attending can start without her, and they will either wait until she arrives or else what is missed by her late arrival wasn't worth seeing anyway. I have compensated by being the most punctual person I know. If I need 5 minutes to get somewhere, I leave 15 minutes ahead. If my appointment is at 3:00, I arrive at 2:45. If I don't want to seem too eager for that appointment, I walk in at 2:55, but I have been downstairs in a coffee shop since 2:15. I never worry about getting somewhere too early, or about the other party or parties being late, because I never travel without reading material. Since reading is my favorite leisure activity, time in a waiting room is glorious (unless you keep me waiting too long).
Anyway, fun and attractive can overcome a multitude of sins. Lucky for her (and me) she's both.
* * * * *
Last night, I watched The Insider, which is just an amazing movie. The story is very compelling - former executive with big tobacco company blows whistle on corporate practice and knowledge on "60 Minutes" while others work to silence him, by force if necessary. But the film is shot like an adventure story, with slick editing and very creative use of sound - sometimes through silence - to convey, varyingly, mystery, menace, internal conflict. The score is haunting, including a moody closing tune by, I think, Massive Attack. Russell Crowe and Al Pacino are fantastic, but the real thrill is all the recognizable actors in small parts - Michael Gambon, Gina Gershon, Colm Feore, Stephen Tobolowsky, Bruce McGill, Rip Torn (I don't even remember seeing him in the film), the prematurely departed Lynne Thigpen, Nestor Serrano, Wings Hauser, even Gary Sandy from WKRP. Their familiarity lends a comfort level to an otherwise at times dry story of backroom maneuvering, easing the viewer into the material. When McGill tears a strip off Hauser, it's more fun because we've seen them both in so many things. Gershon is at first unrecognizable as a cold corporate lawyer, not the biker chick chic we've come to expect. Just a great movie.
In the clear morning after, I've been wondering if I watch too many movies now. But the reality is that my movie viewing has replaced television viewing, and that seems to me a step in the right direction. Other than sports, 24 and the occasional comedy like My Name is Earl or Arrested Development, the only thing I watch lately on my TV is movies on either TMN or that I've recorded off another channel. I actually think I watch less now that I am no longer channel surfing, and read more. All of this will come to an end this month with the commencement of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. But that's not something I can control.
Then there's my wife. Maxine was working today, so she asked me to wake her up at 6:00. She went to bed really early last night because she was fried after getting her B12 shot (as she usually is). One would think she could handle an early wakeup call. One would be mistaken. I went in at 6:00 and 6:10 and was close to my 6:20 visit when she toddled out. At 6:30 she was out of the shower just as I went to wake the kids. If I were in that situation, knowing that (A) I had to leave by 7:45 for the girls' sitter's place and (B) that my spouse would not be helping with breakfast, pushing the girls to get ready, etc., I would haul ass after getting out of the shower. Instead, she made a coffee and sat down in the dining area and started chatting with me about something that could certainly wait while I finished up lunches. When I pointed out her situation, she got snooty and went to get ready. When I left the apartment at 7:10, my three female roommates were all in an uproar.
Maxine lives at her own pace, doesn't like to be rushed, but then expects the world to rush when she rushes. She gets overwhelmed when a time crunch hits, but does nothing to preemptively stop that time crunch. It's maddening as hell, because I am the exact opposite. My entire childhood was spent waiting for a mother who lived on what I call "Norma time". My mother's basic attitude is that no event worth attending can start without her, and they will either wait until she arrives or else what is missed by her late arrival wasn't worth seeing anyway. I have compensated by being the most punctual person I know. If I need 5 minutes to get somewhere, I leave 15 minutes ahead. If my appointment is at 3:00, I arrive at 2:45. If I don't want to seem too eager for that appointment, I walk in at 2:55, but I have been downstairs in a coffee shop since 2:15. I never worry about getting somewhere too early, or about the other party or parties being late, because I never travel without reading material. Since reading is my favorite leisure activity, time in a waiting room is glorious (unless you keep me waiting too long).
Anyway, fun and attractive can overcome a multitude of sins. Lucky for her (and me) she's both.
* * * * *
Last night, I watched The Insider, which is just an amazing movie. The story is very compelling - former executive with big tobacco company blows whistle on corporate practice and knowledge on "60 Minutes" while others work to silence him, by force if necessary. But the film is shot like an adventure story, with slick editing and very creative use of sound - sometimes through silence - to convey, varyingly, mystery, menace, internal conflict. The score is haunting, including a moody closing tune by, I think, Massive Attack. Russell Crowe and Al Pacino are fantastic, but the real thrill is all the recognizable actors in small parts - Michael Gambon, Gina Gershon, Colm Feore, Stephen Tobolowsky, Bruce McGill, Rip Torn (I don't even remember seeing him in the film), the prematurely departed Lynne Thigpen, Nestor Serrano, Wings Hauser, even Gary Sandy from WKRP. Their familiarity lends a comfort level to an otherwise at times dry story of backroom maneuvering, easing the viewer into the material. When McGill tears a strip off Hauser, it's more fun because we've seen them both in so many things. Gershon is at first unrecognizable as a cold corporate lawyer, not the biker chick chic we've come to expect. Just a great movie.
In the clear morning after, I've been wondering if I watch too many movies now. But the reality is that my movie viewing has replaced television viewing, and that seems to me a step in the right direction. Other than sports, 24 and the occasional comedy like My Name is Earl or Arrested Development, the only thing I watch lately on my TV is movies on either TMN or that I've recorded off another channel. I actually think I watch less now that I am no longer channel surfing, and read more. All of this will come to an end this month with the commencement of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. But that's not something I can control.
posted by George @ 12:35 p.m.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home