He Says, She Hears... She Says, He Hears...

Like most couples, Big Dave and I sometimes don't speak the same language.

For example, we are trying to decide on a new TV. Since Big Dave is the one who's in-the-know in the technology department, he has subjected me to long "discussions" about the benefits/disadvantages to various TVs.

He says, "Panasonic - VIERA 50" Class 1080p 600Hz Plasma HDTV with 3 HDMI outputs and built in HDTV tuner."

I hear, "..............TV...... tuner"

He says, "Should we go with Plasma, LCD or LCD LED?"

I hear, "..............................." Then I just stare at him with a blank look. I hope that will convince him to leave me out of it, as I know perfectly well any suggestion I make will be ignored by a man in the middle of "New TV Euphoria."

The tables are turned, however, when we are discussing financial matters. He usually leaves all the planning/investing up to me, but I do try to include him in the big decisions.

I say, "I know the markets are not really reliable right now, but maybe we should look at some mutual funds, ROTH IRAs and overseas CAP accounts in order to better diversify. What do you think?"

He hears, "....markets.... funds...."

He then says, "Yeah, I think we should open up a money market fund."

Again, I stare at him with a blank look.

In another example, my husband, like most men, is not very diligent when it comes to cleaning/organizing the house. Things can pile up very quickly, and he's perfectly content to let it pile up until (A) we can no longer enter the room or (B) we can no longer open the closet door. So I'll casually mention that something needs to be cleaned.

I say, "We really need to do something about the master closet. How about if you take a couple of minutes and sort through your clothes and get rid of the ones you don't wear anymore? I'll do the same for mine."

He hears, "............................."

The closet remains untouched 2 weeks later.

We may not speak the same language sometimes, but we usually know the most important things to say to one another. "I love you. I appreciate you. I worship the quicksand you walk on."

Because of that, life is good.

Trials and Tribulations

Ever have one of those weeks when everything seems to go wrong? That you can't seem to do anything fast enough or good enough?

If so, welcome to my world this week.

We've been trying to solve our daughter's gas problems by switching her to soy formula. It worked. No more gas. Unfortunately, soy caused her to be constipated. Bad for baby, REALLY bad for us. There is nothing sadder than a 2 month old's cry after she tries pushing out a hard poop. Once we figured out what the problem was, we switched her back to her old formula, only to have the gas return. So now we have to deal with about 3 hours of colic everyday, because poor Kaylee has such bad gas pains (and yes, she is on the "gassy" formula, but it doesn't seem to do a whole lot).

Then, we ran into a problem with our well, as we lost water pressure for the house. That meant no water coming into the house. We then discovered that our stored water was expired, and so had to make an emergency run for bottled water. The person who was left behind had to deal with prime-time colic all on their own. Needless to say, not a good evening.

Then we had to fight with our insurance company. They wanted to classify my emergency c-section as "elective surgery", which means they don't have to pay for it. So after many phone calls to doctors, insurance company, insurance broker, and hospital, we finally got that cleared up (fingers crossed). We hope.

I'm thinking of running away to join the circus. Anyone care to join me?

Have a Nice Day

Big Dave and I went shopping yesterday, to pick up a few items for the kid. (Those of you with children will understand what a chore it can be to load up the baby, baby supplies, stroller and various paraphanalia).

Upon reaching the checkout, the clerk asks for our phone number. I tell her we don't give out that information. Clerk gives me a funny look, then says, "Oh we don't sell the info or anything. We just use it to track where our customers come from, and we send you coupons and such for your future visits." Once again, I tell her we don't give out that information. Again, I get a funny look, as if the clerk is wanting to say, "For heaven's sake, just give me the phone number -- everyone else does. Why are you being so difficult?"

This has been one of my pet peeves for a long time. Within the last few years, it seems more and more stores are asking for information they have no business getting, whether it be a phone number, zip code, or email address.

And whenever I protest that they don't need the info, I'm usually given "the look", which generally translates into "This is the way business is done now. We need your info so we may better annoy you, bombard you with junk mail, and send you unwanted email. Please cooperate so we may make even more money by selling your information to our partners."

I cannot begin to tell you how many times I've been "reassured" by clerks that the info is never sold to anyone else, and yet how often it corresponds to an increase in unwanted mail by 3rd parties. Hmmm...

So our Standard Operating Procedure is now to deny any company any information they don't need to know. Meanwhile, I'll continue to get "the look", the sighs, the eye rolling, and other rude gestures from clerks.

I guess in today's corporate world, this is the new "Have a Nice Day."