I am either going through a middle aged crazy thing, or my GF's are corrupting me. Suddenly I am a girly girl and pampering myself. It's like I have taken care of other people the last 13 years and now it is my turn.

This is shocking stuff Bitches. I went for a new haircut this morning, then this afternoon I went and had a 90 minute facial with dermabrasion and stuff. (she massaged my hands and feet while I was masking) And I have an appointment Thursday for manicure and pedicure, and the most outragious thing, lash and brow tint. Though my hair has become darker with age the brows are as blonde as ever. I'm thinking a light to medium brown should work with my color.

My GF suggested the next step would be wearing makeup, but I'll hold off on that until I'm maybe 65.

I'm finding this odd. The menfolk in my life find it fun.

Okay, actually talking with a person at Dell. They still say they can't fix it. She offered free toner cartridges and I asked for the USB cable. She okayed that but when I asked for the toner too, she said it would exceed the "concession limit." I had to make some more pissed-off noises, and she reversed the separate charge for the surge-protector we got.

I think I will still write an irate letter, soon as I can find a physical address, 'cuz this crap was ridiculous.

And now I have to go work out financing terms with my mother.

It's like I have taken care of other people the last 13 years and now it is my turn.

Sounds right to me. I think you deserve it, and you've never even done my laundry or removed duct-tape from my face.

Okay, gotta boogie. Kung-Fu tonight, I'm gonna have to book it for home to get in uniform and get back over there.

Hope to catch up with y'all later!

Or, rather, I would have less issue with a replica since it's the danger value of the item, rather than its symbolic value that would twig me.

I'd be happy to either keep it a replica or always keep the powder and shot someplace suitably inaccessible (safe deposit box or other offsite storage facility), which would get rid of any danger value. It's just that DH seems fundamentally freaked out by the very idea that I want a gun, working or not. While I just don't see how you can look at this beautiful thing and have the same associations you'd have with an assault weapon!

Maybe I just have an inner re-enactor that gets excited about this stuff, while DH doesn't. While he wouldn't have the same strong negative reaction if I were getting an authentic Regency outfit made to wear to a writers' gathering (I know of at least one where period garb is appropriate, and if I ever have the money and lose the pesky 30 lbs. so I could actually look good in that style, I'd totally do it), I'm pretty sure it would puzzle him. He just doesn't have that yearning to play with the stuff of the past that I've always had.

DH is home, and we tried to have the discussion again. Still talking past each other. I don't think this is going to work out, and I'm pissed off about it. I'd been wanting a gun like that forever, and when I happened across that website last week and realized that A) they could be bought, and B) cost much less than I thought, I thought, "YES! If I sell this book, that's my reward."

And now even if DH gave in, I'd feel weird about having it because I know he'd never feel 100% comfortable about it. And this probably sounds petty, but I just want to cry because I wanted it so badly, was dreaming of the day when I got that advance check and could place the order, and how beautiful it would look above my writing desk some wonderful day when our finances are sorted out enough that I can have a proper writing desk in a proper office.

Hmm. I wonder if I'm so out of proportion upset because I'd attached even more symbolic meaning to it than I'd thought.....

Susan, I have your DH's reaction to guns. yes, even replicas. I have shot a rifle. I don't understand sports hunting. I don't understand the idea of gun range = fun. In all honesty my first reaction to guns is, gun =evil. now, just because that is my first reaction , that does not mean I feel all hunters are evil or that everyone that owns/or uses a gun is evil.As long as you don't make the accusation that I think all the hunters are evil - you have a chance of convinceing me that you will be takeing the proper safety precautions ( by keeping the ammo out of the house) . no way you could convince me that it is ok to keep the ammo in the house.

that was a serious x-post. drop the subject - don't talk about it now. don't harp - let him remember what you really said. and let you remember what he really said.

There were never guns in our house growing up, but I have shot .22s, .38s, and shotguns. Guns and kids just make me nervous, especially since I have Leif who is so very clever about getting into things.

I was thinking of leif and Christopher-- plus a few other kids of my aquaintence. I know too many that are in 1st grade that really aren't good at the listening yet.

It's just that this was supposed to be my reward for a job well done, for fulfilling longstanding dreams, a tangible representation of all I'd achieved. So even though I know he doesn't mean it this way, I'm taking it as trampling on the dreams and goals themselves.

And dammit, to me it's still a beautiful thing. I just can't see the evil or the ugly no matter how much I look. And it hurts to think that I can't have it. (I really am crying now. Silly, but there it is.) I just wish I'd had any inkling he might feel this way about it, because I could've brought it up earlier before I'd got my heart set on it. But I didn't. I don't know if it's my rural Southern background or my inner history geek or what, but it never occurred to me that he'd have a problem with it.