I'm just using my own history as a example, not meaning to imply any universality.

Oh, hey, I didn't think you were. Was just throwing my own just-me example into the pot there.

Who else just got a (totally exaggerated for effect) image of Pete looming over Jilli and wagging his finger

You people really do have cameras installed in our house, don't you?

Any time I say Pete won't let me do something, it's pretty much for comedic effect.

Oh, God, I do love you.

Sudden flashback to the airport.

Jilli: I'm going to the bathroom. It's over there.

Pete: starts to give detailed directions for the best possible route to the bathroom.

Jilli: waits patiently

Jilli: waits patiently some more

Jilli: (sweetly) Right, well, I'm off to the bathroom then. It's over there.

Pete:(a wee bit crestfallen) Right. Well, that's me told, then.

If it weren't for the awful breaking up of the OTP, I'd totally want to kidnap you and hug you and squeeze you and call you George. Except for the part where that would leave Pete bereft and Jilliless, which is a truly dreadful notion. (tries not to think about the episode of The Tick where The Tick was tragically Arthurless, because clearly Pete is very much not The Tick. And yet - the woobosity!)

Or, to put it more succinctly: BLESS.

I have used Matt as an excuse not to do/buy something- esp when I worked in retail and there was a lot of pressure. I've told him when I've done it. In reality, I am the budget master, but when I was in retail it was amazing that invokeing the name of the SO would make them back off from pressureing me to buy something.

And I do understand the kind of thing that brenda is talking about. I've seen enough to see both sides. Th ebest deflection I've seen of this is with my friend L. She is way more aggressive ( and volitale) than her husband P. and living in our area of older homes, something always needs to happen, and P is very slow to even start anything. first, she figured out that a lot of things she can do, or she can hire someone to do . ( this actually motivaes P to do things) Everything else happens in Niles Times. Things just happen slower where we are. everything takes longer than you think it will. It has nothing to do with P - it is the vortex we live in.

Sometimes , the general male bashing, is actually a way of deflecting anger at a specfic person. Actually, among the people I know, it usually comes out as - huh I though they wer like us, guess they are different. It actually seems to add some perspective. i know that after reaching the conclusion that ' guy do that ' ( which is really people do that) that I become much less confrentational.

On a related note, I bounced gleefully when Jilli and Pete took me to a Great Big Bookshop, and said "If Rosie were here she wouldn't let me go in! Yay! Books!" (I've sold most of my books, remember, and Should Not Be Buying More Stuff. But - books!)

...yeah, really can't blame Evil ExBoss for slashing us.

If it weren't for the awful breaking up of the OTP, I'd totally want to kidnap you and hug you and squeeze you and call you George. Except for the part where that would leave Pete bereft and Jilliless, which is a truly dreadful notion.

Clearly the only solution is to kidnap both of them. And then all three of you come to New York.

Wow, that would be fun...I'd totally go to that. In theory, anyway.

Clearly the only solution is to kidnap both of them.

Well, it would make it that much easier to sqeeze Pete's cheek and tell him he's adorable.

...what do you mean, which cheek?

And then all three of you come to New York.

Jessica, you misspelled L-o-s A-n-g-e-l-e-s.

Score for being a shorter trip, but I've never been to NYC. Someday, I want to.