so , Gud. How about a different strategy --- and let your wife know what won't happen today. Or let her choose. Maybe , even if she can't help giving her some choice wil calm things down

I have more thoughts , but you know your situation

Yes! I had been great about getting to my new gym (which I love) and then all the craziness and travel hit. I've been home almost a week and I still haven't carved out the time to take care of myself and go.

That's why I've been working out at home with DVDs and taking walks. Somehow the time gets away from me and then I don't want to add in the extra time it takes to drive to the gym, check in, and then get all my shit together when I'm done and drive back home. If I work out at home, I save at least half an hour, sometimes 45 minutes. (But really, I just need to manage my damn time better.)

Gud, I like the idea of giving her a choice. Might short-circuit her anger.

It doesn't sound like there's a very fair division of labor in your house, Gud. What chores does your wife do?

What Scrappy and beth said.

I mean, you can't possibly get ahead with the amount of stuff that's on your plate, but you can triage it. If you can give your wife the choice on what gets done, then maybe you can manage her expectations better. It sounds like she's getting angry with you when she has expectations that she didn't communicate to you, like her getting mad that you took too long for lunch. I'm pretty sure you weren't taking a 3-hour martini lunch, dude.

30 minutes of time is a massive amount for me.

Right? People advocating anything go around saying things like "all it takes is an hour/30 min/15 min a day!" like anyone can do that. NO WE CAN'T

On a TIN chimney? Woodpecker, go home, you're drunk.

No, no, that's normal behaviour! Sometimes they are pecking looking for insects, but sometimes they are just making noise to let all the other woodpeckers know they are there and this is their territory, and for that purpose pecking on a metal chimney is very effective! Although it is loudest inside the house, it's pretty loud outside, too.

Where does your wife work, Gud? Not actual company, but what is the set up? It seems odd to me that you are doing IT work at an office.

Clever woodpecker then!

I hope no one minds if I make anxiety posts the next day or so. Oh look autocorrect knows "posttraumatic".

Boy, DFW is a shithole.

To stave off anxiety. Today I :

Got 8 invoices off my desk
Picked up meds I was out of
Paid 3 important bills (no paper, so in addition to ones above)
Did reports due and 90% of ones due tomorrow
Made gym appt
Ate real food