Archive for August, 2011

How Marriage Gives You Freedom, and When Not to Take Advantage of That

Posted in Happiness, Sex, tagged on August 31, 2011 | 1 Comment »

The frat house/movie analysis is that marriage ties you down and keeps you from being free. Let’s be honest, there’s some truth in that. Most of us insist that our partner doesn’t have the freedom to sleep around, spend our shared income indiscriminately, or move to Rio on a moment’s notice. But marriage also gives more »

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Women Gain Weight After Marriage: Didn’t Need a Study to Tell Me That

Posted in Research, tagged on August 30, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Hey – bubble skirts were stylish in 1991. A few years ago I found my junior prom dress in a back closet at my mom’s house: and it still fit. Almost twenty years later.  Now, not so much.  It happens, ladies.  And apparently research has confirmed this. Women gain weight after marriage, says a new more »

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How Little Ceasar’s Almost Derailed the Day

Posted in Fighting, Housework, Parenting, tagged on August 26, 2011 | 1 Comment »

He looks cute, but this little guy is trouble.  Yesterday morning I had to leave the house early – and had meetings that ran late into the evening. Cliff (who, let it be said, is an absolutely terrific dad) was taking responsibility for getting the kids out of bed, breakfasted, and to daycare, PLUS picking more »

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Your Marriage on Shark Week

Posted in Communication, Fighting on August 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

This image borrowed from here. We probably owe credit to Universal Films as well.  As I’m sure you were aware, it was Shark Week earlier this month. For the first time we attempted to watch a little of the programming … only to be turned away by night after night of bloody video after bloody more »

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On Being Wrong

Posted in Communication, Fighting, tagged on August 23, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

This may be hard to believe, but my wife and I have occasional disagreements. When these situations present themselves, I have the unique advantage of always being right. What? Okay, fine. I may not always seem right, but I am absolutely convinced that I am right and I am incredibly persuasive about that fact. What more »

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If The House Were On Fire: A husband’s answer

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged on August 21, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Whenever Amber and I play The Question Game, answers almost always begin with the simple phrase, “Well, that depends…” Heaven forbid we answer a question with a simple yes or no; as Jeb Bartlett once put it on West Wing, “In my house, anyone who used one word when they could have used ten just more »

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If The House Were On Fire

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged on August 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Cliff and I have a game we play – The Question Game – on “dates” or car trips or otherwise quiet moments. We take turns asking each other questions … these aren’t the usual, “what do you want for supper?” sort of questions that define daily married life. Instead, The Question Game challenges us to more »

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You Are Not Even Close to Being a Field of Cornflowers at Dusk: What Delusion Does – and Doesn’t Do – for a Happy Marriage

Posted in Happiness, tagged on August 9, 2011 | 1 Comment »

My good friends O and Lo introduced me to the poet Billy Collins this past weekend. A former Nobel Laureate, he’s a great poet for those of us who don’t often like traditional poetry. His poem “Litany” is a delight – it’s even more delightful to hear him read it: But in case you’re not more »

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A Song of Ice and Marriage

Posted in Books & Culture, tagged on August 4, 2011 | 1 Comment »

You may or may not have heard of George R. R. Martin. If book jackets are to be believed, Martin is “the American Tolkein.” Of course, if book jackets are to be believed, Ayn Rand once praised America (the Book) by saying, “This is similar to my works in that anyone who reads it is more »

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In Case You Were Waiting for Permission, Here It Is: You Don’t Have to Have Kids

Posted in Parenting, tagged on August 3, 2011 | 1 Comment »

I was recently at a party where I fell into a conversation about parenthood with another couple about my age. Like me, they have two small children whom they love to pieces. But, said the husband (without an ounce of flippancy), “If I had known what I was getting into, I might not have had more »

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