Prezies

Only 7 shopping days left until Valentines Day... and 22 days left until my birthday. My inner 3-year-old and I turn 50 on March 2nd. These 2 pending events require presents (prezies for the uninitiated). I do negotiate with the chief purveyor of prezies - if he gives me a really good one, it can cover both events... He knows this, and he knows me... He's a wary beast. He remembers that I have a short memory, and if he was to give me a blended prezie for Valentines, come my actual birthday the lower lip would drop and a pout the size of the grand canyon would form. The fallout from the prezies-in-absentia on that 50th birthday would reverberate for weeks. He's had 12 years of this reality now, and wants to keep the peace. Yet he doesn't realize that it wouldn't take much...

Brian is very poor at the gifting thing in that he feels what he buys is never right. It is like trying to force Jujube on the halter. The back legs dig in, the head drops and then the kicking starts... Brian hates having to acknowledge these events, although over the years he's had reminder programs to beep him about family birthdays, and has kept a log for dates to remember. None of it really helps - he reads his log, or gets beeped by the program, but it is in one ear, out the other. This, boys and girls, is the crux of male/female differences: Women like to be acknowledged in a romantic, timely way, and men just want to get on with... whatever. No moosh allowed. Men fear being labelled effeminate for being romantic and gifting.

I acknowledge his birthday royally - expensive tools, clothing, nice stuff - whatever he wants. This isn't one-way gift wrapping. Hmmm... I think my friends reading this should email Brian and remind him of his pending obligations... This new form of reminder could replace the log and the beeping date secretary... Since he rarely reads my blog, that would be a surprise. I'm laughing already...