Daily Musings * page 9

Have you tried hitting your computer?

They are still having those late night time warp problems with the new time setting

Ha! Now it's back to normal again. Weird.

victorgardner -he didn't say.

so, I am looking at the most recent MacLeans magazine (sort of a Canadian equivalent of Time) anyway. on p. 42 there is an article called

"What a Girl Wants." Subtitle: A new book, "Porn for Women," answers the age-old question.

I don't know how to scan so I will type this in:

article is by Julia McKinnell.

Sigmund freud was so stumped by the question - what do women want? - he came up with the theory of penis envy. But do women really want to be like men? Not exactly, according to a study by noted couples therapist John Gottman. For 30 years, he's been studying the success and failure of relationships and has found that what women REALLY want is a man who will help out with the housework. "Housework standards differ a lot between men and women," he writes. "It's a revelation to most guys that the curtains ought to match the upholstery, or even that curtains are a good idea at all."

..... But Gottman says men who vacuum, do the dishes and otherwise equally share the division of domestic labour have more frequent sex with their wives, and happier marriages.

And so perhaps "Porn for Women" was inevitable. It's a new book by something called the Cambridge Women's Pornography Cooperative, which wants to reclaim "pornography from the gold-chained, hairy-chested, leisure-suited, mouth-breathing, knuckleheads." And it features, among others, pictures of men dusting, pulling over to ask directions, and practising the art of seduction - with cake. A woman can always fantasize.

End of article

There are three pictures with the article. All feature this really great looking guy - shaved bald. In the first he is leaning near a thermostat and looking back over his shoulder in a very sexy way - the caption says " Let's keep the heat set permanently on "tropical.""

The second picture shows the same guy (what a hottie) manfully handling a white kichen garbage bag (filled with garbage). The caption says: "As long as I have two legs to walk on, you will NEVER have to take out the garbage."

The third picture has a close up of the same guy sitting, leaning into the picture, one arm resting on a table or counter, the arm resting on its elbow, hand on his neck. Caption: God, that's SO interesting. Tell me more."

Well . . . what do you think? I know I married DH because at the time he could cook and clean better than me! And I hardly ever take out the garbage!

I can't find my newspaper. It's usually here when I get home but the snow is getting deep. I'll have to wait until it melts.
I let Sarah out when I got home and she stayed out. The snow is coming down hard and the wind is blowing. She was running back to the door when her nose went up and she started searching for something. She kept looking up in the trees, one to the next. She is now way out back under the Pines, sitting, staring up. Must have found it, what ever it is. It's been 20 minutes, I'll give her half an hour then call her in.
A flood warning is up for over night and morning for 6 inches of snow turning to heavy rain. Nasty.
Andy P

For the record, I am bald, am a workout freak and at least one woman (quite beautiful) thinks I'm hot. Most design decisions were mine - both inside and outside the house! I chose the paint colors, curtains, furniture, etc. I am now a stay at home dad so I take care of ALL chores. I always took care of the garbage and vacuuming and all outside cleaning, maintenance, etc., even when I was working (as an engineer). I fully support my wife's career. I occasionally ask for directions, but now have a GPS! Sorry about the thermostat though - that stays low! Saves money and helps the environment. I will be the first person in my town to go solar. And did I mention, I like gardening. How do I compare???

my apologies . . . it is probably politically incorrect to refer to an attractive male as a "hottie" - especially as I am not ( a hottie that is!) LOL

MY GOD! Victorgardener - too bad I am already married - and your DW is beautiful! LOL I bet you beat the women away :-)

My DH does most of the cooking. I need to buy him an electric carving knife so he can carve rather than hack. His biggest problem is that he likes so few foods. He doesn't like: squash (all kinds), mushrooms, anything other than iceberg lettuce in a salad, curry, eggs, nuts, unusual foods of any kind,cucumber, tabbouleh, falafel, pita bread, etc. He likes hamburger, steak, mashed potato, french fries, banana, grape, strawberries, not canteloupe or other melon aside from Watermelon, spaghetti, not cabbage or brussel sprouts or other greens, yes for broccoli and green beans, and that's all I can think of. But if I were to write a list of the foods I like, I'd be here all week!

But we're only getting started! We've been married for 7 years this summer, barely scratched the surface of a lifetime together. Too bad we wasted the first half of our lives with the wrong person. At least we found each other sooner or later!

xxxxx, Carrie

Victor! Are you available for rent, by the hour or day?

xxxxx, Carrie

Oh boy, now I'm embarrassed! Carrie, don't look back - only ahead. My sister finally found Mr. Right and got married a couple of months ago. She had a failed marriage and two failed, long-term relationships. My new Bro-in-law had a bad marriage as well. Now they both could not be happier (not to mention our family). As for foods, my little guy (almost 5) is the only problem and I mean problem! He is like my brother was as a kid. He eats almost nothing. He's a horror. My older son, 8, is the direct opposite. Loves everything healthy - fresh veggies and fruits, not into soda or junk food. He does have a bit of a sweet tooth. 'His' garden is nothing but greens. The little one does like cukes so that was his garden last year.

My father once hid green beans in my little brother's ice cream to try to get him to eat them! (It didn't work.)

xxxx, Carrie

My brother would always hide his green beans in his napkin and would toss his peas across the room with his fork! My mother was not happy when she found / stepped on them.

LOL - your poor mother!

x,C

Seandor, you've just described my dream man! Where is he and how come I've never met him?

Andy, I tried to drive my son to his father's house this afternoon. Couldn't make it. They had roads closed off. Guess I have a little guy to do the chores this weekend!

Well, I tell my male students that the formula for romance = "C" cubed D.

C cubed = cook, clean, and cuddle
D = dance.

Then I tell them the definition of dance (A vertical expression of a horizontal idea). All the female students get it instantly. I have to hold a piece of chalk vertically, then move it horizontally for the male students - don't know why.

Then I ask - what can you legally do in public that is sexier than salsa dancing? (Don't know how to do this myself, would probably be too embarrassed to do it - uptight Anglo-Canadian.)

Once knew a man - just like the mole-man on the Simpson's - short, dumpy, balding, extremely near-sighted (actually legally blind, with glasses literally like coke bottle bottoms) But he had put himself though college and grad school as - get this! - a ballroom dance instructor!

He could take ANY woman of any size (extra petite - to over 300lbs) and make her feel like Cinderella. I know - I danced with him and saw him dance until 3 am - he was never without a partner. In fact, he really only danced with me so that he could get on the dance floor where he could be seen by other women!

So - the question is - why do most guys spend their time shooting hoops - when to really "score" they might want to try to "trip the light fantastic" (There is a sociological explanation which is why we have this discussion in class - but I won't bore you!)

A Mole Man reference.LOL Now to work in 'ole Gil ;)

Hi folks - I am just exhausted....I have cleaned now for 3 hours straight. Please tell me why I feel the need to clean so well before a Birthday party??? I mean everyone is just going to come in and mess the place up and I will have to do this all over again the following day. Sheesh I will never understand myself LOL No wonder I am such a mystery to even myself LOL

Seandor, what do you teach? Sociology? I want my daughter (11th grade) to be a soc. major in college. She's pre-law or maybe pre-ministry or maybe pre-something else. (If she doesn't do better in school she may be pre-Burger King!)

Dawn, who's the guest of honor?

xxxx, Carrie

Hahaha my little one is going to be 2 YEARS OLD!!!! She was actually born on St Patty's day. The party should be fun! We bought her a little red tricycle and I can't wait to see the look on her face. She is always so dramatic LOL

Happy Birthday to the cutie, Dawn! Hope she has a great day.

Thanks Victor!

Dawn, that's such fun! (except for the cleaning...I used to do that, too. I gave it up. I remember being up waxing my floor at 2am the night before parties. now I don't wax my floor :0)

I know what you mean gram, I really shouldn't bother until after the party that way I can enjoy my clean house AFTER the mess. I wouldn't be as tired either. One day I will learn I suppose LOL.

I think part of me like to portray that I am the perfect mother, wife, full-time worker and housekeeper...however the truth of the matter is I am not perfect at any of the above...I just like for it to look that way. Silly eh?

not silly, NORMAL!

Want to tap your feet?
http://www.members.shaw.ca/grandmafaiths2/boogie.htm
Andy P

Seandor, That porno was too funny!
Carrie, Why do you let him cook?
Victor, You're setting the bar awfully high! Knock it off.
P.S. You don't sound like most engineers I know.

Dave, I hope that's a compliment!

Sure! I bet you don't have a lot of engineer friends being primary parent & housekeeper.

Correct - I think I'm the trailblazer in that respect. It was the result of a confluence of events. The lab at Columbia U. where I worked was closed down. It was also when my older guy was starting kindergarten, which is only half day here and we have no family nearby. Most double income parents have the grandparent network hard at work. We did not have that option.

Same here. Except my DW stays home. I'm glad we can manage to do it.

Carrie - I know you didn't for my 2 cents, but the best advice I can give to any college student is to not be too anxious to declare their major. Each term take one course you are pretty sure you will enjoy, and try to knock off the general required courses. Don't get boxed into one major too early, with little options for choice.

It is great if a student can take their first two years, then take a break for one year (do the Youth hostel world tour then); then return and focus on the major in the junior and senior year.

regarding law school - preference goes to students who can demonstrate effective communication skills in writing and speech - so great grades in English are an asset. Other great classes include philosophy - especially logic (gotta know how to win an argument), courses in public speaking, public administration, government, political studies, etc. If she wants to do contract or tax law, she might want to study finance or accounting. She should also know that being a real lawyer is not like tv - that she will be expected to meet a minimal number of billable hours, and that the pay scale for lawyers varies widely.

If she is truly serious about being a lawyer (she is only in grade 11 so I would expect your daughter may change her mind) your daughter might want to look at research by Fiona Kay or John Hagin. These are Canadian sociologists who focus on law. Fiona's focus is on the experiences of women lawyers.

regarding being a sociology major - I love learning - as an undergrad I took sooo many courses (really cheap in Canada!) that I have the equivalent of a BA in sociology, in political science, and I am one course short of having a major in anthropology as well :-) I became a sociologist because it was the one discipline that let me study everything else!

However, I should warn you, sociology is not a discipline held in high regard (unlike in Europe). It is seen as a kind of loser discipline for students who can't cut it elsewhere. Well, that is until they take research methods with me! However, I think sociology would be excellent for someone who plans to study theology. A minor in sociology could be useful for a lawyer as well - but I might look at political science, or philosophy as my major, with a minor in English or sociology.

Sorry - can't help myself . . .

That's ok. She wanted to be a veterinary surgeon in 4th grade. Who knows? All she knows is that she wants to go to school in CA. All I know is she'd better either get better grades or start doing volunteer work or something!
,
I loved sociology in college because it seemed so obvious!

Dave, I have MS and although I designed the kitchen to be able to cook from my wheelchair, that was 12 years ago and the kitchen and I are not in as good shape as we were then.

Gosh, what a storm that was! They closed the Masspike AND the airport. You know my DH works for JetBlue, right? So where normally the headline would be "airlines cancel flights as storm clobbers Northeast", now it's "JetBlue and other airlines cancel flights as storm clobbers Northeast". Yeesh! I hope some other airline will do something dumb so it will be "United Airlines stops beverage service on flights under three hours"!

xxxxx, Carrie

Carrie, tell your hubby that all that press did not prevent me from choosing JetBlue for our Disney trip next month! Just make sure there are no problems THAT day, please!

Which day, which flight? Which airport? JFK is awful; jB has way too many flights and usually leaves a little late, at least the NY-Boston shuttle does. He could upgrade you to first class if there were one. I will tell you that the seats past row 11 have more leg room, on certain aircraft.

PS another course I really liked was epidemiology!

xxxx, Carrie

Cannas now 7 weeks old .

Carrie, So sorry. I'm trying to joke about the blandness of your husband's cooking, without realizing there might be a disease involved. My apologies.
Dave

Obviously unintentional Dave. You couldn't know.

you guys have me almost crying.... LOL>>>>>>

I think I am the only single woman in this thread... and the perspective of living longer, healtier sounds good to me... so I will continue to eat chocolate!!!! the only down side is I have to go outside and use the snow blower in days like today... and it was so heavy... usually I don't mind using the snow blower, I am so OCD that all my lines are straight and by the time I finish is really a thing of beauty....

well today I was so mad... I run out of gas, the fumes really bothered me, my neck was hurting and it was a mess... so I was thinking "where is the husband I should find for days like this"???? next thing my 2 neighbors asked the guy fron the town to plow a little closer to their driveway (those lazy clows) and guess where the ice ended up???? of course in front of my driveway that I had just finished cleaning.... and I screamed at the guy (that obviously could not hear me.... so in my anger I just pushed the snow into the middle of the street since I knew the guy was coming back.... so he comes back and tells me that he is sorry and is just doing his job, but I should not have pushed the snow to the street again... and he told me that he just did what the "guys" have asked him to do it.... I told him" look, I am a woman working outside for over 2 hours, have cleaned in front of my driveway even on the street 3 times, and those 3 bozo heads just came outside, are all dressed up, wearing sun glasses and one is just watching!!!! " the guy started laughing and told me that he was sorry...

well, after all I am glad I am single... when spring comes and I see my neighbors outside they will be helping me... I will pull the lady in distress thing.... specially when I have to remove the bushes..... oh you guys will hear!!!!! vengeance is sweet!!!! I only forgive my next door neighboor because he gave me 8 beautiful hostas last year and cut one branch of the pine tree for me... lol.....

Carrie, I am flying Jetblue in May.... going to the Ca Round up in Temecula... just for the weekend... thanks for the tip... I need more leg room!!!