Ka-Boom.

Non-alcoholic beer is for non-alcoholics.


Yesterday I made a casual remark about the laundry and SuperK bit my head off.  Now keep in mind I haven't done a load of laundry in maybe 10,000 years so it's in my best interest to keep my mouth shut if the topic has anything to do with clothes, washing clothes, drying clothes, or putting clothes away.  I haven't ironed anything sober.  I don't know where the laundry room is anymore.  For all I know, she goes to a laundromat.  I don't know what she does exactly when I shut the door to my office to give her a break from my presence.  I figure if I hear screaming or glass breaking or gun fire I'll come out, but otherwise I'm not budging.


She came in and apologized shortly after.  Earlier that day I had taken a phone call from someone in the New City and she was, quite frankly, jealous, thinking I was edging ahead in the new friends department.  We're both working away at reconstructing our lives here and we both get a little competitive about it.  Which is a bizarre thing to do to your %$#!! spouse, the person you love more than anyone in the world.  


Funny story -- when we swim it's very compelling for both of us to try to beat the other.  That's not the funny part -- the funny part is she beats me most of the time.  And when she doesn't I rip or tear or wrench something, since she's so much younger than I am.  Actually, she's not that much younger than me but I'm getting beat by my wife, for chrissake, and by most of the other women in the pool, so I have to say something.  I'm going to start drowning some people before too long or just giving in and start wearing skirts and hose.


Most of the time when she snaps at me I don't say anything because I figure it's not really about me.  Most of the time when I get mad at my friends and family it has very little to do with them.  I'm mad at myself for something I should be doing but am not, or something I shouldn't be doing but am, so I take a shot at someone else.  It's easier blaming another person for some imagined slight than doing any work on myself.


Eventually, I did tell her I was just as jealous when she went out to dinner with a few friends earlier in the week.  I do the right thing, usually, after I have exhausted all other options.