Dh the Grouch

Last night when I got home from a very long day at work, my husband approached me to assist him in the installation of a screen door. I agreed with a dark sense of foreboding that I should have heeded. Dh gets very frustrated when installing things. Then, being Dh, he lashes out at whoever is nearest. Which of course would be me.
I began assisting. He criticized my power drill ability (I think that was the second time I'd ever even held a power drill), he criticized my estimating ability, he criticized, he criticized, he criticized. And he used the tone that I HATE. Finally I had had enough. It had been a hellish day at work, it was nearly 8 o'clock and I hadn't eaten dinner yet. I told him to stop talking to me like he that or I was going to stop helping. He told me he didn't need my d**n help, and I responded that I didn't need his d**n attitude. Then I went inside to make myself a taco.
He came inside and told me that if I didn't help him right then, he couldn't install the door. I responded that it was nearly 8 o'clock and I was going to have some dinner. He then said if I didn't help him right then he would "never ever buy me anything again, ever." I couldn't help it. I started laughing. Ever, ever again?!?! Oh, no! Never, ever?! I knew I shouldn't, that it might push him over the edge, but I honestly could not stop myself. He stormed out of the house, and I settled down to my taco. Which was delicious, by the way, and not just because I was on the brink of starvation.
When I had finished my taco, I went outside and started helping him again. He had managed to do quite a lot without me. We pretended not to talk for a while, then both gave it up. We made some real progress, but then he started on the latch and handles, and there was nothing I could do to help, so I went back inside.
He came in about 45-60 minutes later, and said, "Do you want the good news or the bad news?" I requested the bad news. The screen door was too far to the left, and did not bolt shut. He was going to have to take the whole thing off again. (Something had told me he wasn't measuring often enough while installing, but being of sound mind I had kept my mouth shut. Dh has to learn these things on his own - he doesn't accept criticism gracefully.) The good news was he was done for the night. He then asked me what I wanted him to get me. I looked at him quizzically. "I told you I would never get you anything ever again, and I have to prove myself wrong." So he bought me some Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie and I made him some tacos. We shared the ice cream as we watched a movie.
And thus another fight with Dh refused to last longer than two hours.

I'm So Glad It's My Friday

I love working four days a week. Especially during four-day weeks. Yeah, that means I've only had to work three days this week. Woo-hoo!
So. First of all, my little brother is a married man. Weird. I really enjoyed watching The Canadian get grouchy during pictures. Ha ha I really didn't enjoy when my 19-year-old brother shot me in the hip with a BB rifle. Though he later gave me some good leads on cool new music out. I really enjoyed getting a fantastic massage from Em, my 17-year-old sister. I really enjoyed tooling around New York & Canada making bratty comments with Em & Lynn (13 years old). I really enjoyed hugs from my baby brother, who is 8 1/2 now. I really hated throwing up after the flight back to Oregon. (That was a cue to feel bad for me ha ha)
Second of all, the visit last weekend from my sister-in-law (Dh's sister, not The Canadian) went quite well. I believe fun was had by all. We went hiking one day, to the coast the next, and then visited Dh's aunt, uncle & cousins Sunday evening. Sister-in-law has made a lot of progress since I first met her, and has shed a lot of baggage.
Third of all, I suppose I should inform everyone of the status of Operation Golden Eagle, which has been permanently shelved. Golden succumbed to pressure and moved to San Diego. Girlfriend is still deluding herself, because that boy won't settle down anytime soon. Truth be told, I'm glad he's gone. Sometimes he made me uncomfortable, a la DJ, standing too close to me, making inappropriate comments (sample: "You're too hot for him to talk to"). Mostly I'm glad he's gone because JW was taking out her frustrations about his behavior towards me on me. So not fun. Things were getting really tense between us. Now things are back to normal, though perhaps our friendship has been changed deep down. I haven't had time to ponder that possibility.
Fourth of all, we are going camping on Saturday with DJ, Rainbow, & co. We'll see how this goes. I'm leery for two reasons: 1) Dh and I have never been camping with children. 2) I don't really want to be alone with DJ (kids don't count, since they don't seem to stop him from saying things). I should be able to avoid that, as long as I stick to Dh or Rainbow pretty closely. The kids issue, eh I guess I don't even know if it is an issue.
Tomorrow I'm helping Clarissa babysit Charity's kids so Charity can go do something fun (her birthday was a bit ago). My hope for the morning: I hold Clarissa's adorable baby while she keeps the boys entertained. Ha ha Then I'm going to get my hair cut. Finally. I know, I know. 6 months is waaaay too long to let it grow. I'm getting 4 or 5 inches taken off, and it will still be well below my shoulders. Right now it's about 2 inches below my bra strap, and it's driving me insane. I stopped curling it ever about a month ago (well, and then for the wedding, but barely), do you like how it has still taken me a month to call the salon? Ha ha