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01/20/2003 Entry: "Computer fixed, lots of parties, and housework"
COMPUTER BACK UP, YAY!
Well, my logical deduction and theory was right, it was the power supply. I had to shell out $100 for a new Antec, but it was worth it to see... well, Windows XP boot again. I am now doing a backup I wished I had done when I worried whether or not the system would ever work again. PARTIES
We're having a lot of parties at our house this year. So far. I didn't plan them, they sort of happened. And while they are fun, nothing else is getting done at home. I feel bad thinking, "Maybe not so many parties," because there was a time when our house was so small, we couldn't have a party. Also, I seem to have a lot of friends who never have parties, and are grateful to have them. It started with a post-Evecon party for our out-of-town friends that lasted until morning. The next weekend it was another drinking party that while I went to bed at 11:30pm, the party lasted until 7:30am, and was considered by all to be a very good time. Another drinking party has been scheduled for late February. Then this weekend, Katsucon had its Anime Music Video Judging, and while we did have more good entries than last year, this year was still mostly bad ones. HOUSEWORK
I do about 95-99% of the housework. This includes washing, sweeping, vacuuming, laundry, dishes, pest control, home repair, lawn and garden, fireplace, and general straightening up after two adults, a preteen, two dogs and four cats. The mess in our house is a constant flow like a glacier, where piles upon piles of stuff accumulate in slippery masses that slide apart and fall to the floor. Flat space is prime real estate in our house. Tabletops, chair seats, countertops, the tops of boxes, and eventually the floor are piled with stuff. Most of it can be put away or thrown out, but time is elusive in a two-income home, and so like snowfall in the Rockies, soon the places in our house become buried. It's frustrating. My housework skills are not the best, I'd give them a C+ or a B- at best. I first learned housework from my mother, which was valuable, because when she was drunk, I had to do it. A lot of what I learned was still self-taught, though, and not very efficient. Then I lived at the FanTek house, where Bruce showed me how to clean efficiently, which helped immensely. But back then, we had roommates who also did their share of work. So while the house was cluttered with the weird stuff FanTek accumulates, it was at least cleaned a lot. I once read an apron that said "Real Moms often have sticky floors, filthy ovens, and happy kids." This gives me a small smile, but it also makes me sigh how segregated our society is. It assumes that the female does all the cleaning. So when most people come to the house, and see the mess, they think it's my fault, and my wife has to deal with the mess I must have left. "Ha ha," they say, "your husband is like mine, always a slob who drools on the nice doilies." Christine smiles and says, "Actually, my husband does all the work, I don't." They wink at her, because they know I am in earshot, "Oh, *sure* he does! I bet he does a GREAT job..." like in reality, I walk around in my undies and drink beer while watching football, but my wife is amusing me. I feel bad, because I am always behind on everything. And as much as I run around at work, and run around at home, I get so tired, and then it gets MORE behind. It's pretty stressful. I am at least glad Christine and CR don't order me around, and Christine is always appreciative, but I still feel like a maid who is always on the edge of getting fired for lousy work. Final Note...
I finally got time and my hair cut. So did the whole family, and CR ended up with a buzz cut he didn't like, but I consoled him it would grow out. He now looks like Sluggo. He didn't stop the barber because he was afraid of offending her, and while we told him that it was nice to be considerate of other's feelings, he shouldn't just say nothing, because she won't learn unless you make a polite request to stop.
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