The Nursery (My Old Office) by Mr. G

Mr. G writing this evening. Oh, how times have changed.  One of my favorite rooms of our drafty home is my old office which will soon be the nursery for our little girl come July.  As of the weekend the walls were painted a grayish color and the ceiling painted pink.  White trim and white base boards.  New energy efficient windows will come in a week and a half replacing the old ones that really didn't keep out winter whatsoever.  (Pretty much welcomed the cold wind with open arms and let it gain entry into our home with a handshake.)  Curtains have been purchased from a store I had never step foot in before, Pottery Barn for Kids.

This room used to be my old office when I was a bachelor. A place where my computer was and I would sit and eat a frozen pizza and drink beer while playing video games. There were duck pictures on the wall if I remember correctly.  Or maybe a picture about hockey. Very neutral colors were on the walls and ceiling.  I fondly remember freezing cold winter nights in MN staying home on a Saturday night, looking out the drafty windows on my alley in the back. We have one of the only two stories on the block so I would look out and see the lights of my neighbors flicker down below.  The wind would howl and the snow would fly. It was comforting. There was a jazz program that would play on NPR on Saturday nights and I would listen to it on a clock radio that I had in the adjacent bathroom, the only one in the old house.  It was quiet, warm and relaxing. It was wonderful.

And now, all that has and will change some more. It's forming into a room made for a little girl. A beautiful little girl. A pink ceiling, curtains with pink stripes will soon go up. Gone are the neutral manly colors and my desk has been replaced with a changing table. There's a Pooh bear wearing a tutu that was a gift.  Never would I ever have dreamed that this room would look like this.  Never would I have ever have dreamed all these changes are coming. 

And you know what?  I can't wait!  As much as I will miss my old office, it's but a fleeting thought as the joy that is to come into my life of my little baby daughter who's room has a pink ceiling and a Pooh bear in a tutu.

I hope she likes jazz.  :)

With Love,

Mr G

Weekend up Nort'

Well, the summer has officially come to an end, actually awhile ago, and Autumn seems to be fighting off winter unsuccessfully here in the North.  Mrs G and I are headed up to the family cabin one last time this coming weekend with lows in the low 30's and highs barely hitting 40.  I love the cabin and love to spend time up there however during the Fall and Winter months the number of activities that can be done up there is very limited.  Sure, I can always go do work around there which I love to do however Mrs G can only read so many books and watch so many movies. (As seen in a recent post, we don't see many movies.)

Anyway, Mrs G has graciously agreed to head up there with me.  My folks and my brother's family will be there also.  We're hoping for decent weather however we're working on coming up with ideas for time indoors as it could be nasty.  We're thinking of board games, maybe some cooking etc.  Movies are another idea.

So, why did I write this post?  Basically to thank my lovely Wife for going up Nort' (as we say up here.)  I know it's not her favorite thing to do this time of year but I appreciate it!

Love,

Mr. G

Bombardment

One thing I have learned in our short time being married is not to bombard my wife with random information as soon as she gets up or as soon as she gets home.  To clarify, I'm up super early and usually scour my phone for news and current events while my wife likes to sleep.   And by news I mean I go to headlines, sports, entertainment and random Wikipedia pages just for S&G's.*

While I feel my wife and I share similar interests, it turns out that not everything I feel is interesting is going to matter at all to her.  For instance, I was reading about an island off of Sweden called Aland this morning.  While I find this fascinating, she and about 99.9% of the population outside of the people living on this stupid island would care.  My point is, as soon as she opens her eyes from hopefully I good night's slumber, not to be right in her face about the island of Aland.  (And maybe not mention it all actually.)  Also, if I read about something that is of similar interest that both of us would enjoy like, Kanye West's rant about Jimmy Kimmel, I should wait to bombard her with this info until later in the morning.  She, like everyone else in this world, needs time to wipe the sleep out of their eyes and wake up on their own without some idiot talking about God knows what.

I feel this goes upon her arrival home from work and what could be a nasty commute.  For instance, our neighbor pisses us both off.  She's a hoarder, a bitty, etc etc and won't stay out of our business.  Pretty much harmless for a 77 year old woman other than being annoying.  It's best not to bombard my beloved with a story about our neighbor complaining to me that the branches on our tree or overlapping her lot as soon as she walks in the door. (I will not cut those branches!!!!  Unless or course my wife tells me to.)  Again, people need time to come home decompress for awhile, let the frustration go from work and the commute.  If I bombard her with random stories it's just going to annoy her.  The same if she did it to me and I think this goes for everyone.

While thinking about this post, I was reminded of something I read long ago from the 50's called The Good Wife's Guide.  Please be clear, I am not in agreement with this article however there is a part that mentions not bombarding your husband (and in this case, your spouse)  with complaints from the day.  Once again, I don't agree with this post, however apparently I share a similar opinion yet maybe not so sexist.

(BTW, I don't think my wife would like the part about "Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.")

Love,

Mr. G

*Shits and Giggles