Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Rabbit, Rabbit and Fun and Games


Radio question of the day: This is the most used word by women that they don't really mean?

Yesterday the radio question was about the fact that some women don't trust their mates to do the laundry. It occurs to me that some partners might not do a good job on the laundry on purpose.

When I married Niks, he didn't hang up his clothes after he took them off. Didn't put them in the clothes hamper either. That guy. Anything that he took off and just dropped on a chair, I put into the laundry hamper. That was my first strategy.

That didn't suit him at all. He thought, and still thinks, that I wash things way too often. He claims that I wear stuff out that way. Oh, good grief.

So I developed a plan. I hung up his stuff wrong. Fast. Didn't frown or fuss, just hung it up the minute it I saw it out of place. I'd hang up his trousers so that they would get a second crease in them. As you might imagine this didn't suit him well either.

So he tried, ever so hard, to teach me how to hang them properly, so they wouldn't get a second crease. I smiled sweetly and it sure seemed as if I was really, really trying to do this "chore" correctly. But, somehow, I just could not learn to hang those pants without them ending up with unwanted creases.

He gave up. Told me that I shouldn't ever hang up his slacks. Said he would do it. But I would hang them the minute I saw them left somewhere. So, in self-defense he had to hang them himself. Fast. Because otherwise I would do it for him. Wrong.

This little deception must be done sweetly. One must smile and try so hard to do this little thing correctly. Total innocence must be projected.

I know you are all just shocked ! that TLP could do such a thing.

Could it possibly be that some mates are deliberately not doing a good job on things like the laundry, just to train the other mate to go ahead and take on that chore?

(As an update, Niks never hangs anything up now. Never. He doesn't work, so he doesn't really care so much these days about creases. Clothes don't get as wrinkled as they did in the olden days, etc. He's trained me to give up and do the hanging up. Niks 1, TLP 0.)

Answer to the radio question of the day: Fine.

Rabbit, rabbit!

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27 comments:

Saur♥Kraut said...

Gorilla, gorilla! I swear that I didn't see this post before I did mine this morning. This is yet another proof that I am probably a distant relative. I want to be invited for Xmas!

BTW, I got The Other Half a doll: The Ideal Woman. When you squeeze her, she utters fantasy phrases like: "Are you sure I can wash this, honey? You've only worn it a couple of times!"

Lila said...

For once I guessed it correctly -- "fine". Yeah, I say that a lot. Seldom mean it.

TLP, you are so devious! (And I'll have to remember that...)

dddragon said...

Oh, yeeeah, AP3, I know how devious she is, esp. with poor ol' Niks!

I used to work for a guy who HATED it when a woman said fine. Urked him to no end.

FINE FINE

Doug The Una said...

I still say it's "Please."

Clever ruse, TLP.

Jamie Dawn said...

You did a "fine" job training your hubby, and I mean that.
Now, it seems, he's done a good job training you.

mireille said...

So when is your book on marital harmony coming out? xoxo

Saur♥Kraut said...

P.S. The phrase The Other Half hates from me: Whatever!

TLP said...

Well, it's just fine that Niks never hangs his clothes up. It's also fine that he doesn't do any kind of housework at all. Whatever.

Libby said...

TLP...aaaahhhh...my astral twin! ever since kev & i got married i've said "i can't cook"....soon i had to prove it...hence, i put a chicken in the oven...with the bag o' guts still inside! when he got home 'didn't you take the bag of stuff out first?' me- "why, I didn't know that was there!" teehee...BTW...kev's a great cook!
BoUnCeS!! LibbY!

GodlessMom said...

My hubby can't be trained. :/

Minka said...

Why are all my comments dissapearing everywhere? First on doug´s page, now on yours. I am very upset!

Minka said...

I wa sjust saying that sometimes a guy does laundry really badly to safe himself from doing it ever again. becasue if he does it once, the wife will be re-affirmed in her belief of guys not being able to do laundry properly and dedicate herself to it! He smiles and lives his life without ever having to do the laundry!

OldHorsetailSnake said...

Dang, you got some good stories. This is among the best ever.

A Little Bar of Soap said...

It is a SIN to bear false witness, Tan Lucy Pez.

Fred said...

Maybe it's only me, but I'm not shocked. Great strategy, though. I'll remember this next time I want to get out of doing some chores The Missus has on my to-do list.

Anonymous said...

My dear husband does his own laundry, and often the kids' too, and I didn't even have to train him! I'm still not sure how I got so lucky there.

lime said...

as a newlywed i did 'our' laundry for the first time. noticed nary a single pair of skivvies for the hubby, though all his other dirty laundry made it into the hamper. when i got home and put away the clean stuff he asked where his underwear was, i said, "funny you should ask.." he informed me it was under the bed and his mother always fished it out when laundry day came. i sidled up to him , kissed him sweetly and said he coudl choose if i wante dto be mommy or wife..i only wanted his happiness but if i were is mmmy certain activities woudl be illegal and immoral.....i never fished for underwear again.

Bela said...

I've always suspected that...about partners. I know it's true.

kenju said...

There's always a method to the madness!

Tom & Icy said...

That kind of stuff goes on in the workplace a lot, too.

Sar said...

The one and only thing I love about laundry is when the clothes are nice and warm, right out of the dryer, I actually hug them by the armful as I take them out of the dryer. I'm pretty particular (read anal) about how it should be folded, so hubby and I long ago worked out a system. I do the washing & folding and he does the hanging & putting away. Which is fine with me!

S A J Shirazi said...

This is not a boring blog. No. I like it here.

A said...

Oh dear! I have the same problem with my husband; he doesn't care if his clothes are on the floor or hung up.

We had an exercise bike that served as his closet for a long time.

Then we sold that for a nice, leather chair that he could read it.

Of course, he can never read in it because it's filled with his clothes waiting to be hung up. sighs

Oh well, can't have everything.

Fine.

Whatever.

The Reverent Eater said...

There's a rumour that circulates amongst my wife's family that her father may have used a similar technique AGAINST her mother to get OUT of doing laundry. As the story goes, once in the early days of their marriage, she asked him do the laundry and he complied. But he put all the dirty clothes and the powdered detergent in the dryer. And...well...he's never been asked to do the laundry again...or so the rumour goes.

SavtaDotty said...

Whoever said "honesty is the best policy" couldn't have been married for long.

Ivy the Goober said...

welcome to the club, it's how I get a shelf hung or some chore like that. I make sure he can see me trying, then he's convinced I'll screw things up and takes over. where if I'd just asked him to do it, I'd still be waiting :)

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