Friday, May 23, 2008

Mars/Venus??

I'll not bore anyone with all the details of this last week, except to say that there is no way the painting will be done by Monday. I'm only half done and wearing out. So is my mother. Dave will have the laminate done everywhere but the bedrooms, but because of constant interruptions he will not be able to get it done in the bedrooms by Monday. Except for Dave's comment that the second paint color looked like "baby's diarrhea diaper" (it's really a bronze color), we haven't killed each other yet. At least there hasn't been any more hysterics.

I have a question for anyone who cares to answer. I am confused about the male species. I know about the whole Mars/Venus thing but I simply cannot understand some things about men and wonder if perhaps this is just confined to my husband. He is, after all, unique.

On Wednesday my husband offered to purchase and put up crown moulding. Very, very nice of him indeed (and one of the things that has put him behind). He said there was some on sale at Burron's Lumber for 49 cents/foot. I was thrilled. He insisted I come to look at it even though I told him anything white would be a wonderful finisher. When we got there, he discovered a nicer style for 89 cents/foot. It was much nicer, yes, but I told him I was content with the 49 cent style to save cost. He asked me again if I preferred the 89 cent style and I said that yes, of course I did, so he said that little bit extra wasn't that much. I then found a different style for 69 cents/foot on sale that I liked just as much, so we ended up getting that one.

Let's do the math: Initial choice: .49 @ 230 feet = $112.70. Dave's recommendation: .89 @ 230 feet = $204.70. My recommendation: .69 @ 230 feet = $158.70. Total cost saved: $204.70-$158.70=$46.00. I was quite pleased with myself for saving us a few bucks.

Then....

I come home determined to do the dishes that have piled up because my sink has been so dirty with paint. I scrub my sink clean with a scratchy pad (highly recommend) from Dollarama. Works wonderful. Dave comes in and, uh, has a minor conniption because I wasted a perfectly good scratchy pad on my sink that I would have to throw away when all the painting was done when I could have used an SOS pad (that I could have kept).

Excuse me?

I just saved him $46.00 on crown moulding and he is throwing fits over scratchy pads that come five in a package for $1.00 at Dollarama? 20 cents? And yes, I informed him of this cost to which he had no reply.

Can someone enlighten me?

5 comments:

Laura said...

I think perhaps it is confined to specifically your husband and the fact that he was a bachelor for so long before he married you. At least that's the only sound explanation I can think of.

Amanda said...

Nope Laura -- mine would too. 'Nuff said.

Anonymous said...

....that or he was a Mennonite in his previous life.
I mean no disrespect to Mennonites...love them, they are wonderful people...I married one....but just when you think you got them figured out, and maybe start to understand how their brain works.....they change their mind, and you are the one that simply just doesn't understand. There is a special handbook somewhere on how to live peacefully with Mennonites....I just have to find it.
Like I said....wonderful people.....love my husband....just awefully confusing !!!!

Lana

Darla said...

I honestly think it must have something to do with making me happy by offering to buy the "nice" crown moulding (although I don't think he could put that into words at all), in turn making him feel good about doing something nice for me. That same feeling did not apply at all with the scrub pad, obviously.

Rachel Peterson said...

Hah