First, a quick kitchen update: all the messy electrical work is finished — and it only took five hours. Woot.
We’re tidying up, taking photos, hunting for pendant lights, and writing a longer post for Monday. When Sherry shared “The Real $herdog” earlier this week there were a surprising number of requests for a John version. I was honestly shocked — I figured Burger or Clara would be mentioned before me. Since I don’t have a catchy moniker like Sherry, she suggested I go by “J-Boom” for now. It’s a little too close for comfort to a certain reality TV personality, but it has more flair than my childhood nicknames “JP” and “Petersik,” so I’ll roll with it. Sherry already compiled some shared facts for her post (about our marriage and Clara), so my list is a bit more random. Here goes.
#1 – I don’t always enjoy shopping and decorating. If our blog makes it seem like I cheerfully tag along on every shopping trip and decorating mission, that’s not the whole story. I do help with errands and often enjoy them more than many husbands might, but I also groan when told we “need to go out for pillows.” The same goes for many household tasks — I don’t leap off the couch every time we hang curtains or have to climb into the attic to move something that “takes two people, one being the strong and helpful husband.” Still, I try to find the humor in being the reluctant partner in crime.
#2 – I’m the king of typos. My fingers and brain don’t always cooperate, and my eyes don’t always catch the mistakes. Sherry has little tolerance for it — I’ll even drop entire words now and then. Sentences like “then I spread the grout with a trowel” might come out as “then I with a trowel,” leaving her confused. That’s why Sherry proofreads every post before it goes live and why I don’t spend much time in the comments. I once confessed in a local interview that I loved Sherry because “she fixes my tyops.” She thought it was sweet and clever until I admitted it wasn’t intentional — it was just the best-timed typo of my life.
#3 – I’m sometimes insecure about being a stay-at-home dad. I wrote about this on BabyCenter a while back. Technically I’m more of a “work-at-home” dad, but I still feel odd not putting on work clothes and heading to an office like other dads. Even though I know being home with Clara is a great thing, it can feel strange, especially when a cashier gives me that “oh, he must be unemployed” look in the middle of the day. I’m trying to embrace it and be the best dad I can be.
#4 – I’m a shameless consumer of “new” things. Maybe it’s the former advertising exec in me, but I’m a sucker for anything new — even a limited-edition flavor or redesigned packaging. If something shiny and new appears on the shelf, I’ll probably buy it just to try it. Sherry knows that when I food-shop alone, she should expect a strange new flavor or product to show up at home (Dulce De Leche Cheerios? Check).
#5 – I sing. A lot. And not that well. We both break into song frequently, whether it’s singing along to the radio or inventing a tune to narrate what we’re doing (“a grouting we will go, a grouting we will go…”). It’s a little off-key and slightly sarcastic sometimes, like an imperfect Disney soundtrack in our house. Clara sings along without hesitation. We’re not professional vocalists, but we can usually carry a tune — sometimes even harmonize on purpose. If we tried out for American Idol we’d probably land in the awkward middle group: not bad enough to be memorable, not good enough to be impressive. You can even find a brief clip of me singing in a college mockumentary our improv group made about a squash tournament; my tiny verse shows up around 12:10.
#6 – I don’t really read Young House Love. Since Sherry proofreads every post and responds to most comments (questions like “where did you get that mirror?” are beyond me), she reads nearly everything that appears on the site. With our busy schedule, it isn’t the best use of time for me to read every post too. I barely keep up with other blogs, let alone our own. So if we meet and you reference something funny Sherry wrote and I just smile and nod, please forgive me. Sometimes I feel like a bad person for not reading it all, but we’re long-winded enough as it is.
#7 – I can get pissed like the best of them. I’m not always zen during a project that’s going sideways. I’ve even been known to toss a screwdriver (or at least lob it to the ground) while wrestling with a stubborn mailbox or another frustrating task. I’m working on it, but know I’m not Mr. Calm-and-Perfect throughout every project. Sometimes I mutter under my breath and grit my teeth. But once the work is done and we’ve survived, it always feels worth it — which is why I keep jumping back into the DIY arena. Think Russell Crowe in Gladiator, just considerably less ripped.
So my list might be less about shocking revelations and more about admitting I’m imperfect — not Matt Damon, Edward Cullen, or whoever else passes for male perfection these days. Don’t tell Clara; she seems convinced I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread, and I’d like to keep it that way.
Pssst: We’re not famous, but we were invited to participate in the Richmond Comedy Coalition’s “Richmond Famous” series next Friday night (Jan 27). We’ll share true stories and they’ll improvise scenes based on them. Sherry is nervous about speaking on stage, so we’d love to see you there. I’ll be there; Sherry might hide in the car.
Psssst again: We announced this week’s giveaway winner on the blog. Check the post to see if you’re the lucky one.