Julep: I TOLD YOU SO...

I told you so, I told you so!

Ahhhh. It feels good to get that off my chest.

We are leaving on vacation in a couple of hours. Last night, after the Bear went to sleep, I was running all over the house frantically trying to accomplish a whole host of things that need to be taken care of before we leave town for a week. Mr. J was parked on the couch. I asked him to take on several tasks, and he said "OK" but didn't get up.

I finally said, "you know, it feels like I am working my @$$ off around here while you are sitting on your @$$ watching TV, and that doesn't make me feel good." He said, "You should relax. I told everyone that I am out of town as of noon tomorrow, so the sitter will be here and I'll have several hours to get everything wrapped up. Just make a list of things you want me to do. Just leave a pile of things you want packed. I'll take care of it."

Personally, I cannot relax when I have a list of things to accomplish. If you are going to have three hours of free time somewhere in the next 24 hours, wouldn't you rather have those hours at the end of your list of things to do, comfortable in the knowledge that you got your shit done already? Also, I am a firm believer that you should get things done when you have an open window of opportunity because you just never know what will crop up. (I find this rule to be even more true now that I am a parent.)

But you know, mileage may vary. I have so many other reasons to nag, I try not to make a big deal out of philosophical differences. Last night I did not stop doing the things that I planned to accomplish myself, but I did stop griping at him to get up.

Well, guess who called me at 12:15 pm. The sitter has not arrived. (Possible miscommunication with the Sitter Guru about whether we needed help at all as we are heading out of town today.) Guess who has a giant list of things to do that he now has to plow through while entertaining the Bear. Guess who wanted sympathy.

I did my best. I commiserated that yes, it will be hard to get those things done. When he started to sound a little grouchy, like I wasn't sympathetic enough ... what does he want? I'm at the office, finishing a project ... I said, "Look, I'm biting my tongue over here. I see that this will be very tough to accomplish, and I'm sorry for you about that. Let's leave it there, I have to get back to work."

I. TOLD. YOU. SO.