Men Really ARE from Mars

A visit home served me both well and ill this weekend. Visiting home is always comforting as I'm able to see Bubba (the dog) and Cheetah (the cat) and of course hang with Mom and Dad.

Mom and Auntie Lori brought me to their gym and I can't get over my jealousy of their immaculate workout haven - which they pay TEN BUCKS a month for! So not fair. My pitiful Y membership rapes me of $30 every month. Gross.

But Uncle Walter fixed my car yet again, saving me lots of loot and just generally being the best uncle ever for doing it.

Then came my semi-annual visit to the old watering hole and former job - the Main Street. And there I got into a conversation with Tricia which was truly enlightening in that I realized just how different women are from men. Both of us - her certainly more so - had men-related woes to release. And in talking she told me something I hadn't been able to really pinpoint before. She said:

"Men need to fix things. If they can't fix it, they wonder why you're talking about it and they get frustrated that you're dwelling on it."

How true! I hadn't thought about it that way, but she continued,

"Women like to talk about these things with each other. They like to vent and pour it all out to each other and they don't mind!"

While it is our partner's jobs to be understanding and to offer their love and support, what really can they do if you have bugs in your apartment? Or if your car broke down and AAA is on the way? Or if your best friend's boyfriend is a jerk?

He wants to fix it if you're upset. And when he can't - which often is the case - he's just going to get frustrated and then you're both going to end up annoyed. So, a bit of advice; don't talk for hours to your boyfriend about how your Mom pissed you off because she accidentally bleached your shirt. There's surely something better to talk about somewhere.