A vacation from my vacation
So, I've been on paid leave for the better part of this month, hanging out with family and the in-laws, Christmas shopping, going shooting with my dad, hitting up two gunshows, and just in general being a cake-eating civilian. It's great, but after a while you need a break from friends and family. Long vacations back home remind you of why you moved away.
Oh, nothing bad happened. I actually get along with my family and my in-laws pretty darned well. This is good, since we're staying with my in-laws. The fold out couch, however, got old by night two, but that's not anything I blame them for. They're in the process of remodelling the empty nest, so I don't expect a normal bed.
The interaction between my wife and her mother, however, never ceases to amuse. Me, that is- she is often exasperated by it. You see, Mom-In-Law has the ability to use Guilt and Passive-Aggressive Forgetting to wonderous effect. As a male, and a pretty obtuse one at that, I am basically immune to the guilt trip. I usually don't notice them, and when I do I just ignore them. Wife? Yeah, notsomuch. It is a huge lever that MIL does sometimes pull, though to her credit she does it only rarely.
What she does do, however, is aggressively schedule. "Well, I know it's only November, but you said you would be here in December, and I was wondering if you knew what you were going to do. See, we got tickets to the community theater on Wednesday, and then your aunt has a get together on Thursday, and OF COURSE there is the blahblahblah on Friday that you'll want to go to..." Expand that to cover the whole month of December, and you'll see what I mean. It is imperative to get your own schedule set, and fast, or MIL/Vacation Planner will set it for you. Normally, it's a minor annoyance- she doesn't freak out if you balk- but on a couple of events that you REALLY SHOULD GO TO (in her mind), she plays the following gambit.
HER: "Now, on Saturday there is a showing of White Christmas at the church, and everyone in our sunday school class will be there. Now, they're older than you, but there will be some of their kids there, so it will be fun."
US (having seen White Christmas several times and having no desire to attend): "That's ok, we'll probably skip it. Thanks for the invite, though."
HER: "Oh, ok then. If you change your mind just let us know."
...later...
HER: "Now, don't forget, tomorrow is White Christmas at the church.
US: "Yeah, have fun!"
HER: "Oh, that's right. You're not going. Ok!"
...later...
HER: "So, we'll eat about 5, and make sure that you don't have anything planned until after 9."
US: "Why?"
HER: "Oh, I told you. They're showing White Christmas down at the church.
Wife: *strangled sounds*
ME: "And we told you, we're not going."
HER: "Oh, that's right. You have something going on, don't you?"
ME: *gets ready to say "yes, 'not watching White Christmas'."*
WIFE: "Yes. Yes we do.
...later...
HER: "OK, now your dad is going to go get the van warmed up, so let's get ready."
WIFE: *sighs*
ME: "For what?"
HER: "Well, White Christmas starts in about fifteen minutes."
WIFE: "Mom. We're. Not. Going."
Gee. Do you get the idea that she really wanted us to go see White Christmas? You know, we have nothing against the movie. If MIL had just said "I'd really like you guys to go for *whatever reason*", we probably would have said, "Oh, OK." As it was, I was terminally amused, and wife was really really annoyed. And, when she is thus, she digs in her heels, grits her teeth, lowers her head and generally acts like the Taurus she is. <3 OMG.
But now, we're on a nice, one-week vacation from our vacation. Williamsburg. Time share. Outlets. Concerts. Dining out. Free wifi. Nothing to do but lounge and generally act like a tourist. Fun fun stuff.
More on the tale of two Gunshows later. I gather that not many LJers that I know have ever been to one, so you might find the experience amusing.
Hope you guys are enjoying the hot weather.
Oh, nothing bad happened. I actually get along with my family and my in-laws pretty darned well. This is good, since we're staying with my in-laws. The fold out couch, however, got old by night two, but that's not anything I blame them for. They're in the process of remodelling the empty nest, so I don't expect a normal bed.
The interaction between my wife and her mother, however, never ceases to amuse. Me, that is- she is often exasperated by it. You see, Mom-In-Law has the ability to use Guilt and Passive-Aggressive Forgetting to wonderous effect. As a male, and a pretty obtuse one at that, I am basically immune to the guilt trip. I usually don't notice them, and when I do I just ignore them. Wife? Yeah, notsomuch. It is a huge lever that MIL does sometimes pull, though to her credit she does it only rarely.
What she does do, however, is aggressively schedule. "Well, I know it's only November, but you said you would be here in December, and I was wondering if you knew what you were going to do. See, we got tickets to the community theater on Wednesday, and then your aunt has a get together on Thursday, and OF COURSE there is the blahblahblah on Friday that you'll want to go to..." Expand that to cover the whole month of December, and you'll see what I mean. It is imperative to get your own schedule set, and fast, or MIL/Vacation Planner will set it for you. Normally, it's a minor annoyance- she doesn't freak out if you balk- but on a couple of events that you REALLY SHOULD GO TO (in her mind), she plays the following gambit.
HER: "Now, on Saturday there is a showing of White Christmas at the church, and everyone in our sunday school class will be there. Now, they're older than you, but there will be some of their kids there, so it will be fun."
US (having seen White Christmas several times and having no desire to attend): "That's ok, we'll probably skip it. Thanks for the invite, though."
HER: "Oh, ok then. If you change your mind just let us know."
...later...
HER: "Now, don't forget, tomorrow is White Christmas at the church.
US: "Yeah, have fun!"
HER: "Oh, that's right. You're not going. Ok!"
...later...
HER: "So, we'll eat about 5, and make sure that you don't have anything planned until after 9."
US: "Why?"
HER: "Oh, I told you. They're showing White Christmas down at the church.
Wife: *strangled sounds*
ME: "And we told you, we're not going."
HER: "Oh, that's right. You have something going on, don't you?"
ME: *gets ready to say "yes, 'not watching White Christmas'."*
WIFE: "Yes. Yes we do.
...later...
HER: "OK, now your dad is going to go get the van warmed up, so let's get ready."
WIFE: *sighs*
ME: "For what?"
HER: "Well, White Christmas starts in about fifteen minutes."
WIFE: "Mom. We're. Not. Going."
Gee. Do you get the idea that she really wanted us to go see White Christmas? You know, we have nothing against the movie. If MIL had just said "I'd really like you guys to go for *whatever reason*", we probably would have said, "Oh, OK." As it was, I was terminally amused, and wife was really really annoyed. And, when she is thus, she digs in her heels, grits her teeth, lowers her head and generally acts like the Taurus she is. <3 OMG.
But now, we're on a nice, one-week vacation from our vacation. Williamsburg. Time share. Outlets. Concerts. Dining out. Free wifi. Nothing to do but lounge and generally act like a tourist. Fun fun stuff.
More on the tale of two Gunshows later. I gather that not many LJers that I know have ever been to one, so you might find the experience amusing.
Hope you guys are enjoying the hot weather.