Day 3 - a television program that helped you either get through hard times or that moves you.
One summer when I was a camp counselor at the Best. Camp. Ever, my recently divorced co-counselor dropped this knowledge onto my young heart and brain:
"Don't ever, EVER think you can change a man, m. What you see is what you get. It's just like buying a pair of pants on sale with the intention of taking them to the tailor later to make them fit. It never happens. Off the rack, m! That's my motto! Off the rack!"
And we laughed and laughed until we realized we were missing campers and went our separate ways to retrieve them from the shadows of the campfire and out buildings.
Twentysome years later and I have heeded that lesson, and probably fared much better in love and life because of it. M. is complex in some ways, transparent in others. He's a Gemini so that keeps things interesting. While we are so alike it is scary in some aspects, there will always be matters where we diverge. He will never convince me his brief stint as a Britney Spears fan was not ironic. I will never be able to explain to him the sex appeal of the Afghan Whigs. He hates sour cream. I love it. Potato. Potahto. It's all good. There are some things I love I assume M will never "get".
But wait! What's this? My hip hop husband singing Galaxie 500 with me????? Gasp. The water-averse landlocked man pulling my ass out of the river as he kayaks along with me??? Shudder. And hang on....is the same man, the one that once proclaimed, "why are you watching this shit? These people are assholes. Is this funny for you?" now coming home with the first four seasons on DVD of....wait for it....
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
This show is my shit. And now it's M's too. I'm not sure when it happened, but somewhere between loathing it and being baffled at my chuckles, M started to see the magic too. Here's the premise: 5 friends own a dive bar down an alley in Philadelphia. They are assholes. They do asshole-y things. To each other and to other people. And it never ends well. And it is always hilarious. And I love it. Because I, dear friends, am an asshole, and sometimes I do asshole-y things. And the show, as its name implies, embodies all things Philadelphia which is, in essence, our second home and a place we hold great, great affection for. Pennsy! My residency! I can't recall a show that spoke to me more. And I am thrilled that rather than sneaking episodes off of the DVR while M is working, he now howls right there with me. Even better.
Off the rack? Not so much. I mean, shit's gotta fit. But there's always room for a little hem.
7 comments:
What great advice! I wish I would have learned that eons ago, it would have saved me some serious heartache. Although knowing me, I probably wouldn't of listened to such advice because you know, I always thought I knew better. huh. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself all of the lessons I've learned. But then again, I wouldn't be the same person I am today.
It's always sunny in philadelphia is on my permanent record setting on my dvr. I freaking love it. My husband just watched it with me for the first time last week. I heard him laugh along with me. Hopefully it'll become a common occurance for us to watch it together.
Fat Greg Dulli!! You know your love of Afghan Whigs is related to your love of IASIP. It always struck me as kind of "a**hole" music, but definitely sexy. Now I have to go find my AW t-shirt...
wait. you have a Whigs t-shirt? Can I borrow it when I go see fat Greg Dulli in Baltimore later this month?
Oh hell yes I just said that. You should get tickets and come with me Aud. I am going to be unbearable. M is wincing at the thought of it already. I am shocked he even agreed to come. Maybe he fears I'd throw my panties onstage without him there.
Nancy - hello! I should have added the word "finally" to my sentence. I definitely had my share of trying to fit where I shouldn't before finding M. But you're right, its made me the person I am today. I love that you love Sunny. I hope your hub digs it too.
Men can change, it's just that WE can't change them. So it's more like the hem just magically appears one day and you think, oh wow! Nice hem! That's my (biased and currently slightly twisted) opinion on it...
Excellent clarification!
LOVE LOVE LOVE Sunny, my husband and I don't miss it...I'm surprised we don't wake the neighborhood with our laughter!
Yea, I keep trying to change Steve(for 10+ years now), STILL, or should I say until about 2 months ago and our relationship is the best it has ever been. I had been given that advice many a time, but didn't heed it(obviously). And it's true, they CAN change, it just has to be their idea! lol
Good advice from your co-counsellor there but, I'm with you, there's always room a little hemming.
Hope you enjoy seeing Mr Dulli. I can only thank him for providing the soundtrack to my teenage years in the form of the Backbeat soundtrack! I still play it now!
Why have I never heard of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?! Perhaps it hasn't made it to the UK yet? You have all the good televsion!
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