TMI Tuesday is here…

Love Work Money

[Editor’s Note:  Jill’s work schedule is busier than usual right now, so it’s just me this week.]

1. When did you last sing a love song? What song? Did you sing it to someone?
I can’t remember the last time I sang a love song. I often sing along with whatever music I’m playing in the car, and although there are probably a few love songs on my playlist, I can’t say for certain; it’s not the sort of thing to which I usually listen. Although not a love song, the last song I remember singing to another person was The Rare Ould Time”, specifically Flogging Molly’s cover. When my daughter was still a baby I would sometimes sing it to her as I changed her diaper, primarily to keep her focused on me so she wouldn’t try to scramble away. I’m sure the whole spectacle was quite adorable.

2. How do you want to spend a special day with your lover?
Naked.

3. What is the ideal number of calls/texts a couple should exchange in a day? Why did you say that?
It depends on the couple. Personally, I don’t believe in “should”; any societally-imposed ideal is basically asking to be smashed. My feeling is that the ideal number is whatever number is enough to convey whatever the couple mutually agrees needs to be conveyed. If both individuals require fifty to sixty “I love you” text exchanges over the course of a day, then that’s the ideal. If one individual requires fifty to sixty and the other is happier with, say, three, it may cause problems.

4. With regards to work, what do you enjoy doing (again, and again)?
I love writing. Given time, space, and quiet – three things that are admittedly in short supply these days – I could spend nearly every waking moment writing something. And if I could get paid for it, even better.

5. Are you on track with your work career? Are you where you wanted to be with education, training, position?
When I was younger I planned on being a filmmaker. I’ve got several completed screenplays under my belt, and a few more perpetually in progress. The plan was that I’d seek financing and make them independently, far from Hollywood. Eventually I realized filmmaking wasn’t my scene, and while I continued to write for myself I tried other things. Eventually, after years of working for someone else, I tried self-employement and that’s where I am now. So I’m inclined to say I am in fact on track, though whether I’m where I always planned to be is open for interpretation. I may not be doing the kind of work I planned, but I am doing something fulfilling and I find myself happy with it.

6. What do you want to avoid in your job/career?
Boredom.

7. Money–do you have enough?
Of course not. I mean, we don’t have as much money as we would like, but we probably have as much money as we need in order to live in conditions we can fool ourselves into believing equal comfort.

8. On Valentine’s day do you normally buy your loved one a romantic gift or a practical, usable gift?
I usually buy Jill a romantic gift as opposed to a practical one, specifically a dozen roses. Jill isn’t particularly concerned with Valentine’s Day; we realize it’s a commercial holiday designed to sell greeting cards and prix-fixe meals at already expensive restaurants. Still, she isn’t so jaded that she doesn’t appreciate romance, so I try to make such grandiose gestures throughout the year. However, on Valentine’s Day we both acknowledge that the big plus of having roses delivered to her job is that it makes her co-workers jealous.

9. Are you being paid fairly?
Money. Delicious, hot meals. Delicious, hot sex. The unconditional love of my wife and child. Occasional threesomes and other instances of non-monogamy. Considering what I actually do around here, I’m probably overpaid.

10. What’s the most money you’ve ever given away?
We don’t donate much to charity; typically such donations are made in way of old clothing and unwanted goods. When we do give money, we are more likely to give several smaller amounts over a period of time rather than one large amount. However, some years back, when money wasn’t quite so tight for us, we went to visit Jill’s sister and her husband in another state. The last time we were there, we all went to an expensive restaurant where we enjoyed one of the most memorable dinners I’ve ever had. This time, knowing they were struggling financially, we planned to treat them to dinner at the same place. This is my favorite kind of gesture: One in which I get to eat like a pig and drink like a fish. However, once Jill saw just how much they were struggling, she decided to just give them the few hundred dollars we would have spent on dinner. Now that they’ve gotten back on their feet they haven’t offered to repay us or even take us out to a comparable dinner, but I don’t dwell on that or anything.

Bonus: What’s the biggest personal change you’ve ever made?
Becoming a father. I could point out the number of extreme alterations made to my life as a direct result of the birth of my daughter, including but not limited to changes to our living situation and the way my business was run. However, the addition of this a person to our lives affected the Jack and Jill dynamic in ways more profound than I could have imagined.

How to play TMI Tuesday: Copy the above TMI Tuesday questions to your webspace (i.e., a blog). Answer the questions there, then leave a comment below, on this blog post, so we’ll all know where to read your responses. Please don’t forget to link to tmituesdayblog from your website!