Grumpy Old Men

Deep down - or sometimes not so deep down - inside every male lives a grumpy old man. The voices of Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon rumble in a man's head telling them the way things ought to be. The older and/or grumpier the man, the more likely it is for you to hear these voices out loud.

The Boss is often a grumpy old man. He doesn't even deny it. He tells me he's too old to sit on the ground instead of a chair. He's too old to stay up all night. He's too grumpy to put up with shenanigans from co-workers. (Although, he's not old enough to use the word shenanigans. That one probably came from me because I have an "old soul.")

He likes to jokingly mutter things about "oh, you women." He tells me that my lipgloss when I kiss him feels like he's been eating greasy chicken. (Not that it stops him from wanting a kiss.) He refuses to drink any sort of pink cocktail even though I told him it's delicious! Apparently, all pink drinks are "girl drinks" and food that doesn't contain meat is "girl food." He is surprised when he likes a movie or tv show that I want to watch, and he tells me each time that "I didn't think I would enjoy that, but it was pretty funny."

I don't know why he's surprised that I have good taste. Yes, I like girly things. Yes, I texted him when I thought Ezra's character had been killed on Pretty Little Liars. And sometimes I forget who I'm talking to, and I exclaim things like, "Have you ever seen such a gorgeous yellow teapot?!" To which, he looks at me like I've lost my head. On second thought, nevermind. I think I understand why he doubted my movie selections.

As I'm considering what a grumpy old man The Boss can be, I realize that I have the voice of a nagging old lady in my head. Somewhat of a "Marie Barone," if you will. I nag him to eat his vegetables or sometimes I throw out his low quality food - you know, things with high fructose corn syrup or MSG. I may have offered some constructive criticism of the way he was drying his dishes, but I'm just trying to help!

Moral Of Today's Story:  It's possible that in looking for someone to grow old with...I may have just grown OLD!  As long as you're with someone who recognizes your good intentions and appreciates the honest give and take, then it's not a bad thing to be a couple of Jack Lemmon's and Marie Barone's.