Stuff I Don't Know

There's lots of stuff I don't know that weighs on my mind tonight.

...I don't know why it is that some things just irritate me so much. I'm happy to pitch in and do household chores and do my part to maintain the house. But sometimes, seemingly simple tasks grow very elaborate, and I have a hard time concealing or controlling my irritation with that.

...I don't know how it came to pass that we spent so much money on the holidays. I hope we can figure out a way to pay for it all.

...I don't know why it should be that trying to lose a few pounds should be such a traumatic process. You have to eat less, which means it's easy for one to become short-tempered. You start thinking about your food more, which means you have to start making choices that are aimed at goals other than the pleasure of eating. You start looking in the mirror more and disapproving more of what you see there. Isn't there some sort of way to do this and still be happy?

...I don't know why I don't like tomatoes more than I do. I ought to like them. I'm part Italian and I'm a big advocate of cooking with fresh fruits and vegetables. They're packed full of flavor (when they're ripe, that is) and I like most sauces and soup bases made from tomatoes. But confronted with one, I lose my nerve and I can't bring myself to eat the thing. I know it's going to be gushy and slimy inside.

...I don't know how I lucked out into getting such a great wife. I want to get her something nice for the holidays (other than the computer she now uses) but I don't know what that will be or how I will afford it. But I've got to figure something out!

...I don't know how my dogs can sleep so much. Isn't there a quota for how many hours you can sleep in day? Yet they find a way to function and don't have any trouble sleeping again when they want to -- or when it's their bedtime. I don't know how I can sleep so little, but I don't ever feel like I get enough. I don't know how my cat can make so much noise, but she can.

...I don't know how parents do it. Seeing our neighbors interact with their kids astonishes me; they're both a few years older than The Wife and I and have three girls, ages three to seven. You can imagine the activity level -- yikes. Yet somehow they manage to keep their tempers. I can't imagine how much less sleep I'd get, and how much more stress I'd feel, if The Wife and I had young 'uns running around Soffit House.

...I don't know a surprising amount of sports trivia, for someone who enjoys sports as much as I do. Some of it sticks, some of it doesn't, and I haven't much excuse for my failure to perform well in contests or games testing my knowledge of sports trivia.

...I don't know what makes me nasally congested so often here in California's High Desert, or why I've been getting headaches so much. But I suspect that the two things are related.

...I don't know how we're going to pack all of our holiday gifts into shipping boxes; the gifts wound up being quite bulky.

...I don't know what's making so much noise tonight, but it sounds like there's a rock band practicing at the Catholic church across the street. Wherever it's coming from, it's irritating. A glass of wine before bed might help me ignore it, but I don't know if that plan will work or not, either.

...I don't know whether I'll go to watch the Packers game tomorrow or not. Yes, it could clinch the division and/or a playoff spot for them, and yes, it's against the Raiders. But I've better things to be doing with my money and my time, at least this time around. Maybe the game will be simulcast on the internet so I can watch it that way.