a few recent discoveries

There are those who say we learn something new every day…I don’t know about every day, but my mind is always open to discoveries. Here are a few recent ones:

• Justin Vernon, a.k.a. Bon Iver, was a huge X-Files and Indigo Girls fan. That dude and I would get along just fine!
• When I was younger, all the males in the family and neighborhood helped shingle our church’s parsonage. Therefore, I always thought roofing was something anyone could do. Thus, it pissed me off that there was a man in my home who was home all the time and our garage didn’t have a decent roof — it’s not rocket science, after all! If my brother could do it, so could my mate, right?! Well…now I’ve seen a master at work, and roofing done right does take a little more skill than some young teenage boys hammering nails into a roof. In the end, I’m happy to have paid for this incredibly high-quality work.
• My sister-in-law recommended I see Crazy, Stupid, Love, which she described as “hysterical.” I couldn’t agree more — the film captured several of the complex issues of marriage, infidelity and maintaining our identities within relationships, making for some poignant moments and a lot of laughs. Highly recommended!
• Finally, my @failedatforty Twitter presence won me a free copy of Marriage Confidential by Pamela Haag, a brilliant, thoughtful and well-researched examination of modern marriage. While I’m only half-way through the book, I’ve discovered that I was a workhorse wife with a Tom Sawyer husband. It’s a thought-provoking read as we consider the history of marriage, in which roles were once so clearly defined, compared to the present, wherein we look to a spouse to be our everything — a best friend, soul mate, co-parent, earner, lover and more. That’s a lot to ask of one other person, and I think this book could provide the foundation for many great discussions among couples who are married or considering marriage.