Stick to what you know
For the past week or so, I’ve been drafting an open letter to Floridian Democrats — but I can’t focus on those yahoos without losing my temper. (Suffice it to say, careful throwing around the term “disenfranchised.” You look stupid enough as it is, without paying lip service to the political equivalent of “reverse racism.”) Instead, I’ll share this recent thought:
I’m in the process of planning a wedding. Not alone, of course — but that’s the whole point. My lovely fianceé has shouldered 99% of the load thus far, while I’ve been happily relegated to making cold-calls. This is how it should be, I think; and not because — for reasons of gender, or sexual politics — Lis is better equipped to handle these decisions. Except, she’s spent infinitely more time thinking about weddings than I.
It’s like if we decided to co-manage a fantasy baseball team: never mind this would be a terrible idea — given the many years I’ve devoted to the sport, I should have final say over all personnel decisions. Imagine that Lis ventured, “Let’s draft Jason Varitek at catcher. My grandmother loves him, and she never misses a game.” Well, I might point out that Varitek hasn’t been a viable fantasy player since 2005; that, in fact, he hasn’t posted an OPS over .800 in two years. Lis wasn’t “wrong” to suggest Varitek (in this example) — but her suggestion was based on negligible data.
So, when I’m asked to summon my attention and assess wedding colors — in one, earlier instance, shades of red and blue — and I pontificate about primary colors; and the color wheel; and commercial advertising campaigns … well, I’m not being very helpful. Not “wrong,” necessarily — but certainly not helpful.
Luckily, two people plan a wedding together (or co-manage a fantasy baseball team) to share in the final, happy outcome. And if one of these two people is better inclined to call the shots, then so be it.
[”Pink and blue! Why would I want red and blue for our wedding colors — because we’re so freakin’ patriotic?” That’s what’s shouted from the other room. Like I’d have Jason Varitek on any of my fantasy teams, anyway. Stupid, illiterate Red Sox.]
