Thursday, March 08, 2007

An ode to Mr. Tangerine

I love that Mr. Tangerine (who celebrated his birthday yesterday). Here are a few reasons why:

• Like the most recent commenter on my phobias post, Mr. Tangerine has an abiding distrust of all things avian. Birds' resemblance to the raptors in Jurassic Park is unforgivable in his book. He's never seemed to share my fear and loathing of centipedes, but last night, after I mentioned that I'd seen (and avoided clicking on) a link to a clip of some centipede attacking an animal, he (1) Googled up the link for himself, (2) didn't try to make me see what was on his laptop screen, (3) exclaimed, "Oh my god! Oh my god! No fucking way!" (etc.), and (4) now believes that centipedes are among the vilest and cruelest creatures on this earth. Probably you don't want to search for that clip yourselves. Mr. Tangerine has taken one for the team, and confirms my fear and loathing of those hundred-legged bastards are well-founded.

• Wow, is he ever a good dad. And a good husband. In combination—I am ready for a break from parenting duties when evenings and weekends arrive, and Mr. Tangerine is terrific at simultaneously cutting me a break and nurturing his son. Ben has always turned to both parents equally when in need of comforting, and you can't get a better endorsement than that. And why was the weekend getaway described in the previous post so unnecessary for me? Because my husband facilitates my having more weekends of "me" time than any other parent I know. I never worry that my child isn't being well tended while I'm away.

• He's been doing all our travel planning for our trip to England in May. And doing a nice job of it, too, I must say. Most thorough.

• He's not Mr. Patriarchical. Yeah, I do more of the dishes and laundry, but I'm home freelancing part time while he's at the office full time. He's never had any expectation that I'll do the traditional wifely thing and cook dinner on a regular basis. Also? He's deliciously non-homophobic and non-racist.

• Those things people quote as the main reasons for divorce? Do not apply. We've always been in sync on all the hot buttons: financial matters, family issues, religion or the lack thereof, and general lifestyle issues (we both like the city, nobody's hankering to go out dancing, we like a lot of the same sorts of movies, etc.). We started out head-over-heels in love with each other (there is no better reason to get married or embark on a committed relationship, is there?), but as life partners, we're also compatible in all the important ways. Which is not to say we don't argue, but when we do, it's not about these giant practical matters that prompt divorces. Occasionally I remind him that he is stuck with me for the duration.

• He's handsome and super-smart.

• He brought thick-hair genes to the relationship so I could have a kid with good hair.

• He single-handedly installed and set up an HD plasma TV. Some sources say only a small percentage of consumers could do the same. He also is handy with things like the household wireless network.

• Although he and I prefer different mirror and heat/AC settings in the car, we keep the driver's seat in the same position. See? Compatible!

• I can tell him anything and everything. He might even listen if he's not watching sports at the moment.

• My oldest friends (meaning the ones I've known since high school) like him.

• When Ben first came home from the hospital after doing hard time in the NICU, he tended to spit up a lot at night. His daddy not only got up with me for all those middle-of-the-night feedings (even though he had to work in the morning), but he also started sleeping in Ben's room—with Ben on his chest. I've heard about new fathers complaining that their wives had abandoned them in favor of the baby—in our house, we had Super-Daddy. Given how difficult that period of my life was (postpartum depression or merely situational depression over the things that sucked?), he wins the Oscar for Best Husband and Father in a Leading Role.

11 comments:

Cricket said...

You are a lucky woman. And he's a lucky man if he can feel so appreciated. Lovely.

Anonymous said...

a lovely tribute, congratulations for having the wisdom to have found one another.

DoctorMama said...

Awwww.

What does it mean if you DO have to change the seat position in the car?

(I tried to force myself to watch the centipede video after your non-description, just to prove to myself I could, but I got all sweaty and palpitationy waiting for it to load and chickened out.)

Orange said...

Cricket—Oh, do you think I should tell him I wrote about him? :-)

Anon—Not much wisdom involved. Just the sheer luck of two college kids falling in love and seeing the potential.

DoctorMama—You're a doctor, what do you think it means? Just a nice little convenience that we never need to adjust the seat position. Unless someone else has driven the car, in which case it's a wee bit bothersome. And good gracious, woman! Why would you try to watch the video?? Don't you have enough stress in your life these days?

Mignon said...

That's a wonderful list. Perfect - and I'm with you on the hot button issue/non-issue. Life is so much easier when the big problems are shared instead of debated.

And I think about this everytime I look at my kids' big eyes and normal-sized heads (both not my doing): "He brought thick-hair genes to the relationship so I could have a kid with good hair."

Orange said...

Mignon, my mom has a skinny pinhead and my dad had a fat head. My mom knew what she was doing—I do wear a size small in hats, but seeing my head in three-way mirrors doesn't bother me like it does my mom. Of course, genetics is all a crapshoot—I could've been a pinhead who had a kid with wispy hair.

Bored Housewife said...

Aaaaaaaaawwwww!!!!


That is truly uplifting. I'm glad to know there are families out there with such a good groove happening.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Tangerine!

Mr. Don said...

Orange, Thanks for the link to librarians over at Lisa's post. Very nice, and yes, I do find intellegent women more attractive. After all, the sexiest part of your body is your mind ;-)

Feral Mom said...

You forgot to mention that Mr. Tangerine has great taste in women (and addictive games)! Also, that centipede thing was fucking horrifying.

Anonymous said...

You made me appreciate my husband - who is super fantastic in many of the same ways - all the more now. What a great post!

AldeaMB

Orange said...

Feral, why did you go looking for that video?!?