2009-05-11 - 7:26 a.m.

...a TINY bit of friction.....

It's Monday and we've made it to London. Actually, we've been here for a few days, staying in the north near K's brother, sis-in-law, and nephew. (You may recall my description of their visit to Funcouver back in July, 2007. Flip back for mentions of women who resemble Hurricanes...).

Anyway, we are staying at a nearby hotel and driving to and from the hotel every day to be with the family. I refuse to drive in London, and K hates driving. K's brother drives absolutely everywhere. So you might imagine the fun that this involves. There is a wee bit of stress here.

I just got over-the-top angry at K's brother who said, "what's with this constant friction between the two of you?" in response to a conversation about getting the baby mattress out of the car for Susi.

Yes, we were bickering. But I gotta say, his comment (which was clearly directed at ME) pissed me off royally.

K and I have been staying with K's family and friends for about three weeks now. We've been sleeping in hotels, on floors, and on bouncy castles, packing and unpacking our stuff. I've been on best behavior, trying to keep up with a foreign tongue, and most recently, keeping as quiet and pleasant as possible around Hurricane June (K's brother's wife). I might also add that I've spend evenings trying to cheer K out of his own personal little sense of humour failures that make him about as snappy and unpleasant as a injured bear. So this comment directed at me was entirely unfair, and has turned me into a hopping mad gonzo who needs some time away from the in-laws before I explode in their general direction.

It has been building since our first hour here, when I make a joke about Susi's interest in repetitive toy playing, and he replied that "I'm too cynical about children." I smiled and said, "Yule, really, it was a joke. Everything's fine." After my third interaction with him like this, I realized that he just doesn't GET my humor, and (like his father) feels no problem at all about applying criticism to someone he barely knows.

But this last comment basically telling me to chill out has totally pissed me off. I mean, WTF? Since when is he the expert on partner relations? He married a f**king hurricane. And since when is it acceptable to tell others how to live? I could offer up a million comments about how my life differs from that of a conservative London banker...but, well, hmmm, I just don't think it's my place.

Okay. Just using the d-land venue to vent about the most traditional source of irritation in family history. In-laws. ho hum.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

No really, he's a good guy. K tells me so. And I know that this is just the accumulation of three weeks of holiday compromise (living in the space of K's friends and not mine), and that this really isn't a big deal.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Venting. Just venting.