Reflections on growing up on a Saturday night:):):)...

I'm folding clothes, gathering recyclables, cleaning dishes, working on my resume and applications for jobs:):):)...all on a Saturday night:):):)...I think I'm officially old:):):)...

...though I am watching a series of really excellent films in the process:):):)...

Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons:):):)...then Hudsucker Proxy, starring Tim Robbins, Paul Newman, and Jennifer Jason Leigh:):):)...both BRILLIANT MOVIES:):):)...VERY IMPRESSIVE:):):)...

And now, Being Julia:):):)...one of the best performances from Annette Benning I've ever seen:):):)...her role in The American President was good:):):)...but Annette's lacked the kind of gravitas that she has is this role:):):)...very impressive effort on her part, here:):):)...

And as I do all this apartment cleaning on my days off:):):)...

I'm reflecting on just how tired I am of being a parent in my friendships and relationships:):):)...

I don't mind, at all, being a big person:):):)...and I realize that this is just much of what comes with being a big person:):):)...

But I'm also tired of being a parent:):):)...

When Brandi and I were together:):):)...I told Brandi all the time that her choices were her choices:):):)...and that I wasn't interested in being a source of rebellion for her:):):)...though Brandi is/was more mature than most people I know in toto in the world, period:):):)...

And I've had this problem now around the very basic issue of household cleaning in our little apartment with Melissa:):):)...

We've had this issue ever since Melissa and I started living together:):):)...

It's a pretty simple arrangement Melissa and I have:):):)...

I clean:):):)...

She doesn't:):):)...

And it's worn on me for the last several months, in particular, where we've talked about it probably every day of that period:):):)...

To be fair:):):)...

Melissa has gotten better:):):)...

She does laundry...and she often does the grocery shopping...sometimes more than me:):):)...especially in the middle of week when I'm exhausted from a pretty physically and emotionally demanding job:):):)...

Other than that, though...

Melissa just kind of consistently lets things go to shit:):):)...she doesn't pick up after herself:):)...she'll take relatively organized areas of the apartment and slowly devolve them into chaos (the dining room table being the most consistent example:):):)...and she just takes hardly any initiative at all around basic household issues:):):)...

I love having Melissa as a roommate, generally:):):)...she's very easy to get along with:):):)...and she's fun and nice to spend time with, generally:):):)...

But...I have to say:):):)...that this is one facet of having her as a roommate that consistently annoys the shit out of me:):):)...

Now...

At this point...we've talked about this issue almost every day for several months...6 or 7 months, at least...

So the problem is DEFINITELY NOT that Melissa doesn't realize that this is a priority for me:):):)...and after both of us losing things so often (sometimes with serious timelines...a namebadge before work for me was one of the most serious ones, recently)...Melissa, I think, can see that this needs to be a priority for her, as well:):):)...

I think...that for whatever reasons:):):)...that Melissa sees me as some kind of parent-figure:):):)...and that she's just rebelling for the sake of it:):):)...

And I have to say that in any relationship with anyone else that you want to consider an equal...

That this is one of the most annoying things in the world to deal with:):):)...

And what I wanted to say on this post:):):)...

Is that...once...just once:):):)...

I want a relationship with someone who I don't have to parent:):):)...

I just once want to date a partner:):):)...who is both grown up and committed to getting more grown up and learning and growing with me for the rest of our time together:):):)...

Because this parenting friends and girlfriends business:):):)...gets REALLY OLD after a while:):):)...

Sometimes:):):)...I just want to have a relationship:):):)...

Where I can speak and behave freely:):):)...as I can with my younger friends:):):)...

And where I can count on some maturity:):):)...as I can, generally, with my relationships with my older friends and family:):):)...

Are there women like that, out there?:):):)...

I sure hope so:):):)...

Because otherwise it's going to be a rather lonely ride, this crazy life of mine:):):):):):):)...

I've got to get something to eat:):):)...

I hope everyone's having a great day:):):)...

Love,
Ben