The fact is, I am a geek. The idea of this is not new. I spend a lot of time “geekin’ ” according to Lisa. I like to read about, research, and play with new technology. Lisa has known that I am a geek, since we first met. She says that she accepts this fact. I believe that at first it was cute to her. Now, however, this may be something that she tolerates. There is more of me that I will reveal at a later time. However, for this post I will keep to the the topic.
If you are a tinkerer, a player of gadgets, widgets, what nots, a builder of sorts, and just like to create and make things around the house, then there is one other person that will have to live with your ideas and creations other than you, that is, if you are married. They are usually the first person that will be the “guinea pig” that you will use to try it out and see if it works and looks the way you had “it” in mind. Your spouse will definitely be the one you will first show off your new, modified, or recreated projects to. We like to brag and show off, humbly of course, about what we have completed or in some cases almost completed. That person will either love, accept, tolerate, dismiss, or just be down right critical of your so called inventions. Will they allow this “thing” in the house and use it to what you believe is full potential or will they ask you kindly to remove it from their decor. If it is allowed, this is what is called the approval factor. Then comes the question of whether or not the spouse will use or not use this new this “thing” in everyday life.
To be fair, men are not the only ones that have this quality about them. Women are just as creative and gadget friendly as men. Sometimes though, the women have already made the house accepting of the new “thing” before it even has entered the front door. Where as men just throw an out of place, wrong color, and ugly object into an already warm inviting place. Men, one day we will finally understand how to do it their way the first time. Seeing that I am the man, and the tinkerer of our household thus far, I am the one that will bring these things into our house and everyday living.
When I introduce something to Lisa I will usually try my best to have all the kinks and quirks worked out of it before I present it. But for some reason, after I have tested it and played with it, it never fails that it will not work when i “turn it on”, fail within the first few tries that she gives it or just doesn’t fit into what already exists in our house. After my bubble has burst and the disappointment has subsided I will work on it again to improve upon, give more power to (insert Tool Man grunt), and dress it up. I will then ask her to answer honestly if she would use it or tell me she wouldn’t so that I can remove it.
What all of this really boils down to is, does she finally accept it and how well does she accept and use this “thing”? In the words of Daffy Duck, this means W.A.R.!
Wife’s Acceptance Rating (W.A.R.) The idea is that when something at its final result is presented and is not turned away will this be accepted and will it become enjoyable or tolerated. This is not something that I have come up with on my own, nor it is something new. I have borrowed this from others who, like myself, try to get our wives to give feedback on the ideas that we have and how they are working in their routine in, out and around the house, car, truck, work, and etc..
In short, after the above long winded babble, I am going to share with you some of the “things” I have introduced to our home. They have been tested and are ready to be rated using a scale of one star (being that “it” is never used by her) up to five stars(that she enjoys “it”). In the post to come, I will answer do my best to stay under these criteria; What is it and what does it do? Where’s the reasoning behind it? Why did I come to conclusion to use it in our lives? And How does it rate with her? So look for newer post on how the W.A.R is going!