PJBrown Posted April 25, 2006 Posted April 25, 2006 Well, I'm lucky. I am dating a girl in TN (only knock is that she is a Titans fan)...and she is such a sports fan, football especially, that when we go to my Dad's in Florida this weekend she had be assured we wouldn't miss the first round on Saturday. Not only that, when she found out that my Dad and I are going to get to a sports bar for the Sabres game she made me promise that we would take her and not make her have to go to the mall with my step-mother who is not into sports.... *** the best is that when I have a game (hockey), she drives so I can "have a couple with the boys after without worrying"..... Keeper?
Bill from NYC Posted April 25, 2006 Posted April 25, 2006 Well, I'm lucky. I am dating a girl in TN (only knock is that she is a Titans fan)...and she is such a sports fan, football especially, that when we go to my Dad's in Florida this weekend she had be assured we wouldn't miss the first round on Saturday. Not only that, when she found out that my Dad and I are going to get to a sports bar for the Sabres game she made me promise that we would take her and not make her have to go to the mall with my step-mother who is not into sports.... *** the best is that when I have a game (hockey), she drives so I can "have a couple with the boys after without worrying"..... Keeper? 670245[/snapback] Keeper indeed, but if you think that things will not change if you marry her, you are a fool. Sorry, but this is true. I had complete permission to watch the Bills at a sports bar every Sunday. I also had to come home immediately after the game was over. That was the deal. Then, she bought me DirecTV with the NFL Ticket for my birthday a few years ago. My sports bar days were over just like that. The good news is that I can have nirvjam and the guys over every week. She even helps me set up, and will stay if she has nothing better to do. Not only that, I have gone to RWS for 12 consecutive years! We can kid ourselves, but the above is about the best we can hope for.
The Avenger Posted April 25, 2006 Posted April 25, 2006 So here's my theory on the evolution of relationships and how it impacts football watching. Stage 1 - Dating - You, as an independent, not fully comitted (not in a legal sense anyway) person pretty much get to set your own rules. You have your own TV and your own schedule. You want to watch the game or the draft, you do it. If she like the game or the draft, great, if not she can find something else to do. Often times she'll watch the game (or in rare cases, the draft), to spend time with you. If you're lucky she watches because she's genuinely interested in it and not just hanging out with you because she's clingy, insecure or unable to find anything else to do. Stage 2 - Living together - not much different than stage 1 above, only now when you're watching the game in "our" living room on "our" TV. You still pretty much set the rules, but you've assumed some responsibilities as well. She may do the cooking, but you have to take out the garbage (any sharing of chores works). Just as you woudn't expect her to blow off her responisbilities for a solid 48 hours, she's not going to let you do it either. Good news is that your responsibilities get to be moved so they don't interfere with the game/draft - you take the garbage out AFTER round 7. Stage 3 - Married - HUGE jump here. You're now legally bound to her and she knows it. You still think you're king of the jungle IF she lets you think that. If she knows how passionate you are about football, watching the game or the draft is something she puts up with - she knows it makes you happy. She might give you crap for doing it, but in the end you get to watch it because you give her crap about buying too many shoes when she goes to the mall. Tradeoffs everywhere. Stage 4 - Married Homeowner - In addition to being legally bound to your mate, you now own real property together. Property that'll take you 30 years to pay off. Property that you're responsible for maintaining. Do it right and you have a nice place that increases in value. Do it poorly and you live in a run down place that'll be a real bear to sell when you want. The list of things you need to do is endless even if you're not a Bob Vila type - mow the lawn, paint the house, completely redo the kitchen. Seeing as you work, most of this needs to get done on the weekends, the same time the game/draft is on. You may be able to carve out time to watch the game or the draft, but only if you're still able to keep up with the responsibilities you currently have. This is where the "honey do" list comes in. Get it ahead of time and work like crazy on Saturday to get it all done and you can spend a few flak-free hours in front of the tube on Sunday. Stage 5 - Married homeowner with small kids - In addition to holding down a job and having plenty of responsibilities as a homeowner, you are now responsible for the life of another human being . Maybe it was OK to let the lawn grow long or the fence to fall into disrepair, but if you don't feed, bathe, clothe and make sure your kids don't fall down the basemet steps, you have real problems. No matter how passionate you are about football, the family has to come first. You might be able to try and plan to watch the game or the draft, but things can and will pop up that will force you from the TV - it's just a fact. Stage 6 - Married with older kids - Things start to get a bit better now. You still have lots of responsibilities, but your kids are old enough to generally take responsibility for their own welfare. If you're not driving them to soccer practice or expected at one of their games or recitals, you can probably catch the game/draft - planning ahead is key. Stage 7 - Married with grown kids - now you're back to some good times. The kids are no longer a responsibility - they have their own lives. Your house may be where you want it to be (after 40 years of projects). You may be retired, leaving you plenty of time to do what needs to be done AND have some fun in your free time. Assuming you're still passionate about football, the game/draft can now actually be a legitimate hobby. As the wife knits, you kick back and watch the Bills, remembering how good we were in the early 90s with Kelly, Reed, Thomas and Bruce - those were the days. If only Norwood had made that kick you could go to the great beyond (on the bright side it's only 2050 and they could still win the Super Bowl NEXT year).
Chicken Wing '73 Posted April 25, 2006 Posted April 25, 2006 Gotta love in that 12th hour on Saturday when you get up to take a whiz and you feel dizzy! My wife knows to get the two little ones out of the house that day.
Lurker Posted April 26, 2006 Posted April 26, 2006 LOL! My wife really hates when I watch the draft all weekend too. I hear about it for days afterward. This year, being the great hubby that I am, I told her: "Honey, since you let me go to the Masters last month, why don't you and the kids take a weekend trip and let me stay home by myself to watch the NFL draft." She was all over that like white on rice, planning a trip to Colonial Willimsburg with her folks coming along too. One problem though. She got the date of the draft wrong and went this past weekend, instead of the upcoming one. I didn't have the heart (or balls) to tell her, and she's getting back from the trip in about an hour. I'm really looking forward to sleeping in the guest room this weekend....
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