In the last few weeks, I've become acutely appreciative of... men.
It's easy to think them kind of boobish and pathetic with all their "sex this, sex that", but frankly... they're pretty cool.
What's precipitated this admission?
Moving, of course. One cannot move all that effectively without the assistance of... men. I have to say that of all their admirable qualities, this whole muscle thing stands far above the rest.
Men are like walking forklifts. Had I not witnessed it for myself, I would not have believed it possible, and yet... a male friend of ours, who happens to be built like a small tank, single-handedly carried our washer and dryer off a pickup truck. By. Himself. All I could do was stand there, helpless, and say, "Um... let me kick that pile of rocks out of your way."
It must be so nice to know you will not be impeded by heavy shit all day long like women are. It must be awesome never having known the feeling of getting your ass kicked by a... jar.
As a paramedic, I once witnessed 5 men pick up a small compact vehicle in a parking lot and move it out of the way of our ambulance when we were responding to a shooting at a local nightclub.
My own brother, who isn't all that much taller than I am, single handedly moved a large box of books that I could not budge with all of my might and while toting it, still had the wind to mutter, "Have you actually READ all of these??"
So, yes, I concede that men are astounding and admirable when they use their brute force for good and not evil. Without men, all of our stuff would still be sitting in a house we no longer own.
Posted by Cranky at June 17, 2003 11:17 PMSend em our way when you're done! We have a free-standing deck that needs moved.
Posted by: GigaMatt on June 18, 2003 06:16 AMAnd I can think of 1 or 2 other things that men are good for. Other than those, we are pretty much vermin and a pox... or maybe a monkeypox... I'm not sure anymore.
Posted by: Nalapox on June 18, 2003 06:42 AMWell, there's that, too. And sometimes, I can agree that there's ONLY that.
Posted by: scorpy on June 18, 2003 07:00 AMWait, you were able to pursuade a man to "do" something with those muscles? Damn ... I need to get some pointers from you! ;)
Posted by: Kelly on June 18, 2003 07:55 AMAh, totally agree here. Aside from helping us make babies, I'll have to say that #2 is definitely "lifting heavy shit." Spencer's father once lifted a 7-foot nine-drawer mahogany oak dresser over his head and onto a moving truck. We all just applauded. So, yes...lifting heavy stuff=good.
Posted by: Tracy on June 18, 2003 09:30 AMMen are walking forklifts -- HAHA! Good one!
If I would have known you'd have men present, I would have driven from Colorado to watch them.
Sigh. It's been so long since I've seen a man do anything besides get promoted ahead of me...
Posted by: BeerMary on June 18, 2003 09:59 AMDamn, that's refreshing... To actually have a woman admit that there are things men can do that women can't. Equal pay for equal work and all that, yes. But there are differences in the genders, and personally I kinda like it that way!
Posted by: Jody on June 18, 2003 10:41 AMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, biceps.
Posted by: Terry on June 18, 2003 11:41 AMI'm with Jody (even though she spells our name WRONG).
Posted by: Jodi on June 18, 2003 12:50 PMThat was hilarious, Tess. It's the only reason why I like to keep a male roommate around. I'm a tough chick too, but it always amazes me how much stronger guys really are.
Posted by: Angela on June 19, 2003 09:55 AMMe and my wife have moved too many f*&^ing times in our marriage. Mar 97, Aug 97, Apr 00 and Apr 01. Beyond our sofas and bed, guess who packed and unpacked the U-Hauls and vans for those four moves? Yep, me by myself. Being 5'11" has been a curse. Great for spending six years working on a farm, but at my current job whenever management needs something moved, guess who they look to? I am used to and not bitching about it. It is nice being appreciated, and there is a level of comfort in (for the most part) being able to take care of myself come what may. The downside is drunk people wanting a challenge, which is why I have been involved in 13 fights that had the result of someone being knocked out. No, I did not go 13-0 my record for the inquiring minds is 9-4. And no, I am not lean like Ben Affleck. And no, I have not gotten in a fight since I have been married. It is a part of my life that I hope remains behind me. That is not said out of possible shame of having someone kick my ass while my wife watches it happen. It is more that I don't want her to see the violent, physical part of me. It's not what she fell in love with. BTW our "boobishness and patheticness" about sex stems 100% from the female attitude of you all witholding sex to level some type of playing field. All is said in good fun due to the fact that you cast spells over us because nothing feels as good as knowing someone loves you. Did I rant too much for a response post?
Posted by: Ben on June 19, 2003 05:21 PMYep, oddly enough there is a use for them. That is why I have kept my man around for the past 7 years. Plus he is taller than me and can reach high spaces.
Posted by: Mary Carmen on June 20, 2003 06:54 AMI remember a comedian saying something like, "When you see a married couple, she's pushing a rolling cart with a baby in it... he's carrying everything else!"
Posted by: Frank DiSalle on June 20, 2003 10:07 AM