Honey, this is boring!

I made my first post roughly three minutes ago, right? Of course I wanted to show Jen. So she comes over to the computer, leans over my shoulder and exclaims,

"Honey, this is boring!"

She went on.

"There's nothing here that grabs me! Even your post is dull! If you're going to do it, do it right! Don't accept mediocrity."

This is the first illustration of what it's like to be the non-ADD partner in a relationship. Whatever Jen takes on, she gives it 110%. Left to my own devices, I give about 85% and save the other 15% for the reserves. That would never fly with Jen. She does her best and can't imagine doing less. The result is that she works very hard. Very hard. And if she doesn't have anything in the reserves at the end of the day, she doesn't care, because she's satisfied. And satisfied is something I rarely feel.

I should tell you a little about myself, I guess. Well, my name is Erin. I was born and raised in Monmouth County, New Jersey, the only child of two commodities brokers. Growing up, I did very well in school, but I didn't really care, because I had my heart set on becoming an actress and pursued it whole-heartedly until I was 18. Whether or not I ultimately had a chance in show business was never determined because I chickened out and got a degree in Psychology from Vassar. I now have a stable, occasionally interesting career in Marketing. I met my partner Jen about four years ago, and we live together in Queens, New York with our 7-year-old lab mix, Punky. Right now we're in the process of building a house in the Hudson Valley. It will be ready in a few months, at which point we'll move there permanently. As far as hobbies go, I consider watching TV a hobby (any Lost fans out there?) and I also read quite a bit, mostly non-fiction, and almost always a topic I know nothing about from the start. (I'm a bit of an information receptacle but I compensate by having no common sense.) If I haven't made it clear, no, I do not have ADD, but sometimes I wish I did.

The dynamic between Jen and me often reminds me of Ernie and Bert. She is energetic, spontaneous and fun. I collect bottle caps and talk to pigeons.

Comments

[LindaBabe]

I don't care if this appears or not, Erin! Just wanted to say, I'm chuckling at your post but nodding too -(I'm the add'r in our family.) I'll enjoy reading your blog as well as Jennifer's. Good luck with the house - and thanks for writing. (I also liked Schor's book on work - have you read it?)

[Joanne]

Hi there,
I laughed and laughed so much at your list about bedtime winding down. That almost matches our list to a TEE, except the part about the Fresh Prince - I would substitute a CBC newscast. I am the non-ADDer, and I really enjoy the whole blog and look forward to more from anyone!

[Erin]

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful feedback! It means a lot to me that you're all enjoying the blog so far. If you have any particular topics you'd like me to post about, I'd love to hear your ideas (writer's block is so unpleasant)!

[Linda, I did not read Schor's other book about how Americans are overworked...because I know that if I do, I will start feeling bad for myself!]