One of the posts that came down my Google Reader pipeline today was a Facebook meme I actually hadn’t seen yet (wonder of wonders!), posted by, of all people, Dooce.
(Incidentally, I wonder how many of her readers immediately said to themselves, “OMG HEATHER IS ON FACEBOOK?” and rushed off to friend her? Not me — I’m actually trying to prune the Facebook friend insanity.)
Although I’ve been doing the standard memes on Facebook instead of my main blog, I decided to fill out this one here, since it’s about Best Friend #1: my husband.
What are your middle names?
Mine is Marie. It’s a family name; my mom has it, and her dad’s mother had it.
Aaron’s is Russell. It’s a family name; his dad has it, and his dad’s dad had it.
How long have you been together?
We’ve been together since March 1996, so almost 13 years now. We’ve been married for the last 5+ of those.
How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We were introduced for the explicit purpose of dating, but we knew each other for about three weeks before officially becoming “a thing.”
Who asked whom out?
I asked him out, via e-mail. —Well, no, that’s not entirely true. I introduced myself to him, we volleyed e-mails back and forth, then he suggested that we should meet for coffee before the online thing got too weird.
How old are each of you?
He’s 34; I’ll be 33 in April. For some reason, I can always remember his age easier than I can remember mine. He’s almost a year and a half older than I am.
Whose siblings do you see the most?
Since I don’t have any full siblings, we definitely see his brother more often. I do have a step-brother — we still see Aaron’s brother more, though, since he lives relatively close by now, and my step-brother goes to OSU.
Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
I used to think it was our opposite schedules, but I’m realizing that our opposite schedules are an integral part of our unique relationship dynamic. We each get to do our thing during the week, and not feel bad about dissing the other person. On the weekends, we have quality time. It works surprisingly well.
Did you go to the same school?
He transferred from UT to BG after we had been dating for a while.
Are you from the same home town?
No.
Who is smarter?
He would probably say I am. I say we’re both equally smart, often in very different ways.
Who is the most sensitive?
Neither of us are particularly mushy; I’d have to call that one a draw, too.
Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Our current front-runner is Fujiyama, a great sushi place just up the road from us.
Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Tokyo, Japan.
Who has the craziest exes?
Aaron, hands down. My exes were just insensitive dorks; his drank ammonia, ran screaming in the rain after prom, french-kissed like a fish, and other things I’m not privy to disclose.
Who has the worst temper?
Aaron. He’s been known to throw things (not at me) and yell (mostly at or about inanimate objects). I yell very infrequently, although I do get bitchy more often than I used to.
Who does the cooking?
Aaron, generally. We have opposite shifts during the week, so we’re only together for meals on the weekends, and we mostly go out for our meals these days. When we do cook at home, though, Aaron definitely takes the lead.
Who is the neat-freak?
If I had to pick, I’d say Aaron. I’m kind of OCD about certain things, but he generally reaches his threshhold of dirty way before I do.
Who is more stubborn?
We’re both definitely stubborn in different ways. He tends not to want to do things if coerced; it has to be his idea. (Isn’t everyone like that, though?) I’m more passive-aggressive about my stubbornness.
Who hogs the bed?
We take turns. Because of our different schedules, I go to bed first, then he comes home from work after I’ve been in bed for half the night, so sometimes I have a leg or an arm sprawled on his side when he comes to bed. Then again, sometimes he rolls over and takes his half out of the middle while he sleeps.
Who wakes up earlier?
Me, thanks to our aforementioned schedules. I’m up around 7am (or thereabouts), and he’s up at noon.
Where was your first date?
Cosmo’s coffee shop in Bowling Green, OH. I got an Italian soda (I wasn’t into coffee yet) and we sat at the window table and talked for hours. Alas, Cosmo’s is no more, and is now a Mexican restaurant.
Who is more jealous?
Hard to tell. I don’t think either of us are very jealous.
How long did it take to get serious?
We were physically serious fairly early on (read: making out like monkeys in the TV lounge on the second date), but we took things really slow otherwise. About a year and a half or two years into our relationship, I think things really started to get comfortable and long-term.
Who eats more?
Technically, he does. We’re both on the same diet, and he gets allotted more calories since he’s a male with a non-sedentary job, versus me being female with a desk job.
Who does the laundry?
I do, while he does the grocery shopping. This is a throwback from our college days, when I didn’t have a car and we’d both go and do laundry and shopping together. Later on, once we moved in together (and had two cars), we’d split up and I’d hit the laundromat while he hit the grocery store. Now that we have a washer and dryer at home, the same Sunday schedule persists.
Who’s better with the computer?
Hardware? We’re both on a par, although he likes to take charge. As software goes, I have him beat with Photoshop and HTML, not counting my other geeky coding pursuits.
Who drives when you are together?
Aaron — again, a throwback to when I didn’t have a car. I’m fine with that, though.