First off, kitchen progress update: all of the chaotic electrical work is finished — and it only took five hours. Woot.
We’re tidying up, snapping photos, hunting for pendant lights, and preparing a big post for Monday. After Sherry shared “The Real $herdog” earlier in the week, many readers asked for a John version. I was surprised — I figured Burger and Clara would get mentioned before me. Sherry suggested I use “J-Boom” as a playful nickname for this post. It’s not my favorite (it’s a little close to a certain reality-TV moniker), but it’s got more flair than my childhood nicknames like “JP” or “Petersik.” Since Sherry included some shared facts about our marriage and our daughter in her post, my list tends to be a bit more random. Here goes.
#1 – I don’t always enjoy shopping and decorating. If our blog makes it look like I’m the eager husband tagging along on every shopping trip, that’s not entirely true. I do participate and often enjoy house errands more than many husbands, but I won’t pretend I jump for joy the moment someone says “we need to go out for pillows.” I groan at certain tasks and don’t leap from the couch anytime we’re hanging curtains or hauling things from the attic “that require two people, one being the strong and helpful husband.” Still, I try to find humor in being the supportive tagalong husband.
#2 – I’m the king of typos. My fingers and brain don’t always cooperate, and my eyes don’t always catch the mistakes. Sherry has little tolerance for it, especially since I sometimes drop whole words. Sentences like “then I spread the grout with a trowel” might emerge as “then I with a trowel,” leaving her puzzled. That’s one reason Sherry proofreads every post before it goes live and why I’m less active in the comments. I even once confessed in an interview that I loved Sherry because “she fixes my tyops.” It was sweet — until I admitted it was a genuine typo, not a clever line.
#3 – I’m sometimes insecure about being a stay-at-home dad. As some readers know from my BabyCenter post, I often feel awkward not dressing for an office job and leaving the house to work. Even when I recognize that being home with Clara is a meaningful and valuable role, moments like checking out at the grocery store during the day still make me feel self-conscious when a cashier does a double-take. I try to embrace it and be the best dad I can be, even if it feels unusual at times.
#4 – I’m a shameless consumer of “new” things. Maybe it’s the former advertising executive in me, but I’m a sucker for new products or repackaged favorites. Seasonal flavors? I must try them. Redesigned packaging? Bought it. When I grocery shop alone, Sherry expects me to come home with some oddball new flavor or product — Dulce de Leche Cheerios, anyone?
#5 – I sing. A lot. And not that well. Both Sherry and I burst into song frequently — sometimes singing along to the radio, other times making up little tunes that narrate what we’re doing (“a grouting we will go…”). We’re far from professional, but we can carry a tune enough to harmonize on occasion. If we auditioned for a singing show, we’d probably land in the middle group: neither great nor hopeless. For those curious, there’s a brief clip of me singing in a college improv mockumentary — fast forward to about 12:10 for my short verse.
#6 – I don’t really read Young House Love. Sherry reads everything — she proofreads our posts and answers most comments — so I don’t always read every post on our site. Between our daily tasks, it’s hard to find time to read other blogs, let alone the one I already know the ending to. So if we chat and you reference something funny Sherry wrote, forgive me if I smile and nod. It sometimes makes me feel like I should be more involved, but time is limited.
#7 – I can get pissed like the best of them. Projects can be frustrating, and I’m not immune to losing my temper. I’ve even lobbed a screwdriver at the ground while wrestling with a stubborn mailbox problem. I’m working on it, but I’m not always calm and cheerful during every project. Still, once a project is finished and we survive the chaos, it’s worth it — which is why I keep coming back to DIY. Think Russell Crowe in Gladiator, just considerably less ripped.
So maybe my list is less about revealing major flaws and more about acknowledging the little, relatable quirks that come with our life. Clara seems to think I’m perfect, and I’d like to keep that belief alive for as long as possible.
Pssst: We’re not famous, but we were invited to participate in the Richmond Comedy Coalition’s “Richmond Famous” series on Friday, Jan 27. We’ll share true stories from our lives and the troupe will improvise scenes based on them. Sherry is nervous about speaking in public, so we’d love to see some friendly faces in the audience.
Psssst again: We announced this week’s giveaway winner on the blog — check the site to see if you’re the lucky recipient.