Taking Out the Trash

Am I the only old-fashioned girl left who believes the husband should take out the garbage?  Forgive me for what I'm about to say, but...it's Man's Work.

I know, I know what you're thinking.  You'll be shocked to know I have a story that matches your thoughts.

In high school, if any of my friends had to work, it was fairly routine that the rest of the gang would swing by and visit to make the hours a little more enjoyable for said friend.  One time, we stopped to see my friend Carolyn who worked at a little hamburger place in South Buffalo.  We went in, kind of giggled through our orders (because it's a little funny to order food through a friend, I guess), and sat down.

While were eating, Carolyn came out from behind the counter to chat and introduce us to a coworker.  I don't remember the coworker's name, but I do remember that it was clear Carolyn had talked about all of us to her friend, because with each name, she gave a nice little, "You know, the one who..." and everybody felt complimented by the whole thing.

When Carolyn got to me, she said, "And this Mary Pat.  She's a princess."

I was not offended.  On the contrary, I was thrilled that she got it so right.  She tried to gently tell me later that it might not be the compliment I thought it was, but I was okay with it.  Still am.

I was definitely ALL princess today, as I lugged two VERY heavy, oversized Rubbermaid garbage cans the three hundred feet from my garage to the end of my driveway.  And I was having THOUGHTS.  Things like, "I can't BELIEVE my husband forgot to do this," and, "Probably EVERYONE driving by is feeling really sorry for me because these garbage cans are huge and I am clearly hurting myself."  I definitely pulled a muscle in my back, by the way.

And yes, there were brief interludes of, "I am so empowered, I am Taking Out the Trash," but it was all overshadowed by, "I am so getting Joe back for this."

I really can't think of any good revenge ideas right now, mostly because I'm so flustered by the whole experience (in a heated argument the best I can come up with is, "I know you are but what am I?"), but I'm open to suggestions if you have any.

EXCEPT "Suck it up, MP."  That one's no good.