GOD I don't understand my gf!

kernow62 says on Nov 21, 2005, 16:51:

Ja ja, get used to it mate.

Today whilst at work my dear wife unplugged my expensive book scanner and put it in the garage because it was cluttering up my office. She never thought that moving it without locking the head on a planetary scanner can ruin it.

My CDs used to be in order, now it takes me 2 days to find the ome I am looking for.

But the house is very clean and tidy.

I haven't heard the medicine in the kitchen one though. ja ja

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bobbyb says on Nov 21, 2005, 17:47:

Cam Ya making me very ascared!!!!

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cam0940 says on Nov 21, 2005, 18:02:

I don't mean to scare you guys, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. I'd swear half my stuff had legs. I am open to some adjustment, but please tell me where you're putting stuff before you arbitrarily rearrange. Many a man has had this problem when moving in w/ his girlfriend. Stuff just comes up missing. All in the name of "tidying up". I'm guessing odds are 3-to-2 that Mario ends up moving the TV. Oh sure he'll try to draw the line as we all do. But when she uproots her life and comes here, there'll be plenty of concession trying to make her comfortable. Been there, bro.

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cam0940 says on Nov 21, 2005, 18:03:

Or I should say, I AM there, bro.

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kernow62 says on Nov 21, 2005, 18:15:

Unfortunately Mario I am hooked on the sound from my CD player which is single play, I couldn't give it up for convenience sake. However it is interesting they can be stacked, I didn't know that. So how much would 4 of them run?

We too have had the TV discussion. We have the TV in the living room, chalk one up for me. It isn't going anywhere Cam, it has been 11 years now. I think she allows me this one victory so that she can buy more shoes. ja ja

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kernow62 says on Nov 21, 2005, 18:17:

Oh I forgot if you have a delicate phono cartridge be sure to get a cover for the turntable or else you will be re-tipping the cartridge on a regular basis (not cheap). Surprising what damage a Colombiana can inflict with a rag or a feather duster.

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Mrblablazo says on Nov 21, 2005, 18:18:

Upside down My wife has all of our CDs and books upside down because in Colombia they print the title on the spine going in the other direction. Some habits just die hard.

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silviat says on Nov 21, 2005, 18:20:

hahahah I wonder if Seth has ever feel that way about me :)

Thought I don't touch his office stuff because thats his mess... and I hate it when someone touches mine...

Mario, the TV situation has been an issue for us as well... I hate Tvs on living rooms... it doesnt match... it screws whatever decoration you put because it becomes the focus of the room. But in the room it wouldnt work for both of us... because I sleep earlier so he wouldnt be able to watch whatever he wants in the night... and because I think they look bad there as well (TVs may be fun but they are ugly :) )

So the agreament we reached (and that can be an idea for you) is to put the TV in one of those pieces of furniture with doors... so when no one is watching it we just close it and then it doesnt look as bad.

Ok I am going to ask mi esposo if he has had that anger of the hidden things about me .

Saludos

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kernow62 says on Nov 21, 2005, 19:13:

I am just guestimating on 1600 CDs, but I know it is at least 1200+

I know the speakers are more important, that and the room itself but CD players do sound different, even my wife can plainly hear the differences and she could care less. I have tried to fool her and she will always guess correctly. Try auditioning a NAIM or LINN CD player. Although this has more to do with the DACs than anything else.

In fact the better the rest of your system the more you will be able to detect the difference in CD players.

$800 is pretty damn cheap, I didn't realise they were so inexpensive. Perhaps I will spring for one to test at least for non-critical listening.

Is it easy to select and remove a disc for when I want to pop it into my other CD player?

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cam0940 says on Nov 21, 2005, 19:15:

LMAO, Kernow. I just checked in and saw the feather duster comment.

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kernow62 says on Nov 21, 2005, 19:15:

Silvia perhaps a plasma TV or an LCD TV is the answer, not as ugly for sure and take up very little room.

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kernow62 says on Nov 21, 2005, 19:21:

"My wife has all of our CDs and books upside down because in Colombia they print the title on the spine going in the other direction. Some habits just die hard."

That's a new one on me. I just took a look at a few CDs I purchsed in Colombia and a few books and the titles are oriented the same as here. Are you sure she isn't pulling your leg?

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silviat says on Nov 21, 2005, 20:07:

a 1500 usd solution ;) Isnt that what one of those plasma Tvs cost?

or more? I have no idea... well I guess that for a person who really like tv out that could be a good buy.

By the way I ask the husband and he said that he just found funny where I put some things... (but couldnt think on an example).

Bueno chicos now I am going to watch the monday footbal (you see how am I adjusting????) with my husband in the TV that is still located at the living room ;)

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bobbyb says on Nov 21, 2005, 20:13:

I'm wondering that if colombians don't put a TV in their living room, does everyone pile onto the bed when the football game is on? It's very bad for your neck to watch TV in bed. I wanna see my GF put my 5 foot giant screen TV on the dresser

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utopiacowboy says on Nov 21, 2005, 21:27:

In my wife's apartment she had two living areas. One was a formal kind of living room with no television and the other was a small informal room where she kept the main television set. Sure she puts everything away so I can't find anything but you have to take the good with the bad. When I want something I just tell her what I am looking for and that she has put it somewhere. Then I let her find it. A few times she has put her own things away so carefully that she can't remember where they are. That's good for a chuckle!

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Principe says on Nov 21, 2005, 21:27:

jajaja Dude dont even think about putting the TV int he bedroom if you don't plan on watching 4 hours of novelas every single night. On better thought, why not bring up the subject of just gettting rid of the TV altogether? Who really needs a TV. Ooops... no tv, she'd leave you faster than you can tie your shoes.

On another note, Put a tube of Aloe Vera on the bathroom counter and watch her put it in her hair thinking it's gel. Fortunately I had the camera in my hand when my Colombiana did that. I'll never forget that.

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Nov 21, 2005, 21:35:

There's a simple reason why the TV should not be placed in the living room and that's because it's "zona social". Watching tv is not a social activity.

You get together with your friends and entertain your guests in the living room. Music is ok, it doesn't interfere with talking and paying attention to other people.

Many Colombian families have a TV set in the den or estadero. That's where you can go and watch the tube without being antisocial. Tv set in bedrooms are fine too, since that's not zona social:)

Cheers,
Desi

Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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utopiacowboy says on Nov 21, 2005, 21:41:

All I can say is, de acuerdo. Exactamente.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Nov 21, 2005, 22:13:

I don't understand your girlfriend either but man your farts must be really bad if she has to move all the medicine out of the room for fear of contamination.

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Eclipse says on Nov 22, 2005, 00:59:

Family Room? Do homes in Colombia have family rooms?? This is where we put the TV. And the Living room has the nice sofas and coffee table for when it's more of a formal gathering and people sit and talk. If there isn't a family room, and only a living room, then more often than not, it's used as a family room. The biggest reason is that that's the room you would sit and watch tv if friends, family or guests came over. It's more of a casual setting.

Also, don't know if this is big in Colombia, but Kareoke?
I think it would be weird having people in your bedroom singing Kareoke.

But that is interesting that in Colombia they don't put a tv in the living room.

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kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Nov 22, 2005, 01:14:

In my house the TV was in the bedroom, but because in the living room was the hi-fi so we couldn't have both at the same time on. And that is why I think many people have the TV in the bedrooms they rather listen to music and it's ready for the party jeje, unless you got a Humongous house and can have a tv in another sitting room

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ARMacleod says on Nov 22, 2005, 02:47:

It's a Q of priorities and what is more important to a person. You either live in a house or you live in a home. I could not live with someone like Monica (Friends). Then again there has to be some give and take on everything.

The brain is like a parachute, it only works correctly when it is open.

ARMacleod.

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

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kernow62 says on Nov 22, 2005, 04:51:

Desi you can always switch off the TV in the living room when you want to be social.

I did notice that a few of the teenagers in Colombia were allowed to stay in their rooms and watch TV and even eat in their bedrooms when we came to visit. Where I am from this was considered bad manners and they would have been marched out to meet any visitors, eat a meal and then excuse themselves to the bedroom so the adults could converse without them. Or perhaps this is normal behaviour everywhere and I am just showing my age.

Ideally I would like to have an entire room for just watching TV, not a living room, not a bedroom, but I don't have the space. My house is tiny by US standards.

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elmodefoque says on Nov 22, 2005, 05:02:

What’s with freaking Colombians and no TV or stereo in the living room, WTF are you suppose to do in the living room look at each other and talk? I gotta have the biggest TV and loudest stereo in my LR, if you wanna talk take your ass outside the apt.

I'll get there, when I get there!

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shirly1981 says on Nov 22, 2005, 05:04:

Just ask...... Just ask where things are,in my house my boyfriend doesnt know where things are his only choice is asking me, when i dont know where something is, it is 'cause it's not in the house........ if she hide the steak knife, you hide the dush pad and the brush follow by the mop.....

Sophia

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kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Nov 22, 2005, 05:09:

Kernow Kids this days have everything in their room, including mine, they have Tv, hi-fi, computers,playstation, they don't need to get out of the room anymore, I feel very bad that I let this happens, now that they are teenagers is impossible to go back and if you try to take the Tv or something out of their room you won't have peace for the rest of your life. you are their official enemy :(

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kernow62 says on Nov 22, 2005, 05:19:

Thanks Mario. eBay is the answer to letting me live a better lifestyle on not much more than a pauper's salary. All hail eBaY!!!

What is a pistachio pepper? I know about the nuts but not a pepper.

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kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Nov 22, 2005, 05:20:

lol mario I don't like TV myself that much and I don't watch a lot of movies either I just can't sit for two hour there, the movies has to be very good for me to watch and there are hardly any movies right now that I am interesting in watching, but one day my husband decided we will have a day without TV just games and talking, I was fine about, but my kids! if you could see their faces, they would hardly talk, they didn't want to play any game anymore and to make matters worst my son ended up arguing with my daughter, we had to said time up, and they run like thieves, you never seen two people running as fast as they. this time both went straight in to their computers.
And the worst thing is that they don't just watch the computer they play their music at the same time so I don't know what I listening too. one thing for sure I can't listen to tropicana stereo

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kernow62 says on Nov 22, 2005, 05:31:

Kat1 if you have broadband you can network a stand alone music player and listen to your Tropicana Estereo without even having the PC turned on. Shoot me a PM if interested they are quite cheap.

My wife and I love to watch movies, we have a nice system that makes enjoying a movie better and our local library has a fantastic selection of DVDs, better than Blockbuster and free!

We tend to prefer movies from France and Italy for some reason, French films in particular seem to be very well made. That doesn't mean we don't enjoy the occasional Hollywood release, Monsters Inc. etc. I also have a nice collection of Brit movies.

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Lowell says on Nov 22, 2005, 10:03:

Living with colombians I've been with my Colombiana for about 2 1/2 years. We butted heads many a time on how the house is run and cared for. Examples = For the longest time I would comment about her taking something out of a particular place and not bothering to put it back (anywhere). I got tired of picking up after her and stopped. The place got cluttered very fast. All of it being her stuff. Point taken and now for the most part things get returned after use. Clothing just taken off and lumped in a pile on the closet shelf. No problem, I just stopped buying her clothing. Point taken. Food tossed into the fridge without covering. Didn't buy the same thing again. Sat her down and created a budget, thoughts and plans for the future...... Educated about bacteria on foods left out on counter.

Now living with family in Colombia and at times she is more frustrated with her family than I am. She sees the lack of sence and needless waste...., a lifestyle her family continues to insist on living. It's a very different way of living here. It works for these people. We don't want to critize or force change on our family. Later on when we sell our place in Panama, we'll have our own place again. When family and others visit, they'll see how we live. It's up to them to change or remain in the unproductive rut that they live in.

For me, I've needed to change how I react to situations. Not jump to conclusions or over react. Don't shout real loud in arguments. Not everything has to be perfect or completed today and a lot more of my anal ways. We openly discuss everything and I mean everything. This is the best realtionship that I've ever had. That's worth any minor inconviences that I may occur. Colombians (men and women)are beautiful, romantic, caring people. They have many personal qualities that are seldom seen in the States.

Same thing with TV's here. 3 in the bedrooms and none in the living room/Sala. That's cool. However in my place I'd like to have one in the living room too. My wife would like that too.

For now our silence is golden. Less hassles and hurt feelings. Colombian people have very big hearts and mean very well in what they do. Ther also can be hurt very deeply with a few words that don't seem harsh to us but are very harsh and damaging to them. Who am I to force change on anyone? Also, these are just a few negatives, when there are so many possitives in the people of Colombia. I am trying to lessen the amount of spankings (most time just a couple of wack)that the children receive, sometimes for the slightest things. Today I had to scold my wife's son for lying and some other minor problems. I sat him down right infront of me and eye to eye reviewed the problem. He fully expected a wacking. Instead, I grounded him for the week, gave him a hug and told him that I loved him and that he had upset me and made me sad because of his actions.. I asked if he understood the importance of our conversation and he said yes, with tears in his eyes. Point taken without violence.

I'm new at being a Dad and living in Colombia. It a new life that I'm very happy to accept. Too bad it took me 50 + years to find it.

LWA

Alfred E. Newman. "What. Me Worry?"

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kernow62 says on Nov 22, 2005, 10:25:

Lowell you had to pick up after your wife? Wow, all the Colombianas I have known and I've known a few are neat as can be almost to the point of obsession. Just shows we are all different.

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Lowell says on Nov 22, 2005, 14:09:

Yea she's different alright Kind of like beauty with the beast. I don't know why I always seem to find different ones. Other problems too. When will I learn? I just want peace and tranquility in my house. Is that too much to ask for? No more marriages for me if this one doesn't make it. I'll go back to just having a girlfriend and living alone with a good dog.

LWA

Alfred E. Newman. "What. Me Worry?"

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utopiacowboy says on Nov 22, 2005, 15:48:

A lot of guys claim that it's cheaper in the long run just to buy it on a pay as you go basis. They may be right.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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kernow62 says on Nov 22, 2005, 18:32:

Well you can't take it with you...

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kernow62 says on Nov 22, 2005, 20:08:

I have time for it. I have to watch MU TV. I can't miss my rugby either, then there is Formula 1. I am hooked on the big telly and the dish. The rest of my life is falling by the wayside but I've got a comfy sofa and a roof over my head, and the toilet eventually flushes all the crap away and I've got my lovely Colombian wife to tidy everything away so I can't find it. What more could a guy want.

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Rubiazo says on Nov 22, 2005, 20:17:

At this moment Neither my gf down there nor I up here have any TV. We'd much rather spring for broadband internet and good webcams :)) Her kid was upset when the TV went away (it belonged to her old roomie anyways) but now he doesnt care as much, he reads more.

She is also fastidiously clean and I'm the one that has to watch myself in that regard. She actually moves the beds and dressers and everything once a week and cleans the house top to bottom!!!

I often wonder about the effect my kids' environment is having on them. The young one is still too young though, and the older one mostly watched educational DVDs bought by me or her mother. I also absolutely refuse to do Mickey D's or any other fast food with either kid. THAT is something my daughter bitches no end about :(

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ws244 says on Nov 22, 2005, 20:48:

headache I take excedrin migraine tablets with me as they do not have them in Bogota. Our apartment is cleaner than a hospital operating room, and it seems everytime i leave a room for more than 30 minutes i can not find a darn thing when i return. The shoes are off at the door and no T.V. allowed in the living room. This is really contrary to this gringos lifestyle and at times frustrating. But then the little smile kind of makes up for it.

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adviceplease says on Nov 22, 2005, 21:33:

LOL this thread cracked me up. I've lived here in Colombia for over ten years on and off... all this stuff is so true. I don't have a Colombian girlfriend , but I deal with the same thing with my maids. Turn around one minute and something is just GONE.Sometimes that meant viles with contact lenses in them thrown away in an instant cuz she did thought they were trash.

My main complaint are the few electronics damaged , because she would always take the cords and wires ( from my Mac Power Book ) and wrap the cord up so tightly that the wiring eventually was damaged from it.

Sigh , but Colombians are awsomely neat. Probably one of the main resons I still live here :) Fresh squeezed oj in the morning, a clean house, and all for 200 bucks a month. Plus my maid is a sweatheart!

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kernow62 says on Nov 23, 2005, 05:10:

I would rather have a tidy woman than a messy one any day of the week! My American friends used to tell me, "man that will only last for a year or two". I guess their wives started out being good homemakers and then let themselves go a bit, but I am happy to report that Señora Thompson shows no signs of letting up or letting herself go. I wish I had half the discipline and willpower she has. She has actually forced me to be more tidy, because if I want to know where something is I have to put it away myself.

Sometimes I would get a bit pissed off and start yelling, "where the hell is my (insert any item smaller than a fridge here)?" Only to realise sheepishly that I had in fact been the one to misplace it.

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cam0940 says on Nov 23, 2005, 23:01:

GDL, I say this to you as a friend. Know what you're going to do with the novelas ahead of time. And stick to it. Don't give an inch. This is a situation that can get WAY out of hand very quickly. If you made an agreement tonight, that's excellent. Don't be a jerk, but don't be a sap either. Hold her to it. Otherwise she's going to be posted in front of the TV watching Piel de Otono, followed by La Esposa Virgen followed by Contra Viento y Mareo. The only thing that MIGHT be comparable is New Year's Day bowl games, and you KNOW she's gonna complain about that. Except that's only one day a year. These novelas are every painstaking, excruciating day and you just can't possibly prepare for that. I'd rather pick my toenails out one by one with a rusty pair of pliers.

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Rubiazo says on Nov 23, 2005, 23:57:

Spoiled ='malcriado' in Spanish.

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kernow62 says on Nov 24, 2005, 04:07:

Oh my wife doesn't even watch the novelas, she only liked a few and she is always so busy doing something around the house that I don't have to sit through them. There was one from Argentina we watched together, "Muñeca Brava" and we also enjoyed "Betty La Fea" & "Baby Sister".

If you want to break your ladies from watching novelas here are my sure fire tips. You can choose to be overbearingly romantic or agravating.

1) When she puts a novela on you plonk your ass down next to her, and as soon as a sexy woman appears (they always have sexy women) you start getting a little turned on and start putting the moves on her. If she gets upset you simply explain that the sight of all those hot Latinas turns you on and that you can't control yourself.

2) You can plonk your ass down next to her with a big bag of those extra crunchy kettle chips and start munching on them in all the good scenes (you will know the good scenes by how far her mouth drops open). I combine this with asking for interpretations of what they are saying every few minutes and finally I fall asleep with lots of drooling and loud snoring, this works better if your head flops over onto her shoulder.

You do however risk the posibility of her giving you a swift elbow to the ribs every few seconds.

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cam0940 says on Nov 24, 2005, 07:34:

at Hollywood "I don't understand your girlfriend either but man your farts must be really bad if she has to move all the medicine out of the room for fear of contamination."

Well hey. She's doing the cooking.

Hillarious advice, Kernow.

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Nov 24, 2005, 08:42:

medicine cabinet in the bathroom? Why would you want to have it in the bathroom in the first place? It's warm, humid and just not practical.

Cheers,
Desi
Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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cam0940 says on Nov 24, 2005, 08:47:

In the U.S., I have never seen a medicine cabinet in any other room except the bathroom. Ever. It's behind the mirror over the sink.

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Nov 24, 2005, 09:09:

I know that it's customary in the Gringolandia to keep your medicines in the bathroom. I've just never understood the rationale. I have a heating and ventilation system that works great too, in every room with rather even temps overall. The bathroom is still the only one that gets water condensation on flat surfaces after a hot shower.

Cheers,
Desi
(I don't even have a medicine cabinet. My medicines are kept in a cool, dry, high kitchen cabinet)

Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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utopiacowboy says on Nov 24, 2005, 10:21:

You can add the millions in Canada to your numbers, Mario. I guess it's just the custom or habit to keep the medicines there. No reason why they can't be somewhere else.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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kernow62 says on Nov 24, 2005, 10:30:

I keep mine in the sauna.

In bottles with ill-fitting lids.

Sometimes I like to take the pills from one bottle and swap them with those of another bottle.

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Nov 24, 2005, 10:49:

very funny, kernow but to the point. I don't think a steamy bathroom is the best place to keep medicines either.

Cheers,
Desi


Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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kernow62 says on Nov 24, 2005, 13:01:

I know medicines are very smart, for example I know an aspirin will instinctively know I have a headache rather than a pain in my back, so I assume they are smart enough to let me know if they want to reside in the kitchen.

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