Posts Tagged ‘women’

Many adults enjoy taking evening and weekend classes to continue learning, to pursue special interests, or to fulfill requirements for their work. Enjoyment, of course, may depend on the reason/s for taking the classes and the mix of individuals present. With Valentine's Day this next weekend I thought I would share some classes I have heard about — one list for men only and one list for women only.
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Have you noticed that there seem to be more old women than old men? Statics worldwide confirm that, for whatever reason, women do indeed live longer than men. There are all sorts of theories out there, from genetics to levels of risky activities. Whatever the reason(s), in nursing homes and other places where older people are in the majority, there are usually more older women than older men.

Almost two years ago, I did a post called Why Women Live Longer than Men that featured some funny pictures of men doing some insanely dangerous things in the workplace and in other settings. Several of the pictures showed me driving some work vehicles, and I assure you, I was far safer than everything around me was! Since that post I've come across more pictures that could help explain why men die younger than women do.

I found some pictures that show that men have been acting dangerously for a long time. Here are some old black and white pictures from construction sites in New York City.

This picture gives a whole new meaning to the expression "going out for lunch."

I hope these wooden boards were not old and ready to break!

Look, Mom! No hands! (and maybe no brains?)

Not only has risky behavior been going on for a long time, it seems to start young too.

Although I enjoy air conditioning, I'm not sure I would go to these lengths to fix it.

I wonder how much this guy makes an hour at the stone quarry ... probably not enough!

When you don't have the right tools available, though, you have to improvise. For example, what do you do when you don't have a jack?

Speaking of jacks, how about lumberjacks? Logging has its own dangers.

What do you do when you don't have the ladders or scaffolding you need? You come up with alternatives!

Movable scaffolding is great!

When it comes to working safely, hold no bars!

Many of us men brave all sorts of dangers in vehicles. This bridge is not for the faint of heart!

There doesn't seem to be any problem with this bridge, but crossing it was apparently not too easy.

I guess as long as you can see through the holes in the lattice, it's OK.

Here are three pictures that show that some men who are good at securing loads but who don't have much regard for seat belt laws ... or safety.

A lot of us guys enjoy working with wiring and electricity, even if we're not sure what we're doing.

This gives a whole new meaning to the expression "man power!"

I look forward to hearing your remarks about some of these pictures!

quotation...

"Beware of those whose religion cares more for outward forms and ceremonies and associations than for genuine holiness of heart, justice, mercy, love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, and self control." - Dr. Drew Conley

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Rob

People are more violently opposed to fur than to leather because it's safer to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs.

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Do you enjoy attending weddings? I'm sure that more women than men would answer yes to that question. I have to admit that in my younger years I didn't relish going to weddings, and Becka often went alone or with one or both of our daughters. Back in the last millennium, during my first term as a deacon at our church, Pastor David Yearick challenged us men to consider our responsibility of going to weddings, particularly those of the young people of our own church. He reminded us that in a day when marriage is taken more and more lightly, we needed to show our young men especially that marriage is just as important to men as it is to women by attending their weddings. I knew that what he was saying was right, and I began attending weddings regularly.

Living in a college town and attending a large church, we receive invitations to many weddings. It's not possible to make it to every wedding we're invited to, but we try to go to as many as we can. I actually enjoy them very much now, getting a little misty-eyed at many. And I almost always see someone I haven't seen in years! This past Friday evening we were invited to two weddings at the same time. We decided to go to the wedding of the young lady we'd known since she was a small child and we were really looking forward to it. However Becka was sick last week, so I went alone. Then the next day, Saturday afternoon, I attended another wedding alone, at another church in town, not only because Becka was still not feeling well, but also because she did not know the bride or the groom at all and I had been planning to attend it alone anyway. Don't I get some kind of purple heart for this?

With all these weddings this summer, I've been meaning to post a piece that I had in my online archives before having to rebuild my website. It's a wonderful parody of something you might read in the society pages, but full of a delightful blend of typical minute detail and untypical sketchiness. I cannot find who wrote this originally. If/when I learn who wrote it, I will happily give proper attribution. On to the post....

Here Comes the Groom

Fed up with the way the bride invariably steals the show at her own wedding, the school at which Rob Tombes works carried in its news weekly its own unbiased account of his recent marriage there to Mary Beth Snyder. It reads as follows:

Mr. Robert Tombes, son of Dr. and Mrs. Averett S. Tombes of Fairfax, VA, became the bridegroom of Miss Mary Elizabeth Snyder today at Fairfax Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Tombes was attended by his brother Thomas Hamilton Tombes as best man. As the groom approached the altar he was the cynosure of all eyes. Blushing handsomely, he replied to the questions of the clergyman in low but firm tones. He was charmingly clad in a 3-piece suit consisting of coat, vest, and pants.

The coat, of some dark material, was draped handsomely about the shoulders and tastefully gathered under the arms. A touching story was current among the guests that the coat was the one worn by his father and grandfather on their wedding days. Mr. Tombes would neither affirm nor deny the truth of this sentimental touch. The vest was sleeveless and met in the front. It was gracefully fashioned with pockets and at the back was held together by a strap and buckle of the same material.

The groom's pants were of some dark material and were suspended from the waist, falling in a straight line almost to the floor. The severe simplicity of the garment was relieved by the right pantelet which was caught up about four inches from the floor by a Boston Brighton worn underneath, revealing just the artistic glimpse of leather, laced with string of the same color. The effect was rather chic.

Beneath the vest the groom wore blue galluses attached to the pants fore and aft and passing in a graceful curve over each shoulder. His neck was encircled with a collar characterized by a delicate sawedge, and around the collar a cravat was loosely knotted so that it rode up under his left ear with a studied effect of carelessness which marks supreme artistry in dress.

The best man's costume was essentially the same as the groom's, and as the two stood at the altar, a hush of awed admiration enveloped the audience.

As Miss Snyder led the groom from the nuptials, it was noted that she wore the conventional white dress and veil and carried orange blossoms.

I chuckle every time I read that parody and hope you enjoyed it too. Most of the young men I've known would much rather have the attention on their bride than on themselves. In fact, some would rather elope and just skip the big, formal wedding. Come to think of it, while some of the young brides love every minute of "their big day," others I've known would have rather opted for a small, private wedding with much less attention on her.

What do you think of going to weddings, guys and gals? Do you find that the focus right in most of the weddings you attend? Have modern weddings gotten out of hand in their lavishness or in other ways?

plugs...

We got a copy of So High The Price the latest CD from the Steve Pettit team this past weekend, which coincided with a post about it on My Two Cents, a blog I read. It's a great CD if you're interested in checking it out. The first link in this paragraph allows you to listen to demos of many of the songs on the CD.

I've put a new link in my sidebar to a DVD Dispatches from the Front. I hope you'll check it out. It's produced by Frontline Missions International.

I'll be back at you later this week with some more signs. Readers have sent me some great ones.

quotation...

"It's reasonable to trust God if you know Him." - Dr. Dan Olinger

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Rob

Since Americans throw rice at weddings, I wonder if Asians throw hamburgers....

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Shorter hair helps a lot in the summer heat. With the advent of warmer temperatures, my wife and I are both sporting shorter hair, just in the past week. At lunch today, when someone commented on Becka's new do, someone mentioned a classic I sent out as an iv a number of years ago, pointing out how differently men and women behave after a new haircut. (BTW, I don't know who the guy is in the series of hairdo pix. Whew! Not his best looks, though!)

Haircuts - the difference between women and men

WOMEN'S VERSION

Woman 1: Oh! You got a haircut! That's so cuuuuute!

Woman 2: Do you think so? I wasn't sure when she gave me the mirror. I mean, you don't think it's too fluffy looking?

Woman 1: Oh no, it's perfect! I'd love to get my hair cut like that, but I think my face is too wide. I'm pretty much stuck with this style, I think.

Woman 2: Are you serious? I think your face is adorable. And you could easily get one of those layer cuts - that would look so cute on you. I was actually going to do that except that I was afraid it would accent my long neck.

Woman 1: Oh, now that's funny! I would love to have your neck! Anything to take attention away from this two-by-four I have for a shoulder line.

Woman 2: Are you kidding? I know girls that would love to have your shoulders. Everything drapes so well on you. I mean, look at my arms - see how short they are? If I had your shoulders I could get clothes to fit me so much easier.

Woman 1: Do you think so? Oh, you're just saying that!

Woman 2: No! Really, I mean it....

MEN'S VERSION

Man 1: Haircut?

Man 2: Ummhmm.

The preceding reminds me of a blog post from over two years ago called It's great to be a guy that you might enjoy.

housekeeping items...

With the end of the school year drawing near, I know that some of you who read my posts by e-mail might be losing the e-mail address at which you are reading this. If that's the case with you, please click on the link at the bottom of the e-mail to unsubscribe, then go to the blog and use one of the links to posts by e-mail to sign up your new e-mail address, remembering to complete the process by clicking on the link in that e-mail you'll receive almost immediately.

Speaking of those who read my posts by e-mail, I mentioned in the last post that I was missing several images from a previous post. Two of my readers were able to supply me with the missing pictures! I'm glad I'm not the only "digital packrat" out there! I have thanked them by e-mail, in an editorial update to my last post, and in the post that was missing the pictures.

Do you have any funny haircut stories to share? Or any haircut nightmares? Since I cut my own hair, I have no one else to be mad at but myself.

quotation...

"Where there is a neglect of Scripture, there will be a neglect of Christ." - Dr. Drew Conley

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Rob

Two hair-related questions:
Men: What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
Women: What hair color do some women put on their driver's licenses..."subject to change?"

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In his book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, John Gray asserts that women complain about problems because they want their problems to be acknowledged, while men complain about problems because they are seeking solutions.

In anticipation of Valentine's Day next week, I'm posting a classic by Dave Barry that highlights Gray's assertion. I laugh every time I read this!

Let's say a guy named Roger is attracted to a woman named Elaine.

He asks her out for dinner, she accepts, and they have a pretty good time. A few nights later he asks her out to a concert, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anybody else.

And then, one evening when they're driving home, a thought occurs to Elaine, and without really thinking, she says it aloud, "Do you realize that, as of tonight, we've been seeing each other for exactly six months?"

And then there is silence in the car.

To Elaine, it seems like a very loud silence. She thinks to herself: I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe he's been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks I'm trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesn't want, or isn't sure of.

And Roger is thinking: Wow. Six months.

And Elaine is thinking: But, hey, I'm not so sure I want this kind of relationship, either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so I'd have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily toward ... I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a whole lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?

And Roger is thinking: ... so that means it was ... let's see ... February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealer's, which means ... lemme check the odometer ... Whoa! I am way overdue for an oil change here.

And Elaine is thinking: He's upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe I'm reading this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment; maybe he has sensed – even before I sensed it – that I was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet that's it. That's why he's so reluctant to say anything about his own feelings. He's afraid of being rejected.

And Roger is thinking: And I'm gonna have them look at the transmission again. I don't care what those morons say, it's still not shifting right. And they better not try to blame it on the cold weather this time. What cold weather? It's 87 degrees out, and this thing is shifting like a garbage truck, and I paid those incompetent thieves $600.

And Elaine is thinking: He's angry. And I don't blame him. I'd be angry, too. I feel so guilty, putting him through this, but I can't help the way I feel. I'm just not sure.

And Roger is thinking: They'll probably say it's only a 90- day warranty. That's exactly what they're gonna say, the rats.

And Elaine is thinking: maybe I'm just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to come riding up on his white horse, when I'm sitting right next to a perfectly good person, a person I enjoy being with, a person I truly do care about, a person who seems to truly care about me. A person who is in pain because of my self-centered, schoolgirl romantic fantasy.

And Roger is thinking: Warranty? They want a warranty? I'll give them a warranty. Why, those ....

"Roger," Elaine says aloud.

"What?" says Roger, startled.

"Please don't torture yourself like this," she says, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Maybe I should never have ... I feel so . ." (She breaks down, sobbing.)

"What?" says Roger.

"I'm such a fool," Elaine sobs. "I mean, I know there's no knight. I really know that. It's silly. There's no knight, and there's no horse."

"There's no horse?" says Roger.

"You think I'm a fool, don't you?" Elaine says.

"No!" says Roger, glad finally to know the correct answer.

"It's just that ... It's that I ... I need some time," Elaine says.

(There is a 15-second pause while Roger, thinking as fast as he can, tries to come up with a safe response. Finally he comes up with one that he thinks might work.)

"Yes," he says.

(Elaine, deeply moved, touches his hand.)

"Oh, Roger, do you really feel that way?" she says.

"What way?" says Roger.

"That way about time," says Elaine.

"Oh," says Roger. "Yes."

(Elaine turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes, causing him to become very nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse. At last she speaks.)

"Thank you, Roger," she says.

"Thank you," says Roger.

Then he takes her to her home. After he leaves, she throws herself on her bed, a conflicted, tortured soul, and weeps until dawn; whereas when Roger gets back to his place, he opens a bag of Doritos, turns on the TV, and immediately becomes deeply involved in a rerun of a tennis match between two Czechs he's never heard of. A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was going on back there in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would ever understand what, and so he figures it's better if he doesn't think about it. (This is also Roger's policy regarding world hunger.)

The next day Elaine will call her closest friend, or perhaps two of them, and they will talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstaking detail, they will analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over it time and time again, exploring every word, expression, and gesture for nuances of meaning, considering every possible ramification. They will continue to discuss this subject, off and on, for weeks, maybe months, never reaching any definite conclusions, but never getting bored with it either.

Meanwhile, Roger, while playing racquetball one day with a mutual friend of his and Elaine's, will pause just before serving, frown, and say:

"Say, Norm, did Elaine ever own a horse?"

Do you think this is a pretty accurate picture of the relationship between most men and women you know, or is your experience a lot different from this?

quotation...

"The labor of self-love is a heavy one indeed. Think whether much of your sorrow has not arisen from someone speaking slightingly of you. As long as you set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal, how can you hope to find inward peace?" - A.W. Tozer

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Rob

Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it!

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