Yesterday the moat decided to clone itself, and was twice as long as I intended. I probably clicked something I shouldn't have or highlighted without realizing it. Technology seems to have its own agenda sometimes. Yesterday the twins accidentally called me while they were on the phone with someone else. I would call it a pocket call but the phone was not in their pocket. How is that even possible?

I am rereading the book For Young Women Only in preparation for a class with senior girls next week. One of the points the authors make is that girls can send messages without intending to.

Girls can be clueless about how boys hear their casual put downs. Since males have been known to perfect the art of looking invincible, it can be a surprise to find out that they are supremely vincible. In the survey the authors did in preparation for writing they asked four hundred boys whether they would rather be respected or loved. Two thirds of them them chose respect. The interviewer even noted a shirt one was wearing that had a telling message.

"Loved By Some. Hated By Others. Respected By All."

It was a team shirt. The author suggests that one draw males feel toward sports is the garnering of respect. 

This issue has been difficult for me to assimilate into my marriage. I think I am asking if we should call a plumber for the clogged drain and John hears that he is incompetent. I want to stop and ask for directions and he hears that he cannot find his way. 

It is a defensible position, to insist that I meant no disrespect. But finding out how my husband feels when I speak is worth the effort. 

I like what a friend has adopted as a prelude to potentially barbed conversations. 

"With all due respect..."