24

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::: As we approach eight wonderful years of marriage, Claire and I still love and appreciate the many ways we are different. Recently, for example, we received the DVD set of 24 season 1 (thanks B & J). And like everyone else -- remember when you were watching season 1 like six years ago? -- instantly we got hooked on the story line.
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Our viewing experiences were telling. For those of you who know Claire, you know that she needs complete resolution whenever she watches a movie or show. Which is what makes 24 so impulsively play-pushing. Choosing not to watch all the episodes in one viewing -- thus creating intervals of non-resolution that spanned a month -- pushed Claire's buttons. While the guessing-game aspect of the show suited my sensibilities, not so Claire's. To my surprise, at about the 4:00pm mark of the show, Claire proceeded to jump on the Fox website and within a day or so read the rest of season 1 and all of season 2!
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'Where's the fun in that?' I asked her.
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'Watching you guess wrong answer after another is fun enough for me,' Claire playfully replied.
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While the show is still very much in our minds, we thought we would jot down 23 other differences that make marriage so much fun for us:
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:23) Claire savors every opportunity to pay with exact change; I don't mind the coins, even if my wallet comes to weigh two pounds. We still laugh when we think about the time, during our cross-country drive from Boston to Los Angeles, when Claire tried to give $10 in coins (many of which were pennies) to a Philadelphia toll collector. You should have seen the "no way" look on her face.
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:22) Claire cleans when she's stressed; I like to brush my teeth -- don't ask me why.
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:21) Claire doesn't like to edit her papers; I believe in the maxim: all writing is rewriting.
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:20) Claire doesn't care much for coffee; call me 'Mr. Bean'.
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:19) Claire went to UC Berkeley; I went to UCLA. The dogs are sleeping; let's let them lie.
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:18) Claire likes her eggs scrambled or over-medium; I slurp them sunny side up.
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:17) Claire doesn't care much for plain white rice, while I think a bowl of shiro gohan is a meal unto itself.
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:16) Claire cannot do a pullup; I can do, um, three (I am in the process of raising that bar).
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:15) Claire can sleep in any moving vehicle. I can't be moved to sleep.
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:14) Claire learns Japanese best through the ear (listening). I learn best through the hand (writing).
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:13) Claire cooks by following recipes with military-like exactitude. My commanders are touch and taste.
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:12) Context: a bug in the house, like a fun little spider. Without any hesitation Claire would want (read: order) me to smush it. I'd rather take the little fella outside and say "bye bye" upon release.
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:11) Claire's favorite color is unswervingly red; mine swerves from purple to green.
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:10) Claire likes 0.5mm pencil lead. I like 0.9.
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:09) Claire rarely cries; I often do.
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:08) Claire is very ticklish; I am not (my trick: bite your tongue and create an APS [alternate pain source]).
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:07) Claire likes to take several trips bringing in the groceries from the car. I like to take everything in one trip, even if that means my fingers get purplish-black or, less vitally, the eggs get broken en route.
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:06) Claire folds laundry very neatly; wrinkles are my trademark.
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:05) Claire takes two showers a week (yes, I got her full consent to write that); I take two a day.
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:04) Claire's all about milk chocolate; I'm as bitter as they come.
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:03) Claire likes her instant ramen noodles soft and swollen; I like them just-opened crunchy in a stale-pretzels-in-soup kind of way.
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:02) Claire sleeps like a Presbyterian (silent and still); I'm a Pentecostal when the sun goes down.
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and last but not least...drumroll...
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:01) Claire saves for last that which she most wants to eat. I like to eat what I like first.
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