{"id":30249,"date":"2015-02-16T05:00:27","date_gmt":"2015-02-16T10:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/?p=30249"},"modified":"2015-02-15T09:47:33","modified_gmt":"2015-02-15T14:47:33","slug":"how-neal-dewing-copes-with-those-irritating-dry-spells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/2015\/02\/16\/how-neal-dewing-copes-with-those-irritating-dry-spells\/","title":{"rendered":"How Neal Dewing copes with those irritating “dry spells”"},"content":{"rendered":"

In The Federalist<\/em>, Neal Dewing<\/a> explains how he uses woodworking as a helpful method of getting through certain marital disputes:<\/p>\n

There comes a time in every marriage when a man finds himself banished from his lady\u2019s bedchamber for some perceived offense. A trifle, nonsense in most cases, but God help you if you argue with her until she realizes you\u2019re right (which, of course, you usually are). If you successfully dispute her irrational arguments, the trap is sprung and she\u2019ll proceed to catalogue every single one of your past lapses. At this point, my friend, you\u2019ve entered what we in the marriage game like to refer to as the normal state of things<\/strike> a dry spell.<\/p>\n

The most important thing to remember about dry spells is that they happen to everyone. This is the case even if you have married an infinitely patient woman who doesn\u2019t find fault in every piddling thing you do and certainly never expects you to tidy up the bathroom counter every day, because she knows fully well you\u2019re just going to use all that stuff again so it just doesn\u2019t make sense<\/em>.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

Any man who sticks to his guns will experience a dry spell sooner or later, but there are ways to cope. In fact, it can be a tremendous opportunity for self-improvement.<\/p>\n

What better activity for a man with some unanticipated free time than carpentry? There are few better ways to relieve stress than taking a length of wood into your hands and manipulating it until you\u2019ve achieved the desired result. It can really clear your head. With a few practical guidelines you\u2019ll be up to speed and navigating dry spells with practiced ease.<\/p>\n

The first order of business is to identify a project. For this exercise, we\u2019ll go with something fairly easy that will take up some time. You like to sit around, as your wife never fails to tell people loudly enough for you to overhear. So how about a bench? I\u2019ll run you through the steps of this basic woodworking project, which should be enough to carry you through until she works up the nerve to apologize.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Materials<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to have all your materials in place before beginning. You can obtain these from a lumberyard or one of the big home improvement stores.<\/p>\n