What is Your Working Style?

They say opposites attract, which has often caused me to comment that my husband and I must have slammed together at VERY high speed. One of our biggest areas of difference is in auto repair.

I must state, right off the top, that I know nothing about cars. I once tried to fix a fused ignition by hammering the key in. I must also state, right off the top, that my husband also sucks at auto repair. He once caught an engine on fire while trying to change the spark plugs. It had to be put out with a fire extinguisher.

Note: Every time I tell that story he rolls his eyes and says "I don't know why you keep making such a big deal out of that. It was a very small engine fire."

However, I have a friend who once replied to the question "what shape are your tires in?" with....wait for it......"round." We both, therefore, feel highly qualified to open a hood when standing next to our peers.

Retract that. *I* feel highly qualified to open the hood. My husband feels highly qualified to read the owners manual, do several hours of research on the internet, and ponder each and every possibility and outcome along the way. Our auto repair sessions often go like this:

Hubby: The car's not running! Where did I leave the manual....

Wifey: I just checked under the hood...there's a wire type thingee that's loose, but it looks like it would fit in this plug type thingee. Think that might be it?

Hubby: *sarcasm* I'll look wire type thingee up in the manual just as soon as I find it.

Four Hours Later....

Hubby: I have read the manual and researched the internet. We need to put the key in the ignition and see if any lights come on. Then I'll need this special tool to check the various currents running through various wires, systems, and local neighborhoods. No sense even getting started without that tool. I'll go research sources and prices.

15 Minutes Later:

Wifey: Here's the tool you needed.

Hubby: How did you get it?

Wifey: I bought it at the local auto store.

Hubby: You walked there and back that fast?

Wifey: I drove. The car ran great once I put the wire thingee back in the plug type thingee.

Then, of course, I don't get sex for a week. That's fine, cuz my car runs fine, and I can drive somewhere else to get it. :P

My point being (OMG! SHE HAS A POINT?) different people have different work styles. Some people like to dedicate a certain amount of time a day to a project, some people like to do marathon stretches, then step away for long periods. Some people, like my mother, like to put off filling out their taxes for 6 years, then bring two grocery bags full of receipts to their daughter's house and say "Think we can get done by 5pm? The post office closes then, and I really need the money."

My personal style is to dive in feet first (cuz head first is just silly!) and see what happens. I've come up with some very interesting stuff this way. I've also come up with a lot of crap...but it was highly interesting crap!

Oh...except for the ceasar salad dressing. That was not highly interesting crap. I knew it had eggs in it....I had no idea they had to be RAW! That was several salads not worth eating, let me tell you....

Anyways, whatever your style is...that's great, as long as it works for you. My biggest complaint with my husband's style is that it doesn't work for him. He's all research, and never gets anything done. He has things he wants to do and wants to try, but he doesn't think he knows enough about them to give it a go yet. This makes me sad. I think he would have so much enjoyment mucking something up, and figuring it out along the way.

He, of course, would argue that he progresses just fine, thank you. Just not on the projects *I* might be interested in. His project of turning an old dishwasher into a composter is moving along fine. It's in its second year, and the dishwasher now has two gears on its sides, upon which it will eventually turn.

My bike, which mysteriously had two gears missing, is now repaired after a short 6 months.

Yup yup...we slammed together. :)