The Relationship Ratio
There is a saying that a good relationship is not about a 50/50 split but rather a 60/40, where both people try to be the 60.
I add that it is also about identifying what the parties involved are:
1 - good at
2 - enjoy doing
And splitting the work accordingly, as the good old Adam Smith preached.
However.
Life is fluid, and what we both enjoy and are good at can change over time. With it, the relationship should change too.
For most of our relationship, I was the ‘social guy’ (as my group of friends and family was large). Plus, with housemates and workmates, that aspect was sorted.
After I switched to remote work, then Covid happened, and we (as well as most of our friends and family) moved, the ‘social guy’ part slowly withered away.
I tried joining a few clubs here and there, but nothing really stuck.
However, Paulina had much better luck.
So the tables have switched, I had to admit defeat, and we decided that she will be in charge of our social life. Which she took to heart, organising many parties already and also re-igniting a couple of my past interests.
Marriage, relationships, and partnerships are not set-in-stone, sign-and-forget kinda things.
They require work and adjustments.
Sometimes it’s about who cleans or cooks today.
Sometimes it’s supporting the other during tough times, career changes, and big decisions.
It was hard to admit that something I once was good at is no longer working.
But the point is not just asking for help, but also accepting it when it's offered.
Which I reckon is even harder when a fragile ego is involved.
(not that I have one, I promise)
WORK
We released the first part of our 3-episode series on the Waco siege. I highly recommend it.
Apart from that, I continued to chip away at the music themes for the upcoming project.
It’s slowly coming together, although after I am finished with the main ‘composing’ step, I will have to go back and clean up each cue, which will take another couple of weeks.
YouTube
This week, we released a video on how movies and TV use foreign accents as a storytelling shortcut.
BOOKS
It’s not really a pro-globalisation book but rather an ‘economics’ look at what really happens when countries and governments push for isolationism, tariffs and global trade wars rather than market relationships. It’s also not free-trade propaganda, but a sensible analysis of what works, what doesn’t, and why closing borders rarely works for anyone.
LIVE
Lady Pank
We drove to Birmingham with my mum and sister to see this old-school blues-rock Polish band. They were celebrating their 45th anniversary with this tour, and the main guitar player just finished 70!
It’s a ‘parents’ band if you know what I mean, but they are a standard feature on any mainstream radio in Poland, and everyone knows their songs. It was fun and better than expected.
Also, I can’t remember the last time I saw so many Polish people in one place (besides when I'm back in Poland). It’s weird when it hits that I am an immigrant, living in another country.
Oh well, carry on.
Aero Lap Workshop
I said that it’s about giving your 60 in the relationship, so my contribution was to act as a partner or ‘lap’ in Paulina’s aero lap dance workshop organised by her pole dancing/fitness club.
It was a sacrifice I was willing to make.
GAMES
We played three new board games, from the ones I recently bought.
Sky Team
It’s a co-op game for two where you and your partner try to land a plane. It’s a very easy game to set up and learn, but the fun is that during the round, you are not allowed to speak to your partner (only between the rounds), so it’s important to agree on a strategy before the dice are rolled. It also gets more difficult as you progress through the airport levels.
It’s a fun game that can be casually played on an evening with little hassle in about 15 minutes.
Pagan: Fate of Roanoke
It’s another game for two, but this time one player is a Witch and the other is a Hunter. And you face each other in a race to win. This one is slightly more complicated, and I reckon it will take a game or two to fully understand how to play a character, then another couple when you swap.
It takes longer to set up and play, but there are a couple of scenarios that can ‘speed up’ the runtime. It’s a great-looking game, and so far we’ve had fun with it.
Building my collection again, I knew I had to have a WW2 game. Paulina is not a massive fan of the war theme and didn’t enjoy playing Memoir ‘44 in the past, so I searched for something quicker that she could get into. This one, I think, ticks the boxes as it is a skirmish rather than a big battle, it’s easy to get into, and even though the rules are simple, the deck-building mechanic gives you lots of options for strategy.
So far, she likes it. Plus, she won the first game, so that’s that.
Indiana Jones: The Order of Giants DLC
It’s not a board game, but an add-on to the Indiana Jones video game. I am casually playing the main game, but because I am still at the first location, I also bought the DLC, which gives me an additional mission (which starts in the location). So rather than doing it at the end of the main game, I started the DLC now. It’s fun.
MOVIES/TV
The animation series is back, so we started watching it.
For those who don’t know, Invincible is a highly rated adult animation about superheroes, with brutal fights and dramatic themes. I compare it to The Boys, without the heavy satire. It is a great series, and the latest season is so far, so good.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you (hopefully!) next week!
Mike
https://mikemigas.com/
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