Hey, MB, I'm glad to hear that some women aren't into the knights and damsels fantasy, but I'm sure that when some women ask their boyfriend what his fantasy is, she's expected something more romantic and less kinky than, "Honey, I really want you to pee on me" (or worse, "I want to pee on you"). A lot of women get freaked out and turned off by that sort of answer. I suspect the women of lpsg are a different breed.

I'm also glad you can handle the car maintenance. But too many women still wait for a guy to come to their rescue, which, sadly, isn't really a safe thing to do these days. (Having said that, a lot of guys can't do the car maintenance either, but if they break down on the side of the road, they aren't nearly as likely to be assuaulted while waiting for help.) Ladies, a tire iron isn't just a useful tool, it's a good weapon. Every car comes with one. And a jack. And a spare tire. Really. Do you know where they are and how to use them? I had a tire blow a couple of years ago and knowing how to change it made my life a lot easier. The day was still ruined but at least I didn't have to sit around waiting for help.

Re what I said about crying:
Those are good points. On one level I envy women's ability to express their emotions, but at the same time I'm bothered by their inability to control their emotions. The problem is, if you're crying because of something we did or didn't do, it sometimes functions as blackmail, whether it's intentional or not. Maybe there needs to be some sort of compromise that anything men agree to when you're crying is open to renegotiation once you've calmed down.

I don't disagree with you, but I'm not convinced that's what you really want from us. There are in the world a few sensitive men who emote very freely, and they are generally regarded--by women as well as other men--as sissies and wimps. Few people have much patience for such men. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd even go so far as to say that some women like the fact that they "get" to be the emotional one in the relationship. If they had to be the one keeping it together every time something went wrong because their guy was breaking down and crying, they'd get tired of that arrangement pretty quickly, and probably end up looking for another guy. You may not stifle your emotions for us, but most men stifle our emotions for you. We've been taught our whole lives that it's our job, our responsibility. If that were ever to really change, and men were free to express themselves (first we'd have to learn how), I'd bet many women would find these new, emotional men hard to adjust to.

Most of us aren't strong enough to handle it. That's the point. We're so disconnected from our own emotions, we're not at all equipped to handle yours. It's sad and it's not fair, but that's the world we live in.

Also, if it's healthy for men to cry when we're sad, then maybe it's healthy for women to get angry (rather than crying) when they're angry. I think women are socialized to resist their anger, because it's not "feminine," even when they have every right to be angry. Maybe it would be more empowering and less frustrating if you let yourselves express your anger as anger.

Quite right. Between my mother, sister, friends, housemates, and coworkers, I've gone through a lot of the same stuff with the women in my life that straight guys go through with their wives or girlfriends.

Right again. Also, because I'm surrounded by hetero relationships, I also get to observe them from a third party perspective. Although I can often see the woman's point of view, I'm still a man and I usually relate more to his point of view.