YOU MUST PAY THE RENT! i can't pay the rent! YOU MUST PAY THE RENT! i can't pay the rent! YOU MU-- "I'll pay the rent!" my hero! CURSES, FOILED AGAIN!

where's that line between comfortable and lazy? is it different for everyone? is it obvious when you hit it? obvious to you? to everyone else?

me and my old man have been together now a long time. over half my life, nearly half his life. it's something to spend your entire adulthood with someone. something good? something bad? yes. something.

we do all the regular longtimetogether things - finish each other's sentences, mock each others foibles, push each other's buttons. it's reliable. dependable. safe. secure. comfortable.

the challenge is when comfortable bumps up against lazy and boring. it's tough to surprise someone you've known so long, but that's not to say you shouldn't try.

comfortable is a sunday drive in the country. boring is a sunday drive on the same road every week. a pleasant surprise is a drive in the country that culminates in a picnic. it's like that time we went to chick-fil-a. remember?

okay, i know. some surprises are not a picnic. some surprises are "the water heater bursted" or "i dropped the chainsaw on my foot" sort of surprise. not that those don't add a little spice to the relationship - not to mention an excellent story to the repertoire - but those aren't generally the type folks go wishing for.

in conclusion, if you're thinking your long-term relationship needs a little surprise action, bring home a kitten.