Serpentine Shelly, Serpentine

It's amazing how far some people will go to get their In-laws to like them.  They'll change their jobs (I didn't but you have to of had a job in order to change it).  They'll change their clothes (I'm usually dressed like a lumberjack or a beachbum so there's not much room for improvement).  They'll change their drinking habits (here's an actual conversation between me and my Lovely Girlfriend's Mother - "Are you a heavy drinker, Jules?"  "I like to think so, I'm 265.")  I've even heard tell of people that will get cancer in an effort to make their In-Laws like them.  Okay, I did that one.

I'm typically never concerned when I find out people don't care for me.  I figure if they are somehow immune to my rakish charm chances are there's something wrong with them, not me.  Eventually they'll come around and realize I truly am as adorable as I believe myself to be.  After a two plus year stand-off I was no longer certain of that outcome.  I was starting to wonder if I wasn't totally irresistible after all.

You'd be surprised what a little cancer can get you with your In-Laws.  I call them the In-Laws because eventually they will be and until that time they still manage to drive me as nuts as any actual In-Laws could so I think it's appropriate.  I'm not 100% sure how I rated with them before the cancer.  My best guess would be somewhat lower than a 24 hour flu virus and slightly higher than a broken finger.  As in if they knew they had to spend time with me they'd rather hang out with sick kids in an effort to catch something but they wouldn't be willing to slam their hand in the car door.  I think my Lovely Girlfriend's Father was almost in my camp.  My Lovely Girlfriend's Mother wasn't even in the same National Park.  Funny how what sounds like a terminal illness but is really just a huge inconvenience can change things. 

This blog has gone a long way to help.  My Eventual Mother In-Law is no longer convinced that I am a talentless hack.  I've been told that she enjoys the blog (we'll see if that's still the case tomorrow) and has shared it with her friends.  My Lovely Girlfriend has even reported to me that they are thinking about moving closer to us -- this is the part where the recordplayer makes that scratching noise and everybody freezes. 

I'm not certain I want them to like me that much.  Hell, I'm not certain I want my own parents to like me that much.