"Active Discussions"

When you have been married for as long as I have, you have your fair share of what the Handbook calls (in Chapter 13) "active discussions." Mere mortals probably describe them as "arguments," but when you are a curmudgeon, you are ALWAYS right, so you are merely actively making your point. 

We were actively discussing basement storage. I may be a pack rat, but I am an Olympic grade pack rat. My Sainted wife? Not so much. In her thinking, "the basement" is an infinite cavity, not unlike on the Syfy show Warehouse 13: you tell the administrator (that would be me) what you need, and it magically appears. The requests include Christmas tree decorations, the odd lamp from her impressively - no check that - depressingly large collection of no longer used lamps, the "Lobster party box," the "I can't believe it isn't summer yet" party box, the saved framed pictures (why, you ask, as do I), the "supplemental" closets.

The newest request - "let's put some of this unused furniture down there!" Now, my man cave is already furnished - many would agree already over-furnished from previous "let's put this in the basement!" requests.

I calmly said, "Just throw it out." An active discussion ensued.