Dear Mariella
I am more interested in bees and reading about beekeeping than in having sex, and it is affecting my marriage. I have read a great deal of books on the subject and have yet to determine just why I am so fascinated by this most peculiar hobby – though I do quite enjoy watching beekeepers remove the honeycomb frame from an apiary, as I find it quite relaxing. It has got to the point where it is affecting my marriage, as my partner is entirely unsympathetic to what she describes as an "obsession". I tend to spend most evenings reading apiarist manuals and commenting on beekeeping forums on the net, to the detriment of our sex life. I am interested in sex, but at this point I am more interested in bees. Is this kind of relationship normal? How can I bring my partner round to enjoying my interest in beekeeping with me?
Her answer: I'm sure there is some psychiatric label for your condition, though whether it rates worse than being an overweight couch potato who can't get enough of the Olympics I'm not sure. Aren't you a bit embarrassed to be such a lightweight of the all-talk, no-action variety? What baffles me is how you can put so much effort and time into developing your expertise but never put any of it into practice. Without participating, you're engaged in a dysfunctional form of foreplay that guarantees frustration all round. Surfing internet pornography while leading a moribund sex life is the closest equivalent I can come up with.
My answer: Encourage her to take up ornithology so that together you'll know something about the birds and the bees.
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Spotted in (in)aptly named BangkokBTW I don't think Anong is referring to the above!
