Relationship Memes

One of these days, Fighting Nun and I are going to be at some get together and I'm going to have a glass of wine in my hands and just as I'm about to take a drink of wine, he's going to give me the side eye, utter the term "Hindenburg air tunnel" and I'm going to my best to swallow that wine without doing a spit take, but I'll be overcome with a case of the church giggles at that very moment and I'll have to choke down that drink of wine and it will sound like I'm gurgling and everyone will wonder why I'm making a scene and I'll blush wildly and demure by saying "Oh, its nothing." whilst still catching my breath and Fighting Nun will smile smugly and laugh knowingly that he got me.

(That is if he actually remembers what "Hindenburg air tunnel" is and how he came up with it and how we laughed when he created and how perfect an inside joke it is. Because it is hilarious I assure you.)

Everybody already knows what a meme is right? Well everybody but my husband because he lives in a pop culture bubble and the only things that penetrate that bubble are things we wants let in and just as many things leave and are forgotten about, but that's besides the point.

I think a relationship, one that's worth its weight in salt, has its own memes. These moments, or phrases or things that happened that tend to live on in a relationship in infamy. Fighting Nun and I have several. Fighting Nun and I currently have probably forgotten a ton more than we actually use even. And they all get our points across with surprising accuracy.

Fine, you can call them relationship inside jokes if you MUST, and yes, if you aren't my husband you are going to have no idea what I mean when I say "Bitches Be Crazy" (ok, maybe you would if you watch Big Bang Theory and have committed that to memory like me, but probably not). Or you wouldn't be able to finish "Bring me a for realz salad." with the appropriate "and put some chickens on there" when I say this in public. Or *Gasp* you wouldn't say "Turkey Slapper. Ham Slapper. We Both Slap Meat" with me in unison.

But they are memes instead of inside jokes, because they take on their own life in our relationship. Fighting Nun can look at me, his eyebrows raised and say "Jesus Pole" out loud, and I'm either going to giggle like a school girl or role my eyes at him and hope nobody heard him say it so I don't have to explain where it came from. Maybe a better term for it is shorthand. There are these phrases and terms that have just become a part of our lexicon that evoke certain memories that, upon conjuring those memories up, you know exactly what that person is talking about.

The For Realz Salad meme is a perfect example of this. It was a story I heard on a radio station forever and a day ago about this woman who returned a salad at a restaurant and said "Bring me a for realz salad and put some chickens on there." This was hilarious to me and I committed it to memory and whenever I order something at a restaurant I don't enjoy and Fighting Nun asks me how it is I mutter "Bring me a for realz salad," and Fighting Nun will give me a knowing look and utter "and throw some chickens on there." And we both know we won't have to go back to that restaurant for awhile. It's even appended itself to things we think are stupid. If we're watching America' Next Top Model for example, and some stupid model says something stupid, one of us will look at the tv with our best "Oh no you diin't" face and utter "Bring me a for realz salad" or "Bitches be Crazy." because you know on ANTM, those Bitches be Crazy! with a capital C (Shut Up Victoria 4 Eva!)

I think a relationship has to have that sort of short hand in order for that relationship to mean something, because it means you've shared something with that person, a lot of somethings and those somethings have meaning and, ok maybe they aren't 'worthwhile' per say, but they are notable. And they mean something to the two of you at least. And some should stay right there, between the two of you. Seriously. I'm never going to tell you what "Hindenburg air tunnel' means if I live to be 150. It would just be too embarrassing. Ditto goes for Jesus Pole. Just sayin'.