When I Had to Put My Foot Down

It is sometimes essential to draw the line, to say "this far, but not beyond", when one is dealing with a temperamental, highly talented, creative personality - an "artiste" (French pronunciation) no less as he likes to refer ti himself - like my builder/interior decorator Butch Diavolo. The two of us usually get along famously and share the same taste in many ways.

We were looking at lamps and lighting accessories today, when he suddenly spotted a huge lamp shaped like a full scale, female figurine where her gown was a lamp and told me that we "simply had to" buy it.

I inhaled deeply, while looking at the hideous thing, and then told him with my calmest, firmest and sternest voice, "No, we definitely do not!"

When my brilliant and sometimes even sublime creative advisor heard this, he threw a temper tantrum. He told me that I was impossible to please, that my taste was lacking, that I did not recognize when something was "en vogue" and that he even - here comes the worst part - sometimes wondered if I was truly gay at all, as I did not recognize the potential fabulousness of the marvelous lamp.

To have ones gayness challenged in a dispute over a silly lamp is really hurtful. Despite that I remained adamant, whereupon he threatened to leave SecondLife on the spot and never come back as he had never, ever, in his whole life had to deal with someone as impossible and lacking in good taste as me. Luckily I have dealt with children earlier in my life, so I just pointed at another lamp and asked him what he thought about that one instead.

These god-gifted people are easily distracted, even pointing to something else and starting to talk about it helps. If that does not do it you can always start discussing their latest "wonderful" hairstyle. However, I would suggest you only use that as a last resort. After all, how often can one really discuss someones hair or where they bought it, if they got the fullpack or not and which variety of tones it comes in?