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is this normal?

21 replies

nobile · 17/02/2009 16:06

I'm seriously bored in live-in relationship with DP. When we first went out 3 years ago he seemed to like me on the grounds that I knew about lots of stuff like history, books, politics, "culture" blah blah. He expressed an intelligent interest in stuff and seemed to want to know more. I was attracted to him because he is nice, genuine, helpful, sweet etc., and because he was prepared to talk about ideas and stuff - for the first time i'd encountered a partner who would explain aspects of his work from first principles rather than fobbing me off with "you wouldn't understand". He was also happy to ask me about aspects of my work from first principles.

In the last 3 years he has become more and more boring - he will only discuss computers, in great long monologues, but can't really be bothered explaining things in a way I would understand. If i say anything about my work (or politics, music, art, whatever) he listens, and then goes on talking about his computers without responding to anything I've said. He used to be keen to go to museums, galleries, films etc. with me - but now the only time he isn't glued to a computer for work or faff, he's off out with one of his friends. Usually i'm not invited out with the friends. Every evening is spent in front of his computer. He stays up til about 3am faffing about on the computer, then sleeps til after I have left for work. on weekends it is the same - I try to at least go back to bed for a cuddle when he's waking up at 11am, but I often have work things that prevent this. The most we see of each other is sleeping in the same room for about 3 hours per day.

Sex isn't great, and only happens about once a month at most. I've tried to talk to him about it, but he clearly just isn't very interested in sex... i'm not that interested, but once a month or less is making it hard to remember which bit goes where!

We're happy and loving around each other, but I'm feeling utterly stifled. He doesn't seem to think that we need to spend any time together, since we live together, and eat dinner together. He doesn't see that all conversations being monologues about obscure aspects of operating systems is insanely boring. Every time I try to talk about something else he says "but I don't know about that stuff sweetie, you can tell me about it, but anyway blah blah blah (computer geek stuff)"

It's not like he isn't capable of knowing about things... he even showed some interest about 3 years ago... his parents aren't one-dimensional or uninteresting. I'm always trying to offer options of doing other things - he usually gets out of it with the "explanation" that "it isn't interactive enough for me"....WTF?? does everything have to be pressing buttons and whizz-bang computer games, particuarly for a bloody 32 year old academic with a maths PhD... hardly the most interactive gaming-oriented lifestyle!

I guess there are 2 issues here: he likes his computers, but is it unreasonable to occasionally wnat to talk about something else? and we spend no time doing anything together other than eating (usually me listening to a monologue). If we go out (very rarely) it is because it's a social thing involving someone else - incidentally, always his friends... he's always too busy to do anything with my (increasingly few) friends.

He's not an arse at all, but I'm beginning to find him really irritating.....

OP posts:
poppy34 · 17/02/2009 16:11

I'm not surprised.. what attracted to him in first place? Can see why you're fed up with him now but trying to get a picture of what he was like at first.

and fwiw I think the sex thing is tied into the boredom thing - its very hard to jump on someone who bores you witless (unless its to shut them up).

Songbird · 17/02/2009 16:13

oh dear! Have to confess when I got to the 'maths PhD' bit I thought 'well there you go then'.

No idea what to suggest, sorry!

poppy34 · 17/02/2009 16:14

and imho its not normal - I felt like this about my ex (admittedly he went on about finance and used to do spreadsheets of our net worth..sometimes in bed.. rather than go on about computers). needless to say things fizzled out slowly and then things ended.. in fact so bad had things got that I remember when we split up the thing he was most upset about was when the next supermarket delivery was as food was running out (me leaving after nearly 4 years was not so bad ...)

also is there any chance you can get out without him - you say you're losing touch with friends..that probably doesn't help any as you need a contrst

poppy34 · 17/02/2009 16:14

lol at songbird- it did cross my mind too..but not much help to nobile.

Rebecca41 · 17/02/2009 16:15

Sorry to be negative, but it sounds to me as if the relationship hay have run its course.

Rebecca41 · 17/02/2009 16:16

MAY have run its course, not HAY

poppy34 · 17/02/2009 16:19

yep but if you can get a break from him..try to suggest something else to do (that you like) and see how it goes at least you can see if you've given it a go.

but tbh if you're bored and finding him irritating it may be well past that - hence my question about what attracted you to him (Fwiw my spreadsheet bore was nice but I got to gether with him at a very low point in my life - as I changed/felt better the nice/comfort factor of this bore man no longer seemed enough).

nobile · 17/02/2009 16:19

At first, he was not only lovely, genuine, gentle, kind, a sweetie (and a bit of a geek), but he was also interested in things in general. If he didn't know much about a topic he'd ask about it and we could still have a good conversation about it. He was a very nice, sociable type who did lots of extracurricular things like debating and rowing and singing and being head boy at school and head of the JCR and the MCR at uni and on the university council etc etc.

These days the rowing kit gets used to dust his computers; he still sings, but never wants to talk about music or go to concerts or even listen to music at home... and the sociable head-boy side seems to have turned into a google-phone-toting geek who only talks to people if they're on IRC and discussing Open Solaris...

OP posts:
poppy34 · 17/02/2009 16:21

well he doesn't sound much like hte guy you fell for - is there any reason for this or do you think he may always have been like this and you've just not seen it ?

poppy34 · 17/02/2009 16:22

the other thing is what do you feel/think if you imagine life without him? I knew it was time to get out when started to fantasise about him leaving..not very nice I know but did act as bit of a wake up call.

NAB09 · 17/02/2009 16:23

Go out with your own friends. Leave him to play computers at home.

Get yourself a life.

If he wants to be part of it maybe he will see what is happening, and if not, you have your friends to have fun with and they can go out with you and find you a fun man (when you want one), not a dull one, to shag more than once a month.

Live is too short.........

NAB09 · 17/02/2009 16:24

life!!!!!

Songbird · 17/02/2009 16:27

On a more serious note have you talked to him about it? Maybe you need to point out to him the disparity between the man you fell for and the man he is today. But I suspect there?s nothing either of you can do, and it will only get worse.

Or?. is the intense computer geekery a new thing that has just caught his attention more recently (or a new aspect of the geekery IYSWIM), that might well fade to the background once the novelty has worn off? We all get into new things from time to time, and other hobbies can suffer. Some have a longer life than others.

nobile · 17/02/2009 16:37

To some degree i think the head-boy extracurriculer stuff is kind of likely to fall off as one gets older, just because there is less opportunity as the younger generations come through and take on those roles.

I can't imagine projected "normal" life (marriage, kids, dealing with parents, returning to home country etc) without him. He is my steadfast rock when it comes to making me lighten up and see the funny side of life about dealing with silly parents, siblings etc. He very much wants kids and professes that he would love to be a stay-at-home dad. I have my doubts about this - visions of it degenerating into kid howling in playpen with wet nappy while he blithely re-wires a computer nearby.

However, he doesn't feature at all in my ideas for projected "non-normal" life and freedom (me buggering off to do a different degree, start a new career, working all over the world, not having a partner; though also probably dealing very badly with depression and the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune).

i don't know how much this is just thinking the grass is greener though. Having come on here (cos I wanted some advice frm mums..... given that my mum doesn't do sensible advice...) it does seem that I'm absolutely in clover with a clever, nice, sweet bloke who does the washing, helps cook dinner, has no unreasonable behaviours and wants to stay home and look after the kids. He's lovely, but dear GOD I'm bored!

I can go out to museums, concerts etc myself, but it isn't all that much fun by oneself when one has a partner at home!

OP posts:
poppy34 · 17/02/2009 17:49

nobile am i right in thinking that you've been with dp since uni/post grad ? just think that changes your perspective a bit as you can't imagine things that easily when thats all you've known in your adult life ifswim...and ok he is not as bad as he could be that doesn't mean that is all there is? I know .. had same issue with my first dp -there was no good reason to go in the bigger sense but I did think is that all there is. Turns out (some years later and a lot of frogs being kissed) there was more than that.

but I'd go for nabs advice.. and see if it makes him wake up or vice versas

lilacclaire · 17/02/2009 18:27

Does he know how you feel, I also thought that you sound bored with each other, it doesn't sound like he's putting any effort into the relationship at all from what you've said.

warthog · 17/02/2009 19:14

i second nab.

i think you're in the same place i was in 5 years ago. with a bloke who was pretty good, but we simply didn't click anymore. we weren't married, he didn't have the same view of the future as me and so we split and i'm really soooo grateful now.

go out, start enjoying yourself and see what happens. but this guy isn't the be all and end all.

nobile · 17/02/2009 19:37

thanks for advice chaps... he has just failed to come home for dinner, and gone out with his geeky labmates instead, with zero notice . I might use that as an excuse to ask if we have the same ideas about how this should work.

Haven't been with him very long, actually, only 3 years. So very much not even since postgrad let alone undergrad. I spent undergrad and postgrad with 2 extraordinarily interesting complete twunts (in serial, not parallel).... I guess current geeky sweetie is something of a rebound from the previous, who were fascinating, but anything but sweet.

I'll talk to him and see where we get to.

Meanwhile, I'll enjoy myself and go for a run instead of cooking flipping dinner.

OP posts:
cluelessnchaos · 17/02/2009 19:40

Is there a chance he is depressed, loss of libido, passive obsession with repetitive games.

lilac21 · 17/02/2009 19:44

My H has a PhD on the action of pesticides on tobacco plants so I dare not offer any advice....

warthog · 17/02/2009 19:47

he really isn't putting any effort in. i'd just call it a day if i were you. start having fun!

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