girls vs boys

over the last two years in a relationship, one thing i have learned is that boys and girls are completely different breeds. i know this surprises no one - after all, we've all heard the mars/venus metaphor before. but i never realized the true extent of these differences until i was put in a relationship with such a foreign creature.
i'm not talking about the minor details --- yes, boys fart and leave the seat up. and yes, girls cry and spend money on shoes. we're raised in preparation of these stereotypes. but it goes so much deeper than that. i believe that 99.9 percent of a couple's arguments, including my own, are direct results of these female/male contrasts.
example 1: planning. on saturday, at 5:00 p.m., jesse's friends may call him and ask him to go out that night. it won't be until 9:00 that they decide to go out at 9:30 and then it isn't until 9:30, when jesse arrives to pick them up, that they decide where they're even going. this drives me insane. when my friends and i go out, it's planned almost to the minute a week in advance. now don't get me wrong - i enjoy some spontaneity right along with the next person. but only boys could get away with such constant last-minute, fly by the seat of your pants, planning.
example 2: stress. the other day, i lost something really important for national boards (that is, the other day, several days ago, before i finished it and mailed it off - woohoo!). i sat at the computer in tears, throwing stuff and creating a scene. jesse fussed at me to calm down. then, not five minutes later, he's yelling curse words at the tv. evidently he missed a play... on his video game. girls get so wrapped up and stressed that everything is a big deal and we just can't believe and oh my gosh and what will i do over everything! guys on the other hand are so nonchalant that their shoe could be on fire and they'd think, ah, well, that sucks. few people recognize that crucial middle ground where stress-worthy things sit on one side and stress-unworthy things sit on another.
example 3: fights. we all know it - guys can get in a fist fight with their best friends and the next day, they're drinking beers and watching the game together. girls, on the other hand, hold grudges for an eternity and cry if their best friends looked at them wrong. although we're familiar with these differences, they become issues when a fight breaks out between a male and a female. not to mention, a man's pride is something no one should interfere with and a woman's emotions have a mind of their own. put these two together in a fight, and a disaster is waiting to happen.

and someone greater than us all really thought it was possible for us to coexist?