multitasking for men - an idiot's guide

Adult learning, according to experts is based on experience. So rather than list out the various theoretical aspects of the above subject, I will illustrate by example using real-life scenarios and expect my adult readers (excluding my brother) to make their own conclusions and 'take home' messages from this short learning exercise.

The scenarios are divided into parts 'a', 'b' and 'c'. 'a' denotes extreme multitasking - while , 'b' denotes usual behaviour and 'c' is a useful suggestion which may help to achieve a stable middle ground.

the characters depicted in the scenarios are in no way fictional and bear an exact resemblance to living, breathing (sometimes halitotic) people

Scenario 1a:
My wife is filling out a tax return form while chatting to my brother on the phone - I walk in and ask her for her internet banking access code and she rattles out the 10 digit number, hardly acknowledging my presence and slips smoothly back into conversation with my brother while filling out Section 10.24 on the form

Scenario 1b:
I change the TV channel while having dinner, but momentarily stop chewing when I press the button on the remote

1c: train my wife to change the channel so that I can continue chewing my food without interruption

Scenario 2a:
we have invited guests for dinner and my wife does a bit of 'conveyor-belt' cooking - she starts with chopping some green stuff for one dish while boiling something else and simmering the third, at the same time, asking me to stir dish number four

Scenario 2b:
I skillfully stir the soup till the ringing phone diverts my attention and I drop the spoon in the soup

2c: convince my wife to prepare soup the night before so that she can stir it herself and then heat it up on the day, after she has finished with all the other things

Scenario 3a:
my wife continues to watch TV while I desperately try to set up a romantic evening, till she finds my antics 'cute', gives me a pat on the head and goes back to watching TV

Scenario 3b:
fume, double fume, personal thundercloud (go stuff yourself, multitaskers)

3c: the best made plans of men and mice...