GenQ - For the not so straight individual

It may come as a bit of a shock to some of you, but I'm in my mid 30's. I know it's a hard fact to accept, especially from me. What might shock you even more, is that my partner is; (drum roll please).... 21

What I find most interesting in this, is that my boyfriend and I don't see the gap as anything weird, but any time we meet new people, the shock of the age difference is always there. So it got me to thinking, what issues do we see in our relationship?

The obvious things like music, world travel and TV/movie choices come straight to mind. Being a more 'Seasoned' person (much better than older), I like what I would assume most gay guys like, Abba, Cher and Queen. Of course the partner is into something called Scissor Sisters, Black Eyed Peas and Paris Hilton.

We talk world travel and I've been to more countries than I care to remember, or in one case was obviously too intoxicated to remember but have the pictures to prove it, yet my partner has been to two.

TV/Movies; and here is the crux of it. I like something with a good story. Godfather, Star Wars, The Princess Bride.You know the type.It might be a little old, and a little rough around the edges but it had character and class and was able to entertain you through story alone.

But NOOOO, not good enough for the younger of us, who only watched the Godfather earlier this year (and still fell asleep watching it), stopped watching Star Wars because the special effects weren't good enough and thinks that Raiders of the Lost Arc doesn't make sense.

All this from the generation who believe that good singing talents can only be found on Australian Idol. That top value entertainment can be found by watching Big Brother contestants sitting around a room being bored off their skull. That excitement can only be found in a show where the contestants are marooned on an island and forced to compete for food and the ability to leave the island for special meals.

So yes, there are some issues. Like who owns the remote control to the TV and who has to watch TV on the Plasma or on the normal TV in the bedroom. I'm happy to listen to my music on CD (or even tape) versus my partner with his 60 Gb Ipod Video with all the bells and whistles.

I do all the cooking, my partner the washing up. I can only guess that it comes from living in a fast food age that he can't cook more than toast and boiled water.

So why the hell are we together?

From the day we met over 2 years ago, we have spent maybe a total of 3 weeks apart. We finish each others sentences. We both use current TV references to each other when commenting on things. We love going to movies together and holding hands in the back row. We enjoy spending time with friends and entertaining.

So I guess the simple answer is, because we love each other. We don't see the age as an issue. He benefits from my experience when applying for jobs. I benefit from the enthusiasm of youth when we try new things together.

We may both come from different generations, but one thing that never changes, is each generations capacity to love.

Stewie G will be taking emails to petition for the closure of reality shows at stewieg@bigpond.com