Decipher

student: So, like, my, like, can, um you, like, um, wait.
me (totally confused): Ok...
student: Ok, like, my teacher, like um someone, like, told like me you can um like, um order a like book, like like and um like um someone, like like um they'll like send it some-um-where like um here and like you I mean me can like, pick it, like up here like? Um, yeah
--15 seconds pass while I stare at him even more confused--
me: I have no idea what you just asked me.
student: oh, oh ok, like,
me: Ok, if you are asking if you can request a book or material online, the answer is yes. And if the material is available someone from our staff will pull it for you and we'll put it on our hold shelf for you to pick up. At least, that's what I think you were asking?
student: Yes! And like, where um do you pick it up? Like, right here? This desk? 
me: Yes, right here.
student: Oh my god, that is like so awesome! I'm going to go um request like so much right now. Thanks!
--walks away smiling ear to ear--
me: God help us.  

Baby Fever

I'm sure it's not a huge surprise that I have a slight case of baby fever. I've always wanted children, I'm happily married, and I just turned 30. My husband doesn't have the same case of (ok, any) baby fever as me, so whenever he see's it start to rise, he tells me not to get any ideas at the moment. Right now there's this whole thing about getting my masters, starting my career and getting a job with benefits before actually having a baby. Apparently children completely change things?

Anyway, two of my friends told me they were pregnant on the same day. I am absolutely thrilled for both of them and can't wait to be an auntie (and let the kids get away with stuff). But here's how the day went:

--mike comes home--
me: So, Priya called...
mike: Is she pregnant?*    
me: YES!!!
mike: Awesome! Don't you be getting any ideas now.
me: Of course not! (lie)

--a few hours later I get an email--

me: Oh my god! Jeanne's pregnant again!
mike: Really? Well awesome for them too! 
me: Two of my best friends on the same day!
mike: Wow. But seriously, don't get any ideas.
me: Of course not dear. (lie!) But you know these things come in threes right?**
mike: uhhhh....

--a few hours later my brother-in-law gives dr soc a call and we face time with the baby. (she wowed us with her new motor skills of waving her arm.) Mike runs up the stairs to show me and we coo over her--

mike: Hi Ella! We love you!
me: Dude, you know how you said don't get any ideas. This? This right there? All you.

*He came to that conclusion much faster than me. When she left me a message to call her back, and since we really don't talk on the phone, my first thought as I was calling her back was that something was wrong. Then I realized that we are now at the age that a phone call is an announcement.
**They do! A few days ago another dear friend told me her third child will be debuting in June.***
***Yes, my husband is breathing a sigh of relief that 3rd isn't us!

Newlyweds

As of yesterday, dr soc and I have been married for 6 months, and I've never been happier.
Six months down, forever to go!

Safety First

My husband is the most cautious man in the world. He didn't have some major childhood trauma as far as I know, so I've always kinda wondered what made him so cautious and think of some things as much more fragile then they actually are. I've also told him he'll have to toughen up a little bit by the time we have kids because he is going to have a heart attack every time Sharktopus falls down or Dinocroc skins his knee and that will weaken it and eventually it will just flip him the bird on the way out the door screaming "I give up!" and leave me a widow and I will have to kill him if he does that.

However, he is also the best sociologist ever and has this thing about gender equality, so he thinks my sister's husband's plan to build their (eventual) son a tree house, but their (eventual) daughter a play house safely on the ground.is a tad on the sexist side. So in this case his sociology side outranks his safety first side.

This Thanksgiving, both my parents and my in-laws were here and somehow my brother-in-law's tree house/play house plan came up. My mother in law however, jokingly (well, I hope, jokingly) thinks this is a good idea. And then she says, "well, we were very cautious parents."

And suddenly, my husband made so much more sense!

People

When I was in college a roommate asked my how stayed so skinny. I made a crack about being bulimic, serious concern washed over her face and I made a note to self: bulimia jokes not funny yet.

Last weekend at my library job:

coworker: You're eating another cookie? How are you so thin?
me: I throw it up later.
coworker: Hahaha!
me: Yes! I found people who think bulimia is funny! I found my people!

Dream a Little Dream

I had a dream the other night that I was Anne Boleyn and Mike was Henry VIII. He was kissing me and promised he would love me forever as long as I gave him a son.
I thought in my dream: well shit I know how this turns out.  

Savannah Here I Run!

So, y'all I ran my 6th half marathon on Saturday. I finished with a time of 2:17:15, not my best time (2:05:00), but not my worst time either (2:28:something). I wasn't trying to win the thing, I didn't come in last, so I'm nothing but happy with it.

I signed up to run the the marathon in Savannah like I did last year, but I just wasn't training for a marathon right. With starting grad school and the two library jobs at the same time, I wasn't really making an effort to train for a full. I didn't want to do a marathon unprepared knowing that if i did I would hurt just as much* as I did last year, so I decided to drop to the half distance when I still had the time to do that training right.

Except that I didn't train for the half that well either, what with the working (almost) full time and going to grad school full time. I still got some but not nearly enough practice runs in to stay in runner shape, but the longest long run I did was 7 miles. But! This was my sixth, so even though I knew it would hurt, (and it does**) I still knew I could still finish. There wasn't a mental hurdle for me to cross, and that was good.

And I have to say, I love race day. I love the energy, the excitement just before the starting gun (or air horn in this race) goes off. I love the yells, cheers and signs of support from the crowd. I love how complete strangers support each other through the race, pushing each other on and offering words of encouragement  I'm not a super fan of the hurting afterwards, but eh, comes with the territory. Like I said, I'm very happy overall!      

Six halves! Go me!

*I couldn't walk. My husband (then fiance) had to carry me to the bathroom, and due to our strict closed door policy, I was sooooo screwed when I was done because I had to figure out a way to get to the sink to wash my hands, and then not only get to the door but somehow open it just so he could carry me back to bed.
**Not nearly as bad as last year though. I can still walk, which my husband has stated he likes it when I run halves better than a full since he doesn't have to carry me.