Archive for October, 2006
As I sit here in the coffeeshop “taking a break” from my writing by checking my usual array of blogs, I look up to see Taryn, across the room, clearly working on a blog post. So, I think, I’ll procrastinate by writing a blog post about observing Taryn procrastinating by writing a blog post while I was (originally) procrastinating by reading her blog.
Dang it. I am paying someone to watch my child so I can be here. I’d better get some work done.
In Case You Needed More Evidence that Undergraduate Males are the Lowest form of Life:
Published by October 29th, 2006 in Irritating. 9 CommentsLately on Sundays, Will, Thomas, and I have been getting brunch at our favorite Tex-Mex place after church. As we were driving from church to brunch today, we had to drive through the aftermath of last night’s Halloween celebration, which, for those of you who aren’t familiar with it, is a large and often violent event that attracts undergraduate lowlifes from hundreds of miles away. Apparently there was no rioting last night [for the first time in 3 or 4 years], and so there wasn’t a whole lot of mess as we drove through this morning. Just lots of hung-over idiots wandering around.
I was sitting in the back seat with Thomas, because I wanted him to fall asleep and sometimes I’m able to help out with things like that. I had the window down, because it’s actually really nice here today.
This early 1990s-model Honda Accord carrying five shaggy, dirty, hung-over undergrad “men” pulled up next to us at a stoplight. They had their windows open. The driver said in a voice that I don’t think we were meant to hear: “Dude, I totally don’t get people who sit in the back seat with their babies instead of the front seat.”
Will said, in a voice that the yahoos definitely could not hear: “Dude, I totally don’t get people who talk about the people in the car next to them and think that they can’t be heard.”
But as Will was saying that, the driver of the Honda looked over at me, looked me in the eye, and shouted, purposefully loud enough for me to hear: “Fourth-semeter abortion! FOURTH-SEMESTER ABORTION!!” At which point all five of the passengers laughed and they drove away.
I can only assume that this brilliant young gentleman meant to say “Fourth-trimester abortion,” but there are still so many things wrong with that statement that I’m not sure where to begin. I am sure glad that his parents did not decide to have a [first-, second-, third-, or] fourth-trimester abortion, so that now he is alive and well and able to shout nasty and abhorrent things to strangers as he drives past them.
Seriously, what kind of person would a) have that thought in the first place, and b) say it out loud, let alone scream it at perfect strangers?
My initial white-hot rage has just about subsided at this point. I mean, why be upset just because someone suggests that your precious baby ought to be killed? I only wish I would have written down his license-plate number, since I’m guessing that his car is owned and insured by his parents, and I’d love to call them up and let them know just what an upstanding individual their son is.
Here he is in a pic from about two weeks ago:
He is becoming a very busy little boy, always grabbing whatever is in reach. And we think he has begun exhibiting teething symptoms, though thankfully they’re not constant, since I just read that they can be teething for 3-4 months before the first tooth comes in. (!)
Observed earlier this week in the Union
Published by October 26th, 2006 in Bizarre and Overheard. 4 CommentsThis story takes just a little set-up. Its two primary characters are semi-(in)famous on campus. One of them is Scanner Dan, the guy who is homeless (I think) and somewhat crazy who is always hanging out on State Street or in the Union. He’s called Scanner Dan because he carries around a police scanner. He’s been around as long as I’ve been a student here, and he’s a popular guy; lots of people talk to him, and I heard once that one of the sororities adopted him.
The other guy is that really tall guy with the mustache who is always wandering around the Union or in coffeeshops around town. Scanner Dan is weird, not creepy. But this other guy is creepy, if you ask me. Do you Madisonites know who I’m talking about?
Anyway, as I was walking through the Union the other day, I saw Creepy Guy walking out of the Rathskellar:
Creepy Guy: [very loudly] See? They’re not looking out for me.
[At this point I walk past the entrance to the Rathskellar, and I see that he's shouting to Scanner Dan, who is sitting in his usual place inside.]
Scanner Dan: What?
CG: A policeman just walked right by. [This was even louder that his first comment, clearly loud enough to attract the attention of said policeman, who was walking right in front of me.] They must not be looking for me.
SD: Well, they were.
I was late for a meeting, so I couldn’t stop to see how the conversation would play out. But I did notice that the policeman was walking in that direction in order to buy some movie tickets at the University Box Office.
Well, folks, I’ve been thinking about my blog. Two things have been bugging me:
1. I’m terrible about responding to comments on my blog. I promise that I will be better about responding to comments rather than just moving on to the next post.
2. My blog is fast becoming a photo essay on the growth of Mr. Thomas. Not that that’s a bad thing; the photos will definitely continue. There’s no escaping that. But I want to also keep posting (and thinking) about both mom- and non-mom-related issues, rather than just posting pictures. I promise that I’ll post at least once a week about Thomas and once a week about something else.
But here’s the catch: this post about posting once a week counts as a post for this week. Ha!
The two people sitting next to me in the coffeeshop, who, despite the fact that there were a total of 3 other people in the entire shop when they came in, decided that they needed to take the TWO tables next to me, shove them together, then sit AT THE FAR ENDS of the two tables and shout to each other constantly. [At least they're speaking in a language other than English, so it's easier for me to block them out. But not that easy.]
Sorry for the dearth of posting lately. Things are about the same as they have been in a while, which is to say that we’re having an awesome time with the little man. In fact, I’m having such a good time with him that I’m beginning to see myself being a full-time mom, or at least a part-time mom and part time Writing Instructor in the years to come. At least, right now I infinitely prefer hanging out with Thomas to working on my dissertation. Though, I guess, who wouldn’t choose this guy over medieval lit?
