tagged by Sarah

My friend Sarah tagged me. I'm supposed write 10 random/weird/unknown things about myself. Thanks, Sarah, for thinking of me - in classic elementary school fashion I feel cool because now I'm "it." And here is my list of maybe not so unknown, potentially random facts:

1. I have no middle name.
2. I had the opportunity to give myself one and chickened in the moment of decision.
3. My list of favorite breakfasts includes malto meal with a peanut butter/honey sandwich submerged inside it, corn bread with syrup and milk, and my father's raisin and rice hot cereal.
4. I have never seen "Forest Gump." Since I can't eat most chocolate I find the central analogy of the film to be inaccessible.
5. In the last 5 years I have been slowly overcoming an allergy to soap.
6. I am such a Spanish nerd that I am ready at a moments notice to dialogue with feeling about the following topic: the cultural and linguistic implications of the existence of the subjunctive for the hispanic experience
7. Ben was the first man I ever dated. Ever kissed. (no, Mom, you can't count the Canadian boy when I was 6)
8. I don't own a toaster
9. I may have an inordinate number of soap boxes, but one of the more significant ones is the current human rights crisis in India for the Dalit (the untouchables) and what it looks like when the gospel has hands and feet for them.
10. I still hesitate momentarily when I check "Caucasian" on surveys.

top of the morning to you

This has been a challenging semester for Ben. His wife is growing larger (and more clumsy and more awkward and taking up more space in the bed) daily. He is also taking a very demanding class for his masters degree. Lots of reading. Lots of papers. I'm learning a fair bit about the current heath care crisis just by listening to him process it all. Needless to say, Ben is spending a good bit of his time preparing for his Tuesday evening class. So this has become our morning routine:
Ben wakes up an hour before I do, makes coffee, sits himself in our easy chair in the living room and studies. This is a new thing in our marriage. Ben has always appreciated the theoretical beauty of early morning. He has felt very little need to experience it personally. You could say perhaps that in our marriage the "early bird moved into the late night owl's nest" (Andy Gullahorn). But Ben has been up early nearly every morning. I find him settled into he easy chair with computer on his lap and coffee in his hand.
I take my mulivitamin, take my shower; Ben is typing. We usually eat breakfast together. We read together. Ben may or may not go back to his studying. I get ready for work and make our lunches. We are usually heading out the door for work at about the same time. I like this arrangement.

I invite you to imagine with me how different our morning schedules are going to be in just 10 short weeks!

crazy fast. . .

. . . I am not. My friend Lori posted today with a link to a website that tests how quickly you can type. I can type at 71 wpm (not whales per martini) and I had six errors - one of which was to spell couch, "COUACH." Now, I don't remember how I scored in high-school in computer class but I'm pretty sure I have become sluggish and inaccurate in my older age. I remember (randomly) that when the computer program tracked my speed on words like "understand" and "however" I was FLYING. Go ahead and test yourself. Let me know how you score. And if you have any speed typing tips, share friend share.

belly

I was informed that my belly needed to be given more attention on this blog. So here it is. And lest you be concerned that I am not of a positive disposition concerning its current size and roundness, I included a picture of my happy face. Inside that happy bump is a 2 pound, 28 week old gender-unknown child. If it were to receive a progress report (forgive me, I can't help myself) this is what would be sent home:
Baby Davy

size & weight 50th percentile (note, we do not want baby davy to be in the 100th percentile. ouch)
ability to aim for and hit mother's bladder - satisfactory
consistent, strong movement throughout the day - A+
moves on Dad's command - unsatisfactory
makes Mom want to eat like an adolescent boy - A++
overall performance - please come to parent/teacher conferences on May 9th

Little one, I have known you as near as my heart but I have yet to meet you. Can't wait

A little hilarity

Ben and I watched this video on Andrew Osenga's blog. I can't remember the last time I've laughed so hard. Granted it was late at night. . . but I still think its brilliant. Charlie's face is priceless. Enough said.

brrr

We don't have hot water at our house. The water heater may be broken. A spider may have died in the gas line and clogged it. I haven't checked around . . . maybe the whole city is out of hot water. Maybe we used our winterly quota. Heck, the weather has been bad in the whole region this week. Could it be that the snow storms blew away the hot water? I just don't even know. I just know that I washed dishes in cold water tonight. Turn the cold water handle, out comes cold water. Turn the hot water handle, yep, still cold water coming out.

But don't panic. Should this happen to you, I know how to heat up water on the stove and make a very comfortable bucket shower. At least the fire sticks still work.

a moment

What I hear:
the washing machine downstairs is rinsing another load.
the heat just whirred on, and I can hear the fan through the grate.
I hear my fingers typing on the keys.

What I see:
All that is familiar about my living room.
The snow on the cedar tree outside, through the dining room window.
The shadow of tree trunks on the frosted plastic window insulation, highlighted by late afternoon sun. Jay and Liz coming back from working out at the YMCA.

What I feel:
My couch under my bare feet. the smooth keys. Baby davy is shifting in my belly, stretching maybe after an afternoon nap, exploring down South with a swift jab of its heel. I feel a pillow behind my back, and the bright sunlight on my eyelids. Warmth. Softness.

Hidden, unwritten, holding up and sustaining all these senses are the things I take for granted nearly every moment of my life. Sometimes it just takes a snow day to put things in perspective. That and long hours of quiet interrupted only by house noises.