What to expect when you marry an engineer...

When you think of the Disney idea of "Prince Charming", you usually think of the excessively charming, dark-hair-coiffed, John Hamm-look-alike that rides up on his white horse and sweeps the voluptuous and sickingly beautiful princess off her feet before riding off into the sunset. What most women with the delusional mindset that the Disney idea of what falling in love is supposed to be like, and that their man should be perfect in every aspect, have it all wrong. Being the realistic person that I am, and from my own experience in the dating world, I knew that the guy that I would marry would be nowhere near this picturesque ideal, because that guy does not exist. Face it ladies, Prince Eric is only valid in The Little Mermaid, not in real life. However, I am a firm believer that there is a "someone" out there for everyone...For me, I knew my special "someone" would not only have to be intelligent and witty, but also have balls of steel and be just as (if not more) unique and different than myself. As said in one of my earlier posts, this concept was a hard one to grasp for my KA big brothers, but they had absolutely no clue what type of guy could keep up with me. Yes, I am a handful, not a shocker. My "someone" came in the completely wonderful package of being stupidly-nerdy cute, incredibly intelligent, highly witty, beyond sweet and caring, and a very successful software engineer.

I remember one incident clearly, and it still cracks me up when I think about it. When I was traveling for my old job as an admissions counselor, I was at a SUPER-slow fair in a fairly wealthy community outside of Austin. After a good 20 to 30 minutes of twiddling my thumbs and bullsh*ting with the other recruiters, two senior girls walked up my table and started asking questions about the school I worked for and what it's like to live in Dallas. I did my usually schpeel about the university, the DFW area, blah blah. They start asking even more questions, mainly pertaining to shopping, sororities, being a socialite, and all things materialistic and shallow. Then, of course, they spotted the big rock I sport on my left hand (pretty proud of it to this day, BAM!), and the beautiful Coach bag my hubby had gotten me for Christmas, and IMMEDIATELY asked if I met my husband at the school I working, I guess they thought I went to school there....I picked up what they were wanting to get at through this entire conversation like a dog picks up a steak that fell on the floor (M-R-S degree-seekers at their finest), so of course I humored them by telling them how we met, how Big Guy proposed, what he did for a living, what he was like, ect. ect. They were eating it up, then appeared confused, and I asked them why they were looking at me like I had three eyeballs. They asked "so what you're saying is...that the right type of guys are engineers and computer guys?" I smiled, and said that it worked for me. Which leads to my main point...For those who ask me about marriage, especially those who know Big Guy, the first question that comes up is "what is it like for such a social person such as yourself, being married to an engineer?" Let me tell you my friend, that is a loaded question...

Granted my engineer-liked-minded hubby is (next to my Daddy) the best man I have ever know. He's sweet, smart, devoted, faithful, hilarious, driven, and 100% supportive and understanding when I have my occasional fits of crazy, and he is all mine. He's my rock, and I don't know what I do without him, and he will tell you the same about me. However, he never fully elaborates on how much he needs me to keep him straight and a functioning member of society. Most of these are actually amusing minor annoyances...So ladies, if you would like an inside look into living with an engineer (or a like-minded), here you go:

• They can remember intricate passwords, complicated codes/formulas, and specific dates (which is a perk b/c they never forget your birthday and/or anniversary), but they cannot remember where they put things (keys, shoes, wedding ring, duct tape, batteries) or if they put on deodorant to save their lives
• If things are not out in the open and right in front of their nose, it's automatically "lost"
• They have specific idiosyncrasies about their living environment that will baffle even Jesus Christ in Heaven...for instance, the house could be so messy that it was deemed a disaster area by FEMA, but the bed will always be made, the kitchen will always be clean, and the DVD's MUST be in alphabetical order on the shelf at all times
• If they are not dealing with something else at a specific time (more like a matter of milliseconds), everything else is left behind...cabinet doors/dresser drawers are never shut, lights are never turned off once they leave a room, televisions/radios/laptops get the same treatment as lights, and occasionally you will find a door wide open after they have left
• You can always tell where they have been...there's usually piles of something (papers, books, pens, tissues, Triscuit boxes), and there is a trail of where they got up to replenish their supply (more tissues, beer cans, shoes, shirt, wrappers from who knows what)
• Nervous habits galore! They CANNOT stay still to save their lives...constant fidgeting, picking at something, tapping of a pen, twirling the wedding ring (ggggrrrrr), moving the magazines and coffee table books around with his feet till they fall off, and on and on...
• There is a process for absolutely everything, improvising is not an option
• Socializing with your fellow social-butterfly friends makes them nervous, approach and warm them up slowly

This is just a preview of what my life is like living with a engineer-like-mind. For instance, this morning I actually left for class before my early-riser hubby left for work. Definitely a mistake...I come home to the garage light still on, kitchen light on, cabinet doors open, cereal bowl on the counter, downstairs radio still going, living room light on, front door unlocked, bedroom lamp and vanity area lights still on, and the fan in the office on high(?). I am constantly getting the "Hey Honey, where's my *pause* oh wait never mind, I found it!", "Hey Honey, where did you put the (insert random item)? -I say where it is with no hesitation-I can't find it! *I walk in the room, find it in 2 seconds* Oh, why did you put it there??" Good lord...I have gotten to the point where shutting drawers/doors, turning off lights, throwing the trail in the trashcan, telling him where things are before he asks, ect. are all second nature and can be done in my sleep. I honestly don't know how he functioned without me for 25+ years before we met..I asked him one time if he married someone as organized and borderline OCD as myself just to keep him straight and human, he said that it was a perk. That and I could cook and had big boobs...*SIGH* my prince charming...but all in all, I figured that if these are the worst things that he does, that I can tolerate it. So for the ladies out there wanting to, or preparing to marry and engineer or like-minded of one, be prepared for the neuroses, idiosyncrasies, weird randomness, inability to find ANYTHING, on top of true devotion, a heart of gold, sharp mind, and balls of steel. I wouldn't have him any other way :)

The life of a student...what life??

Sincere apologies to my readers who have been hoping for a new post...like the title indicates, school has taken over my life lately. If I'm not in class, I'm eyeballs-deep in a book or at my laptop reviewing power points or typing up study guides. Sounds fun right? The only thing that is keeping me going is knowing that this year is just a mean's to an end. On the positive side...I'm LOVING my psych classes! Just proves that I was in the wrong major the first time. I seriously come home talking about topics discussed in my Abnormal Psych and Behavioral Neuroscience lectures...drives Big Guy up the wall, but he's great at the "nod and smile" routine to humor me. He was, however, intrigued from what I  had to say when we talked about sex and hormones in my Neuroscience class. *wink* On the negative side...I HATE STATISTICS!!! I am praying for a "c", I'll just leave it at that. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I endure through this year of being an undergrad once again, I'm very very tired already!