the prof formerly known as the fraggle (pfkaf) was just here. he will be stopping in to check on the zoo while we are away. the pup will be at my mom's, but the other 24 pets will be here. yes, i said 24.


to be fair, 14 of them are goldfish that are in for the winter from the pond. but let's add in the 2 turtles, 2 parakeets, 2 tiger oscars, 3 pet goldish and a cat.


i watched his cats while he was away, so this is reciprocation. but here's the deal. it's human nature to snoop. (yes?) not a lot, but maybe a glance at the bookshelves, a look at the dvd collection, minimum.


this anxiety is similar to the feeling i get when i think they may stumble across this blog. what i write here isn't insightful, witty, criticism. it's just an outlet--a fun place to express some of the crazed chatter that rattles around my brain. but these funny academics--the ones in the gang i desperately, and somewhat pathetically, want to belong to (hahaha. a "gang" of academics. probably not the toughest gang on the block!)--they can be, well, snotty and elitist. don't get me wrong, on some level i love that about them. but it can be a lot of peer pressure.


the "what are you reading?" question can turn into a test to see if you are worthy. the "what movies have you seen lately?" question is never best answered with "ooooh! did you see the new star wars trailer???!!!" i feel at times like the provebial square peg.


what if they find out i am *gasp* normal?? (stop laughing. i mean normal as in not brilliant and always academic, not normal as in...well, normal)


i happen to know for a fact (not from snooping of course ;) ) that some of them are also fairly normal while they live day to day disguised as their secret identities. but they would never let on--never admit to reality tv or pop fiction. but i also know that some of them have the same anxiety about being "found out" that i do. i know one of them that maintains a blog. maybe they should start some kind of group therapy?


ok, done rambling. back to packing and cleaning. i will just leave out a few well placed novels and pages of research while i am away. you know, like i was right in the middle of something brilliant. just don't check tivo, k? hey! i don't want to miss anything while i'm gone. pretending to be brilliant while on vacation is one thing. missing desperate housewives is another.