Hello, Bookworms! Today I thought we’d branch out a little bit and discuss the man I married. Why? Well, he keeps pointing out clever and odd things that he does, which is a not-so-subtle hint that he wants to be famous on my blog. I tried to tell him that he probably doesn’t want the entire internet to know about his terrible jokes and made up songs, but he refused to listen. Plus, it’s still about reading, so it’s totally appropriate.
Jim is a pretty good sport about the amount I read- most of the time. Every once in a while he’ll claim “husband neglect.” This usually occurs after he’s FINALLY put down his iPad and exhausted his amusement at playing with the security cameras he hooked up. (He’s a part MacGyver, part crazy paranoid guy, and 100% nerd.) It’s at this point I lovingly tell him to “bite me.”
This was our engagement photo. Highly functional relationship!
Jim is NOT a bookworm. He doesn’t understand the allure of spending hours reading literature when one can go to Wikipedia and almost immediately know the major characters and the ending. I know, it’s tragic. However, he’s not entirely opposed to having ME read things that he would theoretically LIKE to read and having me explain them to him. Case in point, Slaughterhouse Five. He seriously tried to get me to read every book that Sawyer was reading during LOST because it might provide him with clues. I refused any more of his suggestions after the Vonnegut incident. (Click here for more on THAT debacle.)
Books have always been a weird sort of background character in our relationship. I met Jim in college. He was my audio lab monitor, and I was (still am, really) technologically challenged. After a few months of putting up with me stalking him (most CHARMINGLY, I assure you), he asked me out on a date. After a few months of dating, he graduated and moved back to his hometown- 70 miles from where I was. I know, I know, that’s hardly a “long distance” relationship, but if you can’t see one another daily, it’s a long enough a distance to completely suck.
He hates having his picture taken. He either makes weird faces or tries to attack a camera with a camera of his own. It matters not, because I make these antlers look awesome.
Luckily, by this point in time we both had cell phones (It was 2003, okay? They weren’t completely ubiquitous yet!) and had free night and weekend minutes. But, let’s face it. There’s only so much you can tell someone you talk to every day. So… (This is where it gets schmoopy, fair warning.)
Ladies, in case you were wondering, THIS is how you know a guy is butt-crazy in love with you:
1. He agrees to listen to you read Harry Potter aloud. (The whole series available at the time, 5 books.)
2. Over the phone.
3. Using weird voices for different characters and a terrible British accent. (My Umbridge is LEGENDARY.)
4. Just so you can spend more time “together.”
And they lived happily ever after. Once they got over the shock of having married such weirdos.
Quirky Chrissy
It’s okay, I stalked my boyfriend for several months before he asked me out on a date too! I suppose that means they’re worth it, right?
Quirky Chrissy
Also, I remember you reading the books to him and thinking it was utterly disgusting (in a cute-make-me-wanna-throw-up-way).
wordsforworms
Yes! Worth the effort.
Ashley
Katie I love you! Now that that’s out of the way I’d like you to know that you have inspired me to start a blog of my own. Stay tuned…
wordsforworms
🙂 I look forward to reading your blog!!!
Erica
Katie, I think you are awesome. And, I now think you and Jim are awesome.
wordsforworms
Tenni! I dreamed about you last night! It was crazy town! I was house sitting and we finished a construction project at the house and had a high school reunion there and messed up the tupperware organization. And then I got grounded. Because dreams don’t make sense.
Sorry Kid Your mom Doesn't play well with others
Cute! No way in hell my hubs would have gone that far to keep me!
wordsforworms
I’d like to think it was all for me, but I’m pretty sure he got sucked into JK Rowling’s web of magic. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Lyssapants
I want to hear your Umbridge.
wordsforworms
The “ahem ahem” is really high pitched and obnoxious.
Lyssapants
Excellent.
janereads
What a great post! I laughed all the way through. I’ve often wondered if a bookworm and a non-reading person can truly work out. You’ve shown that it can.
BTW, how do you ‘charmingly’ stalk a guy and get him to ask you out? That sounds like it would be a useful blog post for a single gal like me 🙂
wordsforworms
Hahahaha let’s see… I always tried to schedule my lab time when he would be working… And generally just spent a LOT more time on my homework than was strictly necessary :). I wish I could say there was an art to it, but I think I just got lucky!
It's A Dome Life
I love that you have this love triangle going on. Sounds like found a way to make it work! I love books too. We have a room we call “The Library” with a wall of book shelves. It’s lovely.
I found you through the TGIF Blog Hop. It’s nice to meet you!
http://itsadomelife.com
wordsforworms
Lovely to meet you too! I would LOVE a real library, but I’ve settled for a wall of bookshelves myself.
writecrites
This sounds so familiar. My hubby’s reading material was strictly scientific journal papers (he’s a marine biologist) before we met. I’m a writer and avid reader, so that was totally unacceptable. I finally got him to read Harry Potter and that got the ball rolling. We’re both big mystery readers now and he actually reads passages he enjoys out loud to ME. You CAN teach an old dog new tricks 🙂
wordsforworms
Harry Potter is the great equalizer- it’s impossible not to love! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!