My Saturdays have been stolen

Saturdays are a special day.

They're the only day of the week when I get to sleep in.

Eat a luxurious breakfast.

Wander around the farmer's market hand in hand with my husband while bantering happily with the vendors who are now our friends, and accepting the free apple here or jalapenos there.

They are a nice day when we can come home and relax and I can bake a tasty treat with the fruit we just scored and clean up the living room, and finish a project here or a project there that I've been working on. (Like all the hats I've been knitting.)

Travis and I might sit on the couch, eating peaches and milk and watching a movie with the door open so a breeze comes in.

BUT NOW.

I work every Saturday morning.

I come home in the afternoons stressed and tired and collapse into our untidied living room.

Travis says things like "I got these apples today," and hands me a bag of mushy-ish apples. (Can't he even choose apples without me?) and says "And they were out of eggs so we have to go get the tasteless salmonella eggs from the store."

And I don't want to bake or clean because NOW I want to relax.

So we sit on the couch with the door open, so it airs out the weird stink of our house and watch a movie while eating something neither delicious nor romantic, like potato chips until we feel sick because of all the sitting and the stinking and the chips.

And I blame my job.

Because clearly I am happier at home than elsewhere.

Unless elsewhere is the farmer's market.

I work in AV Tech

That means that I am in charge of Audio/Visual needs in the law school.

Primarily guys work here. I'm the only girl in an office with six men.

Upstairs in Tech support there are no girls, so maybe it's understandable that people are surprised that I work here.

But unbelieving?

Come on, people.

I was sitting at the desk in the AV office and someone came to the door.

Confused man: Hey, do you know where the AV guys are?

Me: I am an AV guy, what can I help you with?

Confused man: Ummm, I just have something for them.

Me: I can take it for you, what do you need done with it?

Confused Man nervously hands me a few cds : tell them this is for the conference to be recorded on.

Me: I will be sure to record it for you.

Confused Man: Uhh, yeah... Well okay.... Um, someone told me they need the AV guys in room 303 if you want to tell them.

Me: I will go help the people in 303, do you need anything else?

Confused Man wanders away confused-like without responding.

Really?

THEN I went upstairs to pick up an extra laptop from Tech support. I have met every person up there at least a dozen times. At least.

I went up said, "Hey guys, can I grab a laptop?"

They all turned to stare.

Confused man 2: Uhhh, are you from Law and Religion?

Me: No.

Russell (the only person in Tech support who isn't awful): She works in Media Services downstairs.

Confused man 2: Oh, did you call up a request?

Me: No, we're just a laptop short.

Confused man 2: How did Russell know you worked downstairs?

Me: We're friends, we've met several times.

Confused man 2: How long have you worked here?

Me: About a year.

Confused man 2: Oh, where have I been? The only girl I know downstairs is Mindy.

Me: Mindy graduated a year ago and hasn't worked here since.

Confused man 2: Oh wow. So, we can't give you a laptop unless you fill out this form.

That is not true. We borrow laptops on almost a daily basis. I have never even seen that sign out sheet. I suspect he did it because he didn't recognize me even though we've met about ten times.

Maybe it's my haircut... Am I unrecognizable?

Maybe it's my womanness... Am I not nerdy enough? Do they think I'm not smart enough?

Let's be honest, I do not have a hard job.

If boys can do it, girls can do it easily.

Maybe that's where the confusion comes in. They assume that a woman so smart wouldn't have to lower herself to working at such a simple job.

Ahh, now it makes sense.

Mondays

I know it's cliche. I know Cathy and Garfield alike complain about them.
But this morning was hard.
It was dark outside. It was warm in my bed. I felt happy and sleepy and comfortable.
But that buzzing and Travis mumbling the time every five minutes.... grrr.
I'm at work.
I wish I weren't.
I wish I could sleep until sunshine woke me up.
Instead of letting a cell phone wake me up.

I wish I hadn't had to walk to school in biting ice-cold.
Come on, Winter: You know I only love you when there is SNOW involved with the cold. Not JUST cold.

Last week was the longest week of my life.
This week has barely started, but already I think its in for the running.

Arrrg, it will be a hard semester.

Things I'd rather be doing

baking souffles
baking a pie
baking pumpkin seeds
baking and frosting animal shaped sugar cookies

playing in leaves
playing with my Holga
playing with Travis in our yard

editing pictures
taking pictures
printing pictures
posting pictures
putting pictures up in my house
looking at pictures from my wedding

going to sleep
going to the store
going on a date
going to see my family
going to watch HP at the dollar theater

snuggling up with hot chocolate
snuggling up in front of a movie
snuggling up next to my husband
snuggling up instead of going to school

Things I have to do today that I REALLY don't want to:

Go to class
Go to work
Do my reading
Do some writing
Take a quiz
Take my meds
Take my lunch with me
Pay attention
Pay the rent
Leave my house and my bed, and the warmth of Travis snuggled up next to me.

Bah.
Being married in the middle of the semester makes going back to school impossibly difficult.
I cannot wait for Thanksgiving Break.

schedule

So, I'm not taking too many credits, and they're not that tough. But I have a crazy schedule.
Here it is:

Monday
class 10-11, 12-1
work 1-5
class 5-7
(on campus 9 hours. one one hour break from 11-12)

Tuesday
class 930-11
devotional (the prophet is coming, the prophet is coming!) 11-12
class 1-3
work 3-6
(on campus 8.5 hours. one one hour break from 12-1)

Wednesday
class 10-11, 12-1
work 1-6
(on campus 8 hours. one one hour break from 11-12)

Thursday
class 930-11
class 1-3
work 3-6
(on campus 8.5 hours. one two hour break from 11-1 HURRAY!)

Friday
work 730-1230 work
FREE TIME.
(on campus 5 hours, no break.)

What up? I love Fridays.
The only thing that I do not love is that I work from morning to evening and have no time for wedding stuffz and homework, and eating, and Travis, and doing crapola in generalo.

for boring times

I do this thing whenever I'm bored, like when I'm driving, trying to fall asleep, I used to do it while modeling as I was forced to sit still for hours.
It's like a dialogue about me, I think I've mentioned it before.
Sometimes, back when I wanted to be a teacher, it was me introducing myself to my new class.
After listing off all the languages I speak (oops, killed that one too.), and all the places I've been (so far I can really only list off HK and Bejing) the not-easily-impressed freshman would ask: "are you related to the Becky Froelich (now they'd be saying Pitcher) the author?"
Now of course, that is also me. The conversation would follow in a similar manner.

Now when I do this little thing, I pretend that I'm being introduced at my five-year high school reunion, since (due to the fact that imagined future-Becky is such a big deal) everyone wants to hear about her accomplishments.

The announcer, who I imagine to be one of those annoying girls that I disliked in high school, says something like this:
"Becky went to BYU where she married Travis Pitcher, and then they moved to New York where she finished school at Columbia, while he went to grad school at NYU. She published her first book when she was twenty and has another coming out in the fall. She works now as a comedic writer while her husband works for [some prestigious documentary thing like "This American Life"].
Everyone will clap, and Travis and I will stand up so everyone can see how good-looking and well-dressed we are.

Even though I'm always really busy, and should be thinking about things, I find myself playing this game more and more.
Like while addressing envelopes to send you announcements. Or sitting at work from 1-6.
Or driving to school through heavy traffic at 7:45 this morning.


(p.s. email me your address if you want an announcement)
(p.p.s. I was at work today before 8, and I'll be at work again tonight until 5, followed by a class from 5-7, followed by, if I'm lucky, not death, but dinner.)