So here's another "Su is a walking disaster" story that I know you all enjoy so much. It all starts with my rhetoric teacher, hereafter known as Caffeinated by virtue of saying at the beginning of every class, "I'm really excited, but that may be the three cups of coffee talking." In case you're wondering, yes, I have written him into my NaNoWriMo novel.
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| This is the sort of thing that really adds to camaraderie and embarrassment in the classroom. Source. |
Now before you freak out, I do have a pair of filters that I run everything through before I put it on the internet. The first, and most important, is: Would I be okay with my friends' kids seeing this? Number two only applies in situations like this one, and it's: Would I say this if (insert name) were in the room? Since Caffeinated has a sense of humour and, more importantly, occasionally tweets about class himself, this remark passed both filters.
Next morning, I walked into class, fresh cup of tea in hand, and was greeted by a grinning Caffeinated who asked, "Are you highly caffeinated enough this morning, Wilcox?" Heh. I was about 10% embarrassed and all the rest amused. Well, another 10% chuffed that he read my tweet, since we don't follow one another on Twitter. I'm not real clear on how he found it, actually, but I didn't ask for details. Also, I can't remember the last time someone called me by my last name only. This guy is writing me a recommendation for grad school, so I guess I should tone down the cheekyness to below normal levels. (Unlikely.)
So after class I sent a message to my classmate, who missed all the excitement, and she said, "Sounds like I missed a good class, then." Yep.
Do you ever have any Twitter crossovers into real life? Any real-life people in your NaNoWriMo novel? How much caffeine have you had today?
11 comments:
I've had my usually gallon of coffee this morning so its all good so far. I do have some crossover in that people I know in life vaguely follow me on Twitter and comment on things going on in my life. Its weird when you know they don't follow you and yet are getting your updates.
Glad "Caffeinated" had a sense of humor. :)
Edge of Your Seat Romance
A filter, huh? I should get one of those ;)
Caffeinated sounds like an interesting character. Maybe I only make up characters because I don't know anyone interesting in real life.
Glad it was funny. I usually have at least three cups of coffee or more. I only touch base with my writer friends on twitter and fb. Never do school or day job posts.
@Raquel: Wow, a gallon? What are you like under the influence? ;)
@JE: The fun never ends in the UT Rhetoric department.
@Susan: I should probably consider that approach.
2 100% TRUE caffeine related stories for you:
True story #1- about a month after high school graduation: My best friend was going off to college at the USMMA in NY. She'd been on trips up there already to get acclimated to everything, etc. She brought back home some "coffee" from an NYC shop they'd visited. At her going away party, all the girls spent the night. In the morning, I am awakened to her jumping on me, telling me (very loudly) that it is morning (the clock said 7:05), and then running back to the kitchen for her "coffee" mug. She comes back to me (luckily not spilling the hot beverage on me) saying so fast that I can't even hardly understand her: "Imadesomecoffee!Youwantsomecoffee?!It'sgooooodcoffee!!ILOVEthiscoffee!!!Whyaren'tyouansweringmeeee???"
I went to the kitchen to see what the bloody hell she'd done to herself. When I read the package it all made sense: turns out, those weren't coffee beans she'd purchased in NYC. Oh, no. They were ESPRESSO beans!!! And she made them like regular coffee. She was awake for 4 days. It was so pitiful. But I, like the true best friend that I am, stayed awake with her as much as I could to keep her company until it got out of her system and she could function normally again. But now I laugh and laugh and laugh... :)
True story #2- About 2 years ago: When catching up with an old friend one night after a swing dance party ended, it was already really late (midnight or after). But we never get to see one another and he was only in town for a few days. So we met up at the Waffle House and proceeded to chat for 4 hours. I hadn't had coffee since my youngest child had been born. Just never really got back into the habit of drinking it. But it was cold out and the coffee was warm, so I had a cup. And then another one. The waitress kept filling our cups and I lost track of how much coffee I was consuming. It was probably around 5 or 6 cups, I guess. After I got home, all that caffeine hit my system really hard, and my body rebelled. I've heard of what happens to people when they do drugs like cocaine and things (I wouldn't know- I have never known anyone who ever used any drugs and certainly never found any myself). This is the closest thing I ever want to experience. It was awful! I was shaking uncontrollably and my heart rate was so high I was seriously about to get my husband to take me to the ER.
I called my best friend, who is finishing up her doctorate to be a pharmacist to ask her what to do. She said I should alternate copious amounts of water with chamomile tea to help calm my nerves. Here is the kicker- this is the same girl from story #1!!! We laugh about it all now, but both of us stay away from the caffeine. I drink tea, but only in small doses, and most of the time it's decaf. :)
Heh... when I saw 'best friend', I wondered if it was going to be the same girl! It's hilarious that you both have these coffee-related moments. Yikes on the heart rate, though! I drink fairly strong tea, but of course that's nothing compared to coffee. Or espresso.
I think you're safe, Su. And I'm sure he was flattered!
My assistants know when I'm having a rough day if I break out a Diet Mountain Dew at lunch break. :) It's our non-tech version of Twitter!
erica
None of the people I know in real life have Twitter accounts. I kind of like it that way.
And I'm not doing NaNo. I'm editing my current WiP.
As for caffeine, I've had none today. Or yesterday. Or any since...hmmm...1992? Yeah, I think it's been that long. (The stuff gives me a nasty instantaneous headache.)
Good filters, though. I have similar ones for things I post, too.
@erica: I also tweet nice things about his class.. I don't just mock. Although mocking is a lot more fun. ;) At my last job, my supervisor asked me to switch to decaf. Apparently in a work environment, Me + caffeine is a bit much. Academia doesn't seem to have that kind of problem since, as you might guess from this story, everyone is caffeinated!
@Liz: That's kind of amazing. I started off on Twitter with only people who I knew in real life. I have to walk a fine line when it comes to caffeine intake, because too much gives me a headache, too. :(
That's hilarious!
I don't have any Twitter crossovers, but I have had Important People from my job comment on things I've written on my blog. Which is why I don't blog about my job.
Yipe! I've never really blogged about work, either. But then I've always worked in places where confidentiality was required, anyway, so I've just steered clear. Which is a bummer, because I had all sorts of good nicknames for my coworkers at my last job.
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