Today I had a very interesting chat with a new friend. I met her last year through my son's (and her daughter's) kindergarten class, and despite hardly ever having more than a moment or two to chat, we seem to have become fast friends. I've not seen her for a while, but today we both stayed after school to let our kids play on the playground, and we had a very pleasant, if odd, conversation.
She was unaware that I had written a novel, and so when she was chatting with a mutual friend this morning, she was kinda caught off guard. Mutual friend said, "Do you know Alyssa Goodnight?" She answered, "Sure." Mutual friend then says, "Have you read her book?" Her response (and I wish I'd been there to hear this) was, "Oh, I assumed you were talking about Alyssa Goodnight the person." ???? That just strikes me as absolutely hilarious.
So then later on in our conversation she discovered that I have an electrical engineering degree and actually worked for a while as an engineer (before I was lured into the glamourous lifestyle of stay-at-home mom). She turns to me and says, quite seriously, "You know, for an engineer, you're really quite personable." Yikes! Engineers really do get a bad rap. My mother-in-law has kinda sorta said this same thing to me before. Her husband is an engineer and her son (my husband) is an engineer, and I guess I don't really have the engineering mind-set or give off the engineering vibe. Let's just say I didn't let it define me and leave it at that.
But wow. Suddenly I'm an open book and no one 'gets' me.
Friday, November 07, 2008
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4 comments:
I totally think my son will grow up to be an engineer, but I don't think he's socially weird. Awesome that you wrote a book! I'd love to be a published author.
Oh, one of my best friend's last name is Goodnight. She loved that name so much that she wouldn't give up when she got married. It is pretty awesome!
I think people have an idea of what engineers are supposed to be like. I used to do temp work and it helped me weed out the types of people I didn't want to work with - engineers was one of those groups. HOWEVER, having said that, I've worked with engineers for the last three years and with few exceptions, they're really nice people - and good to work with. I've known for a while that you are/were an engineer and having had the pleasure of visiting with you a few times I can honestly say, you don't fit the idea most people have of an engineer.
So, you're an unusual engineer? Both creative and anal? hehe (My hub is one too.)
I always think it is fun to suprise people. To me only a real dullard has no suprises to them.
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