Rumors!

I got a fun taste of high school this week, when I heard a rumor, about me! I heard this week that I can be counted among the ranks of pregnant (there are actually 3 of them at my school) teachers.

Since I first heard the rumor in my afternoon YA lit class, and since rumors do crop up in YA lit, I tried to follow the thing back to the source. But like most rumors, it wasn't easy (and I can't say I was particularly successful in finding where it came from).

Well, here's one tip I can give you if you don't want people to suspect you might be with child...don't carry around a baby name book if you don't want people to think you are pregnant. I was carrying my favorite baby name book, Cool Names for Babies, all last week. Cause I have this idea that won't leave me alone, and I the new characters needed names.

But...everyone in my school knows I'm a writer. Writes get to be eccentric, right? I have an entire rack of baby name books for creative writing class! So, according to my bff the librarian, a student was asking how a certain author came up with names in a book, and she mentioned my baby name book, and someone else interjected, oh, I thought she was pregnant. Case solved?

I don't know. I also said the word pregnant in my 3rd block literature class. It came up innocently. We were discussing my mismatched contact lenses. I'm stuck with a clear and a blue, because I've been too lazy/distracted/phone-phobic to call and order new contacts. One of the kids asked why I wear colored contacts. I could have given the real answer (eyes are the window to the soul so I got shutters for mine) or um, vanity! but, instead I launched this long and quite boringly true explanation of how, during my pregnancies, I did not want to color my hair, but I needed some pizazz, so, I got colored contacts. Lame? probably. Did I say I am pregnant therefore I am wearing these mismatched contact lenses? No. But, I may have said the word pregnant. So, maybe I started the rumor myself. Teens are rather famous for their selective hearing. Teens and my late grandma, who couldn't hear anything anyone said to her, but could hear anything anyone even muttered ABOUT her.

So two days after I first heard the rumor, I still don't know where it started. I do know (snuggling the baby name book) that I would have loved to name a few more kids. Naming kids was the BEST part of the actual 9 months of pregnancy.

But since there are not going to be any more kids, I guess I have to find solace in naming characters. Looking forward to starting a new book soon!

Look, a new edition of Cool Names for Baby! I can't wait to carry it everywhere!