My Somewhat Quirky Wife

It's not fair: Catherine-Anne just isn't as quirky as I am. That's the official line anyway, but I did manage to sneak the following seven quirks past the censors.

1) Geekiness. Catherine-Anne is not a geek, she insists. Now, she *is* addicted to Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Facebook, and Email. And she was ecstatic at having discovered the Style Manager in Word and the Auto-Update feature in particular. But she's "not a geek".

2) Linguistic skills. Catherine-Anne speaks four languages fluently, but unfortunately those little barriers that most of us erect between different languages are a little more permeable for her. Which is charming most of the time, but not, for example, when you're using Spanish as a private language in Nepal, and random phrases start emerging in Nepali by accident. Particularly when that phrase is about how you really want to buy a certain item and will pay any price. Grrr.

3) Performance anxiety. Due to a set of circumstances for which she is only partially to blame, Catherine-Anne's first two attempts to make rice in my presence ended in inedible failure. Since then, she has been psychologically unable to make rice for supper. So now that's my job.

4) Self-evaluation. Not her strong suit, I'm afraid. On those occasions when she gets a fabulous mark on a paper, she is utterly convinced that the teacher gave her the mark "just to be nice". Because they do that kind of thing in postgraduate studies.

5) Curiosity. Whenever an expression flits across my face that she doesn't understand, the question will not drop until a satisfactory answer is given or 72 hours have passed, whichever comes first. We've even decided that her middle name is "Penguin" in honor of her preternatural curiosity.

6) "Keel you over". As in, "have a snack to keel you over until dinner". Catherine-Anne has an honestly impressive English vocabulary, but her command of idioms and expressions is a little spotty. Now we all make mistakes, but she seems genuinely surprised each time she makes the same one again.

7) Pill swallowing. For whatever (hopefully genetically recessive) reasons, Catherine-Anne has trouble swallowing pills. Not just big ones either. She has to take a mouthful of water, and then tilt her head back and shake it like a bird swallowing a big fish. Amusing, but weird.

Well, only three weeks until we're in Canada! With a 50+ item to do list before we leave, things are going to be a little busy, but we will manage to squeeze in the better part of a week in Pokhara enjoying some sun and relaxation. Can't wait to see everyone in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Waterloo and Winnipeg!!!