The other day I showed up to my indoor soccer game and was waiting for the previous game to end. A few minutes before the game my dad showed up, gave me a hug, and sat down by me. He had a sneaky little smile on his face, and the first thing he said was, “Did you get my e-mail?” I hadn’t. What was it about? I wanted to know. “I need Courtney to hook me up,” he said, smile widening. He proceeded to tell me the details of his proposition.

Courtney is my roommate and one of my best friends in Houston. What is it that my dad so desperately wanted from her? A book. Courtney works for the Harris County Public Library. My dad’s e-mail went like this:

I just reserved the new James Lee Burke novel Tin Roof Blowdown, but I’m 69th in line. :( Can Courtney hook me up in a better position? It’s nice to have friends in high places.

The funny thing is that I have totally used Courtney for this purpose before, and my dad was so excited when he found out about it. This is the kind of thing my family gets excited about being “hooked up” with. But seriously, the library is awesome. Since living with Courtney my world has been broadened. I use it for movies, music, audiobooks, and, of course, books. And I’m sure Courtney could tell me a slew of other resources the library offers.

Gosh, I am such a NERD.