Students

Collegiate on cell: Hey, Mom, you’ll be proud of me — I actually bought books at Borders — to read!

Barnes & Noble, Center City
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Overheard by: book stacker

Teacher: Can you say, ‘Open the door’ in Spanish?
Preschooler: Open the door in Spanish.

Learning center
Bloomington, Indiana

Librarian: Jeans, brain and behavior?
Student: Uh, genes with a G.
Librarian: Like this? Gene’s brain and behavior?
Student: There’s no apostrophe.
Librarian: I’m not getting any results.
Student: Well, I’m pretty sure it’s officially spelled with an ampersand.
Librarian: A what?

Addlestone Library
Charleston, South Carolina

Thin male college student: I’m hungry all the time. I must be a fatty–that’s the only reasonable explanation, I think.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Student worker: You can never have too many Shrek posters, that's what I say.

Langford Architecture Center
College Station, Texas

Overheard by: Faith

Student: Mrs. Smith*, do you have any kids?
Mrs. Smith: No, I don’t have children.
Student: Did somebody steal them?

1212 Cheyenne Boulevard
Birmingham, Alabama

Overheard by: Sheri

Boy piano student #1, pencil poised under buttocks: Dare me to sit on this?
Boy piano student #2: You’ll hurt your testicles.
Girl piano student: Guess what? Dr. Evil’s dad made him shave his testicles!
Boy piano student #2: But testicles don’t grow hair.

Piano studio
Florida

Grad student: I’m just incapable of mounting anything remotely straight.

3400 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland

Overheard by: LabCat

Two-year-old girl: Up, Daddy.
Dad: No.
Two-year-old girl: Up, Daddy… P’ease?
Dad: No. C’mon, we taught you how to walk for a goddamned reason. Let’s move it.

Target
Avon, Indiana

Overheard by: Shatmandu

Giftie #1: ‘Quixotic’ is so the best word you can make in Scrabble.
Giftie #2: It is not. The best is– Oooh! Ice cream truck!

Bayview and Eglinton Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
Canadia