Tis the Season...

...It just hit me today that this is one week from Thanksgiving. I still haven't the foggiest what we're doing.

The new LotR movie comes out in less than a month. In two weeks, or less time, I ask m'love again.

Things must be done. Business must be gotten down to. Gifts must be arranged and wrapped. I have to wrap that thing for votania yet... ghaa, and what does one do for one's older werewolf brother, and what does one do for one's younger vampire brother?

I think I just got propositioned.

It's very odd, to realize that someone is asking you to write fic for them.

What makes me feel even more odd:

...I might actually do it.

I started it, at least...

Phone

Called my mother tonight, to say hi and see what was up. She was glad to hear from me. Told her about the status of project Here, Chick Chick Chick.

I must remember to ask my mother to send blueberry jam, to send Narcissa my address so that she may send me the photos of River in drag, and to attempt to do the holiday card thing.

To that last: As if.

Geek, Communication

Darkside is a quiet man, often speaking more to machines than to other humans, preferring to be left alone when programming with a ferociousness that borders on anger. Darkside is an excellent programmer, and does very well when left to his own devices with databases.

When working on a group project, it is traditional for the group to get together after it's all been put together and done with and turned in and graded for a post-mortem discussion of the project: what went well, what went wrong, where things could have been improved, where feelings got hurt, where joys were had: generally, an analysis of the technical and human aspects, afterwards.

Darkside's always been good at dissassociating his human side fairly well from his working self, and letting everything go smoothly and professionally, on projects, and maybe not connecting so well with his group members on the informal, social, level that goes with projects.

On Darkside's last two projects, his last two tri at DeVry, for the ending discussion of what went down, I found myself scooped up by Darkside's group members into the discussion, in Darkside's absence. It's not that the guys even knew me: I don't socialize with much of Darkside's class group. Didn't. I just knew Darkside, and spent enough time in his presence, and made myself seen enough, that the guys knew that I was attached to him. And, when Darkside was unavailable for the wind-down discussion of the human aspects of the project, the hopes and fears and frustrations that got pushed aside to make it all work, they beckoned me over, Darkside's human side, to have him included in the closure of the projects.

It's difficult to talk to him. It's difficult to learn to read him. He's been a student of human nature so long, skilled in interpretation, from the outside, that someone who doesn't focus on him can easily miss him, have him sidestep and slip away out of range. It's rare to find him in the middle, participating. He, like me, has been an observer for so long...

I think it's odd for both of us to suddenly find ourselves, outside the mainstream whirl, suddenly caught up in social interaction, from our secure ivory-top nests. Suddenly he's doing, experiencing, rather than just watching. He who has been outside, excluded, so long, has finally found someone less attuned to the broadcast culture of the US than he is... and more in tune with people. And more in tune with him than with anyone else. And he is in tune with me.

Poll: LJ Crushes on Non-LJ Users

[Poll #77643]

Why/why not goes in the comments, if so inclined. Especially the why.

Darkside in my dreams

This time, we were at my parents' house, I was sleeping late, and missed school. Darkside came over anyway, and wouldn't look away while I was trying to change. Nicole and Leah, who I haven't seen for a while (and, coincidentally, their IRL younger brother's name is Darkside's) were there too...

Day:

Woke up. Went to class. Came home. Thought about Darkside. Read fanfic. Took nap. Woke up. Collected Nephew from after-school activity. Got doughnuts. Came home. Had dinner. At Nephew's request, popped in Star Trek V. ralmathon came over and got a backscritch while finishing watching movie. Movie ended. Tried calling Darkside. Darkside's phone is a bitch and hung up on me. Neighbor is playing Kingdom Hearts now.

Other news: Echo called, and evidently the Viking will be going over there Sunday.
The Viking called, and said that Real Life came and bit his arse, and he should not be relied upon for the Faire.