Transplanted Life
Friday, April 08, 2005
 
One AM
One in the morning was when the superintendant finally finished working on my plumbing. And anyone going the double-entendre route here, get your minds out of the gutter. I mean, he's middle-aged and married and has a somewhat gross smoker's cough. Not nearly as gross as what was coming out of the drain, though - brownish water filling the kitchen sink, although thankfully not the bathtub or anything else in the bathroom, for that matter. I turned on the garbage disposal, and that got rid of it, but it soon filled up halfway. The sink and I played this game for a few hours, and then it started coming fast, so I called the super.

No idea what he was doing over there. I'd probably be useless owning a house on my own, I'm so willing to let other people handle the maintenance aspects. Wei says that's what husbands are for, but that's sort of unfathomable to me. Seriously, if the old me had married Mags, would I have wound up having to understand how to disassemble all the crap underneath the sink and put it back together so it no longer does disgusting things? Is there a class I missed? And then there's the shoveling, or having to do anything with the inside of a car.

Don't get me wrong; I like building things and such within reason. I get the same feeling of inner peace putting together a set of bookshelves or a desk in this body that I remember from being Martin. I have a difficult time not dissassembling anything held together with Phillips-head screws. I just figure there's no need to leave the basic necessities to chance. That's probably a stereotypically girly attitude, that instead of being self-sufficient I'm content to let a man do it, but whatever.

The other thing that's unfathomable is having a husband. I've said it before, but I have a hard time conceiving of it, still. I mostly function in society as a female; I flirt, handle clothing and cosmetics well enough, and like when guys open doors for me. I can even have rudimentary conversations about the pros and cons of different types of footwear. But I can't imagine being someone's wife.

I've got nothing against marriage; I'm glad to see Wei and Jim so happy and am genuinely excited about being part of Jen and Carlos's wedding next month. And I honestly think I would have proposed to Maggie if that pregnancy scare hadn't put a wedge between us, leading Martin-me to consider moving, getting an out-of-state job and thus being a fine target for Alexei-Michelle. And when I turned down Doug's proposal, that was about not wanting to spend the rest of my life with him specifically, not that I can't see myself married.

And I don't know whether that's a bad thing. I'm going out with Chet tonight. We'll have fun, and maybe on our next date I'll "give it up" (as if it's some sacrifice I'm making). I like him, I'm comfortable with him, I've got no desire to not be with him. I just don't see wedded bliss as the prize for a successful relationship.

Boy, that was a tangent. Jen's invited me and the other bridesmaids over tomorrow to help her decide on a band, so I guess the marriage thing is on my mind a little.

-Martina
Thursday, April 07, 2005
 
Go ahead and judge me.
Yeah, a real man would have tried to fix whatever's making the sink back up himself. Well, maybe being a girl has given me new insights into my limitations.

Besides, I'm still kind of wiped out from staying up so late yesterday. I managed to avoid "spoilers" for the game, but I also decided to see a movie, and then get groceries on the way home, so I didn't start watching until quarter past ten.

Yeah. If I wasn't trying so hard just to stay awake right now, I'd totally be trying to snake the sink myself.

-Martina
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
 
Baseball obsessive posting begins
Technology makes us do stupid things. Right now, as I type this, my ReplayTV at home is recording the Red Sox playing the Yankees so that I can watch it when I get home later. The thing is, using that bit of technology means I have to be careful with a lot of other ones - like the radio back by the loading dock (or anyone who might have one on the bus ride home, presuming extra innings, or that Steinbrenner's desire to make the seventh inning stretch last an hour so that the world knows that nobody loves their country like the Yankees do %lt;/SARCASM%gt;), or using the internet to check some of my favorite blogs, or even instant messages/email.

Anyway, big Boston sports happening, so Jen & Carlos threw a party. I take no pleasure from the knowledge that there were people in New York who found that game a good time. I guess it's notable for being the first social thing I attended with Chet while Kate came with Carter. I guess it's cool for them that their thing is working out, at least for now. I get the impression that the events of the last year or so have Carter sort of confused, and Kate is the type of girl who, if you're not sure what to think, will tell you. Not my style, but some guys need it at some point in their lives. So do some girls, for that matter.

It's weird, though. There's the ex thing, the different body thing, the I-remember-that-body-from-the-inside thing. Maureen decided to sit the party out when she found out Kate and Carter were coming, and I don't blame her one bit. Truth be told, I think it's kind of weird that Mags hangs out with me as much as she does, but then, she's Maggie. She's one of those people who sees something new and strange and is more inclined to be fascinated than grossed out. So, yeah, I'm her old boyfriend and yuck, but that's more than compensated by the whole nanomachines in my head that zipped memories and cognitive patterns between two brains deal.

Obviously, I'm not there with Carter yet. Looking at him weirds me out, and I, by necessity, look at the whole mind-swapping thing as part of my everyday life. It's not as taken-for-granted as the internet (which, considering how in high school I was using a 1200 baud modem hooked up to a 64KB Atari 800XL to go online, is pretty awesome), but I live with it every day, so I don't see someone else in that body and feel all "wow, the world is amazing".

We wound up sort of avoiding each other most of the night, or trying to. If you looked at the line-up on the couches and chairs, it was Carter, Kate, Jen, Carlos, Chet, me. Made me feel a little isolated, I guess. The good news is that folks liked Chet, even if Jen did say that me sprouting a boyfriend meant they had to rearrange seating and stuff at the wedding.

It's still going to be hard, though, because he's dating my best friend. But, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, rigth?

-Martina

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Note: This blog is a work of fantasy; all characters are either ficticious or used ficticiously. The author may be contacted at JaySeaver@comcast.net