Communication
So, here's the deal. The phone service in our building crapped out a couple weeks ago. Some sort of problem with the Network Interface Device. The surprising thing, of course, is how much I didn't miss it. After all, most of the messages on the answering machine are someone trying to sell us satellite TV, despite none of the windows in the apartment facing the right direction, and Gertie and I saying we don't want a satellite dish and please take us off the list every time we answer their calls.

Anyway, it wouldn't be expensive to add a second cell phone to Gertie's plan, so we decide to do that. We look online and find a pretty decent deal on broadband service via the cable company, so we do that. Unfortunately, Gertie was a little too enthusiastic about cancelling our local phone service, so we wound up without communications at home for a week. I got my mobile phone a few days ago, but not many people have my number yet. It's weird; as much time as I spend online, reading or writing about every subject I have interest in, I don't feel like I'm going to burst when I can't.

Maybe it's good to step away from spending time talking about what you're doing to do more for a while and actually do a little more. I feel a little recharged, and, hey, Alex appreciates having more of my attention.

It's weird to meet someone in one context and then in another. Alex was at the sci-fi marathon, and I think we traded some comments during the trivia contest. Then we bumped into each other looking through CDs in Newbury Comics, recognized each other, and clicked. We wound up seeing Kairo at the Brattle over the weekend, agreeing that where horror movies are concerned, the freaky Japanese original is almost inevitably better than the American remake. I said I wished the marathon would show more import stuff, he's more fond of the old cheese, but that's not a crippling philosophical difference. We've gone out a couple more times since then, mostly being casual. It's been good, because I haven't been obsessively examining it. Normally, when I go on a date, I'm trying to sum it up the next day, so that leads me to the "how will I tell him", "am I living a lie by not telling him", "what does this attraction say about us sexually", and basic guilt and fear. That's there this time, but not as strong. We're having fun, we'll probably sleep with each other within the next two dates, and I'm not worried right now.

-Marti
- posted 10:06 PM - - (archive use only)