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Swimming
In a man's letters you know, Madam, his soul lies naked, his letters are only the mirror of his breast, whatever passes within him is shown undisguised in its natural process. Nothing is inverted, nothing distorted, you see systems in their elements, you discover actions in their motives.
-- Samuel Johnson
Sunday, February 22, 1998
Friday: I was up early Friday morning, since I still had a few things to arrange for the weekend. I did some more stuff on the demo for Monday. We had a goodbye lunch for my former manager, who has left Microsoft. We went to Shamiana, an Indian restauarant in Kirkland that is popular with Microsoft folks. They have a great lunch buffet! Lunch was fun, but I am sad to see Val go. She was great to work for (I always felt very appreciated), and is a good friend.
Jason sent me mail to say that he was awake earlier than he had thought. He started working the graveyard shift and sleeping during the day this week, but his landlord was coming by and calling him all day Friday, putting paid to his hopes of sleeping during the day. I suggested he just come by my office whenever he was ready, but when he hadn't arrived by three thirty, I called to tell him I'd come by and pick him up instead. I called just in time, since he'd been leaving me voice mail saying he was setting out, at that very moment! His place is within walking distance from the MS campus, but I'd say it's about a twenty minute walk.
We stopped back by campus, since my friend Jon Singer had asked me to come to his office and pick up a gift from him. He's been using my camera for taking pictures of his various pottery projects and glaze tests, so I finally got to select a piece for myself. I had my choice of two, both beautiful. I chose the smaller, bluer bowl.
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From there Jason and I drove back to my place. I was so happy to see him! (After all, it had been five days!) I bought several opera laserdiscs over the course of the week, but I had decided to watch "La Traviata" with him. This is a tragic opera, but I love the music, and the Zeffirelli production is great! I don't think he loved it, but he put up with it. He was a bit perturbed by me crying during some of the saddest parts. I told him it was ok for me to cry during sad movies, but if he sees me crying not during a movie, he should investigate!
My original plan (again!) had been to cook a chicken stir-fry dish for dinner, but Jason didn't want to watch me work, or maybe he didn't want to help in the chopping which I had in mind! So we walked down the street to Georgina's Pizzeria, where I had dinner with fellow journaler Liralen a few weeks ago. I thought we would just grab some slices, but Jason wanted a whole large pie! So we ordered, then went walking through the rain for the fifteen minutes or so we had to wait. I was amused by this literal reenactment of that most common of singles ads phrases, "likes long walks in the rain". But it was a nice walk.
We took the pizza back and watched Into the Woods, a Stephen Sondheim musical, by Jason's request. I like the multi-layered fairy tales in this show, and the cast is great! Jason was more tired than he knew, though, and we didn't make it all the way through the second act. Back to his place, and so to sleep.
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Saturday: I brought some of the groceries I had bought earlier back with me to Jason's place, so I checked my email via shell account while eating fresh pineapple. In the afternoon, we walked across the courtyard to the indoor swimming pool attached to his apartment complex. This was delightful! There was no one else there at all. The pool was a perfectly reasonable size, heated and clean, and four feet deep in the middle. I paddled and back-stroked all around it, and Jason did some laps as well.
I decided to stay and observe the gaming again, rather than go to the Cacophony event that was scheduled. So I reclined on the couch and read the latest Tim Powers book, Earthquake Weather, while Jason got his materials ready for the game. I really like Tim Powers! His books are fast-paced, complex and eerie. I think I've read them all except The Stress of Her Regard. I started that one, but was turned off by the anachronistic speech of characters that were supposed to be in an earlier era than this one. He usually doesn't have that problem!
This week we were up to four players, which was better than the two that showed up last week. I liked being in the room with them all, but not being required to participate. I listened to what was going on, and read my book at the same time, throwing in the occasional humorous comment when the spirit moved me. Jason had been worried that I would feel ignored, but I liked it. I wonder if I'll like actually playing the game as well? There will be more pressure then.
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Sunday: Being with Jason is really stretching some emotional muscles that I haven't used for a long time. I hope that I'll be able to handle problems in a better way than I would have in college! It would be a shame if I hadn't learned anything in the years in between.
I was unhappy about something Saturday night, but I was too upset to verbalize it clearly. (I was in bed, Jason was staying up all night to get his sleep schedule back in line for the graveyard shifts ahead. Note: this wasn't the issue I was unhappy about.) I knew Jason would be too sleepy to talk when he came to bed in the morning. My solution: shortly after he was asleep, I got up and wrote what was bugging me in the form of a letter to him. This was useful, since it enabled me to examine these complex feelings and sort them out. I printed it out, then spent the rest of the day dozing and listening to NPR. When Jason finally woke up, I read it to him and we talked the issues out. I laughed when I told him that, in case he lost the hard copy, there was a link on his desktop to the original letter.
I don't necessarily agree with the Samuel Johnson quote that heads this entry, but I like Johnson.
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