Geeking Out

However far modern science and technics have fallen short of their inherent possibilities, they have taught mankind at least one lesson: Nothing is impossible.
-- Lewis Mumford

Friday, February 19, 1999
One year ago: Review

We had a big team meeting today, involving the whole product, so we could be informed about planning for the next version. For once, the meeting actually started only a few minutes late and finished before it was scheduled to end! So we were actually early when we arrived at the Indian restaurant where the program managers of my immediate group were having lunch.

The occasion for the lunch: our group leader is taking the next four weeks off for parental leave (the baby is eight months old! but this was the first good time, I guess) and a week after that he'll be in a training session. So he's handed off responsibility for the immediate tasks and will be taking some downtime, as they say here. It's a strange feeling; all other team members are mostly done, but the sub-team I'm doing work for won't be finished for several more weeks. I'll take my downtime then, I guess.

The lunch was fun, with good food, and the buffet there is certainly convenient. But I much prefer meals where the seating arrangements don't involve a long, narrow table. A round table or two is much better for conversation.

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I got to Jack's house before he was home from work, so I dozed in the car for a while, then read a book. He arrived. concerned that I'd been waiting, but I'd known that I'd likely get there before him. I just didn't want to stay later at my office, and I didn't have any errands to run on the way.

He proposed that we join his friend B--- for dinner, which was fine with me. We decided on Thai Ginger, where Jack and I ate in December. They do a good business there; when they told us we had a 25 minute wait, we walked down to Borders and poked around among the CDs, then walked back.

The food was very good! Panang chicken, Thai Ginger Special beef, and duck noodle soup, with wide rice noodles. Jack and B--- talked about various projects that Jack has in mind, what he might be doing after his current contract ends, and a business thing that they've been talking about for a while. B--- was concerned that I might be getting bored, since I wasn't saying much, I guess. I said I was fine with what they were talking about; that's why they got together, because they needed to discuss these things. Jack said, "She lets me geek out, that's one of the reasons I love her!"

Well! I was slightly stunned! But I squeezed his arm, and replied, "What a nice thing to say!" and their conversation continued. The reason I was surprised was that Jack's never said before that he loved me, in words. And I hadn't said that to him, though I do love him. I didn't bring this up again during the course of the evening, but I will tomorrow. Of course I was totally pleased and happy.

I enjoy seeing Jack and B--- talking together; it's evident that they are longtime friends. (They were officemates on a project several years ago.) They differ in personality and style, but they work well together. Jack is a visionary, an idea man (INTP, so he says), and B--- is conservative and wants all the details nailed down (I'm guessing ISTJ).

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After we got back to Jack's place we watched the X-Files (I'm still not a huge fan), then traded off turns at the computer. I skipped Millenium to read email -- I watched part of the first season, but the more it got into the occult stuff, the more I lost interest. Then I watched The Man who Came to Dinner while Jack did his computer stuff (but still no webpage update!). Since he came out and talked to me several times during the movie, I didn't realize when he actually got in bed and fell asleep! If I'd known, I'd certainly have turned the movie off and joined him, funny as it was.

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Hey, Wally Glenn has posted several funny new things at "Living the Wally Lifestyle." Check it out! He is now back to phoning me every other day at work, since he's back on campus and either wants to chat or has an actual technical question to ask me.