More people

I am over my cold now and can write about people with a clear head. On to the next two people, those that I knew online the longest, Sam and Bec. I know you are reading this Sam but I am going to try to ignore the fact and write my impressions anyway. Why did I start doing this and feel compelled to continue? I have no idea but here goes...

Sam is almost impossible to describe. She has an external persona that is at odds with her internal capabilities and it took me awhile to try to reconcile this and readjust my thinking. On the surface she is ditzy (that is not really the right word - light hearted maybe?), impulsive and describes herself as dumb. She really is none of those things and the clash is painful. For example - she drank until she was ill, which is certainly impulsive, but then handled the entire throwing up and getting on the plane with aplomb. She says she doesn't like to travel, but manages to do more than most people ever think of doing. And she keeps an insane amount of information in her head about people and connections, but then is shy about approaching them. She was the only person to make fun of my accent, but it was not offensive. There is some real cognitive dissonance going on here.

This is my psychoanalysis of it, totally amateur: I see in Sam a trait that I have, which is a need for constant brain stimulation, and I think has driven her into her job which allows her to cram her brain full of work and internet stuff at the same time. But this drive isn't always productive - in my case it has made me despise being a manager or anything that involves lots of boring meetings - in though I could "get ahead" this way. And from what I have heard her say, she is in a job surrounded by people with much less intelligence than she has and probably is underutilizing her intellect. And so she plays into this by being silly - you have to get to know her or read her before you figure out how damned smart she is and she really doesn't want to own up to this. Then she might have to feel torn about going back to university, or looking for a more challenging job, or any of those things that may or may not be the right thing to do. So she has the Mad Cat Lady persona that conveniently describes her outer self - but it does not do justice to her complex inner life.

The weird thing is that she was agreeable and fun in every stage from stone cold sober to drunk to hungover. Never bitchy or morose - most people go through those stages at some point.

So forgive me Sam for my arm chair analysis - probably all wrong. I was very interested to see how you fit into this generally brainy crowd, and it is obvious that you are one of them too - just in disguise :)

Bec is hard because she is exactly how I pictured her, just smaller. She is a wonderful mix of practical and fun, rational and kind. She has a femininity without girliness that I would like to have, but don't ever seem to manage. And in a dress - what a knockout. She is so self-assured and together that it is hard to say anything except I enjoyed being around her immensely. Growing up in a family of engineers, I think I know one when I see one, and she definitely is one. In fact I think I automatically related to her more as I would a co-worker than as a friend, and that was a mistake on my part.

I am so glad I got to meet both Sam and Bec - it was a highlight of my trip - and hope it will not be the last time.

Next up????