Die for conversation.

This week at work, I've moved out of the closet and back into the little windowless office to continue on another phase of the records project. Since I've been out of there, some office shuffling took place, with my main supervisor moving into a windowed office of her own and someone else taking up residence at her old station. I still have the plastic table facing away from the door.

In an effort to be social and reach out, I tried talking to the other woman now sharing the office. Trying to be nice and polite and enthused, like asking where in Ireland she's going for her summer vacation, or if there's anything of note on the Internet, or if there's any TV she's watching or looking forward to. Unfortunately, it didn't go so well. She mentioned looking forward to The Newsroom, so I tried engaging her in a conversation about Aaron Sorkin's television writing, given that he knows how to write TV shows about TV and his last attempt at doing so did so poorly. And she said she didn't have an opinion about his upcoming show. I tried a little harder, talking about his other stuff, and got positive reactions at The American President and Sports Night, but she kept saying she didn't have an opinion yet, and eventually I stopped when she left to do something in another office.

If she'd said she had work to do, or she was busy, or given me something directly communicating this wasn't a good time and place for a conversation I'd have been fine with her lack of responses. But she didn't, not right away, so I don't know what to take from this except generalized frustration at society's general lack of opportunities for serious casual discussion and discourse. I've had that sort of discussion before, so I know it's possible - I think that after this weekend, which was filled with all sorts of serious casual conversations, like the merits and disadvantages of GPS software and devices, the lack of them at work is felt more easily. I can't help but think if I'd brought up this subject at con_txt we'd have been talking about writing big versus writing small and writers' specific tics and Sorkin's particular victories when it comes to politics taking into account that it's an election year.

I'd love for there to be more of that sort of conversation. I just don't know how to get any.

Moments of grace.

And in the grand tradition of yelling about stuff on the internet only for it to be quickly invalidated by real-world experience, I had a fantastic conversation at the front desk of the gym before my workout. The woman working the desk didn't understand how I could like a day that was 97 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, and I tried to explain desert heat. She dropped she was from California, Sonoma to be precise, and as soon as I told her I was from Davis we were both grinning and talking about dry heat and oaks and blackberry vines down at the creeks and how much more blue the sky is there than here. It really is - today was kind of muggy with a few breezes, but even on the clearest of clear days, the sky isn't ever as blue as it gets back home.

As strange as it is to have a sky that isn't blue enough, it's even stranger and better to meet someone who knows what's meant by that.

And I think I'm ready for work tomorrow.