Monday, October 22, 2001

Satellite conversations

I suppose you could say the date went well, but conversation with Jerrod was a halting struggle. Talking with him was like having a satellite conversation. You know the sort I mean?

A satellite conversation is one where you feel as though your words must first travel across a vast space before reaching your date. You say something or ask a question and there's a pause, during which the other person just sits there absolutely still and stares at you blankly for a few seconds before responding. Several times over dinner, I'd make a comment and there'd be an appreciable lag time while my words were transmitted around the world, and then Jerrod would respond.

I felt as though we were playing CNN. Jerrod was Christiane Amanpour — smart and stylish, a statuesque beauty — standing in the middle of some desert and I was Wolf Blitzer — rumpled but probing and interested — back in the studio. If there's going to be another date, I hope we can arrange to be on the same mental continent.