Is this progress?

5/13 - It's a miserable dreary day - it's raining like crazy -- but I was down another 1.6 pounds - total ELEVEN!!

So I'm feeling good. So of course, tonight, I saw that Alan was online and sat on my hands for about an hour (I promised Lisa that I would *NOT* IM him, to which she said "good"...) and then, of course, I DID...and he said that he was at his mother's looking at my photos and was very impressed, and that his mother liked my captions. So we chatted briefly... check this out:

pdwerli: Hi Alanus, My brain says don't IM him but I never listen to my brain...which is usually how I get myself into trouble in the first place...How are you doing on this miserable saturday night? Sox rained out and I'm bored.
Alanus: Looking at your photos with my mother. I'm very impressed...

ok here is the complete text of our chat:


pdwerl: Hi Alanus, My brain says don't IM him but I never listen to my brain...which is usually how I get myself into trouble in the first place... How are you doing on this miserable saturday night? Sox rained out and I'm bored.
Alanus: Looking at your photos with my mother. I'm very impressed.
pdwerl: mine? I just got some from Ollie - I may never leave the house again.
pdwerl: I was going to post his online but Lisa told him she'd do it... I tried to help him but I guess he had trouble.
pdwerl: oh I think iwas supposed to say thank you.
Alanus: You're welcome. I am still not completely unpacked yet.
pdwerl: wow I thought I was bad.. I finally put everything away, more or less. but my suitcase still sits there in the living room...
pdwerl: your mom at your house? how is she doing?
pdwerl: hello mrs. levine : )
Alanus: I'm at her house. She is a bit better, but I am still helping her with errands and going to the doctor.
Alanus: My mother is enjoying the pictures and your comments.
pdwerl: I must have rewritten the comments about a hundred times.
pdwerl: I enjoyed doing that.
pdwerl: if you can't be beautiful, be funny, that's what I always said : )
Alanus: I promised my aunts that I would write an account of my trip, but I haven't gotten to it yet.
pdwerl: well, did you see Sharyn's itinerary? I think it's better than anything I wrote and then Lisa added to it... I haven't put it all together but it's very helpful.
Alanus: Good/. I can plagiarize.
pdwerl: yes, no one will every know.
pdwerl: ever know.
pdwerl: how many aunts? you had a lot of cousins if I recall.
pdwerl: Lisa did send her updated version of the itinerary to everyone.
Alanus: Four that are still around. My mother was one of seven children.
pdwerl: my dad was one of six, and only his twin is left. when he goes I'm going to be a basket case.
Alanus: I haven't read it yet.
Alanus: Also, one of my aunts had five childen, so there are lots of cousins.
pdwerl: my dad's family was big - we used to have huge family get togethers. it's kind of sad when everyone starts to go.
pdwerl: anyway your mother wondering who this strange girl is who IM'd you?
Alanus: She is asking me when we are going to get together. I think we'll get back to the pictures now before my mother gets exhausted.
pdwerl: ga! ok... happy mother's day! I don't have my own so I borrow other peoples. enjoy the photos.
pdwerl: nice mom.
Alanus: thanks for the lovely visit. Bye.
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ha ha ha -- so??? Why did he tell me this? Was he embarassed? Awkward? Possibly. Just the act of him typing that sentence about his mother asking when we would get together is interesting to ponder. But he changed the subject quickly... Although he didn't have to tell me what she said - or he could have laughed it off...I probably should have said "and what did you respond? " but I didn't.

He told me that he isn't even unpacked yet, and that he hadn't checked out the itinerary that Sharyn had mailed. I know he said he had 300 emails but apparently he hasn't read any of them...What the heck does he do all day?? I know he has been at his mother's most of the week - what with her breaking ribs etc, and something about a big tree falling. He must be dialing into AOL from there as he was tonight.

I had not done anything overt - just some harmless flirting...I've been very subtle, but I guess if we were teenagers and I kept IM'ing him, that's what it would look like. I have only been the teensiest bit flirtatious, but just the act of sending him IMs is enough to make him realize I'm "chasing him"... but I don't want to feel that I am forcing his hand, either. If he is just "not that into me".... to use a slightly overused phrase, why should I force him??? I think Barbara Wiener is going to say something to him at Bingo and I hope he doesn't think I asked her to.
She said she'd be "careful"... Remember, be careful what you wish for. Frankly I think I am just terribly horny.. I had this discussion w/ the women from Keane last night but that's for another blog entry. I feel funny even saying it here.

And as if i didn't have enough trouble, I told Eric, and he seemed fine with it. happy in fact.
Wierder still. But I just had to say something... Lisa Austin thinks I'm nuts.

So -- now I am absolutely positively commited to not emailing or IM'ing him... no matter what.. So I have a busy week ahead, and then Amy Epstein's bat mitzvah on Saturday... I hope I don't go nuts. But if I still do not hear from him, then I'm going to see him on 5/26 anyway and I'm just going to be friendly and normal. If I'm able to breathe.

5/14- postscript - On the way to Kowloon for Mother's Day - I had only Eric's mother in the car and I asked her (casually) if she knew alan... she did, from Shabbat services and lunch and bingo. She said that he is a NICE GUY - same thing Sarah and Barbara said, of course. Maybe someday I'll be able to tell him what everyone says about him... No one said he is wierd or eccentric, just about his mother, and not working...so, I guess this qualifies as me picking someone slightly unavailable. Maybe when things calm down w/ his mother he'll call me - or email me if he has even READ my long winded rant where I told him I felt comfortable talking to him and he made me laugh and that I was jealous of "smoking woman"... LOL