The Zoo of the Surreal

[MJontheMend]

P.S This guy does not sound very bright. Bad speller. Cryptic metaphors. You said he treats you like a pet, but is he the slow gentle giant type who is really YOUR pet?

Here's the thing. He is highly intelligent but he was raised in the cultural setting which our general cultural associates with lack of intelligence due to racism. He is well aware of this and purposefully "tests" people in this regard. He uses "e" or "y" instead of 'i" as he chooses and writes in lyrical or conversational style rather than essay style, picking and choosing his grammar. He has an older sister who has a PhD in English and is an expert in Ebonics. Unfortunately, she is also a black separatist and believes that he is a traitor to his race because he will not date a "prominent black woman". His avocation is music but his day job was in auto design and he worked in the engineering department for one of the big 3. When I said that I can't imagine anyone who seems less like an engineer he did an impression of "how a white male engineer talks" that practically brought tears to my eyes. As I mentioned before, he is fairly fluent in Japanese, Italian and Spanish and if you want to get a feeling for how cultural stereotypes effect you unconsciously, I will tell you the experience of being in the presence of a man who rapidly switches mid-sentence between Ebonics and Japanese or Italian will teach you a little something. Also, he has told me that many of his friends tease him by calling him "Jesse" because of his vocabulary.

Actually, one of the things I like best about him is his conversational style. He has an amazing skill for creating visual images with words in a lyrical fashion making great use of intonation. He says things to me like "Here's what I think intimacy means. We're at a party together, having a good time, smiling, laughing...having a good time. You've got that red dress on and you smell so sweet, so sweet(whispered) ..and we're smiling, laughing having a real good time...and then you catch my eye across the room and then you're at my side saying 'Baby, let's go home now. Baby, let's have our own party now." ... and you won't be sleeping until 3 AM. I will keep you wide awake until 3 A...M! I think you know what I mean. I sincerely HOPE you know what I mean." THAT is why I say I am "mesmerized" in this relationship.