I got to talk to Darkside on Sunday. We talked for a good 45 minutes. He got to overhear Figment in the background. Darkside's been sick lately.
Phones came up, and movies.
Hashing out of phone situations was helpful -- as I'd assumed-from-last-conversations-on-the-topic, his cellphone is essentially for emergencies only as far as incoming calls go, in his preferred use pattern. Weeknights are still out as far as conversation goes. Bedtime is 9 pm. He has to get up early to commute to work, halfway across town, and this is Phoenix we're talking about, and rush hour is dire, so he has to be up by at least 5, and he's got sleep issues. Communications with him are ... limited. What would be a few days' discussion with a normal person takes a few weeks to hash out with him. We operate in a time warp all our own. It takes most people some time to get used to the idea that I speak to him on the weekends, and on the weekends only, and there will be no communication happening between those times, so to ask for any updates on anything pending with him multiple times during the week is futile.
Movies: he actually isn't interested in the Hitchhiker's Guide (blasphemy!) but is interested in Revenge of the Sith. Negotiations on Revenge of the Sith were therefore opened; he refused to make any promises about same because of his upcoming jury duty.
I always phrase it like that, negotiations opened, when planning a movie date appointment with him. It's very much a negotiating process rather than the usual process of planning an outing with any other friend of mine. Darkside has an obnoxious schedule; when that's coupled with intermittent transportation problems, family obligations, pre-existing or pre-emptive other appointments, and a general introversion, it's very difficult for anyone to get any time with him. I'm lucky to even score the regular weekend phone appointments (even though I mostly take those for granted).
We'll see how negotiations go. I may wind up planning for best-case-scenario and then making preparations for same given his sign-off on the matter, with the understanding that this is best-case-scenario (or even going with a "likeliest" scenario, more likely) with alternate plans in case of worst-case. This is the sort of thing where one needs to plan at least two weeks ahead, if not four, and we're down to about three right now, yet he won't know until about nine days beforehand if he's even got a prayer of making it.
Best-case, I'd like opening night, with the other freaks. [A comment was made about a week ago about Star Wars opening night by someone non-fen, non-geek; I'm still bristling from that one. I may look normal enough to pass, but those are my people. You just don't trash-talk my homies. Trying to explain it makes it worse. ] Likely-case, perhaps opening weekend on Sunday afternoon. Worst-case, and I've tickets reserved beforehand, and he can't make it but I can, I give a small gift to an unsuspecting random person, either friend or just a stranger right there at the theatre. Figment's now my default backup for escorts, it seems...
