Another project with Hil

So here I am in a hotel in Sticksville, preparing to spend another week working on a project with Hil.  I should be in bed, not blogging; I guess since I'm on a roll, I'm trying to make up for going ten days into this month without posting nada.  At least the Benadryl is knocking out my allergy symptoms.  I thought that stuff was supposed to knock you out too.  Why am I still awake?

Of course, my interest in this project -- from a blogging perspective -- has nothing to do with the actual work and everything to do with closely watching how Hil and I interact.  We met at the airport, at Baggage Claim, with a huge firm hug.  We chit-chatted all the way to the hotel, mostly about light-hearted stuff.  She told me all about the shopping she did at the big mall nearby, to bring cool stuff back home to her daughters.  I talked about my flight, and tossed in a few pointless anecdotes.

At the hotel she gave me a present: two jars of home-made jam, made by her, straight from the berry-trees in her backyard.  How sweet!  It left me thinking I should have brought her some jam I made last winter, from a fruit tree in a vacant lot just across the fence from my apartment's parking lot.  And it's a sign that we are inching closer together.

We went out to dinner, talked about work, and then came back to the hotel.  I went upstairs to go to bed and then sat down to write blog posts instead.  We're still not holding hands, but we continue to find socially acceptable reasons to touch each other: I gave her a big hug in thanks for my jam, for instance.  Would we have hugged good-night on our way to our separate hotel rooms?  Or rather, would we have if I hadn't been all sniffly with allergies?  Ummm ... probably not quite yet.  But I'm watching it.  Watching and waiting -- in no hurry, but really interested to see where this goes.