random encounter

[rivendellrose]

I went upstairs to assist with a laptop/projector hook-up in the honors lounge for a presentation of some kind, and the program facilitator comes in while I'm setting up the projector. We chat, and then she abruptly says, "Are you Jenny?" I blink, reply "Jennifer, so probably not the Jenny you're thinking of..." thinking she's been in contact with one of the other zillion-and-one Jennifers in the world about this program, and she asks my last name.

Random 'program facilitator lady' is my cousin.

Technically, my dad's cousin, and it's a good sign of how distant that side of the family can be sometimes that we hadn't seen each other in more than four years. But as soon as she asked my last name, it clicked and I couldn't believe I hadn't recognized her before.

Totally fecking weird.

Comments

[narsilion.livejournal.com]

Whoa, that's weird. Who was it?

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Brenda! She's teaching a couple little classes at the UW through the honors college, and also assisting with this program that was giving the presentation today. So I got her email, and we're going to try to get together sometime soon.

[narsilion.livejournal.com]

Ohmigosh, that's great! It'll be neat for you two to spend some time together. That's weird that you didn't recognise her though, has she changed that much?

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

No, same old Brenda, it's just a context thing - I didn't expect to see her, so I more or less didn't. I registered that she looked familiar, but I meet so many instructors through my job that it's not surprising for me anymore. As soon as she asked my last name, the generalized familiarity switched over to immediate realization.

Honestly, though, we haven't seen each other in five years... and that was at Dad's wedding. We both have pretty fuzzy memories from then, considering she remembered me as still having glasses. *Shrugs*

[coralia13.livejournal.com]

That's awesome! I need to not have several leather-bound books of my family tree sitting in the living room so awesome stuff like that can happen to me!

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

See, I wish we had that. My grandparents on my dad's side have siblings I've never met, even though my aunt traced our family back to the 1600s, and on my mom's side I know nothing farther back than... oh, let's say three or four generations. My family is not so good at the whole family history thing. And my dad's side just isn't horrifically close, once you get past the direct family. :/

Makes me feel really dumb, since Brenda's been teaching in Seattle the whole time I've been at the university here... I really should've gotten in touch with her earlier, but it was always one thing or another keeping me from doing it.

[coralia13.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my knowledge of my dad's family is not extensive, but a lot of them live in the same area and have holidays at my aunt and uncle's house, and so I've met a lot of them that way. My mom's family, though. Jeez.

Families are fun. Or annoying. But always good to tell stories about.