I asked a bartender out and we met in Ajihei. There was some initial confusion as to who my date was. The Ajihei waitress was convinced my lunch date had arrived before me - she led me to a table with a middle-aged lady. I cannot recall a single impression of the lady, except her age; I was so embarrassed I quickly stumbled out for air.  I was wondering if I had asked the right person out, or if V was ever going to show up. Thankfully, she did; she lost track of time while shopping for tops on Nassau.

Having at first admitted no particular preference for food, V revealed to me that she will not eat raw fish, so we ordered a shrimp and soft-shell crab roll for her. Despite my initial misgivings, they turned out delicious. V told me that graduate students were not normal people, that she could find no girl to talk to about make-up and shopping and manicures  during a miserable first year. I felt like the last guy on earth to talk to about make-up and shopping and manicures.

The conversation had me thinking: I have drawn similar conclusions about the nature of graduate students, or mostly those I've met in my department. That they are not normal. A majority of them fall into two categories. The first group comprise people who are exceptional and exceptionally focused in their work. The second comprise people who are less exceptional but are nevertheless focused; they tend to be ruled by their passions and insecurities. Neither group provide a reliable source of companionship.