Oh! My husband does that too, all the time, and it drives me nuts. But neither of us has come up with Jason's insight to explain it. That makes so much sense--he needs me to acknowledge his existence by talking to him, but I can't think of anything to say so I don't say anything, and then he feels like I don't want to talk to him, which isn't the case at all . . .. Huh. Going to have to think about this one. Thanks!

I think I need to bottle up my superpower and send some over to you: I have the power of obliviousness. It probably developed as a result of hiding behind books all through middle school--being lost in a fictional world, I could let the real world woosh right over my head. It's not a great superpower if you actually want to have social success, though. I don't notice things about people--how they might be feeling, whether they agree or disagree with me, who they like or dislike--all those little cues that socially ept people put together unconsciously and use to build connections (and have conversations. I am no good at conversations). Woosh. Right over my head. If you don't tell me something straight out, I will never know it. How about I trade you some of your sensitivity for a bit of my being-completely-out-of-it!