You must have been a beautiful baby

[austin_dern]

One of the other people in the department brought in his eight-month-old baby. I don't know the exact reason, but it did mean the end of the day was just everyone standing around in the main office smiling and saying his name several different ways and posing for all sorts of pictures. It's marvelous having that much cheer in one place. It's also great having a half-dozen or more adults all simultaneously trying to make a sort of half-whistling, half-hooting sound that makes him smile.

I was trusted to hold the child for nearly ten seconds before a woman took him away for safety. That's probably about right. I have to admit to treating children as I do wild animals; to marvel and admire them, but not attempt physical contact unless all the alternatives are clearly more dangerous.

I couldn't help noticing the kid kept staring at me, though, and my nice, luscious, fluffy beard, often grinning or looking terrified at it. Facial hair tends to be rare around here, and huge, thick hair like mine -- all those Eastern European genes in me, you know, readying me for winter so I resemble a Wookie, or maybe the Bear in the Big Blue House -- is even rarer. Still, now I've got the disconcerting feeling that toddlers are laughing at my appearance.

Mind, they should, but I didn't realize that they did.

Trivia: On July 21, 1768, burglars broke into the Perth Amboy mansion of Stephen Skinner and made off with approximately 6,750 pounds. Skinner was the treasurer of East New Jersey, and the sum was almost the entire public treasury. Source: Jerseyana: The Underside of New Jersey History, Marc Mappen.

Currently Reading: European History, 1648-1789, Robert M. Rayner.

Comments

[xolo.livejournal.com]

> I resemble a Wookie, or maybe the Bear in the Big Blue House

For some reason, I'd always pictured you as a skinny, geeky little fellow.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Aw, I'm sorry to disillusion you. I disillusioned Flutterz in a similar way a few months ago, I think. In real life I'm a tall, burly, doughy guy with unkempt hair and, typically, a very long and slightly frazzled beard. I try to neaten up, but it just doesn't work; my hair won't stay in order and my beard pulls similar surprises.

If you could imagine a midway point between Commander Riker and Torgo without going blind, you've got a rough idea of my looks. I also bear a striking resemblance to the villain in a disturbingly high number of Bollywood films, but that's not so specific as I never get the actors' names.

I'm flattered that I type skinny, though.

Beards etc.

[(Anonymous)]

I didn't exactly picture you as geeky, but I always think that in some ways our players resemble our on-line personas. I have this habit of 'seeing' folks as they describe themselves on line. In some ways this works out for the best. Being a coati, I saw your player as, well, I didn't really see him. When I think of Austin, (or most anyone else, even Morti who I have met several times) I see them as their character. I suspect those who 'see' me in real life, are suprised I don't really look like I do on-line. Anyway, the idea of you looking like a Marine drill sargent with a beard doesn't sound offensive, just different than my perception of Austin Dern. - Argon

Re: Beards etc.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

No, no, there's nothing nearly drill sargent about my looks. For one, that look would imply the existence of muscles; my last muscle group was last seen in 1992. I'm closer to Kim Possible's friend Wade than I am to a Marine. Just so you know.

As for picturing players, I tend to not bother picturing any I haven't met in person, and for the strength of my association of character and player to depend how how often and how important my real-life encounters with them were. People I've just seen pictures of, I don't even think about as players.