I have what I'll call a "liquid personality."

When I'm talking to somebody I don't know at a party, or at work, or in virtually any situation that involves conversation with a stranger, I find that the inflections of my voice, my body language, my attitude in general, all adapt themselves subtly to fit the situation. In effect, I become somebody more like the person I'm talking to. It makes me comfortable in almost any setting, because I can fit in easily and relate to people with whom I have little to nothing in common.

At least, they think I'm relating to them. I suspect I'd make a good politician.

Lately, with all the reading I've been doing for school, I'm finding I have the same reaction to what I read. After recently researching a paper on Greek philosophers, I've become a pocket Socrates (see last post for proof); a heavy dose of serious literature has been gradually turning me into a heavily serious person. I guess for me, it's part of the process of understanding and internalizing the material, a way of "becoming" the work in the same way that I unconsciously become like whomever I'm talking to in those social interactions.

Gotta read some more Oscar Wilde so I can get my sense of humor back!