my friend has an awesome boyfriend

So, my friend Nezsa's boyfriend sent me books.

Okay, history on this one. It's short and not interesting, but gives context. We will call him NezBoy. Eventually, he'll figure out my pseudonym and read this and really hate me. It makes me smile.

Anyway, NezBoy graduated with a degee in math and works for the university. Recently, he decided to get a masters and try for a PhD. There's some program that does--alternative thing--you go in and take x number of classes, and if you get y grades, you skip over masters and go straight to Ph.D. In math. So he's disturbingly smart, and also--this is what sometimes blows my mind--very, very, very hot. And very very very--hmm. Shy isn't the right word. More thoughtful. And very smart.

(what's intersting is, he wasn't good at math in high school at all and didn't care for it. He apparently one semester in college locked himself metaphorically in his room for the entire semester and immersed until he understood, and then he fell in love with it.)

So anyway, when I started class, whenever I call her and he's around, he listens to me gush (Oh my god, why did you not tell me THIS WAS FUN?????) and he makes soothing noises and apparently, started going through his books. So Nezsa brought me two books today (I'm not sure if they're his or copies he picked up): one is More Effective C++, which looks intersting and about a semester ahead of me, but fascinating reading. The other is--I dont' even know what to do with this one--Elemetnary Number Theory and Its Applications.

Okay, now here's the thing.

I've known NezBoy for only about a year less than Nezsa, and I've known her for ten years. WE didn't interact a lot until they were dating, but I hear from him or about him at least once a week. I just never realized he actually listened to me talk about Stargate and the math fic I read that I go look up later. Or I would have guessed that he just sent me a book that encompasses three fic I read that I'd mentioned looking up the meaning of to him--to wit, Fibonacci (astolat's fic, I think and def cesperanza's), Mobius (don't remember who), and Euler's function (thank you basingstoke).

(thank you deadlychameleon for the wiki link)

Currently, Nezsa reports he is wroking on problems that she's fairly sure are actually coded communications from his alien leaders. Something called Algebraic Topography? And something else. I keep wanting to ask him about it, but I'm terrified he'll pop out the book and show me.

I'm curious though.

This is why I like him. He's totally made of win.

(I also told Nezsa if she gets tired of him, she could auction him off to select fangirls for a lot of money.)

Comments

[that_mireille]

Number theory is *flails* *waves hands* *clutches book to chest*

Number theory is beautiful. I mean, honestly, beautiful. God, I love that stuff.

You could probably actually understand most of the book. Try it. You'll like it. (First hit's free.)

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*dies laughing*

I started the beginning. I dont have any fiction to read atm, so it can be my dinner and break reading for a bit. . They do seem to do a lot of problems and examples nicely to follow along.

[that_mireille]

I failed repeatedly in my choice of major--it became clear only when I dropped out of grad school that I should have been a mathematician.

So now it's a hobby, which probably works out better anyway. Fewer papers to write.

[lazar-grrl.livejournal.com]

I think it's actually algebraic topology. It's a field of mathematics dealing with space and shapes; sort of like geometry on acid and steroids. Interestingly enough, I believe that it has implications for things like...wormholes. Tee-hee.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Oh dear God.

I have to check this out. *twitch*

[lazar-grrl.livejournal.com]

I wish I'd had math teachers in grade school and high school who gave a shit. Or actually knew what a learning disorder was. By the time I got to college and my madly enthusiastic little Calc 1 professor, who occasionally burst into fits of ecstatic spinning at the whiteboard and whose office hours were "Drop by my office anytime. And here are my home and cell phone numbers," it was too late.

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

LOL. wow, we're a bunch of geekls...i thought immediately to gently nudge jenn that it might be topology...and there you already are :)

and i can go long periods of time forgetting why i used to really love this stuff, but then in moments like this i remember :D

[summertea.livejournal.com]

jesus. okay, i know math majors and i think they're crazy. brilliant, but crazy. and i say that with the utmost respect possible. one of them is going to try to do a Ph.D. in it and. seriously, W is INSANE. also, brilliant. aghg;lkajs;lfkjsadf

i am a fangirl of fibonacci and euler! they are seriously awesome shit. :> i only wish i was smarter to understand euler's works on a deeper level than 'yeah, ummmmm i sort of get how to use this stuff, but all that theory *handwaves* proof? what proof?'

[summertea.livejournal.com]

btw, number theory is SO FREAKING COOL. i mean, it's *HANDS FLAIL* OUT THERE, like. you read it and go OH because it's just THAT AWESOME.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

mmmm. math.

*twitches* Oh man. this can only end in disaster.)

[4amcoffee.livejournal.com]

I, through some small miracle, have this immediate block when I hear about other girl's boyfriends that makes me immediately think of them as friends and only friends. It's very helpful in not getting my heart broken, and no getting killed by aforementioned girl friends.

That having been said, the guy that you just described would *totally* test my resolve.

:D

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Luckily, I met him years ago as my best friend's brother's best friend (and I was interseted in bf's brother) so he always transitinoed to friend. And honestly, aside from hot and math (God), he's not my personality type.

It just always throws me to look at him and hear him talk about math terms I have never heard. *g*

[niqaeli]

Number theory is so cool. I've not had much of it, but it's *awesome*.

Of course I am the person who is madly in love with her Calc 2 class (I have the most awesome teacher I could ever ask for!) and totally looking forward to Calc 3 when we go to 3 dimensions and shit and all. I've also made derivative jokes. Actually, worse than that: it required both knowledge of physics and derivatives to get the joke.

So, you know. Math geek here. (Actually bio geek with a love for math, technically, but math *is* a real love mine. It just pales to reading about shit like lice and the fact that their DNA has told us a lot about human evolution--when we lost our hair and when we got clothing (lost hair first, clothing came second, in case you were wondering)--and insect parasites that scramble and u

[niqaeli]

and randomly LJ cut off my comment. -_-

Insect parasites that scramble and unscramble DNA so their hosts can only reproduce with other infected insects.

ANYWAY!

[taogrl.livejournal.com]

Where can I read about this lice DNA and shit?

* I'm Science's Bitch * And loving it!!

[niqaeli]

I actually have seen that one a couple places--there's a book I really enjoyed, though, that covers a lot about DNA and evolution called The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution.

If you're interested in parasites, the fiction book I was reading that featured them highly is Scott Westerfield's Peeps. Which is a stupid name for a really awesome book. :)

[taogrl.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info, I'm going to check out both.

[celestialcuming.livejournal.com]

Um...vaguely creepy I know - but can we please get pictures *bats eyelashes*

[windbringer1.livejournal.com]

OMG.

I am a Kinsey-4-mostly lesbian, and *I* would sleep with this man.

[honoria.livejournal.com]

WoW!
I am not a math person at all, but that is made of win.