So I've noticed this odd aspect of Livejournal socializing.
You patrol your friends list, and when that gets boring because no one updates you go patrol THEIR friends lists.
In doing so, you see New Cool People. You follow the NCPs to their LJs, and read a bit. Maybe you comment.
Then if you really like their LJs too, you friend them also. It helps if they respond to your comments.
Then you say, "Yay! New Cool People who don't really know I exist or talk to me, but whose journals I can now enjoy reading!"
This goes on for a while. Sometimes you comment on their LJs, sometimes they reply, sometimes you don't. But though you like them, they're not the ones who typically respond to one of your posts.
Then, one random day in Februrary, you jaunt over to look at your UserInfo for your LJ, and you realize with a *GASP!* that these NCPs who you talked to but who never talk to you have mysteriously friended you.
But you don't know when they did it or what brilliant/entertaining/stupid post inspired them to do so, because they never actually comment on your LJ.
So you're kind of befuzzled.
That lasts for about five minutes, until you chock it up as something to pad your ego with and go about your day in your regularly intended manner.
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( funky quiz )*****
( Random listing of fics of no interest to anyone but me--seriously, I'm just using the space to keep the addresses as I'm not on my home computer, totally unworthy of your time or comprehension, as I'm not even sure I want to read them yet, I just don't want to forget them before I have a chance to look. )