OMG, I have to socialize tonight.

[graywarrior]

I have to get dressed, drive to a blues club with my neighbors, have dinner for 2 hours, then sit in the club til 10 pm listening to blues (which I dig), but this means being around people....socializing....saying things....making eye contact....displaying my new goofy haircut IN PUBLIC without the benefit of a hiker hat or hooded sweatshirt.

Holy shit, I am so out of my element here. :hurts:

[qnr]

1. Ugh... I feel for you. Hope it goes ok n/t

[graywarrior]

2. Yeah, if I slip into a coma.

[wildhorses]

3. did you ever post a pic of the new do?

:hug: you will do just fine...after all it IS the blues!

[graywarrior]

7. Hell no...that's another story about a bad camera purchase on ebay

[tinfoil tiaras]

4. I understand how you feel

I always hate going to parties and any other social event. Because like the first 30 minutes I'm there, I'm always standing around looking like an idiot b/c no one will talk to me. Then when my friends finally get there, the music is always too loud so you can't really talk to them....:(

Good luck! :D

[RetroLounge]

5. Sounds like you have a case of the

Gotta Socialize, eat dinner, make eye contact, new haircut blues...

RL

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. Years ago when I was in college....

In a moment of madness, I hate my hair cut from below shoulder length to short. It looked really cute, but I hated having only a single way to wear my hair and so I let it grow out as quickly as I could. And that was longer than I liked, but I was to be maid of honor in my sister's wedding that year and it couldn't be at a growing-out stage.

Now, 30-odd years later, I still wear it shoulder length. And I intend to keep it this way.

[graywarrior]

9. I go mental periodically and try to fix things that ain't broke.

I'll be gwoing this out for a year now.

[Tyo]

8. I socialized last night. Waaaay too much.

We partied last night and I woke up this morning feeling like death cuz I totally overdid it. We had this nasty whole wheat pasta grunt for breakfast and then partner dragged me to the gym as my punishment for having gotten baked.

Now we have to go to the coin laundry to wash the slipcover for the sofa cuz the cat barfed on it and it's too big to fit in our washing machine. Been a great day so far.

[graywarrior]

10. Sounds peachy. Wanna meet us at Horsefeathers?

[Tyo]

16. Hey, thanks, I'm tempted.....

but I think I've had about enough fun for one week-end :hangover:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

11. Damn, I'm sorry.

:(

Can you do an enraptured blues fanatic role? You know, "Oh, wow, this is great..Wow...I love this..." People tend to leave you alone if you seem to be really involved in the music.

Just a thought. :P

:7

[graywarrior]

12. Like acting happy, you mean?

Mr. Gray would think he was with the wrong person and get ideas.

[Dangerously Amused]

13. Bring a book. Or headphones.

:7



Suggestion: If you don't feel like socializing but you can't get out of it, ask (whomever) a lot of open-ended questions (and follow-up questions) about whatever subject they raise. "What do you think about _____?" "What influenced your opinion?" "How did you get interested in that?" "How interesting. Tell me about your experiences with it." "Weren't you afraid when that happened?" "So what did you do?" "How did that work out?" Etc. People will talk about themselves forever, and it takes the pressure off of you. As a bonus, they'll leave thinking you are the coolest person in the world because you were smart enough to be interested in them.


:hi:


P.S. I can't imagine any haircut looking bad on you. Your face is very well balanced and symmetrical (and to me, very handsome), so it doesn't need "help" from a haircut to draw attention to or away from anything. And really, it's the face that people remember. I mean think about it... with maybe one or two frightful experiment-gone-awry exceptions, can you remember all the haircuts your friends have had over the years? Probably not. Well, I sure couldn't anyway.


Good luck. And be strong. :P

[graywarrior]

15. I'm so happy I have a handsome face.

Here's the story....

We just moved to this area. Our landlord and his wife were raving about our nextdoor naeighbors and how we should all get together for dinner sometime. Note: our landlord and his lovely wife are fundies. Continuing, our landie and his wife go on vacation leaving our neighbors to feed their cats. We had not yet met the neighbors.

One day, Mr. Gray is at the mailbox getting the mail when he hears "Hello there" from across the lawn. It's the guy neighbor. He walks over and introduces himself. Turns out, he's an old drinking buddy from our old neighborhood back home (and I mean INSANE DAYS of drinking, drugs, petty crime, etc.) So they start reminiscing about the old days. I vaguely remember the guy, mainly because I was either tripping on acid or downing ludes, but he smelled somewhat familiar. Needless to say, he's cleaned up his act...has a nice house..his wife is nice.

We end up spending an evening with them which I cut short and sped home to watch Rockstar: Supernove, but not before telling them "yes, I really dig blues clubs, and yes I've been to Horsefeathers to see Bob Seibel" (another drunken friend of ours who makes a living as a comedian).

See, these little interchanges with people always gets me roped into socializing when I want nothing beter to do than stay home and watch the Shat get roasted tonight. Damn.

[Dangerously Amused]

17. "Handsome" is definitely a compliment. At least from me it is.

It's the word used by my artsy friends to describe a classically beautiful woman as opposed to a Botox Barbie.


Anyway, about the situation. Well yeah, that's a little more complicated that I originally thought, and my suggestion isn't likely to help you much. So, my new suggestion: Just get really drunk. It will make the crappy night go by faster. Or take some allergy meds so you get sleepy and look bored or sick. Or both. Sometimes people will leave you alone if they think there's something wrong with you.


:hi:

[graywarrior]

19. Thanks for the compliment, then. I like that.

And get this...3 of us are sober more than 25 years. I have no idea about the wife...she seems completely normal except that she's run up Mt. Washington 8 years in a row.

[Callalily]

14. Frankly

graywarrior, to me that sounds like a great evening! Please enjoy yourself, and hey, we want pics of your new doo

[MoseyWalker]

18. shave your eyebrows

and your 'Do will look that much better!

Seriously, I don't like crowds much either, and wish you the best. Sounds like it could be a really good time.

[graywarrior]

20. Thanks all. I'm off to the rack now.