Dinner with New Friends
Oct. 23rd, 2004 09:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
qosIt was a good thing I had told ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lexicat that I would bring beverages to his pizza dinner on Friday night, or I might not have gone. Going to parties where I don't know anyone is not one of my favorite things to do. In fact, it's something I usually put a great deal effort into avoiding. I would have chickened out if it hadn't been for the thought I told him I would bring wine. What if I don't come and they don't have any wine, and they were counting on it? Which, in retrospect is kind of a silly thought, but that's what motivated me to actually get into the car and drive the less-than-ten minutes to his (and elphie's) apartment.
I'm glad I went. It was a very enjoyable evening, and I stayed until 11:30pm, which is late for me (usually I start to fall asleep at 10pm -- or I have found some excuse to flee a party by nine). Meetingroyalbananafish face-to-face was a delightful experience. She is very smart, tells great stories, and is a lot of fun. elphie was more quiet, and we didn't talk as much, but we have a few interests in common I hope we'll be able to chat about later.
RBF's friends Justin and Pam were also there. Justin is a public defender -- and he and RBF took turns telling lawyer stories, which I enjoyed very much. (I spent several years toying with the idea of law, and I remain fascinated by the criminal justice system.) Pam is a CGI artist for a game company, but she and I found our connection in the fact of her pregnancy, an experience not shared by anyone else in the room, and about which Pam and I had very similar feelings.
I tried to cover my own shyness by asking a lot of sincere questions -- not hard, because everyone in the room was interesting. I've never cultivated any real skills at socializing beyond asking questions and trying not to talk too much myself, so gatherings like this tend to be stressful for me.
My stress was eased a bit bylexicat who poured me my favorite drink (Diet Coke and vodka) using vodka distilled in Austin, Texas. Did anyone else not from Texas know they make vodka in Austin? I was offered a choice of Stoli or the "homebrew" (I can't for the life of me remember the name), and decided that I simply could not pass up the chance to try Texas vodka.
The one part of the evening that was a twinge for me was when Justin asked me what I did. I absolutely loathe telling people -- especially smart, attractive, professionals -- that I am an executive assistant. I also made it clear during other parts of the evening that I have a MA and that I'm working on another one (I try not to be strident or defensive about it, but I fear sometimes I try too hard) but it's still embarrassing to 'fess up to my day job to people who don't know me well.
I gave Pam my card before I left. I genuinely enjoyed both her and Justin and would welcome the chance to get to know them better. It's nice to be meeting new people, even if the initial contacts are fraught with anxiety for me.
lexicat that I would bring beverages to his pizza dinner on Friday night, or I might not have gone. Going to parties where I don't know anyone is not one of my favorite things to do. In fact, it's something I usually put a great deal effort into avoiding. I would have chickened out if it hadn't been for the thought I told him I would bring wine. What if I don't come and they don't have any wine, and they were counting on it? Which, in retrospect is kind of a silly thought, but that's what motivated me to actually get into the car and drive the less-than-ten minutes to his (and elphie's) apartment. I'm glad I went. It was a very enjoyable evening, and I stayed until 11:30pm, which is late for me (usually I start to fall asleep at 10pm -- or I have found some excuse to flee a party by nine). Meeting
royalbananafish face-to-face was a delightful experience. She is very smart, tells great stories, and is a lot of fun. elphie was more quiet, and we didn't talk as much, but we have a few interests in common I hope we'll be able to chat about later.RBF's friends Justin and Pam were also there. Justin is a public defender -- and he and RBF took turns telling lawyer stories, which I enjoyed very much. (I spent several years toying with the idea of law, and I remain fascinated by the criminal justice system.) Pam is a CGI artist for a game company, but she and I found our connection in the fact of her pregnancy, an experience not shared by anyone else in the room, and about which Pam and I had very similar feelings.
I tried to cover my own shyness by asking a lot of sincere questions -- not hard, because everyone in the room was interesting. I've never cultivated any real skills at socializing beyond asking questions and trying not to talk too much myself, so gatherings like this tend to be stressful for me.
My stress was eased a bit by
lexicat who poured me my favorite drink (Diet Coke and vodka) using vodka distilled in Austin, Texas. Did anyone else not from Texas know they make vodka in Austin? I was offered a choice of Stoli or the "homebrew" (I can't for the life of me remember the name), and decided that I simply could not pass up the chance to try Texas vodka.The one part of the evening that was a twinge for me was when Justin asked me what I did. I absolutely loathe telling people -- especially smart, attractive, professionals -- that I am an executive assistant. I also made it clear during other parts of the evening that I have a MA and that I'm working on another one (I try not to be strident or defensive about it, but I fear sometimes I try too hard) but it's still embarrassing to 'fess up to my day job to people who don't know me well.
I gave Pam my card before I left. I genuinely enjoyed both her and Justin and would welcome the chance to get to know them better. It's nice to be meeting new people, even if the initial contacts are fraught with anxiety for me.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-24 12:45 am (UTC)You can always judge a party by when people leave, and this was definitely a success. ;)
As unlikely as the idea of vodka distilled in Austin, equally strange is the name: Tito's.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-24 08:14 am (UTC)How long did everyone else stay?
(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-24 12:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-24 03:52 am (UTC)I would love to chat sometime, your studies seem really neat and interesting, there is still a part of me that wants to go to school and do some kind of religious studies..
It was great meeting you.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-24 08:18 am (UTC)Let's get together some time. I'd invite you to my place, but I'm still in the midst of some serious home renewal, so I won't be ready to be a hostess for another several weeks.
I'd love to talk about religion with you (among other things), especially some of your own religious experiences that you allude to in your journal.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-24 11:27 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-24 12:21 pm (UTC)That was the other thing that was intimidating me Friday night: my awareness that everyone in the room was going to be significantly younger than I am. Once upon a time. . . a long time ago. . . I was frequently the youngest person in a given group. That's not happening nearly as much anymore. It's an uncomfortable transition to make.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-24 12:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-25 08:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-25 12:44 pm (UTC)You are even more fascinating in person than your LJ belies. I liked meeting you bunches, and hope we will have more dinners and chats.