Quote me:
“I have never been surprised by a party, and, to be honest, I don’t think it will ever happen”
Me, a few months ago. Please, try to wade through this attention-desperate quagmire. I wholeheartedly agree that the above is a statement of stunning narcissism. In my defense, I did say that with the understanding of confidence (being as I was speaking to Erin), and in such a case coming off as self-centered doesn’t really bother me. This is due largely to my girlfriends’ violently clear understanding of the matter; she knows that I’m incredibly self-centered. Thankfully I haven’t scared her away yet so we’re past the stage where you act a certain way depending on how you want to be perceived. Between the two of us we know, more or less, what we are dealing with and have come to a peace in that regard. I’m self-centered and narcissistic, she is adorable and relentlessly encouraging. We get along quite well.
The other thing Erin has turned out to be, to my unending delight, is unpredictable. I have a thing about being surprised, almost to a point where it’s a little unsettling. I avoid review and trailers of movies I want to see, I won’t read the backs of books, I loathe video game strategy guides, etc. There is something about being in that moment and having no preconceived notion about what is going to happen where my response is completely natural and I love that, whatever it may be. This may speak volumes about my mental state otherwise, and how I view all other interaction as somewhat “scripted”, and to a certain degree this is true. Mostly I prefer to chalk it up to preference and personality idiosyncrasies. It’s just less messy; believe me, neither you nor I want any piece of a dialogue trying to get to the root of why I look at things this way.
Somewhere in Asia a butterfly just did not flap it’s wings. Yes, it was that close.
All that being said, and for reasons that we will, for the time being, place in a pile labeled “mind-bendingly convoluted”; I am a fan of being surprised. That being said, I have never been surprised for a party. Which neatly takes us back to my opening foray, and the simple fact that up until very recently I did not think that it was possible. I over think practically everything, this isn’t news, this isn’t a revelation, this is almost something that is redundant in even its appearance in an entry. However, the way I looked at it was that in any given surprise there is always a tip off, someone always slips, something out of the ordinary must happen. I always assumed that at times around my birthday any such event would draw the piercing ire of my minute obsessed intellect and at some point, being self-centered, I would consider the possibility that this even is a prelude to a party (For me!? You shouldn’t have!). Once that happens, once I even consider it, the moment the surprise occurs(if it does) the first thing I will think about it is that moment earlier with an immediate “Ah-HA!”
Never mind the fact that this basically means I sabotage my own potential enjoyment of an event. Again, the psychological ramifications are… verbose.
On top of me considering myself virtually surprise proof there is also the timing of my birthday. Throwing me a surprise party is a logistical nightmare, it is right after thanksgiving and sandwiched in with about 8-10 other friends in the 8-10 day range. Everyone is stressed, everyone wants to do something, and everyone ends up half-assing everything.
Between Erin and Dave they were able to overcome all this with a cunning that is usually reserved for the Mrs. Christie protagonist Poirot. I was, as I answered the query roughly 23,543 times that night, very surprised. I know there is footage of the event somewhere and I want to see it. I want to see the first 2-3 seconds when I walk in where I was really astonished. During that period I had nothing, nothing funny to say, no face to make, I think I just went blank as I looked at everyone gathered at my house. When I saw Pudding(Yuri), and I remember it was specifically him for whatever reason, the full gravity of my predicament hit me and I realized that I, in fact, have been had. I then took another few seconds to figure out how I’m supposed to react, completely at a loss for what an acceptable(by my standards) reaction would look like I defaulted to “what would Ron do”.
I quickly called everyone a bunch of assholes.
This is, keep in mind, on the heels of a week earlier Erin surprising me with a birthday dinner at Morimoto. I literally have no words. I am debating having a medal made for her. I mean, what would you do???
In general, on a sentimental note, I do want to thank everyone who was there/involved. Myke, Cyndi, Ron, Art, Kiri, Uji, Yuri, Chris, Shane, Marrissa, Lisa, Mike, Steve, Kathy,Nicholl, James, Ryan, Jeff, Jamie, and obviously, Dave and Erin. To most of you I especially want to extend a thank you considering how socially unavailable I’ve been as of late, I owe each and every one of you at least a beer at some point and I plan to make good on that in the coming year. It was all, very much, appreciated. If I forgot anyone explicitly, I apologize, this is off the top of my head and that night is kind of a blur.
Note: I think it’s borderline insane to make an issue out of who attended and who did not for interpersonal reasons. What then drives that reasoning well past the point of acceptable lunacy is then going on to blame Erin for only inviting certain people. (Note, I’m about to sound like a total jackass) You have to realize her only intent was to surprise me, and for me to have a good time, and that everything else was more or less irrelevant. If you can’t grasp that within the framework of this event your lack of an invitation is not a reflection of anything other then Erin’s perception of my enjoyment, based on available information, of it; I can’t help you.
I’m not defending anyone; and I’m not here to start anything. I’m only pointing out that any ill will in this regard is grossly misplaced, and I think you may be missing the point.
Also, the following are things that are currently on my mind and may necessitate a journal entry. If anyone is particularly interested, or has an opinion on any of these by all means… it will greatly motivate me to update on that topic. And since you are reading this, I imagine that would please you. As is my aim.
-the path of neo video game, haven’t had this much fun in years… oddly enough.
-the fall of the Philadelphia eagles, I can write a short book on this, and by short I mean Ann Rand like.
-the trials and tribulations of the Philadelphia 76ers, AI having a season for the ages solidifying his standing as a one of a kind player, the Haitian Sensation and his ineptitude on the offensive end, Igudala becoming one of my favorite players to watch, Kyle Korver and the Ashton Kutcher syndrome, Webber shooting a worse percentage then Iverson, and a bench that I could be a key contributor on, provided that Mashburn doesn’t play of course (dripping with sarcasm there). I have lots of thoughts here.
-Chuck Klosterman, particularly the last two books. I just finished reading them and am having trouble on focusing one aspect that I want to cover specifically… there is A LOT
-In business, what is the price of success, how far on the limb do you need to go to succeed and in what capacity, how to balance “shooting for the stars” so to speak, and a dependable source of income. This has been occupying my brain for the last year or so, so, there is a lot to get out.
-HBO’s Rome, finished watching the first season, it’s sensational. Yes, I have more then just that. It’s also spectacular.
-tony
In that sense, reborn
Me, a few months ago. Please, try to wade through this attention-desperate quagmire. I wholeheartedly agree that the above is a statement of stunning narcissism. In my defense, I did say that with the understanding of confidence (being as I was speaking to Erin), and in such a case coming off as self-centered doesn’t really bother me. This is due largely to my girlfriends’ violently clear understanding of the matter; she knows that I’m incredibly self-centered. Thankfully I haven’t scared her away yet so we’re past the stage where you act a certain way depending on how you want to be perceived. Between the two of us we know, more or less, what we are dealing with and have come to a peace in that regard. I’m self-centered and narcissistic, she is adorable and relentlessly encouraging. We get along quite well.
The other thing Erin has turned out to be, to my unending delight, is unpredictable. I have a thing about being surprised, almost to a point where it’s a little unsettling. I avoid review and trailers of movies I want to see, I won’t read the backs of books, I loathe video game strategy guides, etc. There is something about being in that moment and having no preconceived notion about what is going to happen where my response is completely natural and I love that, whatever it may be. This may speak volumes about my mental state otherwise, and how I view all other interaction as somewhat “scripted”, and to a certain degree this is true. Mostly I prefer to chalk it up to preference and personality idiosyncrasies. It’s just less messy; believe me, neither you nor I want any piece of a dialogue trying to get to the root of why I look at things this way.
Somewhere in Asia a butterfly just did not flap it’s wings. Yes, it was that close.
All that being said, and for reasons that we will, for the time being, place in a pile labeled “mind-bendingly convoluted”; I am a fan of being surprised. That being said, I have never been surprised for a party. Which neatly takes us back to my opening foray, and the simple fact that up until very recently I did not think that it was possible. I over think practically everything, this isn’t news, this isn’t a revelation, this is almost something that is redundant in even its appearance in an entry. However, the way I looked at it was that in any given surprise there is always a tip off, someone always slips, something out of the ordinary must happen. I always assumed that at times around my birthday any such event would draw the piercing ire of my minute obsessed intellect and at some point, being self-centered, I would consider the possibility that this even is a prelude to a party (For me!? You shouldn’t have!). Once that happens, once I even consider it, the moment the surprise occurs(if it does) the first thing I will think about it is that moment earlier with an immediate “Ah-HA!”
Never mind the fact that this basically means I sabotage my own potential enjoyment of an event. Again, the psychological ramifications are… verbose.
On top of me considering myself virtually surprise proof there is also the timing of my birthday. Throwing me a surprise party is a logistical nightmare, it is right after thanksgiving and sandwiched in with about 8-10 other friends in the 8-10 day range. Everyone is stressed, everyone wants to do something, and everyone ends up half-assing everything.
Between Erin and Dave they were able to overcome all this with a cunning that is usually reserved for the Mrs. Christie protagonist Poirot. I was, as I answered the query roughly 23,543 times that night, very surprised. I know there is footage of the event somewhere and I want to see it. I want to see the first 2-3 seconds when I walk in where I was really astonished. During that period I had nothing, nothing funny to say, no face to make, I think I just went blank as I looked at everyone gathered at my house. When I saw Pudding(Yuri), and I remember it was specifically him for whatever reason, the full gravity of my predicament hit me and I realized that I, in fact, have been had. I then took another few seconds to figure out how I’m supposed to react, completely at a loss for what an acceptable(by my standards) reaction would look like I defaulted to “what would Ron do”.
I quickly called everyone a bunch of assholes.
This is, keep in mind, on the heels of a week earlier Erin surprising me with a birthday dinner at Morimoto. I literally have no words. I am debating having a medal made for her. I mean, what would you do???
In general, on a sentimental note, I do want to thank everyone who was there/involved. Myke, Cyndi, Ron, Art, Kiri, Uji, Yuri, Chris, Shane, Marrissa, Lisa, Mike, Steve, Kathy,Nicholl, James, Ryan, Jeff, Jamie, and obviously, Dave and Erin. To most of you I especially want to extend a thank you considering how socially unavailable I’ve been as of late, I owe each and every one of you at least a beer at some point and I plan to make good on that in the coming year. It was all, very much, appreciated. If I forgot anyone explicitly, I apologize, this is off the top of my head and that night is kind of a blur.
Note: I think it’s borderline insane to make an issue out of who attended and who did not for interpersonal reasons. What then drives that reasoning well past the point of acceptable lunacy is then going on to blame Erin for only inviting certain people. (Note, I’m about to sound like a total jackass) You have to realize her only intent was to surprise me, and for me to have a good time, and that everything else was more or less irrelevant. If you can’t grasp that within the framework of this event your lack of an invitation is not a reflection of anything other then Erin’s perception of my enjoyment, based on available information, of it; I can’t help you.
I’m not defending anyone; and I’m not here to start anything. I’m only pointing out that any ill will in this regard is grossly misplaced, and I think you may be missing the point.
Also, the following are things that are currently on my mind and may necessitate a journal entry. If anyone is particularly interested, or has an opinion on any of these by all means… it will greatly motivate me to update on that topic. And since you are reading this, I imagine that would please you. As is my aim.
-the path of neo video game, haven’t had this much fun in years… oddly enough.
-the fall of the Philadelphia eagles, I can write a short book on this, and by short I mean Ann Rand like.
-the trials and tribulations of the Philadelphia 76ers, AI having a season for the ages solidifying his standing as a one of a kind player, the Haitian Sensation and his ineptitude on the offensive end, Igudala becoming one of my favorite players to watch, Kyle Korver and the Ashton Kutcher syndrome, Webber shooting a worse percentage then Iverson, and a bench that I could be a key contributor on, provided that Mashburn doesn’t play of course (dripping with sarcasm there). I have lots of thoughts here.
-Chuck Klosterman, particularly the last two books. I just finished reading them and am having trouble on focusing one aspect that I want to cover specifically… there is A LOT
-In business, what is the price of success, how far on the limb do you need to go to succeed and in what capacity, how to balance “shooting for the stars” so to speak, and a dependable source of income. This has been occupying my brain for the last year or so, so, there is a lot to get out.
-HBO’s Rome, finished watching the first season, it’s sensational. Yes, I have more then just that. It’s also spectacular.
-tony
In that sense, reborn