The Thread Where Cray Now Rampages All by Himself

Haggis said:

It's hard work to try to pretend you're an extrovert.

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Exactly.

Most people who know me socially classify me as an extrovert. But they don't know how much it takes out of me sometimes. Especially when I'm not having much fun. (At least the two wine events were really fun, and I liked the people I was with. Thursday night, I wanted to kill myself just to end the night.)

Are you one of us, too, pup?

ETA:

Come to think of it, I'll bet it's fairly common among writers and creative types.

Big time.

I can deal socially just fine, but the longer I'm dealing, the longer it will take me to recover. Extroverts thrive on noise and chaos. I'd rather go home.

Haggis said:

Big time.

I can deal socially just fine, but the longer I'm dealing, the longer it will take me to recover. Extroverts thrive on noise and chaos. I'd rather go home.

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Yep.

The bad thing is that most extroverts don't seem to understand At. All. that it's nothing personal. They'd rather die than spend Saturday night alone, so they figure you must reealllly hate them if you're making that choice over their party. Alas, I end up telling more fibs than I'd like, just so I don't hurt anyone's feelings.

It's a party at a bar. With like 50 people. No chairs. Expensive, subpar liquor. Elbow to elbow. And, I'm sure, really bad pop music turned up so loud you end up shouting everything twice, still not hearing, and so just nodding, smiling, and pretending you hear. My idea of total hell.

CassandraW said:

Yep.

The bad thing is that most extroverts don't seem to understand At. All. that it's nothing personal. They'd rather die than spend Saturday night alone, so they figure you must reealllly hate them if you're making that choice over their party. Alas, I end up telling more fibs than I'd like, just so I don't hurt anyone's feelings.

It's a party at a bar. With like 50 people. No chairs. Expensive, subpar liquor. Elbow to elbow. And, I'm sure, really bad pop music turned up so loud you end up shouting everything twice, still not hearing, and so just nodding, smiling, and pretending you hear. My idea of total hell.

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Not fun. The loud music makes it even worse.

Angie had some neat cartoons on introversion. I wish I had the ability to summon her at will, but she may be recharging.

Now...imagine you do something for a living where you are supposed to be "on" and "schmooze" naturally with people...like, um, say marketing? Mmm-hmm.

No wonder my creative meter goes into the red so often.

Haggis hit it perfectly. I would describe myself as an introvert who masquerades as an extrovert quite successfully. But then I have periods of "GO AWAY AND LEAVE WINKS ALONE" time. Ah...those are the times where I just lock myself away writing or reading like mad for hours/days on end. Good thing my spouse hates social gatherings

Oh, and random conversation derail: pup, I have to say I am REALLY liking your avie.

tiddlywinks said:

Now...imagine you do something for a living where you are supposed to be "on" and "schmooze" naturally with people...like, um, say marketing? Mmm-hmm.

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I've spent much of my life in marketing. Sales too. Go figure.

tiddlywinks said:

Oh, and random conversation derail: pup, I have to say I am REALLY liking your avie.

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Thanks. Death becomes me.

Haggis said:

I've spent much of my life in marketing. Sales too. Go figure.

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Apparently we like to challenge ourselves to take 'cocktail conversation' and pitches with aplomb, even if our inner knees are aquiver.

That or we're just slightly crazy. Or a little odd. Or both.

-pauses-

I'm going with both.

Actually, when I was a real road warrior, I kind of liked the work. I'd fly out Sunday PM so wherever I was going to start the week. I'd fly or drive from there, seldom seeing more than five customers/prospects a week. (Northeast US is a pretty big territory). Most of my time I spent by myself. Trade shows were another thing. Hated them. See a bunch of people. Smile at them. Exchange small talk. Dawg but I hate small talk.

I have the same problem with lawyering, actually. Not so much now -- I'm on my own right now. But when I was with a firm or corporation? Oh lord.

I like researching and writing briefs and stuff. But I'm definitely a closed door kind of writer, and every place I worked, that was considered "anti-social." I don't mind working with others (unless I dislike them), but I like to have my own piece to chew on. I hate conference calls and meetings with the heat of a thousand suns. I don't mind dealing with clients, though I detest big meetings.

But the worst for me were all the tons of "social" work functions I was supposed to attend. Fer Chrissake, I had little enough time to myself as it was, and I was expected to spend half of it schmoozing and making small talk with colleagues and clients. I had regular fantasies of climbing on a table and screaming my lungs out (or just slithering away). But the hell of it was, I'm good at it. People who were socially awkward often could slither out. I was actively recruited for such events because just I'm so dang charming and many lawyers aren't. Except that it was eating out what was left of my soul.

I used to make a big pile of cash, and now I don't. I would have been rich right now if I could have stuck out what I was doing. But I'm much happier.

Sadly, there's not much money to be had by being a Chihuahua.

Haggis said:

Sadly, there's not much money to be had by being a Chihuahua.

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You can get by on looks and charm, chihuey.

*scritches chihuey behind ears*

*polishes pip*

Don't forget his witty haikus.

*sips hot chocolate*
*nods sagely*
*goes back to reading and avoiding the thought of reading FSoG, though morbid curiosity doth creep upon me*

You know you want to peek into it, Winks. Admit it --my descriptions are just too irresistible. You have to at least look and see if it was really as god-awful as I claim.

Not asking my friend for her copy of the book tomorrow. Not.

Not thinking about reading it at all.

But Winks, if you don't read it, how can you send me a stream of outraged pms and reps complaining that I tricked you into reading it?

bloody lawyer logic...

*swears as goes off to email friend*

You're going to regret this.

You will hate it. But like me, you might have fun groaning about how much you hate it. And if you are borrowing a paperback, you'll have the luxury of hurling it against a wall when it really gets bad. That was a luxury I didn't have, so I had to come on here to post or send emails to friends when it got so awful I simply had to do something about it.

Ask your friend if she wouldn't mind you burning it when you're done. That will help.

I, meanwhile, will take out my feelings in a withering online review.

Gah...she already texted me back that she would be 'delighted' to hand it over tomorrow.

I can hardly wait...

I have a feeling hurling the book across the room isn't going to be enough. This is going to drive me to write about zombie sex again, isn't it?

*sighs heavily*
*plans to abuse adverbs vehemently to console self in posts*
*dreads breaking stern vow not to read horribly written sex scene rewritten 50 different times*
*vows not to bribe Baby with any organic treats until after the self-inflicted S&M torment ceases*

*rereads last line*
*really hopes Kelly doesn't spot that when she comes back*

Kelly will always spot it, Winks. On that you may depend.

Baby is off organic for the moment. After that overpriced, bland, farm-to-table, organic, locally-sourced, vegan atrocity of a meal on Thursday, Baby and I are going to eat nothing but processed, salty, hormone- and preservative-laden treats for at least a week.

CassandraW said:

Kelly will always spot it, Winks. On that you may depend.

Baby is off organic for the moment. After that overpriced, bland, farm-to-table, organic, locally-sourced, vegan atrocity of a meal on Thursday, Baby and I are going to eat nothing but processed, salty, hormone- and preservative-laden treats for at least a week.

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Peddle that vegan-hating, carrot-cutting diatribe somewhere else, T. Rex Adkins.

Don't tell me you're going to be Haskins for Halloween. I was planning to do that.

Pfff....no, I'm going as Poopsie-Winks. Because you know I just love being all pink and fluffy.

(To any moderator lurkers - yeah, you kat - that was SARCASM. Heavy on the sarcasm.)

Besides, I figure you'll do something evil like drop me in a locked, unventilated room with Porter if I make eyes at Haskins.

Haskins is a public accommodation for all of AW to use and enjoy. It wouldn't be fair for me to monopolize him.