It seems silly to ask, I know, but I've actually had multiple occasions where I've stood there while talking to someone like some deer caught in headlights after being complimented. I know the obvious answer would be something like "thanks" followed by an awkward laugh, but that just seems weird and kind of rude to me. I don't like to acknowledge something about myself which receives praise, whether it be physical attributes or something I did; it just doesn't sit well with me.
I think the only reason I find it weird is that most of the time, especially if it's because of my appearance, is that I don't feel like I did anything. I didn't exactly have control as to how I ended up looking and me putting on clothes is basically deciding what colour I feel like wearing that particular day. See? No work. Since there isn't anything I did, getting a "You're cute" or "Wow you look great" from friends or complete strangers puts me in a very awkward position with me avoiding eye contact, laughing nervously, and trying to escape. Fail. At least when I get complimented on my work I feel better about it and can muster a "Thank You" since I feel that I did something but even then it still sits awkwardly with me.
So, how do you handle compliments? I figure some people have the ability to take it in stride but I don't know many people who do personally.
This past weekend my friends and I made our annual summer trip to the Taste of Reston which is held in Reston, VA which is a suburb of DC in Northern Virginia. At it's core, dozens of restaurants line blocks of closed off streets and sell tasting sized versions of some of their most popular dishes. It was a fantastic time as always with me eating too much food (as usual) and with my ratio of actual food to dessert being way off and tilted towards the latter.
I arrived after work around 8 and we stayed there wandered around for a solid three hours just eating, chatting, walking, and having a great time. As the sun finally set, the mood of the festival slowly started to change to something very different. At first it was even more vibrant - there's a carnival in addition to the food festival and it's mesmerizing to just stare at the bright, whirling rides and hearing the excited screams of little kids who were dared to ride on the roller coaster by their older siblings. Later on, the mood slowly became more mature, almost somber even. By 9:30 the little kids were fewer and farther in between - most brought home by their equally tired parents, and by 10 they were pretty much were non existent.
We ended up finding out way over the main pavilion of the festival where a Journey Tribute Band was performing that night. Even though they were a Journey tribute band, they played a bunch of classic rock hits from the Beatles, Don McLean, and Kansas to name a few. The music itself was good, but what I ended up watching for most of the time were the people crowded around the stage dancing the night away like there was no tomorrow. At first it was funny watching the mostly middle aged crowd rocking out the way they were, but then it got me, Ms. X, and a few of my other friends thinking: that's probably going to be us in 15 or 20 years, crowded around the stage drunk and dancing while teenagers stand around watching and probably giggling. One thing we all agreed on though is that even if nothing else changed, one thing that will definitely be different would be the music the tribute band is playing. So, what will they be playing and who exactly will they be impersonating?
One of my friends pointed out that we could probably gauge what our tribute bands will be based on what was played during our prom in high school. If that's true, I'm slightly worried since we had some crowd favorites like:
and this
and of course this...
I promise my high school wasn't actually too trashy....we had a Paris themed prom after all and at least my friends tried to keep it classy.
I was tan as hell but I still fucking rocked that tuxedo.
To be fair, we also did have some music which I'm pretty sure will become some enduring favorites for the pop-minded people in my generation like Train's Hey Soul Sister, Mr. Brightside by The Killers, and some Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift to name a few love it or hate it artists.
After the tribute band wrapped up, we started discussing what we thought our tribute bands would end up being. We realized that since we are pretty much still in the era of pop, the most likely covers we will be seeing will be of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Coldplay, Ke$ha (is that even possible to cover?), The Killers, early 2000s singers and boy bands like N*Sync, Britney Spears, and The Backstreet Boys, and now the likely one hit wonder that is Carly Rae Jepsen with Call Me Maybe. Of course some other true classics like Journey and MJ will endure so not all is lost. Yes, there are many other good artists of our generation, but a lot of the music isn't really danceable which was our main criteria for main stage tribute band stardom one day. It's an interesting list and only time will tell if this actually pans out but thankfully I still have a while until I reach the point in my life where I don't mind dancing like a fool in front of hundreds of other people.
As the topic of music wore on, we also tried to figure out what kind of music our kids will "rediscover" and find retro and cool like we originally did. I think it will probably be Dubstep and the recent wave of dance/club music from David Guetta, Skrillex, Deadmau5, Avicii, and Calvin Harris. I can already hear my kids going "Dad, that weird bassy music with all those sound effects is sooooo old school and all the rage with the hipsters now". I'm cringing at the thought of it already, both for that sentence itself and for the fact that hipsters as a breed may not have died out by then.
So I figure some of you are probably mentally yelling at me for thinking that we'll be dancing shamelessly to the likes of Katy Perry and Gaga, (trust me, it kind of hurts me too to think about it too) but what do you think will the tribute bands be performing in 15 or 20 years? I'd be happy with The Killers, Fall Out Boy, and some Franz Ferdinand mixed in with some pop and dance/club, but I figure when I'm 35 or pushing 40 (*shiver*) I'd probably like anything from this current era of my life.
Are there any songs you figure you'll never NOT be able to dance like a fool to no matter how old you are? And yes, Call Me Maybe is a perfectly acceptable answer.
It's a spread. Made of cookies. And it's freaking delicious. I'm absolutely dying of happiness.
Credit to my friend Christine who discovered this while studying abroad in Paris this past semester. There is a Trader Joe's brand version but apparently it just isn't as good so go buy this version now instead. There is even a chunky version with even more cookies which makes my inner fatass very, very happy.
The personal blog of a now recent college grad who successfully pushed through a business school curriculum and now is facing the "real world" with an actual big boy job. This blog follows the the joys, challenges, struggles, and surprises it presents to him, whether it be work, school, his peers, or the occasional rogue deer running into the road. Join Me, Won't You?
Maria - My best friend since kindergarden, I know almost everything about her and she about me. She was the first person I came out to and has been the rock ontowhich I go to when things get rocky in life. She's the only person I can actually speak completely open and frankly with. I don't know what I would do if I never met her all those years ago.
M - A girl I became friends with freshman year of high school, we've become very close friends and continue to be to this very day. We are surprisingly similar personality wise and value each other's opinion very highly. I can talk freely to M almost as much as I can with Maria. She currently attends an ivy-league university up north; I'm really glad we met all those years ago and can only imagine how my high school years would have turned out if we never met.
Miss X- Foodie, blogger, photgrapher, one of my best friends, and someone who can have a delightfully dry sense of humour. We met early on in high school and have been friends ever since. We often go on adventures accross NOVA with our little circle of friends which are occasionally recounted here on this blog.
Christine- Friends since we could barely ride half the roller coasters at theme parks, Christine is a magical being who is one of the few people I could and would talk about anything with for hours on end. She's currently spending much of her time in NYC though we still see each other very often. Her dramas sometimes make my drama seem like childsplay.
Mark -A former dorm mate, and now former crush. He came out as bi to me and Maudry one night which he has been increasingly comfortable with. He's tall, has short brown hair and used to play football. He's ambitious and looks to make a big impact in the world of Politics in the future. I have had a crush on him and we've gotten together a few times. I thought our relationship could have been something more, but in the end it will end up staying as a friendship. I hope only the best for him.
Liz - One of best friends at school. She's funny, charismatic and is someone who I can tell almost anything to. She's friends with Maudry, Mark and is part of the first floor crew who I love and frequently visited during my freshman year, we're still great friends today.
Matt - My now former love, hate, drug, everything. I met him back during my Sophomore year and the crush I developed on him that stuck for the longest time. He's tall, has brown blond hair and the rare but desirable "serious but funny" personality that makes me melt. He also has probably one of the best smiles of any guy I know. He was one of the captains of my high schools cross country team. For quite some time I've tried to end this obsession over him but everytime I seemed to make progress, I'd relapse. He's a great guy but in all liklihood he's straight.
Southern Charm (aka SC) - A guy on the crew team who had moved up from Florida during my senior year. He's charming, tall, and slim with brown slightly wavy short hair. When I first met him I got the thought that he might be gay, a thought I quickly suppressed. Since then, we had become pretty good friends. My friend Jess has a crush on SC. One evening on a car ride home, my friend Dutch told me she thought that SC might be gay, something I had repressed in my mind for months, but was pushed to the front of my mind again. He's now a freshman and is study engineering and comp sci in university.
Ben - A guy I had the pleasure of knowing for one of the best weeks of my life during a cruise over the summer. He's a bit shorter than me but was also a senior who runs cross country. We got to know each other pretty well and had many conversations during that week that I will probably never forget. He has brown hair and the most beautiful light brown eyes. I'm pretty sure he's straight but i couldn't help but get the feeling he could have been bi. He's mostly in my summer 2009 posts.
Dutch - My friend who I met during my junior year on the crew team. She's a fun great person to be around and is someone I could talk about anything with, especially during the private car rides back from practice. We both know of all the crew drama that goes on.
My Family - A network of people who I love with all my heart despite their nuances, quirks and often ridiculous practices. Apart from my mom, I haven't told anyone I'm gay and probably won't for a while. They're not ready for that and don't need the added stress.
Various Single Lettered Friends (L, T, K etc)- Friends I got too lazy to actually come up with an alias for (I gave up after five, how sad haha). They are usually someone from my close group of friends some of which I have come out to. We have a very mutually supportive relationship that fosters great bonds between us as a group.
**Names Changed to Preserve Anonymity**
I'm from the ________
I Can't Resist...
Where are You From?
Full Disclosure
All pictures on this blog are taken from the internet and are assumed to be of public domain. If you own any image and would like for it to be removed, let me know and it will be removed immediately.
