a history of me

Back from the uneventful events of "Hampshire Halloween." I drove over there around 6PM, preventing me from attending a small gathering to honor Kazu's birthday. The trip took about an hour and a half, just like Mapquest said it would. First stop was the Red Carpet Inn in West Springfield, which we all booked rooms in separately. Pretty nice considering the cheap rates. I waited for my other friends to arrive before heading to the party for a number of reasons. First, I needed a little help with my costume. Secondly, the party started at 7:30 and everyone knows you don't show up for a party at the very beginning. Thirdly, and most important, I didn't want to roll in there all by myself. Given these reasons, I opted to wait in the motel and watch TV.

Two full hours passed and no one was there. I was dismayed, as I could have stayed for Kazu's birthday dinner and left later if I had known we would be going to the party this late. I called cell phones just as everyone pulled in. Many laughs were had and we got down to business. It was very funny to everyone that the vending machines were right in front of my room; such is the burden of being overweight, I suppose. Irregardless, everyone got ready. Mike and his band, Force Theory, left first as they had to perform at 11:30. The rest of us left once we changed. My costume was relatively simple: an oversized shirt stuffed with pillows (held together with tape, hence I needed help), reading glasses, a cheesy baseball cap I bought at Wal-Mart for 50¢, and a few days of beard stubble. That's right, I went as Michael Moore.

The party was, of course, total chaos. Problem number one was our own: we had trouble finding the college as our directions were unclear, so Mapquest isn't perfect. Once we arrived, we couldn't enter the property because a guard told us "there's an emergency." So we parked on some side street and started walking in. Then we noticed that they were letting people drive in now, so we turned around and got back in the car. Once we drove in, we were in a long line of cars that wasn't moving. It was decided we would drive back out to park and walk in, but I got out because it was already almost 11:30 at this point. If I walked from that point, I had a shot at catching Mike perform, which was 90% of the reason we were all here anyway.

I walked along the long driveway and found a lot of people there. Supposedly, our names were on a guest list, but I walked right in without any challenge. The party (or parties?) were in these tents set up on the lawn. Mike was performing in one particular tent, but I think there were other tents with other entertainment. I made it in time to see Mike perform, with everyone else arriving moments later. The big surprise was that our law-school friend, Dan, showed up to the party as promised. He has a funny way of declaring his intent to hang out with us and then not showing up for one reason or another, not to mention he's in law school and really busy, so we hadn't seen him in months. I finally got to meet his fiance, Erica, whom he has been dating for years. She seemed very nice although given the level of noise we couldn't have much of a conversation.

The problem I had was the problem I always have at gatherings: I was very uncomfortable with myself and my surroundings. Everyone else at the party seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, which should make me feel at ease but it actually makes me feel more awkward than ever. I wasn't in a mood for alcohol which all of my friends began to imbibe in great quantities. This only made me feel more uncomfortable as now I felt completely alone. I did my best to enjoy the show and participate in conversation, when possible, but I felt like I had wasted an opportunity to enjoy myself as I frequently do.

The party wrapped up around 2AM so we went back to the motel. Some humor was found, especially with Dylan and Dave engaging in a series of comical, mock-sexual positions. I tried to take pictures; hopefully one will come out, as there was a lot of fumbling about. We turned in around 4, as check-out time was at 11AM. Mike and his band opted to pay the extra day so they could sleep in, but there was no way I was paying for a second night for an extra hour or two of sleep.

Everyone but the band was with me, so at 11AM we were up and about. We started looking for breakfast but instead located a local seafood restaurant, Schermerhorn's Seafood. Ben and I quickly fixated ourselves on the idea of lobster. I think Dylan was really uncomfortable with that idea, as his girlfriend Dani isn't a big seafood fan, maybe. She didn't express that opinion when I asked her about it but she definitely didn't have any fish. Ben opted for a lobster salad on a roll, a.k.a. a lobster roll. However, for the same price I got an actual lobster, supposedly weighing one-and-an-eigth pounds. I hadn't eaten lobster in a long time, possibly three years, so I was eager to have some. The experience clearly affected Dani, as she reacted in horror as I tore off the first claw. Eating lobster is a violent act, but she looked at me like it was still alive or something. Trust me, it was dead...and delicious.

After a brief stop in a mall and a Barnes & Noble's, we went our separate ways. I probably won't see anyone until Thanksgiving, so I'll probably be spending my birthday alone. Better hurry up with that "making friends" deal I've been putting off.