So I'm beginning to get the hang of this socializing thing again. It's amazing how rusty one can get after not doing it for months at a time. And amazing how easy it is to pick back up, in some ways.

I've been organizing a big reunion with my friends from home for a couple weeks from now. I'll be back in Missouri, and we're supposed to have been having this highschool reunion only nobody is going to go. This is kind of my role, organizing things . . . only I haven't been doing it!! But I got all these emails today of people saying "yup we're coming" and that made me feel incredibly good. I'm hosting, see, so "yes" responses are a nice feeling.

And then when I got home from work Anne was in the kitchen putting things away. So I decided to be sociable and put a few of my own kitchen things away while I chatted. And we got a nice laugh out of the *THREE* bottles of syrup that I have . . . I just kept forgetting to check before I went to the grocery store!! And I joked that I needed to have a pancake party to get rid of the syrup. And it was funny, cuz after I said it I was sitting there thinking "You know, that would be a great idea. I should do that." And then Anne said "You know, we should do that."

So there you have it. Unfortunately I don't know too many people in Providence, so it will take a bit of thinking - who can I invite to come over for pancakes?

And right before I started getting ready for bed, I had another wild idea. Rob's coming up tomorrow. Why not ask Anne if she and her guy wanted to do something tomorrow night?

I think I was a bit awkward on the "hey let's hang out" thing. Yikes, you'd think I was asking for a first date or something. ;-) That's how out of practice I am at being social!!! Anyway I left it kind of open to give her an out. Said we could figure it out tomorrow. Bit odd. Definitely rusty.

But my spirits are picking up. Because you know, it's not me. My work environment is crappy, my fellow AmeriCorps members and I don't particularly mesh, but I should realize that all the negative energy going on there is not directed at me. It's almost the end of our service year, and almsot no-one wants to be there. The negative energy is unbelievable!!!!

So screw it. Forget it if I don't mesh with my coworkers.

It's like I forgot for about 8 months who I really was, and I'm suddenly waking up to it again. Feels good.