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"but how are you supposed to find romance if you don't go to bars?"
At work today I was informed by my co-worker (male, twenty-five) that I need to cut loose more often. Apparently this is because my two-week holiday with my family next month will not involve drinking, partying, and picking up strange men in bars. "Getting drunk isn't my idea of fun at all," I said. "Hangovers are really not my idea of fun." He kind of looked at me and protested, "Don't knock it till you try it!" Uh, thanks, co-worker, but no thank you. (Disclaimer: very much not a teetotaller. If it weren't illegal, what with me being not quite nineteen, I would probably have a glass of -- very fruity and girly -- wine fairly often.) But seriously, I have no desire to lose all of my inhibitions and do things I would be justifiably embarrassed about later, possibly even ashamed of, not to mention putting myself in danger. Also, hangover. No-one enjoys a hangover. Why not just avoid them altogether by being responsible with the drink? Also, strange men in bars? Yuck.
But -- seriously? I am uptight? I need to cut loose? I mean... no one has ever said this to me before. Ever. And when I told my parents they laughed even harder than I had.
In other news, I persuaded a girl to buy a copy of A Countess Below Stairs. Hurrah! Also need to write post for book blog BUT WHAT ABOUT.
But -- seriously? I am uptight? I need to cut loose? I mean... no one has ever said this to me before. Ever. And when I told my parents they laughed even harder than I had.
In other news, I persuaded a girl to buy a copy of A Countess Below Stairs. Hurrah! Also need to write post for book blog BUT WHAT ABOUT.
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1. On May 5, 2008, a coworker and I left our coffee shop after work and stopped in a few bar/restaurant type places. At the time, I was 20, so we couldn't go in all sorts. But the Mexican place had a certain life and vitality to it that was completely understandable given that it was a Mexican holiday. We walked up and down looking for a good band, but the good bands were playing in 21+ places. We eventually settled in one fairly quiet bar and met some folks who came from some South American country. We chatted about culture in different parts of the world, and a variety of other topics before finally heading out.
2. I went to an Irish place with my cousin in Boston and downed two pints of Guinness while listening to live Irish music. Of course, the lights were dim, the drinks weren't cheap, and everything was far too loud. But it was an interesting experience and it was fun to do things with my cousin that she likes to do for fun.
With that first bar trip, I was on the verge of not going, because I didn't think I'd enjoy aany of it, and it would be uncomfortable and a waste of time. But I decided to stretch a little and see what I might be able to appreciate, in my own way.
Ultimately, I know what I like and anyone who tells me that I'm X because I don't do Y can go suck eggs. However, I have found that trying something new and hating it has been healthier for my general development than abstaining from trying a thing far outside my norms.
Wow, this comment is way too long. Sorry. :P
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(Okay, I'm being a little too pessimistic regarding my imaginary theoretical college friends.)
I think going out of one's comfort zone is important and often useful, but there are some experiences I see no reason to have, and being drunk seems entirely unnecessary to me. Except...
...oh drat.
I just realised that I really ought to get drunk, just once, not because it'd be a valuable learning experience or I ought to try it just once, but because I need to know what it feels like so that when it comes up in a story I can write about it convincingly.
Angels and ministers of grace preserve us. D:
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...oh drat.
I just realised that I really ought to get drunk, just once, not because it'd be a valuable learning experience or I ought to try it just once, but because I need to know what it feels like so that when it comes up in a story I can write about it convincingly.
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With that said, I'd have to go back to what Kyra said earlier, only that this is a different circumstance but I believe the same principle holds true. In my stories, people die. It's quite possible that sometime in my writing a main character will murder someone. That does not mean that I have to go murder someone in order to accurately portray the feelings one experiences while commiting a murder. Nor would I have to steal something because a character does, or climb a mountain with too little supplies. Part of good writing is creating scenes and circumstances vividly, realistically, and believably, especially when you haven't done those things. Feeling like you have to do everything your character does in order to explain it clearly is... sort of cheating. :D
Though I think it's awesome to write about experiences you have taken part in, I wouldn't do anything you don't want to do for the sake of writing. Your spirit is more important. The bible says that are bodies are the temple of the Lord, and obviously trashing them = bad/not win. What you can do while still maintaining a Godly holiness is up to you and your convictions. :)
/honestly unjudgemental sermon