A small victory over shyness →[More:]OK. Went to the office party. In the past, I've always been very anxious before attending one of these things. I mean, there's the temp issue. The not knowing anybody there issue. But tonight was different. I didn't feel uptight or nervous at all. I just decided to go, hang out for half an hour, have a drink, talk to some people and go.

I feel very good about being able to do this without freaking out, second-guessing myself and all of the other things I usually do.

So I went and it kind of sucked, to be perfectly honest with you. People were cold, uptight, not friendly at all. And I was able to deal with them graciously. I didn't get pissed off. I didn't take their . . . lameness personally. I just laughed and said "Fuck 'em. It's their problem."

So it was a sucky evening in some respects but it did provide me with an opportunity for growth. I'm happy to have gone.