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17 October 2007

I'm silly. Let's discuss. →[More:]

So... I've been here in Athens for six months now, and before I even left Thessaloniki, I found a very active expat organization here called "Meet in Athens" that I was excited about participating in. There's no message board, nothing - just an email list that you subscribe to, and people send out suggestions for meetups, like "hey let's watch the rugby at Molly Malone's on Saturday" or "let's eat at this taverna Friday night" or whatever. You respond to the list saying you'll be there, and the original poster makes arrangements for reservations if needed.

So far, I haven't gone to a single meetup. My excuses to myself thus far: too far away; don't care about sports; that restaurant is going to be expensive; too late - don't feel like making my way home alone at 2 or 3 in the morning... blah, blah.

But now someone has proposed a book club, and I responded (along with quite a lot of others) saying I was interested, and I really, really am, though I'm not actually so sure how book-clubby I am... I just pretty much read/savor/immerse, and don't really analyze in ways that are easy to articulate. But that's beside the point. The point is that the initial email was sent yesterday, and now the email for the first meeting, to determine how to proceed, has come, and it's set for tomorrow evening... which is smart on the part of the organizer - strike while the iron is hot and people are enthusiastic, etc.

But I feel kind of shocked, because I responded with this sort of feeling of "hmmm, nice... eventually I'll get an email saying what the first book is, and then in about a month we'll meet... yeah, that's cool." And now I'm trying to rev up to just bite the bullet and answer back that I'll be there... and I can't seem to bring myself to it.

My god, my hermit instincts are going from mildly eccentric to full-blown ossification.

post by: taz at: 03:54 | 20 comments

DO IT!

It's easier to not go to these things than to go to them, because you can give yourself the excuse that you'll go to the next one. If you give yourself that excuse once, you'll do it again. You'll either end up going in a years time or you'll never go again.

Go, be one of the first people there. You don't want to have to force yourself out to one 3 months down the line when everybody is all bonded and you end up feeling like the new kid on the block.

Don't worry about having to be all discussion-ey about it. 1. You'd probably kick ass at literary discussion & 2. Mostly, they'll not be there to talk about books. They'll be there to hang out with people who like to read books.

So yeah - DO IT!

posted by seanyboy 17 October | 04:19

Being a hermit is so much better than being in public relations.

posted by seanyboy 17 October | 04:23

Ha! That might be pretty accurate, actually. I did meet one guy who was on the list for years but never once attended a meet-up, because he sent out a mail saying he was moving back to the U.S. (he had been working on his PhD here) and selling his stuff, and we needed some stuff. Though we didn't end up buying anything from him, he was all like "aw, too bad we couldn't have known each other, you seem like really interesting people." Hee.

posted by taz 17 October | 04:32

I say go for it, too. Just put your toes in the water. You don't have to make a huge commitment.

I've been going through this sort of thing lately, too. I'm not a joiner by nature but I also get very lonely and bored. I'm painfully shy in person but really want to have a full social life. I think it's a balance you can only find by putting yourself out there and being honest with yourself about the rist you've taken.

In the end, Taz, the worst that will happen is that you continue to participate after you find you didn't really want to and you've committed to activities you are only obliged to fulfill. I suspect that you are socially confidant enough to not let that happen.

Enjoy!

posted by MonkeyButter 17 October | 07:05

What seanyboy and MB said. You don't have to commit the entire rest of your waking life to it.

That being said, I just spent about 6-7 months in severe ossification as you say. Loved it, and now I'm ready to come out from under the rock and play.

posted by chewatadistance 17 October | 07:22

Go, be one of the first people there. You don't want to have to force yourself out to one 3 months down the line when everybody is all bonded and you end up feeling like the new kid on the block.

seanyboy nailed it right there. I'm always shy about joining a group where everyone already knows each other (which is one reason I almost never go to any of my partner's work get-togethers, even though they always invite me), but if I can go to a group where everybody's kind of at the same stage, I always have a great time.

You'll only have one chance to go to the first meeting, so go for it!

posted by BoringPostcards 17 October | 08:22

Eh, do it. No matter what, you'll get to meet some new people and maybe like some of them enough to get to know some of them with or without book club.
Maybe i should start a book club.
Maybe i just need a good book.

posted by ethylene 17 October | 10:27

DO IT!!!

≡ Click to see image ≡

posted by SassHat 17 October | 15:47

Hahaha! That's a pretty good likeness, Sass.

Okay... I think I'll do it. I'm pretty sure. Probably. :P

posted by taz 17 October | 16:04

And..........??????

Tell us you did! Please.

PS. Hi, Taz!

posted by safetyfork 18 October | 06:46

Don't slap me, but I'm not going (it's tonight).

OUCH! I said no slapping!

Well... it's like this, I was going to go if my husband was not going to be here tonight, but he will be, and because of one thing and another, we haven't had much time together this week, and he will be working this weekend.

Also, judging by the responses, it was a bit of short notice for a lot of people, so most won't actually be there for this one. But we will get notification of the book and the first regular meeting by email, and I vow, pledge, swear, that I'm going to that meeting.

I promise. I'll post here and tell you. Y'all can read along too! We'll club each other with our books! Yay?

posted by taz 18 October | 08:01

Being with your wandering man is more important.
Have you gotten to catch up a little on your couple time?
Is he gonna stick around at all?

posted by ethylene 18 October | 08:08

He'll be sticking around now. As far as we know. He has some small jobs coming up, but here in town, and the next full length film that he is doing is supposed to be shot here... so, pretty much, he's sticking. Anything can happen though... it's almost impossible to say anything for sure, ever. Wacky freelance life.

posted by taz 18 October | 08:11

Is it nice having him around again?

And what kind of book do you think it will be?

posted by ethylene 18 October | 08:27

It's nice! I missed him a lot this last stretch... it was much too soon after the one before. So, it was difficult, and this feels happy.

I have no idea what the book will be! I wish it would be "Spook Country", but I think it's very unlikely. :)

posted by taz 18 October | 08:33

We oblivously need to make a movie to keep him around.

i've been wanting something easily engaging but now i want something well written, as i kind of want to prime myself for the nanowrimo. i've been tossing the idea of narrowing down an idea of something to use for it even though the few times i have made it, i never post it, most times not claiming the finish.
Good writing inspires me to want to write.
Also, i want something more fantastic if it can't delve into the human condition past the old cliches.

posted by ethylene 18 October | 08:43

Okay, so I got an email about the first book, and it is, as I somewhat feared, one I've read already (- but a fabulous, fabulous book): "Middlesex".

That's okay, I don't mind reading it again. I'm a bit surprised that they chose a book so hefty, since a lot of people have trouble with big books, but on the other hand, it's also a book that people here won't have much trouble getting their hands on, since it's by an author of Greek extraction. Even the book stores that have about five books in English will carry this one. It'll be something horrible by Dan Brown, something horrible by Crichton, something horrible by Grisham, something by Stephen King, and Middlesex. Heh.

posted by taz 18 October | 23:44

i never got to finish it, or get out of the Greek part. Maybe i'll try to grab a copy so we can extend the clubbing.

posted by ethylene 18 October | 23:51

That would be fun!

posted by taz 19 October | 00:14

oh, man... I hope, hope, hope I haven't loaned it to anyone. I'll be so pissed off if I have to buy it again. All our books are still in boxes under the bed, since we haven't gotten around to buying bookcases yet. I'll rummage later. Books are so expensive here... bleh.

posted by taz 19 October | 00:18

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