The Center of Attention

I’m typically a somewhat secretive person when it comes to my interactions with the opposite sex, and, this being so, both my immediate and not so immediate family usually know little of them. However, as keeping a cross-country trip to visit a girl a secret from my parents seems rather impossible, this has had to change. So, a bit ago, I confessed my affections for Heather to my parents, which due to their generally unexcitable nature and excessive trust of me, went over without much fuss at all (Although, to be fair, I never really confessed to an “internet relationship” at all, only said I was going to California to meet a girl, but I imagined my parents would draw their own, correct, conclusions and they have). Truthfully, as has become a theme, I was shocked at just how humdrum the whole confession was. I’m beginning to think everyone I know has always imagined me the sort of bloke who would fall in love on the internet and travel thousands of miles to meet a girl. Which makes me wonder about just the sort of impression I give off, but that’s another entry.

Yes, anyway, while telling my parents turned out to be the cause of little commotion, I failed to account for the people that they would tell and the hubbub that would follow. One reason I failed to account for this is that, being that my parents have no friends, they could only resort to telling family members, and I traditionally only see the majority of extended family members once a year, and since this isn’t the month of December, I figured for a free pass. However, not so fortunately, last week we received the news that my dearest cousin Jason has become engaged for the 3rd time and that he was inviting everyone to meet his new fiancé, an event that, by happenstance, I would have to attend.

This resulted in my having to sit through an hour of my family excitedly going on and on and on about the whole affair, assaulting me with questions, opinions, and their own personal analysis of it. I was rather quickly reminded of why I never let anyone know about these sorts of things.

What was a little alarming is just how exhausting I found being the center of attention, since I’m sure to experience the same thing when I do make the eagerly anticipated trip in August – only with strangers as opposed to my familiarly odd family. This has provided me yet another opportunity to unnecessarily overanalyze my upcoming trip, now less than 3 months away. In fact, I’ve overanalyzed it so much that I’ve written a rather tragic diary entry on it. The entry that you’re reading right now, that is. If I had any regard for you, I’d just not post it, however, your reading this sentence is evidence enough that I have.

Shows what I think of you, huh?