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I am an introvert with moderate to severe recurring depression. I also have issues with social skills. I’ve had to work HARD to improve them. Which makes this spring and summer so special for me.
Yes, I perform in several groups, and have made friends with many performers in them. But I usually don’t go out and socialize with them. With the exception of my choir, that is. Every week after rehearsal, we get together at an establishment for “Beer Choir”. I had been a very regular member of this group until other challenges had me stop.
Anyway, way back in February, I decided to get back into theater and audition for “The Wizard of Oz”. I met so many people and grew my friend circle. Then, in like April or May, a friend posted in our Beer Choir Facebook page that he was looking for a trivia team for a fundraiser for a board he’s on. I decided “What the heck. I’m good at trivia” and volunteered. I had SUCH a good time. I was generous in giving, and the fun the six of us had. And personally, I impressed even myself with my trivia. And we came in second by one point. More on that later. Then, I decided to show up to some summer Beer Choir. This requires a drive into Chicago from NW Indiana. This is me actually making an effort to actively leave the house to be social. This is a HUGE thing for me. So I went to two last month, and had lots of fun.
Then came NN23. More on that here. So much social during NN. First, I got to hang around with my Daily Kos BFF brillig. We hit it off in Detroit in 2014, and between that and this, lots of fun Facebook exchanges. So I expected to hang out with the Kos Fam at least one night. Usually I would just go to a post keynote reception, wheedle for drink tickets, and just sit at a table by myself. But I made an effort to schmooze. At such a function, I tend to only hang out or gravitate to people I know, and not try to meet new people. Social skills deficit as I mentioned before. So meeting and talking to new people is another big deal. Next year at NN I’ll be more up for the traditional karaoke. One hint to my song. I will dedicate it to Johnny Contardo. If you know, you know.
Remember the trivia my friend recruited me to earlier this year? Our prize for finishing second (The first place team took the distillery tour with tasting) was a pass to visit The Color Factory. They have branches in NYC, Chicago, and Houston. GO. SEE. THIS. PLACE. This is going to be a future Saturday Top Comments diary, so get ready.
And the fun continues. On the 19th of this month, I will be socializing with my theater family. I’ll join them in singing the national anthem at a local minor league ballgame.
So, I think this year has been a new blossoming. With all my personal issues, becoming more social has really helped me in a super positive way. I hope I can continue this positivity as I continue becoming. And there are things on the horizon which will definitely push me more in that direction.
Now, on to Tops!
TOP COMMENTS
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down. Please remember that comment inclusion in Top Comments does not constitute support or endorsement by diarist, formatter, Top Comments writers or DailyKos. Questions, complaints or comments? Contact brillig.
From Angela Marx:
this comment: https://www.dailykos.com/...
by: Us on a bus
in this story: https://www.dailykos.com/...
by: Brian McFadden
The comment encapsulates such a big idea, in so few words (the closing sentence of the comment):
"Sometimes, the acorn that falls from a mighty oak is just a nut."
From Belinda Ridgewood:
In Greg Dworkin's APR this morning, Crashing Vor made a comment in response to The Former Guy's threat that pretty much everyone could endorse.
TOP MOJO
Top Mojo for yesterday, August 4, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on FAQing Top Mojo.
TOP PICTURES
Top Pictures for Today, August 5. Click any picture to be taken to the full comment or picture. Thank you to the wonderful dKos staff who made it possible to continue this feature in memory of jotter!
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