The theme of this evening seems to have been "being trapped in conversation with horribly dull people". I swear, it's making me not want to go out any more, as I really have so little patience for boring people!
After staying up too late to talk to the Irishman the night before, I had to drag myself up and into the office to meet with an MD at my company. Had a good meeting, although I was falling asleep at my desk for most of the day, and was dragging by the time I made it out in the evening.
I got to the In and Out Club, left my bag at the front desk, and grabbed a drink. I first started chatting with a couple who I vaguely recalled meeting at a drinks reception at the Oriental Club, and then was delighted to be greeted with a warm kiss from the Young Dutchman, who I had been looking forward to seeing.
Yet I barely got to talk to him before I somehow got pulled into conversation with the Former Head of Inter-Club (nice guy, but a tad bit dull) and some random girl who was also in our conversational group. I kept looking for opportunities to escape and perhaps mingle a bit more, but I just couldn't see a way to extricate myself from the conversation. Hence, I was stuck there, being polite until finally I was able to use the natural turn of it being time to go get food to extract myself.
Only to then land into conversation with the current Inter-Club Chairman and Annoying Guy, so quite frankly a step down! I kept trying to keep making painfully polite conversation with them (always a challenge when Annoying Guy is there, but he seemed blithely oblivious as he went on talking about how great his birthday party was going to be this year and making rude comments about who was going to get laid), until I was finally able to grab some food and search for a chair. I did at last find a seat at a table with Hong Kong Guy (yay!) and the Former Head of Inter-Club (sigh, so boring!) and a few guys who I didn't know, but I always like talking to new people. I was having a good chat with one of the newbies, who turned out to be a member of my club, so I was chatting to him trying to persuade him to come along to club events more frequently.
Then, right while I was in mid-conversation with this guy, a rather socially clueless man who I am acquainted with pulled over a chair and inserted himself right in-between us without so much as a by your leave! I was a bit shocked by this, and the other chap and I continued our conversation over him for a while (I don't know if the man who had pulled up his chair was attempting to join the conversation or what, as he really just sat there like a lump the entire time), but needless to say talking over someone sort of ruins the tenor of conversation, and we eventually gave up.
I quickly finished dessert to escape, and made my way over to where the Young Dutchman and Kellogg Boy where (Kellogg Boy had finally arrived late), but I barely got to chat to them for two minutes before I was interrupted by some German guy who wanted to talk about Obama's recent appearance on the Jay Leno show. (No really. Trust me, I was as confused as you are).
Now, this might have been okay, except that this guy then kept railing on about "Chairman Obama" and how "Obamacare" was going to ruin everything in the US. There are very few issues that drive me into a blind rage, but unfortunately US healthcare policy is one of those. I tried arguing with this guy for a bit, getting more and more annoyed at his obvious idiocy, and also wondering why Hong Kong Boy's girfriend and Kellogg Boy were doing nothing to rescue me. It was when the guy finally started doing Hitler salutes that I realised quite how drunk he was, and there is absolutely no point in arguing with drunk people. At least also at that point there is no need to be polite, so I just walked away from the conversation, searching out someone, anyone else to talk to.
I eventually made my way back around to Hong Kong Boy's girlfriend and Kellogg Boy, who apologised for their lack of interference, but they said it had just been too humorous to watch, as I tried to deal with the raving idiot. Thanks guys!
The chap in question had the gall to write to me on Facebook the next evening, "I hope no offence was taken yesterday!"
I dithered for ages on how to respond to that, given that quite simply, he'd been absolutely horribly offensive. Yet you feel like when somebody says, "I hope I didn't offend you," some sort of rules of social nice-ness obliges you to assure them that they didn't, even when they really did.
I finally settled on replying, "You probably don't quite remember what was said last night if you hope no offence was taken, but we'll chalk that up to the impact of too much wine. Have a little less in the future and I'm sure we'll be fine!"
Really, it was the best I could come up with without just calling him out for being an arse. As let's face it, that wouldn't help anyone. At best, I can only hope that it's put him off talking to me in the future!
I spent some more time chatting with Kellogg Boy and Hong Kong Boy's girlfriend (finally, interesting people to talk to!), and Kellogg Boy thanked me for his postcard that I'd sent him from the US. All of a sudden, I felt bad about not sending one to the Young Dutchman as well in my fit of pique. but somehow we got dragged up onto the balcony upstairs and separated, and I found myself trapped in conversation with more dull people where I just kept casting about for something, anything, that might get more than monotone responses.
I don't know. When people start responding to all of your questions with one-word answers, are they just doing that because they really have nothing to say on the topic, or is it because they're desperately hoping you'll go away?
At last I got a welcome unexpected surprise when The Blonde showed up, having just come from dinner with her mother. I got to meet her mother briefly (a very nice woman), and we chatted for a bit as she showed me the text message she'd received from the chap she'd been flirting with in the bar the night before. To be honest, after the number of drinks he'd had, I was impressed that he'd remembered her at all, much less to write such a coherent and nice text message! (I learned later that they made plans to meet up on Friday for after-work drinks. I will say one thing about The Blonde...she moves fast!)
Eventually the Young Dutchman came over to say goodnight, and noted that we hadn't really gotten a chance to hang out and catch up, and so suggested to me that we try for next Thursday instead. I was glad at least that he'd noticed that we had really missed each other..as always, parties are a terrible place to catch up.
When Hong Kong Boy and his girlfriend were leaving too, I decided to make use of their gravitational pull to exit myself as well. As the girlfriend went to get her bags, I was talking to Hong Kong Boy a bit about his back problems, and just as a joke advised him, "Stop sleeping on the couch so much!" To which he shrugged and replied, "Yeah, but it's the only thing that makes her happy..."
I'm so aware that their relationship is in serious trouble, although I do wonder how it will work out. She always just seems so angry at him anymore, even though it's just more general frustration that for some reason is all being directed at him. Yes, he is disorganised and works too much and basically needs someone to look after him, but that's how it is with any guy. You cannot expect to date a man and want him to be more like a woman. And so he sleeps on the couch, they never have sex, and she just I think wishes he would shape up and get his act together, but her anger at him will never accomplish that. To be fair, he could do more to eat well, drink less, and just get his act together and be a better boyfriend, but he always just strikes me as this lost little dog, unsure of why his master is so irritated with him. With a little bit of kindness and training, they really could be fine, but I wonder if they'll get there...
Finally we left the club and made our way home, where I got to bed by only 11:30 PM, and was quite happy for that. Enough of the boring conversations, I was glad to be home talking to nobody...better company than dull people, really!
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