Thursday, June 23, 2005

Dinner, Dance, and Explanation

I reflect on a Valentine's date in high school maybe 1-2 times a year. Every time I think about it, I both cringe and stand in wonder at myself. This experience has profoundly shaped how I think of myself as a social person. I asked the Senior Class President at Provo High School, to the dance--I was a junior at the time. The plan was to double with another friend and his date, they were both quite close to my date also, and the dynamic of the group was going to make it perfect--just the right dancing skills, enough social skills to make up for me, and enough familiarity that there would always be awesome stuff to talk about.

In tribute to Latisha (name has been changed), I felt at the time that the date was a clear success. Plenty of laughter, lots of real fun times. In further tribute to Latisha, I imagine she might still remember it as at least permissible.

When we went to pick up my friend, I learned he had been grounded. Plan #1 was to go with his date and Latisha to the dance, but it was decided that that wouldn't work. So it was a single date with Latisha. We went to dinner and the dance.

So after the dance, the plan was to go play Phase 2 at my home. It was a great game for groups, it's a sort of jacked-up Trivial Pursuit (that's how the really smooth and cool 2005 me describes it). Now, I'm not stupid enough to play the game with only me and Latisha, that's not enough people to make it fun. So here is what I did:

(Entering my home)
Me: So, it's too bad that Jake (name has been changed) and Sally (likewise) couldn't be here. We had planned to play a really fun game, called Phase 2.

Latisha: Yeah, that is too bad, it would have been great to have them, but I have had so much fun anyway.

Me: Anyway, Phase 2 is a great game. The way it works is like this. You're familiar with Trivial Pursuit? So this is like Trivial Pursuit with a bonus feature. There are 10 questions like Trivial Pursuit questions, you know like: Which actor has won more Oscars than any other up to the year 1990? etc. So those questions are fun. But what I really love about this game is that there will be a theme to the answers of the questions. So imagine that of the 10 questions, some of the answers you got were: Scarecrow, Brick, Emerald, Lion, Dorothy, you can see the theme of the answers is The Wizard of Oz. Cool, huh? And you get even more points for guessing the theme. Doesn't that sound fun?

Latisha: Oh my gosh, that sounds like the funnest game!

Me: Yeah. It really is. Now you can see why I'm so bummed Jake and Sally aren't here so we could play it.

(End)

So what, technically, did we do after the dance? Well, when push comes to shove, I guess what we did was this: I explained how to play Phase 2 to Latisha.

As Gabby can testify now, I am WAY more awesome in social situations. And I wish we owned Phase 2, I really do love that game. If you don't understand how the game works from that explanation, I can explain it much better in person, and would be delighted to do so.

9 comments:

  1. I like that you used the name Latisha... this way nobody at PHS could be mistaken for your love date.

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  2. Ben, that entry made me so uncomfortable, but you ARE pretty smooth in social situations. I've seen it--a certain special triple date comes to mind when You, Gabby, Weston, Emily, and Topher and I did, according to Emily, "the nerdiest thing she's ever done in her life!" It was pretty smooth move if you ask me!

    What's up with Provo High boys working so hard to create a "creative date"? Where does this come from?

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  3. Lisa: Are you suggesting that I haven't really improved much socially since my junior year at PHS? Well, I guess I tried to hedge by saying I am WAY more smooth these days, rather than saying I am WAY WAY more smooth.

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  4. I'm saying that you are as smooth as Hugh's soft pink bum. You'd have to be to snatch someone as cool as Gabby. I hope you still put in the effort for a nice, creative date and not just the standard dinner and a movie.

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  5. I can't find Gabby's blog-where/what is is?

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  6. Benji, am I right in assuming that your date's initials were JH, and that she and I both won the 'Most Friendly Boy and Girl' award at PHS? I have been laughing about your blog for two days now. Lisa and I like how you just talked about that game, but never played it.

    One of my favorite game board memories involves playing that game of Monopoly at your house - the one that lasted for two days? And I cheated but still lost? I miss sleepovers at the Blairs.

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  8. Can I? Because I read this post when it was first posted--before names were changed. Otto has a post about Latisha too. Of course, this is all making my loss of Sr. Class V.P. to "Moweesha" all the more difficult. Think of all the blogs that would be written about me if I had won!

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  9. How do I find Otto's blog about Latisha/JH?

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