Hide Your Feathers

Uh oh! You've been single for too long and now you are bizarre! What happened?!?

Well, developing a personality and hobbies can be dangerous. You might find that the "real you" is a fucking weirdo. The side-show of a life you have created for yourself probably scares people. You have also reached the point where the very idea of adjusting your egocentric schedule to accommodate another person is laughable! Here is how to recover and readjust to life around other humans.

1. Make friends: Doing Ecstasy in as sweat lodge, naked, with Uncle Joey from Full House is not making friends. It is actually making you weirder and furthering you from normal social contact. This is not a story to tell on dates.

2. Get Out More: Instead of lurking in your personal recording studio (ie. a keyboard in your bedroom with the blinds closed), try going outside to get some fresh air. Talk to your neighbors. Go to a coffee shop and bring your laptop. Eventually your skin will get a bit of color and you'll stop looking like a wild-eyed zombie.

3. Listen to People: Listen to other people. And by listening I do not mean listening patiently for your friend/partner to take a breath so you can interject with the fabulous story you've been thinking about while they were talking. Learn to turn your selfish, noisy brain off and try to care about other people's silly lives.

4. Hide Everything: Hide all evidence of your single lifestyle.Try to break out of your weird routine when people come over. Never let anyone see the bassinet with the Fish Mobile over it that you made for your cat. Take the onsie off of your cat. You can dress him up and play baby with him when your guests leave.

Also to consider: I personally respect your quest to seek out the dark forces, but remove the Ouija Board nailed above your bed.

5. Buy Some Furniture. So now you got a friend! (oops, let's not get ahead of ourselves), but the true test is coming. What will he/she do when he/she comes over to your place? My suggestion: buy some chairs, and maybe a small table. Put them in front of a TV (no, your laptop screen is not a TV.) Now, get some chips and beer. There you have it, instant hang-out! Try to pick up the dirty clothes in your living room and clean around the toilet bowl. Remember, your friends don't really care about your life unless it involves them, so keep "sharing" to a minimum. Don't trap your new friend in a corner and make them listen to your favorite CD's, read your sad poetry, look through your sketchbook, stare at your dead butterfly collection and then expect them to tell you how great you are. Try asking about their life -- and then revert to Step 3.

  6. Be realistic : Completely rid of yourself of the hopes of marriage. Once you can find peace in the idea of being alone forever (which you probably will be) you will find that legs and doors of opportunity will open themselves to you!

7. Cell Phone Manners : Text people back. Opening your phone, reading a text and saying "Ha!..No." out loud is not responding. Instead, text back "thank you for the invite but I have a dinner date with my cat, let's get coffee soon :-)" Use a lot of emoticons. Smiley faces and "xoxo" help create the illusion of a personality!

Adjusting to human life isn't so bad! You may never be as popular as you were in high school, but at least now you don't have to worry about choking to death in your studio apartment and your friends/family not realizing you're dead until two weeks later. Remember, people are only your friends for what you can do for them so practice your people-serving and ego stroking skills, you yourself do not need to be interesting or normal! :-)

xox

Serendipity and Feathers