Episode 6: Post Christmas Blues (or: "More Work?")

I had a mighty fine Christmas, yes I did. I got a good stash, including some great sci-fi DVDs (Slither, Cube, Carpenter's Thing), the new(ish) Audioslave album, a bunch of books, and Final Fantasy XII, which I had been waiting for.

I've decided that, since I was without incoming cash flow of a larger scale, I should work over break. So I'm back at Hamilton, doing phone representative work. Its easy and part-time, which means only 20 hours a week. But...

New Years is coming up, though, and its about time for resolutions. Each year my primary resolution is to "Stay Awesome" and, quite frankly, its going to remain on my list of major to-do's this coming year. But there is also my new found desire to be a bit more tame of tongue. That is, swear less and say less vulgar things at inappropriate times. You can only tell your best, uptight Catholic friend's mother about your wing-wang so many times at dinner before, well... You see where this is going.

But just two nights ago I was at the local grocery store in my hometown when my last resolution hit me like a sack of sacks. Now, here in Harvard, NE, when you play a rock song with a band at a high school music concert, people remember it. So I'm checking out (buying bottle after bottle after bottle of Dr. Pepper) and this older gentleman approaches me and this conversation follows:
Him: "You play guitar, right?"
ME: Thinking about the times in high school I played guitar in front of basically the entire town. "Yeah, I've been known to."
At this point I'm getting proud and awaiting praise.
Him: "How do you do [insert about nine guitar-based questions, coming from an old man who doesn't know the first thing about playing guitar]?"
ME: "...uh"

I'm boastful, which is how I got into this conversation. When I said "Yeah, I've been known to," I carried myself with an air of ... with air-rogance. He saw it, more'n likely, and asked. I'm not the world's greatest guitar player. I'm a great and quick learner, but I'm far better at bass guitar and drums than I am at guitar. So to get out of this I had to think fast and move the topic from guitar lessons to me leaving the store.

So, from this point on, in an effort to reduce the number of people that assume I'm great at things simply because I tell them I am (which, honestly, whose fault is that, anyhow?!), I'm going to stop being so boastful.

And I'm going to be darned good at it, too! Better than anyone else! Just you wait and see!
-Skyler