Receive the assignment. Be told by your professor “This is definitely not something you can start the night before it’s due.” Don’t take this as a warning; it’s a challenge.The looming assignment will sit in the back of your mind for a while – it will weigh you down a little bit, but it won’t actively stress you out until you have anywhere between one to 72 hours to complete it.
At parties: Feel a tingling sensation in your thumb, begging you to refresh your feeds during every awkward moment. Feel a strong inclination to whip out your phone during any silence that lasts over ~1.5 seconds. Find that you can usually fight the urge, but instinctually check FB and Twitter when conversations cease and you’re unsure of whom to mingle with next.
People love dressing up. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a formal or a mildly racist-themed shindig (Cowboys and Indians!) – superficially leaving your normal identity behind is pretty damn satisfying in the moment, no matter how ignorant you might be.
Maybe we should just appreciate the fact that everyone listens and contracts something positive from it. Tastes and knowledge shouldn’t need to be validated or shown off, regardless of the potential conversational euphoria that might entail musical common ground.
Be acutely aware of your gestures and positioning as you reach [object.] Exaggerate them. Act drunker and a little vulnerable. Try to look like you’re not trying. Try harder. Gauge what it’s looking for — it could be a condescending remark about the party/venue or a rowdy yell displaying your engagement.