Realization

I had a solitary thought when I woke up this morning.

“Crap, I have to meet new people when we move.”

It just now occurred to me that I will have to do the entire meet and greet thing that I dread so much. New colleagues, new neighbors (and we’re moving to a small town, so you know what that means), a new hair stylist, bike shop, gym employees…..AAAHHHHH!

This is not good. This is really not good. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? I mean, I’m looking forward to starting a new position and to discovering new bike and nature trails and improving my skiing skills, but I completely forgot about the human element of a big move. New people = small talk. *Shudder*

I might need to start fostering my hermit image, which shouldn’t be too hard because I’m an academic. Academics are supposed to be quirky and eccentric. In fact, the more eccentric you are, the more brilliant people assume you are. Now the wheels are turning….

I’ll need to start wearing my swimming goggles when I garden and bringing my condiments to restaurants when we dine out. It will need to be subtle enough that Parker won’t be shunned by his peers, but visible enough that people will naturally want to steer clear. I’ll be perfectly pleasant, of course, just slightly off center.

This could actually turn out being a lot of fun. “Come on Parker, let’s go shock the neighbors!” Let’s just hope that we don’t ever need their help because it’s possible that they won’t open their door for the crazies next door.