Solo Saturday

I know, I know.

Worst Blog hostess ever.

I planned to space these posts out over the month, but then I got stuck on things that alliterate with “Tuesday”, and then I got all indecisive about Wednesday and then I went to science camp for a week and a half, and then I kinda forgot about it, and then I felt guilty that I’d forgotten about it, and then I decided to bite the bullet and pump out 6 blog entries before the end of the month, and then I went to the coast, which pushed back the publishing date even further. Such a crisis.

But never fear, a month’s worth of blogging is coming your way.

So,  Solo Saturday. 

Image Credit:  http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/robert-paul-smith/how-to-do-nothing-with-nobody-all-alone-by-yourself/_/R-400000000000000194197

Last year, my cousin’s friend came over from Germany. She. Was. Awesome. One thing that particularly impressed me was what my parents described as her “get up and go”. She wasn’t afraid to travel by herself. If she couldn’t find someone to go somewhere with her, stuff it, she went by herself. It got me thinking, with going on exchange this year and lots of opportunities to go places, I need to get better at riding solo, so to speak. So I’ve decided to practise.

I started small. I decided to go to the movies. All by myself.  

It sounds so simple, yet I was completely unprepared for how difficult it would be to grow a pair, buck societal norms and go see a movie without a few buffer people. Which is completely ridiculous because going to the movies is one of the least social activities we can do. The “social” side of going to the movies is the 15mins of conversation either side, the actual movie part – 1.5+hrs of silence. But I digress.

I was sitting at home for about an hour debating whether I would even go (Well, I was always going to go, but maybe on a Sunday morning, when going to the movies seems less sad than on a Saturday night). I finally forced myself out the door and walked across to the cinema.  I was pretty proud of myself because I didn’t take the coward’s way out  and keep my eyes trained on my phone, like I was meeting someone. Nope. I just walked eyes straight ahead. But all the while, I was trying to figure out exactly what I’d say if someone was to ask me what I was doing. Whether I’d lie and say that I was meeting friends, or be honest.

I seriously was nervous before buying a ticket. What was I so afraid of? That some 16yo checkout chick was going to judge me? I even got off lightly. I arrived at 7:30 for a movie that started at 7:20, so it probably looked like I was meant to meet friends pre-movie, but ran late. But still, I wasn’t really prepared for how lame I’d feel asking for one ticket “somewhere in the middle please”.

But once I got in the cinema, being alone didn’t matter at all. And even afterwards, I walked straight out and went straight to my car. I did miss being able to tell someone how excellent the movie was straight afterwards, but hey, that’s what I’ve got a blog for. So, you should see A Few Best Men. It was pretty hilarious. Even alone.