You've got a secret smile...
August 09, 2004
Yesterday, on my walk home from work I got an attack of the �invisible giggles��you know, where you�re laughing hysterically at something that no one else can see therefore looking insane but not really aware of how insane you look. Usually when this happens I try calling up a friend so that I can 1) look like I�m at least laughing hysterically at something they�re saying, and 2) get my mind off of that which makes me giggle until I get to some place where I can giggle in peace. Sadly, Mini is in Italy for the next couple weeks, and PG�s just left for Greece, and that about sums up the friends here that I would call in such a situation.
Anyway, it�s a short walk home. I think the men I passed generally found it amusing that I had a big goofy grin on my face.
The thing which had me laughing so, was a memory from my junior year at Penn�one of my favorites from that year actually, which is hard to say because that is the year I became good friends with Di and Yul who gave me make enough good memories to last a lifetime, and also my junior year at Penn was probably my favorite/best of all my undergraduate years.
But anyway...for some reason, on my walk home yesterday I was reminded of a mild winter night when I went with Mr. Inkwell and his brother, Jing, and the Deejay to see some bands playing at PiLam. We ended up not staying too long, because although the bands didn�t suck we were all a little antsy that night and wanted to go find something else to do. Or, at least that�s how I remember it. So anyway, we left. I can�t remember if we�d been drinking at PiLam, or beforehand, or a little of both, but we were all a little...tipsy by the time we left. We ended up in the green area in front of High Rise South and somehow Jing and I ended up play fighting. I think we were probably actually doing this thing where we bounce off of each other, and things escalated from there. In the end I kinda ended up wrestling with him, and the Deejay too. Actually, as I remember it they mostly just ended up pushing me around, and I tried to seem all �tough girl.� Things reached a climax when Jing (mistakenly, he claims) slapped me across the face. It wasn�t too hard a slap because he was wearing gloves, but I must say I was stunned, and I remember thinking, �when does it cross the line from fun to abuse?� In any case, I played like I was insulted and hurt, and Jing tried to give me a hug and apologize. Of course, I was wisely mistrustful of him at this point and wouldn�t let him. He kept apologizing and promising that he wouldn�t hurt me again, and silly me I gave in. In the meantime the Deejay, who was behind me, got down on all fours and when I went in for Jing to give me a hug he gave me a push, and I tumbled over the Deejay�s huddled figured, onto the ground on my back. Meanwhile, Mr. Inkwell and his bro were laughing hysterically.
Now, some may be wondering why this three stooges moment, where I was inevitably the butt of the joke, had me giggling so, and is one of my favorite memories. Yeah, I got hurt, and yeah, I was a little stunned, and a little concerned that my friends were crossing some line that I was supposed to be aware of, but in the end it was such a silly, carefree moment�me with my favorite boyZ (gotta spell it with a capital �Z�) that whenever I remember it I can�t help but smile fondly...
Sadly, my happy reverie was broken when some asshole in a baby blue VW beetle drove past and started hassling me. He was pretty clever, actually. He slowed down his car as he approached me and called out, �No way! Is it really you?� Which of course made me look, to see if maybe I wasn�t being rude and this was someone I actually knew. Of course, when I did this he just laughed and circled around to come at me again. Happily, the second time when he tried this *same* line (I said he was clever, not creative) I had�as my brother who got really into his psych class this year likes to say�been conditioned how not to respond to his stupid attempt.
And then last night I had all these dreams about being attacked in a crowded street by gangs of boys who leaped down from big rigs and dragged me up onto the roofs of these rigs...but I happily escaped.
And this morning? This morning I nearly punched two people on my way to work. I guess I have a lot of aggression lately. But that is another story...