Say yes to the invitation

I like to joke that since moving to Boston 6 months ago I've engaged in more social activities here than I did in five years in the bay area. Now I'm starting to think that joke is true. Part of it is just being new people in a new town, so we've had friends of friends, family members, new neighbors, and new co-worker types extend invitations to various social gatherings. Given that our graduate program back in California was all of thirty (mildly socially awkward) people, the numbers are simply on our side here in Massachusetts. We're also both at a point where we just have more free time and a greater willingness to take a chance on an invitation out. And overall it's been really great. In some ways it feels like I am being resocialized after five years buried under books in languages as dead as my small talk skills.

But right now this month is shaping up to take the cake for my grand re-socialization project. I've dubbed this month 'say yes to everything' month, and I'm wondering now if I will make it out alive. It started when my dear sister-in-law invited me down to New York for Half the Sky Live. Why not? It's only a bus ride away and I had all these dreams when I learned we were moving to Boston of taking the bus down to Manhattan for the weekend. So, sure. Sign me up. I'll spend my Friday hanging around the Met and then catching up with high school and college friends in the evening.

Then a friend suggested meeting up the gym one day and I jokingly said we should take the boxing class. Before I knew it, I was learning how to wrap my hands up in sweaty handwraps and punching gloves with a frightening woman who used to train professional female boxers. I'll be there again tomorrow morning because boxing is awesome. For an hour I just work my way around a circuit of drills, punching bags, doing push-ups, and balancing on a bosu with my eyes closed. And all with pretty boxing gloves that make me look like Strong Bad.

This same friend also talked me into ice skating lessons. Yup, adult beginner ice skating group lessons. Last Wednesday I was down at Frog Pond in the Common at 9AM, along with a handful of other 'adults' who have nowhere to be on a Wednesday morning, learning how to make swizzles while big fat snowflakes fell around me. And I'll be there every Wednesday for the next 6 weeks. If you miss me at the pond, you can also find me thawing out at the Starbucks across the street with hot cider just after the lesson.

I also agreed to substitute teach for someone's philosophy class at UMass Boston. This might be one of those drowning and not waving moments, but I'm trying to stay optimistic. The class will be talking about Plato's Republic, and I supposedly know Greek and have supposedly read that text, so I should supposedly know more than the students. I'm thinking 'small group discussions' will be an excellent approach.

Finally, I've been invited to a Cook Club. I seriously thought the girl who invited me said Book Club, which was why I was all 'heck yeah!' about it. And then I got the eVite for the monthly Cook Club. And this month is Brunch for Dinner! I was hoping more for Breakfast at Tiffanys. But this, my friends, is 'say yes' month and I am going. And I'm just going to be that girl with my quinoa pilaf while the host mutters under her breath, 'who invited the flippin vegan?'.

I've also already decided now that March will be 'just say no' month. Say 'no' to the conference in middle of nowhere Canada (which is a whole new breed of nowhere than what we got here in the States)! Say 'no' to submitting an article on civil law for an encyclopedia of ancient history! Say 'no' to flights with two layovers when the cost difference for direct to is only 50 bucks!