Sunday, April 18, 2010

Awkward Goodbyes

As I contemplate my departure to go back home I can't help but think about all the goodbyes I am going to say. Some people I know I won't see again and there are some that say that we'll still stay in contact but who knows if that'll happen. And while all of this can be somber and saddening, I find myself thinking about how goodbyes are awkward. First, you have to decide who to go say goodbye too. You don't want to show up somewhere and be like "I'm leaving" and they're like "So...". Then there are the questions of how long should a goodbye be? What should you say? What if you see them again like ten minutes later? Should you hug (and if so for how long)? What if you cry? What if they cry? This can all be very awkward but my advice is simple. Say goodbye to whoever you want to and if it is awkward, embrace it. You don't want to regret not saying bye to anyone and goodbyes will be awkward no matter what because people approach the situation in different ways and have different reactions.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Awkward Airplane Rides

As I am about to go back home and travel by myself I begin to ponder the awkwardness of the airplane ride. I mean think about it, it is truly the epitome of awkwardness. You are basically stuck sitting really closely next to a stranger for a least a couple hours. There are so many interesting people you could sit next to. Some people I like to call "the talkers". They will tell you their life story if the plane ride is long enough. I sat next to one lady who started crying and told me how she was moving away from her boyfriend. One women told me ALL about her children and grandchildren. Another type of person is "the watcher". My roommate sat next to one of them once and they read over her shoulder everything she was reading. They look at your computer or your iPod. It makes you feel so self-conscious but you don't want to say anything because you'll be sitting next to the person for a few more hours and you don't want to make them angry. I feel as though it is okay to talk to the people next to you, I actually encourage exchanging names and basic information. It's weird sitting next to someone for hours and not even know their name. It's also okay to talk to them if they seem as though they wouldn't mind talking. However, if they whip out a book or headphones just let them be. Some people like the "alone time" they get while flying and don't want to be disturb. Recognize this and respect it. Peace out.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Awkward Status Updates

So we all have Facebooks and we all have those friends on Facebook who update their statuses at least three times a day and all of those updates somehow end up in our newsfeed. We basically know everything that is going on in their life. We know when they get up, shower, eat, do their homework, break up with their boyfriend, ect. This is just one awkward aspect of status updates. My advice here is to try and keep your personal life personal. No one really cares that you just ate a banana. Try to make sure your status has some substance to it. Another awkward aspect of statuses is when they have too much substance. They are super emotional. Usually the individual will quote a song or a poem that really emphasizes the sadness in their lives. For me, it seems as though these individuals are just looking for people to come to their pity party. If your upset, displaying your sadness on Facebook is not going to make life magically better. It just shows everyone else that you are sad and are looking for people to feel sorry for you. Try and make sure that while your status should have some legitimate substance it isn't expressing to everyone on the Internet your inner most feelings.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Awkward Texts

The growing world of technology has led me to write this blog post. Think about all the texts you sent today. Some were for merely informational purposes while others may have been flirty, witty texts. How was your spelling? Did you use any words in IM? Were any of the words wrong because it was in T9 and you forget to press the arrow to get to the next word? Did you use punctuation? Were you at one point trying to be sarcastic? Did you use any emoticons? The answers to these questions could lead to a variety of awkward situations. Wrong spelling could convey the wrong message. Sentences without punctuation is awkward to read. Sarcasm could be taken seriously. But I think the most awkward of these is the emoticons. Especially "the wink". My advice to all is to be very cautious when using "the wink". Only use it if you know the person really well and it is a joke (this same scenario can be applied to real life winks). I think winks used seriously are kinda creepy and unnecessary. Smiley faces are usually fine. I have never really encountered a situation where I felt the smiley face was inappropriate.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Awkward Acquaintance

So you know those individuals in your life that you know but aren't really good friends with. Yeah, those ones. At BYU they are most likely those ward members whose names who aren't so sure of but you sat next to them one time in sacrament meeting. You pass by them going to classes and are not sure whether or not you should say "hi." I know many people who feel very awkward when this happens. However, this is an easy situation to overcome. You should just say "hi." It is important to be friendly to others because you never know when someone is having a bad day. Be friendly and smile, you never know when you are going to brighten someone's day. I also try to throw their name into the mix if I know it. I heard that a person's favorite word to hear is their own name. Even if they don't know yours they will be flattered that you know theirs.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Awkward Hugs

Perhaps the most awkward thing about this blogpost is the variety in different kinds of hugs. You have the one-armed hug, the hug-back pat, the hug from the back, the tight hug, the weak hug, the hand hug, the "church hug", the bear hug, the lift-off-the-ground hug, the long hug, the short hug, and hugs which are variations of these types of hugs. So how do you know which hug to do and how long to do it for? For me, I try to follow the other person's lead (I highly suggest this if you are a girl, and if you are a boy then you should try to initiate the type of hug). I also think 5 seconds is a good hug time. It shows you care but aren't creepy. However, hugs of comfort are generally longer and should be ended by the person being hugged. Another good rule of thumb for hugs is to try and make every hug a good hug. Don't do the weak hug. What's the point of giving someone a hug if you aren't going to make it a good one. Hug everyone like you mean it.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Awkward Telephone Conversations

So I pretty much feel like the most awkward person on the telephone which makes me feel inadequate to try and give advice on how to make telephone conversations less awkward. However, first I would say to call someone when you actually have something to say to them. My little brother is awesome and I love him to pieces but sometimes he will call me and have nothing to say. He'll just sit there in silence and when I ask him questions he just says one-word answers. Another awkward part of telephone conversations is when they are ending. Have you ever been on the phone with someone and can't find a good way to end it and hang up? You are trying to find an excuse to end it but it finally just ends with an "Okay, bye." For this I have no good solution. Just embrace the awkwardness and laugh at it.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Awkward Makeovers

So you know when you see someone you know that has changed their look dramatically. You don't know if it was on purpose or a mistake so you don't know how to approach them. You don't know whether or not you should laugh with them about it or compliment them on it. I had this experience recently when a girl in my ward dyed her hair orange. I thought maybe something had gone wrong in the hair dying process, but I was mistaken. Not only was the new hair on purpose, but she loved it. It can be difficult to know how to approach a situation like this. I find that when it is someone you are not very close to words like "interesting", "unique", and "original" come to mind. You don't want to really lie about how you feel but you also don't want to hurt their feelings. However, if it a close friend then you should say something if you really think that it looks terrible. Don't be too rude and say "That looks horrible" but rather approach the subject with a "It's not my favorite look on you." They should get the hint and fix whatever is wrong.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Awkward "Guess Who!" Game

So you know that "guess who!" game that people play when they go behind you and then cover your eyes and say "guess who!" Well, my friend fell victim to that situation this evening and it was even more awkward because it was a guy she wasn't very good friends with and one that could be described as a "creep." He came up behind her and put his hands on her eyes. She thought it was one of her close friends, a very natural instinct. However, when she reached her hands up to feel the person's face it was unfamiliar territory. It felt stubbly and she became extremely uncomfortable. A nauseous feeling overcame her as she came to realize the person who was touching her face. I hope all can learn from this story. If you are not sure whether it is appropriate to play this game, then don't. It is uncomfortable when you don't really know the person. I think a good rule of thumb is to at least know the person's middle name before you go about touching their face.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Awkward Homework Assignment

So you know when teachers think they are super hilarious so they give you ridiculous homework assignments? Well, one of my teachers (who shall remain anonymous) gave us one of these assignments this past week. He told us that we needed to buy something for a stranger (such as a "coke") and give it to them, then we needed to blog about it. Thus, this is my experience with this homework assignment.

I went to Smith's in Provo with this assignment on my mind. I decided gum would be a good decision because mostly everyone loves gum and it is inexpensive. I was going to give it to this little boy but I thought that his mother wouldn't appreciate a stranger giving candy to her child. So then I saw this girl when I was walking out. She was alone and she looked kind of sad. I walked over and gave her the gum explaining the situation to her. She looked a little creeped out but she smiled at me and said "thanks." So this is my awkward homework assignment story.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Awkward Bitterness

So you probably have that friend who is constantly complaining about how horrible their life is. Everything in their life is always going wrong. They never have anything happy to say, but you feel like you can't abandon this person who feels so depressed all the time. You know you need to be a good friend and listen to their problems. I have friend like this. She calls me all the time to tell me how nothing good ever happens to her. I usually try to be more optimistic when I am talking to her. I try to help her see the silver lining in tough situations and point out the things that are going well.

A few weeks ago, she was complaining about how horrible this semester was going to be for her. All her friends had boyfriends and so she would have no one to hang out with and nothing to do ever. I told her that this just gave her more time to come visit me in Provo (she goes to school at BYU-I). However, her bitterness got the best of her at this point. She went on to say how much she hated Provo and all the people there. She said they all think they are better than everyone else. I then reminded that I live in Provo and I'm not that way. And she was like, "Yeah, okay. Whatever." I didn't know how to respond to this awkward situation. I really just came to realize it is important to try to help your friends see the goodness in their lives, but you can only take so much hostility from a person. The best way to deal with it is to just leave it alone and wait for their next phone call.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Awkward Blind Dates

So blind dates are really the definition of awkward. Two people who really don't know anything about each other set up by a mutual friend. At the beginning you are thinking that this other person must be really desperate if their friend is trying to set me up with them. But throughout the years, I have found that blind dates are good if you learn to have fun with them. There are some very "interesting" people in the world and you will probably be set up on a blind date with one of them. Just try to have fun and understand that it is only one night of your life. You are not going to die because a date was super awkward. Just think of it as a really good story to tell.

One of my friends went on a blind date last weekend. Throughout the entire date she called him Jonathon only to find out at the end of the date (by the mutual friend) that his name was really Jordan. For some reason no one wanted to correct her so she was just calling him the wrong name the whole date. This only intensifies the awkwardness of an awkward blind date. Don't feel bad about correcting someone about your name. Just think of how much awkward it would be if on your wedding day you had to tell them that they had been calling you the wrong name for months or years (or weeks if we are talking about BYU).

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Awkward Dancing

Now, I have met multiple people who won't go out dancing because they say they "can't dance." However, I find this very hard to believe. If you can walk, move your arms or head then you can dance. People simply just feel awkward dancing in front of others. I believe this awkwardness can be overcome. I think this can be ultimately overcome if you can see dancing as being fun. Although you might think that everyone is staring at you, they're not. They are really focusing on how they look to other people. Also, if you look confident and look like you are having fun, people won't care how you are dancing. They will wish that they can dance like you. Just don't be too crazy and flail your arms everywhere because that could result in an awkward injury which is a whole other discussion.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Awkward Waves

So you know when you are walking on campus and you see someone you know but they are kind of far away. You don't know whether or not to wave or to yell "hello" because you don't know if they will see or hear you. Plus, there are probably other people around and if the other person doesn't respond then it just looks like you aren't talking to anyone and it is just really awkward.

Well, I had this dilemma the other day. I saw a friend of mine far away but they didn't see me and they were on the phone. We were only like 50ish feet apart so I decided to go for the wave. I decided that a larger wave would probably be more successful because it would be easier to see. However, it was quite clear after a few wave motions that they couldn't see me so I decided that the next course of action was to make it less awkward. To do that I decided to turn my waving into a dance move for the obvious reason of making myself look really cool. I am not sure how many people saw the whole situation, but if they did then they were most certainly entertained.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Awkward Silences

Most people complain about awkward silences. However, I think that if you are truly good friends with someone then silences with them are never awkward. You should never feel as though you have to fill up the space when you are with friends. It is also okay to have silences when you are all doing something. I had a friend who kept bringing up the fact that we weren't talk a lot to one another while we were cooking together. I just felt that we were all preoccupied cooking and that her bringing that up made the situation awkward.

Also, I think that it is more awkward to break a silence than the silence itself. Most people when they break a silence say "So..." which I think makes the moment so awkward because you are acknowledging the silence and the fact that there is nothing really to say. People should only break silences when they actually have something legitimate to say. Otherwise, you are making a casual silence awkward.