These are all "weird flex" tales- moments of pride or an oddly presented compliment that were in anomalous situations, or unlikely manners.
All three happened after I had moved into my condo and was still young, but established at work.
The title comes from Anabelle referring to anything from my past she hasn't heard about as
"Dad Lore."
Here's the first
I was not one with a great familiarity concerning dating.
In fact this was the time period where I had my first steady girlfriend,
not counting my total inability to do that correctly in high school.
The woman I was dating definitely had the "party girl" mentality.
Her favorite place to hang out was the bars and clubs in Hoboken.
Reading the review guide to all of those locations, astonishing similarities could be found.
Most of them were simply- "Drunken co-eds"
Some had a little variety:
"Drunken co-eds, with jazz music"
"Drunken co-eds, with sports on wide screen TVs."
Her favorite was Bahama Mama...
"Drunken co-eds, with straw hats."
Her favorite past time in these places was dancing enthusiastically and sampling the beverages available.
From back to my college years, I had found places like this similar to visiting an alien planet. Having a stable job and a condo with a mortgage did not make my then current self image fit into them better.
My take on this relationship was to treat it like the first time waterskiing.
A) Hold on for dear life while unexpected and exciting things happen.
B) Enjoy the ride while it lasts.
C) Accept the inevitable and spectacular wipe out that will unquestionably occur at the ending.
One night in her favorite location, she took a break from dancing, and I took a break from standing near her and occasionally moving a bit while she was enjoying herself.
I went to the bar, and returned with our Coors Lights,
guaranteeing no impediment to her dancing,
no effect on my driving home in a few hours...
and no flavor.
When I arrived, a younger guy was talking to her.
He wasn't just talking to her, he was chatting her up.
I decided to be diplomatic, though I did puff up a bit on approach as befitting someone who still lifted regularly. (See the Second Dad Lore)
She introduced us,
"Jeff this is *insert long forgotten, and insignificant name of the little punk here*."
I said hello while handing her beer over and not smiling.
He seemed unmoved by the large mass advantage I had over him,
continuing to talk directly to her.
Then she said to me, "He's majoring in physics at Steven's, didn't you do something like that?"
Over the din of the music, I dropped my voice several octaves and stated,
"Yes, I have a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from RPI."
And somehow that nerdly power display had the desired effect.
He shrunk down significantly, squeaked,
"Wow, that's impressive," quickly excused himself and skulked away.
Aside-
Where did these stories come from?
I realized there were three strange victory tales I have told many times, but had never written down. They all had a similar time frame and overall weirdness about them, making for decent grouping.
Hey, two posts a week has to come from somewhere.
6 comments:
I'm glad this kind of thing doesn't happen to just me.I'm talking about people who should know what you studied and what you do, just not coming close.
To add another layer to that, my date was a former co worker.
Then again, everyone else in my department was (and pretty much still is) a biomedical engneer.
Thanx for joining in.
I have been in similar situations in a bar with a female friend/co-worker like you were. However, I was not as intimidating as you were when you explained you graduated from RPI with a degree in mechanical engineering. My degree in Physical Education never scared anybody off. Maybe somewhere down the line I could hang around with you more often so you could give me to some tips on how to be a “STUD” like you.
I have never been a stud. I think detailing my degree made him fully notice I was there, then the fact that I'm a large fur bearing mammal took over.
Thanx for joining in!
Omg I can totally picture exactly how you stated you have a masters in mechanical engineering. I also loved the funny visuals of the two of you on the dance floor!
Thank you.
Rosa and I on the dance floor are exactly like this as well.
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