Cranes in the Antwerp docklands

I nearly got my head kicked in taking pictures this weekend in Antwerp. I escaped with a few bruises, mainly to my ego. I don’t want to go into the whole sordid tale, but the moral of the story is: ask people’s permission before you take their picture in the street.

Or, you know, stick to lovely, peaceful cranes.

Caterina’s party was very strange for me, but in a good way. I had been slightly apprehensive since I didn’t know anybody else invited, and was slightly in awe of their collective resumes.

It’s not unusual for me to either avoid parties or end up not talking to anyone and leave early. I haven’t mastered the art of small talk and I’m sure I give off a negative vibe, because people rarely approach me and I’m too shy (or too uninterested) to approach anyone. Usually I find within minutes there is nothing left to say or ask.

However, at Wednesday evening’s gettogether I ended up talking to several people about various subjects: geek stuff (including a Bluetooth session), photography stuff, history, food, language, dutch media, etc. I enjoyed listening as much as talking. People were engaging and friendly.

When it was time for me to go home (work awaited in the morning) I wasn’t ready. I wanted to talk to more of the guests. I was sorry I didn’t get to talk to everyone. It was an extraordinary feeling, something I hadn’t experienced since college.

I’m not sure what conclusion to draw from this experience. Apparently, I’m not the lost cause I thought I was. Have I been going to the wrong parties? Should I seek out other social circles?

It’s all encouraging. Maybe I should put that option on a hermit’s life on hold. Now all I need is for people like Caterina to come over and throw more parties.