First Impressionists

A new semester has once again begun, and after nearly a week, I still feel like I'm catching up with people after the break, or at least the few people I actually talk to on a semi-regular basis. Finals and the the break plus changing schedules mean that there are people I talk to in class or just around on a regular basis who I haven't seen in the better part of a month, some of whom, like the people I talked to in physics last year and then my engineering classes last semester, I will probably not have classes with again because of changing majors. I wasn't particularly close with any of those people, but it was nice to have people to talk to in class, because then I don't go entire days at a time without talking to anyone.

I ran into [Nice Vest] and [The Cool CA] tonight and talked to them for a bit, which was nice, because I really don't see them enough, even though I live in the same building as [The Cool CA]. During the course of our conversation, [Nice Vest] told me that the first time she really remembers meeting me, she thought I was a total bitch because I wasn't a fan of our floor being Lord of the Rings themed for the Spring semester last year, which was mostly her idea because she's a huge LotR nerd.

It is true that I don't enjoy Tolkien's work other than The Hobbit all the much, in both book and movie form, but I have read the books and attempted to stay awake through the movies. I have a lot of respect for them, and I can understand why people like them, I just don't. I've never been much of a fan of fantasy, and I don't find Tolkien particularly readable. That being said, as an avid nerd myself, I get annoyed that people tend to get offended, or are surprised, when then learn that I'm not a LotR fan. I have my opinion, and I don't think the books are bad, I just don't like them, and I respect the opinions of people who like them, so I don't appreciate it when people automatically assume that I am attacking them by not enjoying them. I respect your opinion, and as such, I expect my opinion to be respected in return. Just because you love something doesn't mean I have to also.

According to Google, this is what pretentious people look like

All ranting aside, this is not the first time I have failed to make a good first impression on someone who I later became friends with. In fact, it seems to have become a somewhat disturbing trend lately. I know for a fact that [Fuckin' Magnets] thought I was 'the most pretentious person ever' for a while after we met, although I do have to admit it was over a game of trivial pursuit which does tend to bring out my know it all side. And [Type A, Likes Baseball] admitted to hating me for the majority of the fall semester last year because I sat next to her in Calc and was 'pretentious in calc' although I don't think knowing the answer in class counts as pretentious. Now it's become kind of a thing for my friends to refer to me as pretentious, which I don't think I am really. I'll admit that I'm a smart ass, and that I have a tendency to correct people, argue semantics, and speak with authority about things I know nothing about, but I don't think any of that counts as pretentious. I never assume that I'm smarter or better than anyone, and I know I'm usually not the smartest person in the room. I know that my friends aren't being mean, and they don't really mean it, but I'm starting to get tired of hearing it from some people.

Anyways, tangents aside, it seems that I have a first impression problem. I know that I'm more reserved when I first meet people, and for some reason the more guarded I am the more I feel the need to correct people. I'm also not the type to make friends right away. It takes me some time to get comfortable with people enough to start spending time with them. I met all of my current friends at the beginning of last year when we all moved into the dorms, but I didn't start hanging out with them until at least a month into the Spring semester, and even then it took me a couple of weeks of just hanging around the lounge doing homework, which is where they always were, before I felt like part of the group at all. This probably makes me seem aloof and distance or something like that, which isn't the best for first impressions, but it's really just that I'm scared to talk to people.

This may be one of the reasons why I have problems meeting people, because apparently people don't like me at first. But I swear I'm not a bitch or really pretentious (at least I don't think so; please let me know if I am) and I don't hate you. I'm just socially awkward and I don't know what to say, especially if I'm in a large group of strangers who all seem to have no trouble meeting people. So, if you ever see me standing in a corner looking uncomfortable in a social setting, come talk to me about X-Men or redheads or anything really, and if you walk away thinking that I hate you, I probably don't, in fact, you probably just made my day.