happy st. patty's day!

so my girlfriend and i walk in the door after a good night of st. pattying, i sit down to unwind with some TV the interwebz and a beer, and i look up at the clock and i realize it's not even 1 AM. first thought: holy crap i'm getting old. second thought: wait a second, i started my celebrating at 4 PM. this brings me to quite the conundrum. while i'm quite proud of myself for celebrating my irishness despite the fact there's not a bit of irish in me, i am pretty disappointed that on the drinking night of all drinking nights i can't muster a night that stretches more than 45 minutes into the AM. while it may be quite easy to point a finger and say i am getting older and therefore less cool, i blame this night on a lack of planning. my original plan was to run some random errands during the day, and hang out at the house with a few beers while i wait for plans to be made for me. at the time it seemed like a wonderful idea; you know, drink a little, get some things done, have the night planned out for you. only problem was, apparently everyone else had the same idea. this is when i came to a personal realization, it's one thing to be open minded and accept whatever the night brings you, but when everyone is playing the 'open minded' card, it's probably best just to buck up and do what you want to do. not that i had a bad time, i enjoyed my green beer quite well, especially when topped off with waffle house to finish off the night (always a pleasant ending point). but i've found more and more lately that people are being more conscious of their surroundings and the people with which they socialize, not only does that mean a more inclusive time for all, but it just might mean the most indecisive night for everyone as well. while most people never want to be 'that guy' that drags everyone around by their coat tails while secretly everyone wants to be at home watching grey's anatomy, if you're the only one playing tour guide, chances are you have everyone's undivided attention. some groups already have a 'tour guide' character in place, others may select a character depending on the particular night, but if you're group goes out with a purpose but no one waving the red flag of courage, be ready for an evening full of "what do you feel like" "oh i don't care" it doesn't matter to me" "i'm good with whatever". now i am completely aware that most socially interactive groups are composed of people in leadership roles and those in more of a follower role, and it would be quite selfish to assume that the same person should lead the charge all the time, however to allow everyone accountability, the situation must be made open for those who typically find themselves in following roles to feel comfortable taking the reigns for a bit. while i realize that this responsiblity may rely more heavily on those in the leadership roles, it will probably be worth it to actively pass on control to a less participatory friend than to passively wander aimlessly around downtown while everyone complains about how cold and wet it is outside. no real point to this one, just some personal thoughts taken down to remember later.

good night to all and a happy st. patty's day.