I'd been gradually coming to terms with my sexuality and being attracted to other women for a while, and was ready to take the next step and start exploring it. There's an LGBT club nearby that had a decent reputation, and they do this thing where they cater to men one weekend and women the next. They're not barring folks at the door or anything, it's just that one weekend is "guys night" and the next is "girls night" etc. So it took me a couple months researching it and trying to gather up my courage, and finally I was ready to pull the trigger. Got a new dress, hair done, makeup on point, the whole nine yards, pushed down the butterflies in my stomach, and stepped out into the unknown.

I had the wrong weekend, the club was full of gay guys.

I found out later that they'd had a club party or something a couple weeks before, and that had thrown off the rotation and I hadn't caught the change. I was like a deer caught in the headlights, didn't have a clue what to do. I figured I'd nurse a drink for a little while then run back home and try to stay out of everyone's way until then.

Fortunately, this really nice older guy and his boyfriend noticed me (he must've seen the panicked look in my face) and they invited me to sit with them and some friends. They were super nice and supportive, and they really made me feel welcome, I ended up getting much more comfortable and having a fun night. They encouraged me to come back the next weekend for girls night like I'd planned, I don't know if I would've if I hadn't met them, and that next weekend I ended up meeting the girl who I'm now in a relationship with, so it all has a happy ending!

But that first hour or so was for sure the most awkward of my entire 2023 without question!

I had this random surprise meeting that turned out to be with all of the managers. It was like the scene from Office Space where they're asking what it is you do around here. Because they seemed nervous and uncomfortable it was extra awkward, and because it was a surprise and I do a lot of different things, I really wasn't prepared to dig through it all with an audience of managers in an organized or coherent way. All around it was a ridiculous experience that should have been an email instead of a very unpleasant meeting.

Someone in a gathering called for a moment of silence for the victims of the Canadian wildfires, and suddenly, in the silence, all people can hear is the Little Inferno theme song quietly playing on my closed ipad.

She was probably as anxious and playing it cool.