Happy Birthday

Started by Hannah B.
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Gloria

Thanks Zach, and Matthew! Itmwas awesome meeting you guys at Nats last year…. :D. Now I really need to make it this year! :p

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M27

Happy (late) Birthday, Gloria! I hope that you had a wonderful day! It was great meeting you at Nationals, and I hope to see you again in less than eight months! ;)

Happy Birthday, Sarah! Have a good time in Malaysia!

Happy (early) Birthday, Hannah! If you're the Hannah that I think you are ;), I enjoyed meeting you at Nationals and getting to spend some time with you. Have a good birthday!

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Gloria

Thanks Cory and Anna! Hopefully I can see y'all again at Nats!

Happy ^slightly late^ birthday Sarah! :D

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ZachB

Thanks Zach, and Matthew! Itmwas awesome meeting you guys at Nats last year.... :D. Now I really need to make it this year! :p

Of course! STUDY HARD! ;D

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Gloria

Thanks Zach, and Matthew! Itmwas awesome meeting you guys at Nats last year.... :D. Now I really need to make it this year! :p
Of course! STUDY HARD! ;D

I will! And am trying to get my school work done now so i can go! lol. :p

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M27

Happy 17th Birthday, Dani!!! I enjoyed getting to spend more time with you at Game Show, and I'm looking forward to seeing you in November (Lord willing)! Your love for the Lord and your family is an encouragement to me! Have a great day! :)

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Gloria

Happy birthday Dani! It was great meeting you at Nats., and learning Dutch Blitz.. :p Anyways, Hopefully we can see each other again this year!

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ZachB

Happy birthday Dani! Hopefully you come on here and see that us Memversers didn't forget your birthday! ;)

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Mommy's Helper

Happy birthday Dani! Hopefully you come on here and see that *we* Memversers didn't forget your birthday! ;)

Notice the grammar change? ;P

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Emily H

Happy birthday, Dani! Thanks for being such an awesome friend and sister in Christ. Press on!

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M27

Happy belated Birthday, Bella and Kenzie! I'm thankful for your friendship! ^And even though I didn't post about it on here, I didn't forget it :)^

Happy (late) Birthday, Emma! I hope that you had a great day! I hope that I can meet you someday! :)

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Gloria

oh Happy b-day Bella! :) I wish i hadn't been so shy at Nats to not introduce myself… :( :p I keep thinking i should, but i didn't… :(

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Joshua S

Socializing
For those of us with introverted personalities, socialization may be difficult. Socialization carries the inherent risk of something called awkwardness. Awkwardness is a feeling of discomfort that causes the desire to run away into one's room and hide under the blankets. Other symptoms include sweating, nausea, and failure to correctly articulate words. However, do not despair. By following these six simple steps, you can minimize the risk of awkwardness when socializing.

Step 1 – Finding a Suitable Location
The first step in socializing is finding the appropriate location in which to socialize. Extensive research has show that you are 99.99934% more likely to make friends when you are in an area with other people than when you are alone in your room. Under most circumstances, you will want to find a place where there are other people. Solitude generally discourages socialization. Apart from that, there are several other considerations to take into account. For example, locations that contain biological hazards are usually not considered appropriate for socialization.

Step 2 – Establishing Cover
After you enter your chosen location, what you do in the first few moments is crucial! If someone notices that you standing around doing nothing, they may try to engage you in a conversation before you are appropriately prepared! Causally engaging yourself in an activity is one way to keep this from happening. One such common activity is to pretend you are going somewhere, when in reality you are just wandering around aimlessly. This method must be used with caution, however, because people may start to notice you if you pass the same place more than once. Other methods include pretending to study, pretending to admire the scenery, pretending to read a random sign, pretending to tie your shoe, and pretending to rest on a chair or bench. Those who have siblings may also bring them along and pretend to enjoy talking to them.

Step 3 – Choosing a Victim
Once your cover has been established, you may begin looking for a victim. Be sure to be discrete. Making eye contact with someone before you are ready can lead to awkwardness! Should this happen, do not panic. Smile briefly and then pretend you were looking at something else in the vicinity. It is best to chose victims who are alone. Injecting yourself into a group of people may be considered rude and can lead to awkwardness. You should also make sure that the victim is not engaged in any significant activity, because interrupting someone engaged in an activity may make that person annoyed and can also lead to awkwardness.

Step 4 – Moving In
Once you have selected a victim, strategically maneuver yourself within striking distance. When you are close enough, make eye contact with the victim, smile, and walk confidentially toward your victim. Make sure you are close to the victim before you attempt this! After eye contact is made, taking too long to reach the victim can lead to awkwardness. Once you have reached your victim, reach out your right hand and say, “Hello, my name is [insert your name here].” Make sure that you use your right hand! That is the socially accepted convention. Reaching out with the wrong hand can cause you to hesitate and completely ruin your handshake. This, obviously, may lead to awkwardness and must be avoided at all costs! As you approach your victim, remind yourself which hand is your right so that you will be ready.

Step 5 – Preparing for the Worst
The key to successfully avoiding awkwardness is to be prepared for any situation. Once you have stated your name, the victim should respond by stating his or her name. However, if the victim fails to respond, you must be prepared to ask, “What is your name?” before the situation becomes awkward. After names are exchanged, you must be prepared to continue the conversation. However, occasionally you will accidentally choose a victim who is not able to stay. This can lead to extreme awkwardness! If a victim says that he or she must be leaving soon, or if you sense that the victim does not want to continue the conversation, you must be prepared to make a quick exit. The best way to do this is to say, “Well, it was nice to meet you,” and then walk away. You should have your retreat planned beforehand. You must not let your former victim see that you have nothing else to do. Going back to your cover activity is one way to retreat, but circumstances may require something else. Another option is to pick several victims beforehand, and to go straight to the next one should you fail to engage the first.

Step 6 – Engaging Your Victim
If you sense that your victim is willing to carry on a conversation, you may then engage your victim. The best way to do this, is to ask your victim questions. You should have several questions prepared beforehand. You should be aware of your social context when formulating questions. For example, if you are at an event, questions relating to that event work well. Other possible questions include, “What is your favorite topic in school?”; “Do you have any hobbies?”; “From where are you?” (commonly stated incorrectly as “Where are you from?”); and, “What color is your toothbrush?” Once the conversation dies down, you may disengage by following the retreat procedure set out in step five.

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Matthew Minica

Happy belated birthday, Bella, Kenzie, and gasp Dani! ^I should really post birthday wishes the first time I get on here and remember it's someone's birthday… xP^

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Gloria

Thank you! :) Aw, that's okay! I wish I'd introduced myself! :(

Yeah I would see you (or your sister… O.O) And Then i would think, ok i will later… ^I'm such a introvert…^ xP

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Joshua S

Now if you come to the Bible Bee nationals and see me acting weird, you'll know what I'm doing.

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Gloria

Now if you come to the Bible Bee nationals and see me acting weird, you'll know what I'm doing.

Yup! I might to that too… xP

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