The Antisocial Extrovert

I used to be a lot more social. I went to parties. I threw big parties. I regularly had dinner out with gangs of friends – even as many as ten chums at a time.

No more though.

What happened? Eh, we moved out to the 'burbs. I lost my hearing (which made big group, party patter hard, if not impossible, to keep up with). I became laser focused on caring for The Amazing Bob. Oh yeah and I got older.

I believe I’ve turned into an antisocial extrovert. Yes. This is a thing now and it is moi.

I like to think of anti-social extroverts as shooting stars: For a few brilliant moments, we shoot across the sky in all of our splendor, annnnd then we're pretty much done-for until the end of time. Similarly, we will show up to exactly one of your parties, and we will be the life of it. …Hello, we are the anti-social extroverts, and we're here to be completely misunderstood. Nice to meet you. (source)

The post from Bustle doesn't describe me, ME, MEEEEEEE 100% but it’s really bloody close.

...canceling plans is basically like a drug high. Do we feel bad about it? A little. But it is nothing compared to the sweet adrenaline rush of the Plan Canceling High.

Yes. I've been known to experience giddy, Maui Wowie-ish thrills (relief) after bagging on a planned outing. √

Your favorite kind of interaction is the regular, predictable human kind

I wanna do what I’ve always done/what I know how to do. I wanna have dinner/hang out/chill with the same old, same old. New people can be a rush, a thrill and major league fun BUT they're also scary. √

You have a BLAST for the first hour after you show up somewhere

Group (defined as me + even one other person) social situations exhaust me EVEN WHEN I’M HAVING A GREAT TIME! I’m rad at mob-type events but it doesn't last. Just like the article says, after an hour I wanna book or hide or play with the cats or sit on the porch staring at the sky. I peak early and then I crash. √

You have to Irish goodbye every event you attend

AKA the French Goodbye. I’m there one minute and then *POOF* I’m not. OK, OK, as I’ve gotten older I’ve become someWHAT more civilized. Now, I’m more apt to Hey, that was fun. K. Bye. and then, before you've time to respond I'm all *POOF* gone. √

Your ideal hangout is with close friends in your own place, preferably in your pajamas

What’s my favorite place (besides my own crib)? Jen and Oni’s couch. In my jammies. I don’t gotta speak. I don’t gotta lipread. I can be with fellow humans without having to be actively sentient. On their coach, grunting is AOK. √

You talk the ears off of the people you love

I yap too much. I know this. Fer fuck’s sake, poor Jen hears about every itch, ache, pain, fear, sad, insecurity and annoyance (none too small to dissect and examine for hours on end) on a daily basis. (hourly if it’s the weekend) √

I think more than a few of my chums may be antisocial extroverts too. This’d explain why we’re tight even if we don’t see each other often. Hells bells, it occurs to me that my new potential squeeze, Sky, might be a fellow traveller. At the least, I think he gets me.

Lastly:

You really do love all of your friends
You just love them even more from a distance sometimes. Like alone in your room with the covers over your head and your phone on silent. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Heh. Me, I don’t need to put the phone on silent. Some days deafness is a feature not a bug.