...
The other day I woke up and thought it was the 31st of January...

I spent the entire day writing 31st Jan on every piece of work i did...

It was only later when i realised that in fact it was the 1st of February...

That's what i get for mixing dates...

edit: i've read the question wrong haven't I?

P.S. This is the kind of quality answer you can expect... I love the QOTW as much as anyone and wish i had the talent that some of the regulars have for storytelling, but WTF can you do with a question like this...

Instead i'm going to relate one of my most embarrassing moments:

As a wee nipper in Primary School i was excited to soon be moving to "bigger school"... Here i would be cool and popular...

As part of the introduction to Secondary School life we would spend one day there to see what it was like, meet a few of the teachers and generally see the kind of people we would be spending the next 4 or 6 years with...

This particular year the school decided to try something new and thought that as it was in the Forest of Dean then a themed day centred around the local history would be a good idea.

Letters were sent out to all of the pupils who would attend informing them of the days events; a tour of the school and a few introductory sessions in the morning, followed by a bit of role playing theatrics in the afternoon. Historical costumes were optional.

I had always been an enthusiastic child and took the possibility of dressing up as a great opportunity to display to one and all my ability to make a costume out of nothing, and so I set to with great relish...

Out of some old clothing I constructed an outfit that Oliver Twist would be proud of...

Ragged trousers, ripped and torn off at the knees, overly large shirt (courtesy of my dad), and a classy knitted tank top that could well have come from the 1900's, all topped off with coal dust from the fire over my skinny legs and face... I was the epitomy of a child miner... I thought I was the mutts nuts...

The intro day rolls around, I'm late for the school bus as I took too long to get ready, so my mum drops me off (never a good start in school).

I saunter into the school hall where the initial meet and greet was to happen, swaggering my way through the crowds oblivious to the sniggering and staring, obviously they were jealous of my astounding costume making abilities...

It started to dawn on me then. I was the only one wearing something different to a school uniform...

In front of 200 other kids my age...

On my own...

My friends couldn't even look at me, let alone acknowledge my pleading and terrified stares, i was a pariah to all who knew me...

The day didn't get any better. At least while i was wandering around on the tours and stuff i could hide in the crowds. It wasn't until lunchtime when news of the so-called "odd kid" had got around school that i found myself stood in the middle of potentially the entire school (around 1200 people at that time i believe) pointing, laughing and taunting, how the hell I didn't get kicked shitless i'll never know...

Suffice to say i made it through the day and when i finally got home burst into tears and swore to my parents that I would never go back to Primary school let alone Secondary school...

..........

Epilogue

To sum up, my parents kicked up a HUGE fuss, the story was in the local paper, I got a written apology from the school, and I learnt that my real friends didn't give a crap about what i looked like, just who i was.

I did go back to school, and even attended that secondary school. It was easier than i thought it would be to see the same people who had ridiculed me again, but apart from the odd cunt here and there, most people were willing to forget anything had happened...

It definately had a profound effect on me, and even now when entering new situations and meeting new people i start to sweat and the nerves take over, but i've learnt to control it and now use the story to break the ice.

Being embarrassed can be one of the worst feelings, you just want the world to swallow you up, but if you stick it out and refuse to give in, then you tend to come out stronger because of it.

I've managed to bore myself just writing this, so if you're still with it, thanks for reading...

I'm off to the pub now, i need a pint after that...
(Nuclear Ninja like a radioactive Chuck Norris..., Thu 7 Feb 2008, 15:39, 2 replies)

That sounds awfull!
Think i'd have run away come lunch time. Didint being in the paper make it worse though?

Anyway, great story. Always nice to have a moral at the end.
( Gooddeed89, Thu 7 Feb 2008, 16:48, closed)

by moral
do you mean going to the pub?

if so, i agree
(kris kringle I only posted this message to find out the date on, Fri 8 Feb 2008, 1:39, closed)