i had no way of getting out of it. the mandatory employee bowling party at my new place of employment (probably topped the charts on my long list of alienating experiences. i did not bowl, but i learned the hard lesson that if you don’t bowl at these things, then you are expected to banter, which makes me realize i am a much better bowler, which i didn’t think of at the time.)

when i arrived at the bowling alley, the company’s HR person asked me to sign in, and then wait in line with other employees to meet this bald, jolly looking white man who i guess is now the company’s biggest investor. i introduced myself to him and he asked me some questions about my background, which I attempted to answer but i could tell he couldn’t hear a single word i was saying. the music blaring so loudly, my voice could not amplify above it. which was another excuse not to banter.

i think my voice is still not quite there yet after my surgery… although I notice that when i am talking to myself, i am talking a bit louder. i am not sure if anyone else notices any difference just yet.

i did manage to start one conversation with this guy who teaches either animation or digital fx or something like that. i would not know the difference. when i asked him about his work, he told me that he had just finished his first feature film. And I said, “cool!” He went on to tell me that it was a Christian film, something to do with the new testament. He also goes to these Meet-Ups with other Christian media artists from time to time. I nodded my head. Then he asked if I was a Christian. I said, “no.” (awkward pause). Then he asked if I was agnostic. I have this fault of giving out too much information to the wrong people and for some reason I told him that i am agnostic but culturally Jewish. After another pause, he replied, “So you are one of God’s chosen people?” I think I said that I wasn’t sure if God would think of me as his ideal choice, but whatever i said was drowned out by the bowling noise, techno music and a multitude of flat screen tv’s.

i probably should not have written about this conversation in my blog because i know i will have a sudden rash of “likes” from Christian bloggers who might see my blog as a form of salvation.

Oy.