Pick a Team, It Needs You

Yesterday, when my friend Rachel asked if I wanted to go to a game night with some of her friends, I reluctantly joined in the so-called fun.  If I haven't mentioned it already, I kind of hate games.  I'm an only child, which means I'm not good at sharing or losing.  I am, however, good at staying in on Friday nights and watching romantic comedies with a bowl of popcorn and some peanut butter M&Ms.  I'm a little too good at it, actually, which is why I decided to live on the edge and play Pictionary with some strangers.  I may have also been swayed by the possibility that some of those strangers might be male and cute.

So, after work, I took Layla for a quick trot around the pond, spent about thirty minutes picking out which v-neck t-shirt I would wear with my rolled-up jeans and boat shoes (If anyone ever recorded my life, the beginning of each show would be very reminiscent of Mr. Rogers' wardrobe change from one cardigan to another), and headed to a little house in the big city.  After mingling with the group for a bit, we finally got down to business.  Two team captains were chosen, and then I relived the worst of my elementary school experiences as one by one, the rest of us were selected to teams.  Suddenly, I was back in third grade, standing in a gym that smelled like feet and had the constant sound of a buzzer ringing dimly in the background.  I was looking intensely at Matt Bruisee, praying that he would pick me for his kickball team.  I stood tall, trying to make myself look strong and coordinated and athletic...and maybe even confident enough to not care if I was chosen last.

When I finally reigned my thoughts back in, I tried to apply the same strategy to the Pictionary picking process.  But how exactly do you subtly convey to someone that you have what it takes to draw a decent sketch of "tiger by the tail" and to quickly and correctly guess that the messy scribble that your teammate has drawn is in fact "three blind mice"?  I apparently did not adopt whatever stance or facial expression that requires, because I was definitely chosen second to last.  And even then, it was because when the team captains said, "That's everyone, right?" the only two people to raise their hands in protest were me and a guy who had made numerous comments about smelling the markers.

I showed them though.  Who was the only one to have her team guess all five phrases in under a minute?  That would be Miss Second-to-Last!  And what is her prize?  A much deserved Saturday night in with her dog, her stellar movie collection, and her first two choices for any team - Ben and Jerry.

P.S. 23 cool points if the title sounds familiar!