Remembering Dumb Things That Seemed Smart at the Time

Sometimes I just love remembering really dumb things I did that seemed like really good ideas at the time. I usually am able to laugh. I especially love remembering the things I did to convince others I didn’t drink all that much.  I think this story is a classic reminder of just how clueless I was when I was drinking.

I was a few months out of college and just back from Italy where I’d studied Italian for a few months. I was now looking for my first job. I was rooming with two childhood friends in NYC.

My drinking was really escalating at the time. One night I really got into it with my friend – my best friend – and she confronted me about drinking.  I cried and blubbered. I cried so hard my eyes were swollen the next day, and all that crying meant more than the usual number of drinks, so I was really hung over and a bit shaky.

I had a job interview. Yikes.

Of course I couldn’t cancel the interview and say I was sick – I always made a point of keeping up appearances and that would have meant admitting I drank too much. I showed up, puffy eyes and all, and explained that I’d had an allergic reaction.  They asked me to take a typing test.  I was a little offended – my ego ugh – I got an Ivy League education only to have to show how fast I can type? But oh well, I type about 110 words a minute, so no biggie.

Except you try typing at any decent clip when you are a bit shaky and your eyes are almost swollen shut.

I think I did about 40 words a minute with 10 errors.

Needless to say the interview was over at that point. Even 25 years later I can clearly hear her say, "There’s really no point in continuing."

I called the agency that had gotten me the interview and they asked me, rather dumbfounded, why didn’t I call them to reschedule becuase I was sick.

Uh. Didn’t even occur to me. I HAD to show up. Cancelling would have sent a bad signal. Oh, so showing up looking hungover didn’t send a bad signal?

Seemed smart at the time.