Thursday, January 29, 2009

MWP (Most Worthwhile Person)

On Sunday I read a Craigslist that, for once, actually sounded promising. See for yourself:

PHILIP GLASS IN FEBRUARY. MY TREAT, WHO WANTS TO GO? - 23

Who would like to go to Philip Glass on Feb. 16th? My treat, would be nice having company to enjoy the performance with. I'm a normal guy, young professional, enjoy hanging out with all kinds of people. Your pic gets mine.

Now, for those of you who don't me (or, perhaps, even those of you who do), I really like Philip Glass. I'm not a Glass junkie, but I've heard my fair share. However, I've never heard any of his pieces live. Some of you may be thinking, "She just wrote that post about not wanting to date someone younger than her, so why is she considering this one?" I guess my answer to that is: It's Philip Glass, someone else would be paying for my ticket, and I'd get to meet someone new.

I responded and have exchanged a couple e-mails with the guy (let's call him Ken), but last I heard from him he said:

Not sure about the concert yet, you definitely sound like the most worthwhile person to talk to about the music. Regardless, it would be fun to meet up for coffee or a drink sometime to discuss music and other random things. Not often get to meet an SF native.

I told him to keep me posted on the concert and that I'd still be up for coffee regardless, but now I'm wondering if that was the right thing to say. If I'm the "most worthwhile," why isn't he sure that I should be the one to accompany him? Should I keep in touch with guy? Or is the MWP comment more offensive than I originally read it?

At least I know I can ignore this guy:

ARE YOU A HOT MESS? ME TOO!

So I am a very energy passionate fellow who is chipper and full of good cheer however I can honestly say I am one of the most complicated men you'll ever meet in terms of richness, texture, depth, and various shades of color.

I tend to view life in a kaleidoscopic wide angle lens and have a fascination in the interesting often overlooked mundane parts of our existence. I can delight in the absurd and dabble in the ridiculous and would love to share my slightly askew and yet perfectly sane perspective observations and adventures.

If you are even slightly intrigued and wish to learn more or just share a few thoughts of your own I invite your response.

3 comments:

Superquail said...

The fact that the guy said you were the most worthwhile person but then did say if he was sure if you were the one he'd choose for the concert is WAY confusing. If nothing else, it shows that the man seriously lacks tact. It might be flattering that he is suddenly innundated with ladies interested in spending an evening with him, and my guess is that at least one of them has hinted at some kind of sexual escapade (this is Craig's List, after all) and perhaps that's what he's really looking for.

If the guy doesn't end up choosing you to go with him to the concert but still wants to do coffee sometime or whatever, I would encourage you to let him know that you found his comments confusing and possibly offensive.

One of things I really can't stand is when people think that "so long as they are being honest" they can forgo being kind. When you call them on their shit they're all, "What? I was just telling the truth!" It's like how my mother felt compelled to mention to me that my friend Hannah was fat every time she saw the poor kid. Why is this relevant? She is also clever, but my mother never seemed to think that was worth reiteration.

This guy seems to think that it is important to be honest by telling you that he is considering other candidates who are (somehow) more likely than you to win the ticket, as it were. Yet he clearly never thought how this would make you feel, or if he did, he didn't care. Either one is not such a great sign.

I am probably reading way too much into this. Let us know how it goes!

Ily said...

I'm not totally sure what happened there-- he said you were the most worthwhile person, but he was still deciding whether or not to invite you to the concert?
I'm not sure if that should be offensive, but if it is, meeting him and telling him that might not be the best use of your time. But yeah, let us know how it turns out.
Anyway, it's weird to say you're "normal". That's something you should show by description, in my opinion.

Fellmama said...

I'm with you, SQ. The way he phrased that is just . . . unnecessarily tactless, y'know? And what does "most worthwhile" even mean? Does it mean that he thinks you're the best-educated about music of all the potential prospects and therefore the most likely to be an entertaining and educational companion? Does it mean that he thinks you'd enjoy the concert most (which would be compliment, but clumsily phrased)? Seriously, dude.