Social Insects (Imported Blog)

flutterbutter n. a social creature that has the attention span of a gnat; constantly seen flitting from group to group, person to person, or topic to topic.

Speaking of nickames given to us by friends or ourselves, this one comes from a good friend of mine who decided that this would be the perfect word to describe me. As she likes to say, "fly, fly, fly away, flutterbutter" (and yes, she actually does say that; and yes, it actually sounds kinda sing-songy; and yes, it is funny, amusing, but sometimes kind of weird).

I am not saying that I never pay attention; I am just saying that you put me in a social situation (say a party or school), and I suddenly can't focus long enough to have a one track mind. At my old university, getting to class became a thirty minute ordeal by my junior year. A mixture of social gregariousness and a smallish college meant that a five minute trek from one end of campus to the other (told you it was smallish) became longer, especially if timed right (i.e. when everyone else was getting out of - or going to - class).

What could take so long, you say? Well, I never can just say hello when I see someone I know. Normally, my greetings involve hugs and a little information gathering ("hey, how's it been?"), and that can propel you into conversations ranging from a minute minute (think about it) to - well, a missed class. And part of the habits of the flutterbutter is the inability to constrain those types of social inclinations.

But of course, things are different at my new school. While I may be a grad student, and potentially older and wiser, I still do the flutterbutter thing. I seem to be one of the few people who can make friends outside of their division, and I still manage to come in and tell wild tales (yes, alcohol is often involved, but that is just social lubricant for a flutterbutter: always good, but not required!). People say that if you barely listen on a noisy day, you can hear my laughter echoing through the halls.

How to tell if you are a flutterbutter too:- does it seem like you know alot of people, but none of them really well?
- do you have a hard time remembering the last complete conversation you had?
- are large groups a challenge because it means more opportunites to be distracted?
- do you have a winsome way with service providers (bartenders, cab drivers, waiters, whatever)?
- do you play hostess at many parties, even ones that are not you own?

If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, you too may be a flutterbutter. I would suggest starting a support group, but - oh, bright shiny object