By Avery Whitman
For The Daily Athenaeum
After a long week of walks to class and hour-long lectures, the weekend feels like a reward. The moment I leave class on Friday, my mood lifts. An evening out is like a clean slate, a chance to meet new people, dress up and dance with my friends.
But it is no secret that I am always the last one out the door. Yes, I like to take my time doing my makeup and styling my hair, but that isn’t the whole truth as to why I always seem to be running late.
Honestly, I have always believed the pregame is far more fun than the actual event. I’d rather catch up with friends and compete in cup pong tournaments than wait in long lines for a crowded bar.
The process of getting ready is not just something that I do in preparation for the night. It is what makes the night feel so free.
There is a certain routine to evenings like this. My room turns into a revolving door of roommates coming in to borrow a shirt, ask for advice or change their outfit for the third time. And, of course, there is always music.
The playlist often starts quiet; just background music as we are all getting ready. But by the end of the night, the volume inexplicably reaches the max, and everyone begs me to put their favorite songs on queue.
There are always a few songs that make everyone stop what they are doing and sing along. For my roommates and me, it’s “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, arguably one of the most overplayed college songs, but a classic, nonetheless. When I see the grin on my roommate’s face as she adds it to the queue, it becomes difficult to remember that we are supposedly getting ready to leave.
Hosting, or going to a friend’s house, is the biggest contribution to my love of the pregame. There is no better feeling than laughing with roommates and having a random conversation in the kitchen with someone you haven’t seen in a while.
With everyone together in one tiny living room, it’s hard to even care when we actually leave.
That is probably why I have never understood why people rush the pregame. The makeup, outfit changes and silly conversations with friends are what make the night feel like it’s approaching. By the time that I finally lock the door, we have spent hours in each other’s presence (and probably taking far too many pictures).
Social media has only made these rituals feel more like an event. The popular trend of “get ready with me” videos has turned something personal into entertainment. We watch people get ready as they do their makeup and talk about where they are going.
It seems like the anticipation of the event is more enticing than the actual function itself, and I think that’s because it actually is.
Getting ready is comforting to me. You don’t have to worry about how packed the bar may be or if you will run into someone you don’t want to see. You’re just completely in the moment, surrounded by the people you care about while enjoying the promise of the night that’s approaching.
We spend so much time trying to get out the door that we forget to savor the process of getting there. I think that the hope of what is to come is actually more fun than when it actually does.
It is the part of the night where everyone is together, nobody has disappeared into a crowd yet and the possibilities still feel endless. When I look back on these nights we spent together, I’ll always remember the “waiting period” rather than the event itself.
So next time I seem like I am taking too long to get out the door, don’t rush me or assume that I am running behind. Maybe the party has just already started for me.
Read more from The Daily Athenaeum, here.
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