Tomorrow, I'm attending a "personality party" thrown by my friend Nathan. It's where you are randomly given a personality description (long before the party) and then you come to the party - completely in character, which you cannot break out of.

Here's my "personality":

BART ABBOTT - AGE 17
"Bart is a lazy punkster from New York City. He doesn't like people to know that his parents are rich, and he was brought up in a mansion. He tends to lie and tell tales of life on the street. None of it is true. You actually learned to play guitar at Christian camp, and you pout if food is not cooked to perfection. You are attending the party to meet a girl. YOUR MISSION: Write a punk rock poem and give it to someone who clicks with you."

I'll be going to the party after No Shame. It should be fun. One of the neatest parts is that I have to dress for the character. I'm thinking about wearing a ripped shirt (held together by safety pins) with "You Are a Commodity" written across it in black Magic Marker. Tight jeans and spiked hair will also be included. And oh yeah... I'll keep mispronouncing "underground" punk bands.

Another neat thing is that my older sister is played by Michele. We've got this dynamic worked out - where she's always calling me on my faux-punk 'tude in front of others. "What're you doing? Who are you trying to impress?" And I get embarassed and angered by her. The added level though (developed by Michele) is this tension of "If your brother bothers you so much, why do you follow him around all the time, making fun of him?" Cuz making fun of her brother gets her by, you see?

"Personality parties" reveal truths about human behavior.

See you there!