[Blarg]

For me, it would be neither. More like, at least thinking to myself and not necessarily saying it, So who's going to be at the party? Where's it going to be -- somewhere fun? Formal type party or relaxed? Super-crowded or small? Am I more or less stag, or will there be other friends to talk to if everybody's just too busy to be bothered talking to me. (I hate to socially monopolize the person that invited me; if I start doing that, it's time to go home.)

Then I'd just judge on how I felt at the time. I won't go to every party, but I like going to some. However, I really like going to parties with my own transpo, because I usually know within 15 minutes or less whether I want to be around anymore. I can get bored really fast if I go to a party and everyone is just closed off.

If I had to pick a label, I'd say introvert. But these things can be tricky. For instance one of my brothers used to be the world's biggest extrovert and a booming personality; he would pwn any room he walked into with his energy and brash charm. I on the other hand was often quiet, but given to bursts of loudness; whatever charms I had wouldn't leap out and win over a room the way my brother's could.

These days, he's not as good a people person in many ways, which seems strange to me, because he's very successful and well-respected and works in a great job that has a lot of people respecting him even more and hanging on every word. Yet he seems to have lost some of his flare somehow. I didn't even notice this at first until new people I met told me they didn't think he was as dynamic as I've always thought of him. This took a while to really sink in. At the same time, some other people who used to think of me in a way I thought very one-sided at the time, as way too quiet, regard me now as much more of a crowd pleaser these days. And I think that is probably overstating things, too.

Anyway, it seems that these things can be in flux and even to the same people regarding someone, turn right around into their polar opposites.

I guess the truth is that whether a person is outgoing or not is just a really variable thing. Definitely not fully descriptive or a life sentence.