i know that probably comes off as selfish and spoiled, but it was really more of a control issue. as mentioned, the premise of being in a room with all of these people, and having them pay all this attention to you....if you're an extrovert (and sarah is extraordinarily extroverted), that probably sounds great. if you're the kind of severely introverted person that i am, it's actually a kind of a hellish proposition - beyond a chore, but actually a sort of a nightmare. 

so, coming face to face with the reality of needing to deal with everybody i know on short notice....i couldn't deal with it, psychologically. it was too much. i shut down, and stormed off.