I asked my piano teacher to get coffee. Slightly after the fact I'm second guessing myself a bit.
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posted by mermily
on May 27, 2013 -
20 answers
I may have jumped the gun a bit in promising a friend that they could attend a writing workshop group we are starting. How should I navigate the resulting trickiness without marring any relationships?
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posted by deathpanels
on May 9, 2013 -
10 answers
I just took a new job, which starts in two weeks. Upon accepting the job, I asked for a day off on June 7th, which is the day before my friend's wedding (in which I'm sort of a bridesmaid). I'd already gotten that day off with my current employer. This was fine with the new job. Now, I've realized that to make it to the bachelorette party, I will have to leave early on May 17th too... on my third day of work. How and when do I bring this up? Can I, even?
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posted by showbiz_liz
on Apr 30, 2013 -
21 answers
Got an email from someone I dated very briefly, some time ago, which unsettled me. I have not replied, and don't want to, but I still feel somewhat guilty about ignoring/blocking this person. Please help me walk the line between "honoring my inner Gavin de Becker" and "being kind of an asshole to someone."
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posted by like_a_friend
on Apr 16, 2013 -
48 answers
tl;dr: Friend likes friend's sister. Friend is very socially awkward and sister is very scared of him for his "creepy" demeanor (according to her words) and the sister needs to know how to make him stop liking her. Ideas discussed include outright rejection, fake boyfriend, fake pictures, which I had mostly disagreed with, and need advice to sort this out.
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posted by JYuanZ
on Apr 8, 2013 -
18 answers
I can't tell if my friend's best friend has a thing for me. We made out on Saturday after going out. Does he, in fact, like me, and what can I do to work through the awkwardness?
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posted by anonymous
on Mar 5, 2013 -
22 answers
My 15 year old son is in 9th grade. He is not doing well in math (he's always struggled). He has no real friends to speak of. He has no desire to try any sports or extracurricular activities. He just turned 15 and doesn't seem at all interested in getting his restricted drivers license. He doesn't seem at all depressed. He tends towards the quiet side, but on the right topic he talks alot.
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posted by getyourlife
on Jan 13, 2013 -
46 answers
My Son (Oliver, 8) goes to school. He has regular playdates and the occasional sleepover with other kids from his class. One of the children from his class is the child of a local politician, his name is Thomas. Oliver and Thomas are friends, but Oliver is friends with many other kids and some of whom he would prefer. Sometimes Thomas can be a difficult kid, not exactly sure what his status is, but he has more needs than most kids. With that said, he is only 8 and not a bad kid, quite polite. We have had drinks with Thomas's parents before and it was nice, however I made sure to avoid any political conversations as the father is the elected local representative of a party I find ... unappealing. I know the mother more than the father and we get along fine.
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posted by njk
on Dec 1, 2012 -
40 answers
Past experiences with obnoxious, micromanaging-prone colleagues, etc., have left me with a tendency toward knee-jerk defensive reactions to even the mildest, friendliest comments about my hobby/crafting projects-in-progress. I don't like having these reactions, but I'm at a loss as to how to deal with them less awkwardly and am thinking some better "scripts" need to be added to my personal phrase bank. Suggestions? (Lengthy details abound...)
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posted by aecorwin
on Nov 5, 2012 -
13 answers
How can I help my extremely unattractive (physically and relationship-wise) friend either find someone to date/love, realize he needs self-improvement, or come to terms with not finding it?
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posted by corb
on Oct 17, 2012 -
33 answers
Met a girl who could be perfect for me. I'm not generally 'good' with women or relationships. How can I best attempt to make something work with this one? (Special snowflake details inside)
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 9, 2012 -
21 answers
I'm applying for new jobs and struggling to figure out how to word my "reason for leaving" in an unusual situation.
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 4, 2012 -
11 answers
My new roommate just declared to me that there is a rule in our apartment: No dates are allowed to ever sleep over. Can you help me figure out how to have a productive discussion about this with her?
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posted by anonymous
on Sep 14, 2012 -
63 answers
I was (am?) socially broken, and had (have?) crippled my self-confidence, as well as my body. Help me fix me.
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posted by anonymous
on Sep 3, 2012 -
31 answers
As a shy, awkward introvert who is frankly not good with people, how can I shut down my own negative self-talk when I'm in the midst of social situations--namely, a big two-day-long event happening this weekend? Are there any easily remembered mantras or things I can tell myself so that I'm not focusing the whole time on my own shortcomings?
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posted by indognito
on Jul 28, 2012 -
36 answers
Two shy snowflakes romance question. Need ideas for pushing the boundaries of our ambiguous friendship.
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posted by JeanDupont
on Jul 15, 2012 -
7 answers
Should I invite friends to our wedding that I'm not that close to and/or haven't really stayed in touch with? Do people think of wedding invitations as obligations to give gifts? Would it be really awkward? Or am I over-thinking this and I should just invite whoever I want to invite?
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posted by anonymous
on Jun 22, 2012 -
33 answers
"Informal" dress code. "But you still should... you know, dress up." What do I wear?!
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posted by AmandaA
on Jun 4, 2012 -
30 answers
I'm having a hard time trying to figure out if a new friendship is one sided and should be tossed, or if I'm just not presenting myself well.
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posted by Zapak
on Mar 10, 2012 -
20 answers
Ok, I have less than 24 hours, and I am already sweating: what are some drastic short-term steps I can take to stop myself from sweating in an interview?
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posted by This_Will_Be_Good
on Mar 8, 2012 -
16 answers
So I got picked up while visiting a friend in a different city, and I made myself seem available but I have a boyfriend and have a lot of other things on my plate. How do I get out of following up?
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posted by maykasahara
on Mar 2, 2012 -
15 answers
The guy I am dating has unusual tendencies, is this a part of his ADD? Or his quirkiness? How should I approach the subject?
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posted by Chelsaroo650
on Feb 13, 2012 -
75 answers
I recently reconnected with a guy that I hadn't seen in ten years. (We were fourteen then, and we're twenty-four now). After getting some friendly drinks, I'm interested in pursuing things further.
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posted by ablazingsaddle
on Feb 8, 2012 -
26 answers
What is the word (not necessarily in English) for feeling acute embarrassment for another person? And in a particular kind of situation...
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posted by zardoz
on Jan 18, 2012 -
14 answers
I have to record myself interviewing others for work, and to my horror noticed I pose in such a way that gives me a double chin all the time. This is gross and makes me look weird/incompetent. How can I not do this anymore, ASAP?
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posted by slow graffiti
on Dec 15, 2011 -
13 answers
You’re throwing a party. How do you invite some, but not all, members of one of your social circles with the minimal amount of hurt feelings and drama?
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posted by bondcliff
on Nov 29, 2011 -
34 answers
What to do about a friend living in an unhealthy situation? A friend lives in a house that is unclean to the point of being hazardous, and I don't know how I can help.
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posted by anonymous
on Nov 28, 2011 -
26 answers
Women of AskMe, what does pinching a man's ass mean and/or how should one react to such an event?
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posted by anonymous
on Nov 12, 2011 -
43 answers
Seeking the hive mind's advice on best practices for running a comedy open mic. Or, maybe I should call it a Mostly Open Mic.
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posted by EatTheWeak
on Aug 25, 2011 -
9 answers
How do I stop my boyfriend's head from rolling into awkward positions while we sleep? It causes him to snore and it's also driving me batty.
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posted by mlo
on Aug 22, 2011 -
5 answers
Do awkward silences always mean incompatibility? Or can awkwardness come from within and have little to do with the other person?
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posted by mhm407
on Jul 4, 2011 -
18 answers
Please help me salvage this situation, if possible. I accidentally said something racist to someone I want to be my friend.
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posted by ferngully
on Jun 25, 2011 -
56 answers
Last week a coworker said,"hey, we should catch up for a coffee outside of work sometime", and so we swapped numbers. Since then she's constantly texting--from first thing in the morning ("Good morning") to last thing at night ("Good nite and sweet dreams, going 2 sleep now"). Anyone else had such strong friend-making attempts from coworkers? How did you deal?
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posted by owlrigh
on Jun 10, 2011 -
41 answers
I started a small beer club at work with some of my coworkers. One of them invited a coworker who makes me incredibly uncomfortable. How do I get out of this?
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posted by punchtothehead
on May 10, 2011 -
35 answers
How Do You "Break Up" with Another Dude? I think I remember my present problem turning up on Seinfeld or Friends or something, which makes sense because it's kind of absurd. When a romantic relationship no longer functions, there are some established processes and social mores. When a regular friendship maybe needs to end or be heavily renegotiated, the way to proceed is much less clear. Help?
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posted by EatTheWeak
on Apr 30, 2011 -
36 answers