Is it weird to invite acquaintances/coworkers out for drinks after work to celebrate your own birthday? Is it a fairly accepted, normal thing to do, or is it likely to set off the "she's strange and/or desperate!" alarm bells? [more inside]
posted by EmilyClimbs on Jan 22, 2009 - 32 answers

I will be starting graduate school in the fall (thanks for the great advice on my previous question!), and going from a quite comfortable salary to a typical grad student's pay. Obviously, in order to keep my budget balanced I will have to cut back considerably on eating out and other costly entertainments. How can I maintain some kind of social life without going broke, and without offending my friends? [more inside]
posted by cortisol on Jul 13, 2008 - 28 answers

How do I gain rapport with people? (or, should I ditch if I'm being ditched?) [more inside]
posted by mpls2 on Jul 14, 2007 - 24 answers

I have a hard time talking to my friends about other people's terminal illnesses and/or deaths. I'd like to get better at this. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 16, 2007 - 12 answers

EtiquetteFilter: I had surgery last week and my lovely, sweet friends have signed up to bring a home cooked meal each night until the 29th of December. How do I get them to stop? [more inside]
posted by LoriFLA on Dec 20, 2006 - 34 answers

I have a friend who stinks. He has horrible breath (he's a chain-smoker), and his clothes and body reek. I'm not sure what to do. It's so bad that many people have commented that it's hard to be around him. But other than the smell, he's a great guy. He's also lonely, and can't get a date. His life would be so much better if he had better hygiene. So what do I do about this? Tell him face-to-face? Send an anonymous email? Do nothing? If I do bring it up, how do I do it sensitively? Added to the problems, he's very poor. He can't even afford a phone. My guess is that part of the problem is that he's trying to save money on laundry. Still, soap is cheap. I'm trying to obey the Golden Rule, but it's hard. If I was the smelly one, I would want to be told, I guess. But I would be SO humiliated! He's in his early 40s. Really smart and literate.
posted by anonymous on Nov 6, 2004 - 18 answers