My best friend is dating a new guy and is currently in the "floating in the clouds" stage. He's all that she talks about, texts me about, emails me about, mentions, quotes, you name it. I'm happy for her, but I am quickly reaching "who cares" stage. She does this with everyone she dates, but this guy might become permanent, so I'm not brushing it off as "just wait until this passes". How can I politely tell her that we need to have conversations about OTHER THINGS? She can be very sensitive, and I don't want her to feel that I am not interested in the relationship or not happy for her. More details inside.
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posted by ElectricGoat
on Apr 28, 2013 -
26 answers
Suggestions for nice things to do for the couples who are nice to you (especially when you're single and kind of broke)?
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posted by xenization
on Apr 3, 2013 -
18 answers
Do people prone to depression and similar illnesses tend to (unwittingly?) form social groups together?
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 3, 2012 -
6 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
Do people (especially men) tend to assume that a newly single woman of >45 must be desperate for a new partner, or am I misinterpreting normal conversational gambits?
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posted by anonymous
on Jun 2, 2011 -
32 answers
Is there anything I can say to discourage my socially-anxious friend from giving pedantic lectures?
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 22, 2011 -
26 answers
For a long time now I've been aching to feel part of a larger community. Have you ever felt this way? How did you handle it? Have you ever built or been a part of a tight-knit social circle or community that lasted?
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posted by anonymous
on Feb 10, 2011 -
29 answers
How to I do effectively go from being a few friends person to being a many friends person? For most of my life I was the kind of person who had a small, intense circle of friendship and now I have a much larger and less focused social sphere - and I'm having trouble managing it and making sure I spending enough time with people - not feeling guilty about not seeing people for weeks - having people who are friendly but not your super duper friends - and just dealing with suddenly having a much, much larger social world when you're used to a private, focused one.
posted by The Whelk
on Oct 30, 2010 -
11 answers
I'm an American guy in my mid-late twenties living in Melbourne, Australia for (at least) the next eight months. My social life was quite exciting when I first moved here during late summer, but lately it feels a bit stagnant at times. I'm looking for ideas of activities to get involved with, to make use of my free time and help me connect with new people (friends of both sexes, plus THE LADIES).
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posted by adamk
on Jul 25, 2010 -
8 answers
How do you grieve a friendship breakup when you work with the person? And how do you then get over the chronic hopelessness with being lonely?
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posted by bookwibble
on May 19, 2010 -
13 answers
Our somewhat estranged neighbors just lost their 19 y/o son in a tragic accident. How do we communicate our sympathies?
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posted by keith0718
on Sep 12, 2009 -
28 answers
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?
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posted by EmilyClimbs
on Jan 22, 2009 -
32 answers
Since the beginning of the year, I've begun binge drinking in social situations to loosen up. What can I do that will help me get over my anxieties and not have to depend on a bottle to make me talkative and fun?
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 12, 2009 -
21 answers
My new year resolution is to do more/better real-life networking : more/better acquaintances, more/better friends, more/better relationships.
I need tips and tricks on how to get a generous-sized addres book and an improved social life and what to do once I meet these potential new friends.
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posted by Baud
on Dec 25, 2008 -
8 answers
You've moved to a town very remote from any of your established social circles: you have no best nor casual friends nor any romantic relationships. You go into one or more meetings of utter strangers with whom you know you share some common interest (OneBrick, a Mefi meetup, a Meetup.Com thing, or something else entirely). What do you do — specifically, pretend I've got Asperger's here (no offense to those who do) — to take things from the level of "just an amiable conversation" to an actual friendship?
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posted by WCityMike
on Sep 25, 2008 -
27 answers
Some friends of a friend don't seem to want to know me. At all. Which makes for some really uncomfortable get-togethers. Looking for suggestions on the best way to deal.
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posted by Ruby Doomsday
on Mar 17, 2008 -
37 answers
I am a 49 year old man, and I have no close friends. Over the course of my life I’ve had a few friends at a time, but no close ones. The reasons are mysterious to me: I make a conscientious effort to be friendly and interested in others and to be trustworthy. Nonetheless, I am almost always on the social periphery.
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posted by peabody
on Jul 29, 2006 -
40 answers