Much like the mixing of different food flavours, friend combining has the potential to go horribly wrong. Of course conversely there is always the chance that it may go very well indeed.
A major factor in the success of this venture is the confidence of said friends. Take M2 as an example, he has actually met most of my friends now even though we’ve only been friends for a short while. Much like myself he’s a bit of a social chameleon. I even managed to get him to a gay bar in Soho. He later admitted he wasn’t entirely comfortable in there, but showed little sign of it at the time.
Inviting a girl friend to a gathering of boys is also an easy one, particularly as my girl friends tend to be a good looking bunch and generally quite chatty. It probably also helps that to a woman, they all drink like fish.
Of course when it goes wrong, it tends to be very wrong. I have sat between different friends feeling very much under pressure to hold a conversation with two of them simultaneously. This is not an easy task and pretty much puts me in a state of tension which can ruin and evening. It is for this reason that I most often attend social events on my own.
When I broke up with the ex I initially found walking into a gathering on my own somewhat daunting, however I now have it down to a fine art. A couple of simple rules must be adhered to in order to pull it off with any sort of aplomb:
- dress well and feel great
- be fashionably late (a tricky one for someone who is constantly early)
- secure suitable position between chatty people
- never have your back to the wall (no escape route)
- know when to cut your losses and leave
- circulate
I shall be employing this method a number of times over the next week or so at a number of events, leaving do x 2, hen night and a 30th birthday party. I may also indulge in a spot of friend combining just for the hell of it…
