How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends

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Starting a conversation has never in a skill I possessed. I get all nervous and clammy, then idiotic words flow from my mouth.

Just the other day I was at the grocery store buying some ice cream and some feminine products(the joys of being a girl). As the cashier was ringing up my purchases she said, “oh my gosh I love these”. Since ‘these’ is the plural term, obviously I figured she was talking about the hygiene products. Me being a genius and all, I simply responded “I know they absorb really well”. Before the words were finished flowing out off my tongue I quickly wanted to snatch them back into my mouth.

If I was pale, my face would have been red. Actually I think my face was red. Awkwardness can’t even describe what just happened. I think she was going to tell me she was actually talking about the ice cream but I was way too uncomfortable to continue the conversation. I quickly paid and scurried the heck out of there, wishing the last minute and a half had never taken place.

After that embarrassing conversation I thought it might be a wise idea to read the book I bought from Half Price Books about a month ago. It’s called How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends. Originally I bought the book thinking this may be funny, plus it was only a dollar. Now I realize in my current situation this book is a God send.

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According to the book there are three components to a conversation, body language, tone of voice and words. GREAT! Just my luck, considering I have so much trouble trying to find the right words to say, now I also have to worry about my tone and body language. Hmmmm, that seems like a lot of multi-tasking…

Seriously, I envy the people who can just randomly start a great conversation with anyone nearby. I mean, where did they learn this skill and how can I play catch up? Conversation skills are something that should to be taught in our schools. Hopefully, kids these days wont grow up to be mid 20 year-old’s trying to figure out the basics of a proper conversation.

I mean why do conversations have to be so complicated? That’s the questions of the year. Any ideas? Please share your thoughts below.

 

 

 

Never Have I Ever: Brunch Edition

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The first item to check off my Never Have I Ever checklist was a brunch in Houston’s Midtown. Yep, this was my first actual legitimate brunch. Finally for the first time I was able to release my inner Carrie Bradshaw and sip early cocktails  on the outdoor patio of a posh midtown restaurant.  We went to this fabulous restaurant called Cyclone Anaya’s. It’s nice a Mexican restaurant on the corner with as mentioned above an infamous sidewalk patio. They had bottomless Mimosas and Poinsettias which I was totally excited about!  Instead of the typical mimosa we both had the Poinsettias; decided to try something new since neither one of us had one before. With my drink I also enjoyed their Crab Cake Florentine, which I highly recommend. Its two crab cakes made with spinach,  topped with poached eggs and a jalapeno hollandaise sauce (they should bottle that stuff), served with a red cabbage slaw. I also ordered a side of their chipotle roasted potatoes which were equally as tasty.

To accompany my amazing meal I enjoyed catching up with an old friend and some epic people watching. I have to say my first brunch was a major success.

 

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Never Have I Ever

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At high school sleepovers and college parties the game Never Have I Ever is almost a rite of passage. There is nothing more exciting than a group of friends  sitting around giggling about all of their crazy life experiences. Its a game full of peer pressure and fun. Its also the one game I have always won!

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Mainly because I haven’t done anything. My life thus far has been about as interesting at a piece of Melba Toast.

Well this late bloomer has made it a mission to finally get out the house and explore life. I am proud to announce my first ever segment!! My goal is to try 2 new experiences each month that I will be detailing  in this section.

If you have any ideas of things I should try be sure to leave a comment below.

 

WHAT’S THE FLOUNDERING?

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So you saw the blog title and you are a little confused. You are probably thinking whats the floundering? What does that even mean? Trust me I get it. When naming this blog I realized that floundering was not a word in most peoples vocabulary. Honestly it wasn’t even in mine until I saw it in my trusty thesaurus. I was looking for a  creative word to describe me. Besides being a late bloomer the one word I would use to describe me is awkward. Constantly, I find myself  the most awkward situation and conversations. Pretty much I am Awkward Black Girl only difference is my name isn’t Jaye and I can’t rap. Anyway, back on subject. I looked up the word awkward in the thesaurus hoping to find that one synonym that would give the perfect blog title. Then there it was the second to last word.  It just jumped of the page at me. Actually, I’m pretty sure it was  blinking and glowing  as if Ghostwriter (Best TV show of the 90’s) had discovered a new clue. It was the perfect word.

flounder1  vb (intr)

1. to struggle; to move with difficulty, as in mud
2. to behave awkwardly; make mistakes
n. the act of floundering
[probably a blend of founder2 + blunder; perhaps influenced by flounder2]
Usage: Flounder is sometimes wrongly used where founder is meant: the project foundered  (not floundered) because of a lack of funds

 

Flounder perfectly describes my life thus far. I have been struggling to find my place and its been a difficult journey. I’ve made tons of mistake in my quarter century here on Earth and as mentioned  above I’m one of the most socially awkward people I know.

So all in all (so cliche), the floundering is my awkward stuggle-fest journey through life and awesomeness.

THE STORY

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Typically by age 25 you have lived life, you’ve made mistakes and learned lots of valuable lessons. You’ve cultivated great relationships and your career is already on a path to success. Generally, by this age you know who you are; you’ve already gone through that journey of self-discovery. Basically, you have your life together, right? Well, that’s not my story. You see I’m a late bloomer. For the past 25 years I’ve been floundering around waiting for life to start. There are so many experiences I just haven’t witnessed yet. I’m still the ugly duckling waiting to become a swan.

Now you’re probably thinking, “OOOHHH NOOO this is just another 20 something crying about her un-perfect life.” Well you’re wrong; this isn’t your typical quarter life crisis sob story… Actually it kind of is, but I have learned to find the comedy in my own naivety. It’s kind of hard to be as awkward as I am and not develop a sense of humor. However, despite my current struggle-fest of a reality, I know I have the potential for greatness.

So basically, this story is about a somewhat misguided awkward late bloomer’s journey to self-discovery. I’m just trying to play catch up and figure out what the heck I’m doing with my life.

I am excited to share this chapter of my life with all of you. Thanks for visiting and I hope you come back soon!

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