The Relationship Thread II: Lost in that Last Goodbye

[kryss]

A priest, a rabbi and a different clergy-equivalent from another religion were in a room, and had a nice conversation about the weather.

[QualityChimp]

There's a black fella... a Pakistani and a Jew having a drink in a nightclub. What a fine example of an integrated community.

[Neon Ignition]

You need to certify each joke that you approve for yourself in future

[QualityChimp]

Ha! Thanks Supes. This site needs some QC checks!

[JazzFunk]

You should work in a hospital, fat birds everywhere. I love fat birds though, I'm in Pork Paradise.

[fishbowlhead]

Meeting the girlfriends parents for the first time tonight. Her dad loves football, cars and indian food, none of which i care to talk about, give a crap about or ever eat (not the slop the serve in the uk anyway), so we should get on like a house on fire .

[VR46]

You better ask your GF what else he's in to then and talk about another subject, good luck!

Can't even remember meeting my other halves parents for the first time, but it would have been back in 1991!

[nakamura]

Don't worry. I had to fly half way across the world to some bloke to explain why I knocked up his daughter outside of marriage.

[randombs]

I read a thing on the internet about how to be interested in people who's interests are different from your own/boring to s**t.

In a nutshell, even if the conversation topic is boring(I'm also not interested in talking about footy or cars. Curry I could talk a bit about but my working knowledge of curry is poppadom-thin), the trick is to search for something within it that you do find interesting and expand upon that.

And the best way I find to do that is to sound REALLY interested, regardless of what the person says. Then I'm forced keep that interest level up because I started so well and anything less than AMAZEMENT will be misconstrued as boredom as the conversation continues. And, especially with dads, they'll usually have genuinely interesting things to say.

Or, you can link to something you do want to talk about:

"Cars? I ruddy love the buggers. Let me tell you about this motorbike nutter at 4am one morning..."

Boom! Conversation wide open to talk about stupid people.

I also like doing an Eddie Izzard where I'll link what they're talking about to something I find interesting even if there's no obvious link:

"Cars? I ruddy love the buggers. I tell you what else I love - Crunchy Nut Cornflakes. What about you, John? You look like a Shredded Wheat sort of fella"

He'll be eating from the palm of your hand before you can say Coco Pops.

[fishbowlhead]

I don't find holding a conversation hard in those situations. Been there done that before, so I think I'll be just fine, but cheers anyway guys.

Nakamura. I don't envy you in that situation. Is she Japanese if you don't mind me asking?

[QualityChimp]

Why don't you steer the conversation to some of your favourite topics?

For example, your favourite position with his daughter...

[randombs]

Careful, now

[nakamura]

I don't find holding a conversation hard in those situations. Been there done that before, so I think I'll be just fine, but cheers anyway guys.

Nakamura. I don't envy you in that situation. Is she Japanese if you don't mind me asking?

Yeah she is. Went ok in the end but I was bricking it.

[Mayhem]

I have managed to survive several "first meetings" with parents of my girlfriend at the time, although a couple were... "interesting" to say the least. Especially with the manipulative, guilt-tripping, mentally-abusing bigots my last girlfriend had for parents. I survived that. Relationship didn't last, but apparently they quite liked me. Pity the poor bloke who's currently dating her (whom I know somewhat), wonder if he's been subjected to them yet...

[fishbowlhead]

Well mine went fine tonight, lovely family, I ended up rummaging through her dads record collection and we all sat around listening to dark side of the moon and chatting.