I was wondering why all the key female players in world politics have the same haircut? I posed the question on Facebook, yet no one seems to know. This band of older women with their blondish bobs are reminiscent of Joanna Lumley’s 70s ‘Purdey’ cut mixed with a bit of Princess Diana then shaken up with the Midwich Cuckoos – also known as Village of the Damned…
Enough said. At least the news seems to have veered away from how they look and focus more on what they’re doing, or planning to do.
There’s also more stuff in the news about the dangers of online dating. Of course there’s a risk to meeting a stranger that you’ve only spoken to by email – but it’s no more than meeting someone in a bar. I met my boyfriend on a dating site and, after nine months, he still seems relatively normal. Loves chocolate, owns dogs (good judges of character), dislikes cats (well it would be weird if he had no faults), has loads of friends, a lovely home and a very nice mum.
In my youth I was far more slapdash when it came to dating. Gill and I did some things we wouldn’t dream of telling you about now, including getting into some pretty close scrapes. We were actually very stupid teenagers for two fairly clever girls. One time, we met two boys at the Ilford Palais and they offered to take us to the White Bear pub where one of them lived for a late night hot chocolate. We drove through country lanes with a noticeable absence of properties until we came to said pub, forlorn and deserted in its moonlit setting of fields, grass and more fields.
By this stage both our hearts were beating super-fast and we felt extremely wary – somewhat more so when the supposed inhabitant told us he’d forgotten his keys and would have to break in… Cutting to the core and removing the sheer panic from this cautionary tale, he climbed through a broken window – and, it transpired – he did, in fact, live there. We had the hot chocolate then the boys drove us home, perfectly safely and happily. But it was a lesson learnt. (If Philip is reading about this smashed window incident, he will be smiling at how history repeats itself.)
Today’s methods for meeting people do, at least, give you the opportunity to carry out a fair degree of research before coming face-to-face in a public place. Social media allows you to see who they’re connected to, whether their friends look like axe murderers, if they have family who appear to like them. You can check out where someone works, what they do, what they enjoy, where they go – our lives have become open books.
When I started dating again my friends thought it was weird to meet up with someone for lunch or cakes – but it’s really not that different to networking. I’ve been contacted on LinkedIn for business enquiries that have led to coffee and an iced bun. (When I proof read this I saw I’d initially typed ‘iced bum’ – that would put a completely different perspective on business meetings!!!)
I’ve been helping a few city-based businesses get to grips with LinkedIn this week. It’s such a fabulous forum for researching prospective clients and setting the groundwork for future business dealings. It may share similarities with on-line dating sites, but surely networking events are just like a party full of new friends all ready to chat. What’s the difference?
Nick Lowe said, “I love the sound of breaking glass, deep into the night. I love the sound of its condition, flying all around.” I don’t advocate breaking anything, apart from ice. If you’d like help to ice-break when you network on- or off-line, give me call. Or ask me here: @WeekendWitch.
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