6. Parties for Non-Partiers.

The Opposite Of Lonely

“When you walk in, and you're looking at people, and they give you that vacant look—for me, that determines how long I stay at a party. Like, is this worth exerting my energy and trying to be social?”

Neither Chris nor Diane went to parties as kids; they were bookworms with inconveniently timed birthdays. Chris doesn’t like fun, at least not of the roller-coaster, wild-party variety. Diane went through a carefree going-out-a-lot period in her twenties, but sometimes feels like she’s getting less sure of herself as she gets older. Naturally, these were the people I thought of for an episode about parties.

After all, a lot of us are a bit ambivalent about the whole party thing. So, for non-party people, what makes a party actually enjoyable? Is it better to show up early, or late? When you realize you’ve been talking to someone for too long and you want to circulate, what do you do? All this, plus an analysis of “friend flirting” as opposed to “real” flirting!

Guests.

Diane Campbell is an associate producer at CBC News. In her down time, she’s one of the co-hosts of Sip & Bitch, a podcast pairing generous servings of alcohol with a variety of topics related to culture.

Chris Piuma has done a lot of different kinds of creative work: music, poetry, graphic design, photography, and more. He’s a co-founder of the Megaphonic podcast network—and one the hosts of You’re Not Funny, a podcast about NOT doing comedy.

Show Notes.

The Northeast Blackout started on August 14, 2003, which is relatively recent in geologic time.

You can listen to Sip & Bitch on Soundcloud, iTunes or Stitcher.