It’s reassuring to think of old schoolfriends, colleagues, dates – and know we are still social creaturesI have an Auld Lang Syne earworm, a hangover from a New Year I didn’t even celebrate. I usually eschew the Hootenanny and head to bed at 10.30, sho…
the friends you make online
These online relationships are often just as meaningful and rich and strange as my “real-life” friendships, but they’re more difficult to define. Maybe we’re still a little embarrassed? Or maybe we just need to stop waiting for definitions and do the w…
Finding Fukue
Three years ago, Canadian musician Jessica Stuart tried again to find a lost friend in Japan. The resulting twenty-minute short film about her quest is a touching story of brief childhood friendships that echo through a lifetime, the experience of bein…
You be the judge: ‘Can I ask my tenant to stop working out on the front porch?’
In our new column, we air both sides of a domestic disagreement – and ask you to deliver a verdict.• Have a disagreement you’d like settled? Or want to be part of our jury? Click hereMy lodger works out on our front porch, but it’s on a well-lit road a…
Dining across the divide: ‘She didn’t call me an insensitive buffoon – but I was armed and ready’
Two strangers, on opposite sides of the left-right political divide and with very different lives – can they find common ground over dinner?Click here to take partAbby, 45, London Continue reading…
‘Now I know love is real!’ The people who gave up on romance – then found it in lockdown
Dating apps can be difficult and daunting at the best of times, and many users give up on them entirely. But for some the pandemic was a chance to reassess their priorities, and they were able to forge a much deeper connectionWhen the country first wen…
On 9/11 I learned there are no guarantees in life | Hadley Freeman
I was in the city for fashion week, and while many memories have faded, odd details remain – along with the shock and sorrowOver the past two decades, 9/11 has taken on all kinds of different meanings for people, from the end of American dominance to t…
10 essential tricks for remembering people’s names
From playing word games to using a memory palace, there are many ways to train your brain as we start to socialise in greater numbersSay what you will about the rule of six: at least it was easy to keep up with everyone. Now that most restrictions in t…
Zoom dilemmas solved! Expert advice on making video chats less awkward and more fun
Whether it’s chatting with small children, planning occasions or finding ways to socialise off-camera, after 18 months of lockdowns we’ve learned what worksWith many parts of Australia still in lockdown, connecting with others can feel increasingly cha…
How my farmer friend Wilf gave me a new perspective
An unexpected friendship was a breath of fresh air after my turbulent city lifeMuch is said about walking the road less travelled. There’s joy in the unexpected and the unravelling of, well, who knows what. Just over a year ago, I left my London life f…