Wednesday 19th November

It's 5:30pm, I'm inviting people out for Friday night in advance so they'll have notice before it gets to Thursday and they end up arranging to have a friend around to watch a DVD or something.
I phoned Vivien yesterday – who I originally met randomly in the street – she was at work when I phoned so she called me back today. It turns out she's going to Paris for a few days with her sister, so can't make it but will come next week.

Joseph – the guy who we randomly met at the Christmas Lights – I phoned him yesterday. He's going away to London this weekend to promote a film he stars in. So he can't make it.

I'm going to text the rest of them now. Too many people will have answerphone on, or if they can't make it I end up in conversation with them for a while. Instead I can write one text and send it to a few people.

I text Rebecca – who I knew from school – recently we happened to go to the shops at the same time every week. I swapped numbers with her one Saturday when we passed in the street. I asked her just like I'd ask someone in a nightclub, the skills from meeting people in clubs work in the street.

I text Maurita who I met at Fab Café on me and Alex K's second night out.

Becky, who I met at the social event in Didsbury on the first Monday of this month. I invite her too.

Lee, a comedian who I met in a comedy bar in Manchester.

James who I originally met when going out in Manchester in 2001 when we were at university. Then in 2008 we passed each other in the street, happened to recognise each other and got talking.

Jenny – who I met on the bus during the night out when I was with friends and went for a meal at the Printworks and to Fallowfield. That was Thursday 25th September.

Within a minute Maurita texts me back saying
Message: "It all sounds very good but who is this?"
I realise I didn't put my name at the end of the texts.

So I send everyone a text saying it's me, Alex.

Maurita replies saying she might be able to make it. The thing with Maurita is she lives in Bury so it's a long way for her to travel, but if she does it'll be good.

Now it's 7:10pm and no-one else has replied.

I'm now considering different ways to invite people on a night out. These are the different options I come up with:

Text on a Wednesday then phone anyone who doesn't reply on Thursday at 8pm.

Phone and speak to anyone who is there and leave messages for the rest.

Pre-record a message on a cassette recorder that invites them out, with background music and everything. So if it goes to answerphone I'll play it down the phone.

Text everyone with mobiles and phone everyone for who I have a landline number.

Text everyone and don't bother phoning.

Now it's 9pm, I texted everyone between 5:30pm and 6pm. I take a look at the mobile and no-one else has replied.

I go over to the hifi and put on the first CD I come across on the hi-fi cabinet, it's the Phil Collins album Face Value. Then I realise I don't care whether anyone replies or not now. I've got a career, I have good nights out, I'm enjoying meeting random people. So what. I can go out on my own to a bar or nightclub in the city and have a good time myself.



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