new yorkers are fond of the air kisses which was at first problematic since i would say i usually reserve the heartfelt touchyfeely for the special people who i lovelove but the physical hello's have slowly invaded my lifestyle in the same way as reading the post and shelling out 7 bucks for a pack of cigs every day has. my boy friends do the hug and my girl friends are fond of a kiss on the lips and i pretty much just follow suit because i've accepted it as something that has to be done. though for some reason my best friends are all freaks who like to paw and pounce just to see me squeal in mock horror.
so when we meet...perhaps we should discuss in advance what action to take so as to avoid any possible awkwardness. or i could just follow 37's lead because, you know, she's totally radz.
that junior's a smart one. it wsa good that we discussed this beforehand. although the hug came completely naturally, it probably wouldn't have, had we not explored our feelings about it.
for everyone else, it all depends on the person. i have friends who i could walk around arm-in-arm with all day long, and others who i am just as close with that i don't want to do more than pat on the head. it must be all the vibes they give out and our chemistry together.
I hate to admit this but my friends and I do the hug-air kiss thing. I don't know who was the first to start this within my circle of friends but it spreads like fire. If all of us go out, it takes 10min for everyone to go around hugging and air kissing everyone...ugh.
Touchy people that I just met freak me out!!! You know the type, the ones who invade your personal space, you back away and they keep getting closer, they are constantly touching you arm or hand. blech..
i live in miami where kissing someone hello, even strangers, becomes almost obligatory. i find myself troubled by it though, because that's the way to spread diseases... troubled. yes. it's false. some of the people i'm forced to brush cheeks with i dont care for.. i'd rather not touch them. i'd rather not touch strangers.
sometimes just being in a bar with strangers too close to me irks me out. like a stranger rubbing up against me.. or sweating on me.. ahah just as i'm writing this, i've been getting the chills thinking about those things.
but with my friends.. we're all over each other. hehe i don't mind them.
i think i have become a wee bit more affectionate lately than i used to be. i used to be so afraid that someone would say "get the fuck away from me, you freak" that i never touched people. sometimes i still have those awkward moments when someone reaches to hug me and i am unprepared and stand there, stunned.
i have to know the person, trust them, care about them....and then i will be huggy and chummy. once in a while it happens right away--when i first hung out with a current cutie friend, we were touchy right off the bat and snuggled under a blankie to watch movies. i'm way more interested in that than having sex....
i am different w/ everybody.
some people i like to touch, some people i don't like to touch, and some people i like to rub up against.
air kisses are fake. what's lamer than a simulated kiss? i don't do that with anyone, i think.
With this "hispanic" blood running through my veins, I hug and kiss everything in sight. It's the way I was brought up.
I do notice when I meet new people it may seem like an invasion of space or a bit forward, but get over it. I am getting better about it though. If if I sense someone is'nt into the hugging or kissing "hello/goodbye" thing, I'll save both of us the embarrassment and just give a nice firm handshake.
up until very recently i had a major major issue with personal space. its still an issue but not so much with people i know, only strangers (how DARE that man on the El train stand so close to me when half the car is empty?). i don't find it threatening or imposing from friends because i know and trust them.
a few times COMPLETE strangers have just put their arm around me, as though i am their property or something...its always guys, never girls who do this.
with a lover, that's completely cool, in fact welcomed, but with someone you don't know, given the gender inequalities that still exist it is a power issue...
errgggh, sorry to rant. this has obviously struck a nerve.
hugs are weird. kisses are good. i'm getting more comfortable with the idea of doing either with my friends.
i like genuine nice affectionate hugs. i don't have much use for macho shoulder-bump hugs, but that's what most of my (male) friends are in to, so i play along.
friendly kissing is nice. dia smooched me during an SG anniversary party in portland, and she was super nice and sincere about it. it was like a peck on the cheek from the green faerie.
you? gettin' all touchie-feelie? what's goin' on here man? me, i'm a hugger with all my friends. and always go for the kiss on the cheek with my feminine compatriots. though, i always do my best to respect others' boundaries. i don't try to be creepy. just end up that way sometimes
new yorkers are fond of the air kisses which was at first problematic since i would say i usually reserve the heartfelt touchyfeely for the special people who i lovelove but the physical hello's have slowly invaded my lifestyle in the same way as reading the post and shelling out 7 bucks for a pack of cigs every day has. my boy friends do the hug and my girl friends are fond of a kiss on the lips and i pretty much just follow suit because i've accepted it as something that has to be done. though for some reason my best friends are all freaks who like to paw and pounce just to see me squeal in mock horror.
so when we meet...perhaps we should discuss in advance what action to take so as to avoid any possible awkwardness. or i could just follow 37's lead because, you know, she's totally radz.