Confess I am lousy at conversation. The only person more uncomfortable than me in a social setting is the empathetic person made uncomfortable by my discomfort who out of pity hesitates to move on.

I am a master of the awkward silence with people I don't know well, especially people I don't know well whom I admire. Conversely, with good friends, I am often so pent up from spending my days listening and so keyed up that my narcissism takes over and I prattle non-stop and don't let them get a word in edgewise.