Making conversation

Author's foreword: Hasn't happened for the longest time that I posted three entries in the same day, maybe playing the great American songbook helps inspiration, maybe not having a date on a Saturday night is fertile ground for writing, whatever.

I should not have this problem, theoretically but I really do. For people whom I do not know well, I usually have difficulty making conversation. This should not be since I am an salesperson and I regularly meet new clients. It simply would not to do just sit down and start talking about my company's services and how we can serve their needs. Imagine sitting down and just firing away:
Salesperson: Can we do anything for you for xxxx?
Customer: Well, we are currently tied up with some operators in this trade. How is your.....
salesperson: What about yyyyyyy?

Well, my sales books teaches me to set the customer at ease first, especially its the first meeting. Usually, some small talk would help. Generally, I do not have problem talking to certain types of people, especially in my work environment where I am wired to be in the "salesperson mode" but when I am off work and in a casual type of environment, this problem surfaces.

A friend told me when she first met me she thought I was shy and in fact she asked another friend if I disliked woman because I seem to have nothing to say to her. These days, I think she has longer taken back her words especially when we get into pointless arguments.

Yet, this is still a problem. I think I am a rather boring person at times, when all I talk about is
1) my work
2) cars
3) videogames
4) woman
with my close friends, we talk endlessly because of one more topic
5) bitch
I am rather ashamed of this but I think if it is at all possible I am a male bitch. I really bitch endlessly with some of my close friends. Like once I was talking with Jean.
Jean: You mean when we were in hall we didn't watch any movies together?
Derek: Nope.
Jean: Then what did we do together?
Derek: Most of the time, either I am in your room bitching, or you are in my room bitching or we are on the phone bitching.
And you don't bitch to people you meet for the first time do you? No wonder I have problems making conversation to strangers and mere acquantainces unless we can talk about work.

Like lately, I went out with a couple of friends who brought another friend along. I had absolutely nothing to say to her. Read: absolutely nothing. This was despite the fact that she is rather attractive (physically at least) and she is the chatty outgoing type. Maybe both of us just found each other and our conversation topics boliao. First time I thought maybe its my jitters (I am after all a rather shy individual) so we met another again, with the same friends. Same thing, it was a torturous evening for me and I believe she would concur. Needless to say, that was the last time we met.

Maybe I am really horrible at social events. I would much rather be at home with my PC, PS2, TV, Hi-fi then go out with strangers. So I am a geek, I think there used to be a study that people who spend more than (I forgot the figure, I just remember I exceeded it by a mile then) x hours a week online or gaming usually have poor social skills. Maybe that explains why I am at home on a Saturday night writing my blog.