Cymbalta is spelled with a 'C'? That's depressing.

[mmmrorschach]

One time when I was trying to change my internet service package, I got hung up in a chat program and I began to suspect that I was chatting with a computer; either that or with a person following a meticulous script. To find out which, I felt like asking them what they'd do if they encountered a tortoise in the desert, or what the meaning of life

Comments

[mmmrorschach]

Do you know what a turtle is? It's pretty much the same thing. :⌡

That whole conversation always reminds me of when I tried to tell jokes to my friends who were hardcore RPGers. They kept interrupting the joke because they're so used to asking questions whenever they're being narrated to.

[mmmrorschach]

Don't worry about it. That's how I was, but eventually you get to the point where you have so many things to say your brain locks up trying to pick just the right one. It's sort of like progress.

You have a lovely day, too, ma'am.

[grrgoyl]

I know so many people who dislike/suck at small talk, I'm beginning to wonder if anyone doesn't. If not, how about a petition to ban it? I mean, really, what purpose does it serve, other than trapping you in a conversation with uninteresting people? Or people like you who desperately WANT to demonstrate their cleverness but are constrained by pointless conventions?

[mmmrorschach]

I'm not sure whether there's anyone who actively enjoys small talk, but I bet there are some people who enjoy being good at it. Whenever they try to engage me, it feels like they're saying, "I don't like you, but I can pretend to like you better than you can pretend to like me." I guess they get good feelings for trying to engage the other person, and being civil, and unafraid. I don't know. The whole thing confuses. I'd rather just skip to the part where I'm telling you about how creepy it is to see an entire hive of bees crawling all over a single flower.

[callise]

See the movie, She's the Man? She tried to teach the guy how to do small talk. "I like cheese......" was her small talk starter LOL!

"Do you ever find slightly lazy people devilishly attractive?" do you seriously? or just trying to make conversation?

[mmmrorschach]

I have not seen that movie. Oh, wait, that Amanda Bynes one! I have seen parts of it! For some reason I was getting it mixed up with Juwanna Mann. "I like cheese" is definitely a daring conversational gambit.

I do. There's something about people who would rather languor than make the effort to find the motivation to do some small meaningless task. I appreciate the feeling of just wanting to sink and not move.

[callise]

why only parts of it?

I have to admit I like ones where they dress, act as other people, or their souls switch bodies!!!

yeah that cracks me up...I like....cheese....

HA HA HA...um have I mention how I love to be in PJ's, and that a great day is spent sitting around playing video games LOL!

[mmmrorschach]

It was playing on television and I only caught the second half. Even I knew he was a girl.

That reminds me, I still need to watch Face/Off.

I think you have.

[waitingonsunday]

I have a habit of precursing uncertain phone calls to businesses with, "I'm sorry, I'm not sure I'm at the right place for this, but..." It really does seem to help, more often than not.

Last fall, I answered the phone at work and honestly couldn't tell if it was a person or a recording or maybe some sort of text-to-voice program for a disabled person on the other end. It turned out it was someone campaigning for a local politician, and when the paused to ask me if I was voting for the person they were representing, I STILL didn't know. I said, "Uh...yes," and then I was thanked and the call ended, and I still wasn't entirely certain it wasn't some automated thing with voice recognition. If that was an actual person addressing me, I like to imagine they sound so stilted, rehearsed, and emotionless in everyday life, when they're making small talk at the park or ordering food at a restaurant or declaring undying love to someone.

[mmmrorschach]

What really bothers me is that when I'm not feigning ignorance, but actually don't know what I'm doing, (it might just be my imagination) but people seem less helpful. Or maybe it's just that I'm actually helpless.

That's why it's always a relief when you hear someone laugh for the first time. Then you can almost (almost) put aside your fears that they're a robot or an alien unfamiliar with human customs and voice patterns. Whenever I imagine a voice recognition program, I always picture it as a human-shaped robot talking on the phone wearing a wig and lipstick, but then I think, Why did they bother making it look like a person?

[diabological]

Why not just ask a question? Shifts the expectation right back to them.