Small Talk
Such as the archers and rowers and goths!
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THOUGHT IT WAS THE END.
THOUGHT IT WAS THE 4TH OF JULY.
I WOKE UP AND THEN I REALISED,
I WAS NOT WHAT I HAD ALWAYS TRIED TO EMULATE.
INSTEAD A SHADOW OF FORMER GLORY.
AND THEN I CRIED.
I really like that philosophy. Nice balance. Well put.
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My Science blog, Science Over a Cuppa - http://insolemexumbra.wordpress.com/
My partner's autism science blog, Cortical Chauvinism - http://corticalchauvinism.wordpress.com/
[ Just some random small talk chatter that I tell my girl, she hears stuff like this from me now and then, some I wrote a while back. ]
Ow these naughty things i feel, can they be real? this girl is shining through to me, her smiles so bright and her wanting lusts for my words a delight, ow how i would love to touch her soul and be body with my body's rhythm and flow, tender hearts touching and becoming one in the darkest of the midnight sun.
Aww your the fruit of my eyes, your lips like the sweetest cherries, your skin like the coconuts milk to my lips, your eyes like the wildest honey wine that could be drank by mine own eyes, your hair like the best strawberry's to pass before my nose as grown wild in the garden of eden, your fingers and your toes as sweet and tasty as that of vanilla freshly made before my soul, and your body so supreme that no chocolate could hold up to that dream.
Together in a spring meadow if you run i shall catch
thee, making you giggling while i make love to thee,
smothered in a thousand kisses as passion fills our
vision, day turns to dark delights while time fades
out of our sight, two impassioned souls entwined
becoming as one while the scent of the wild flowers
fills our lungs.
strapshoechris
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: 15 Dec 2005
Gender: Male
Posts: 197
Location: Rocky Mountains
Hi all,
I just joined the site and have been reading this topic from July. As for myself, most of those who know me know better than to try to engage me in "small talk" It seems as if they ask me the time of day, then I'm going to "build them the watch". In other words, they will never get a standard cookie-cutter answer like "fine" to a question like "How are you?" If they dare ask such a question they are going to get an ear full of truth about what is actually going on at the moment. My problem is, that there are a few who don't seem to want to give up trying to pry a "normally expected" response out of my mouth. How do I deal with these persistent pests? How do I convince them to either get to the pointe of their purpose of conversation with me or move on to a "real" subject? Casual acquaintences I can shuck off easily by telling them to their face that in my culture, SMALL TALK IS FOR SMALL MINDS. This approach obviously isn't suited for the workplace, unless I want to change workplaces frequently. The best I've been able to do at my job is "change the subject".
My first post on this forum! Wow! That weird and wonderful lubricant of social interraction called Small Talk! A series of polite exchanges that apparently satisfies the participants that some form of communication is taking place. I think I admire the behaviour of animals who "say" what is relevant, rather than the contrived waffle without which so many humans would be at a loss. I find I've got into the habit myself of asking someone how they are without expecting a meaningful reply, and when I've not been feeling too well, have replied that I'm fine rather than answer truthfully. How I wish we could all communicate honestly and freely, whereas the irony is that most of the people we meet are the ones likely to regard those who are aspergic as the uncommunicative ones!
I feel like advising people to say nothing to me unless it is useful, interesting, profound or hilarious! Fortunately I seem to be able to introduce topics into conversations with others which I feel we can enjoy discussing, but there are many scenarios I have had to avoid so as to avoid situations wherein I feel quiet alienated. Perhaps the most alienating aspect of being in a group is the ongoing topics that people discuss informally that don't take into account the newcomer who hasn't a clue what they're on about!
I've not read more than a few posts here but already feel "at home" where we can talk openly about how we perceive ourselves and others. Know Thyself!
If you do not attempt to get to know people and engage them in conversation, you will be unlikely to find out what deeper subjects interest them - and who knows, the bloke from the office who talks to his colleagues about cars may also have an interest in quantum mechanics or philosophy, and may not be the shallow person you percieve him to be, judging him solely on the nature of his small-talk chatter about cars which exists to cement his relationships with his colleagues it being the only subject in which they have a common interest.
Ugh. It's so true that people are like this and it irritates me to no end. How the f*** am I supposed to know if someone is interesting to talk to if they don't share their "real" interests with me? I can't get a gauge on someone through small-talk because it bores me to tears and I can't force myself to continue listening after more than a few minutes of it.
Also, unlike others I can tell quite easily when people are bored or uncomfortable with me. Even when they deny it out of politeness, I can usually sense when people aren’t really listening/interested in what I have to say. This usually leads to me just shutting up, in which case people will say that I'm "too quiet". I can’t win.
In my opinion.
But I can read body language to some degree. At least I can when I am paying attention and not distracted (I do get distracted very easily and my thoughts often wander away from the conversation... but that’s a different story). I really think a lot of group-type small talk is about asserting belonging to the group. My reward center in my brain just isn’t wired to feel an emotional reward due to fitting in with a group. I only feel an emotional reward when either 1.) the topic is something of interest to me, or 2.) more personal/intimate matters are being discussed.
