Introverts, how is your day?

[Carol the Dabbler]

Well, we can all do an estimate of someone's weight, height, measurements etc just by looking at them and some of us will be more accurate than others. I think Sherlock is just supposed to be really, really good at this.

 

I'm willing to believe that he can guess a person's height and weight accurately enough to clean up on the carny circuit. I'm even willing to believe that he could deduce Irene's waist and hip measurements.

 

But since a woman's bust measurement varies according to what bra she's wearing, deducing that would require him to know enough about women's tastes in bras (an area that he surely leaves to John) to deduce what style Irene would choose. Then he'd need to deduce what effect that bra would have on her personal contours, and finally (and most plausibly) what the resulting measurement would be.

 

But hang on, I think I've figured out how he could have (fairly plausibly) done it. I already conceded that he could figure out her waist and hip measurements. He commented that he could tell which digits were involved by the amount of wear and grime on the buttons. So from those six digits* he temporarily ignores the four that constitute her waist and hip measurements. The other two must, in some order, be her bust measurement. I think even I could take it from there.

 

So -- cancel implausibility alert!

 

 

* more likely fewer than six, due to some digits being involved more than once -- but those buttons would show additional wear and grime

[Pseudonym]

Ha! Bravo Carol! :D

[Carol the Dabbler]

I'm willing to believe that ... he could deduce Irene's waist and hip measurements.  [....]  He commented that he could tell which digits were involved by the amount of wear and grime on the buttons. So from those six digits* he temporarily ignores the four that constitute her waist and hip measurements. The other two must, in some order, be her bust measurement. I think even I could take it from there.

 

 

* more likely fewer than six, due to some digits being involved more than once -- but those buttons would show additional wear and grime

 

One more detail has occurred to me -- he presumably gets only one crack at opening the safe.  How does he know whether the measurements should be expressed in inches or in centimeters?  My own observation has been that linear measurements in the UK are often (but not always) still done in inches, miles, etc., but fortunately there's a way for him to be sure:

 

According to the numbers he keys in, as displayed on our tv screens, and as meticulously transcribed by the wonderful Ariane DeVere (here), Irene's measurements (clearly in inches) are 32-24-34.  Of course those are rounded to the nearest inch, meaning that her actual measurements (as deduced by Sherlock) fall somewhere in the following ranges:

 

31.5 - 32.5 inches  *or*  80.0 - 82.6 cm

23.5 - 24.5 inches  *or*  59.7 - 62.2 cm

33.5 - 34.5 inches  *or*  85.1 - 87.6 cm

 

Now remember he had already said that the combination "can’t be your birthday – no disrespect but clearly you were born in the eighties; the eight’s barely used."  And her hips, especially, are right smack dab in the middle of the 80's when expressed in centimeters.  So inches it is.

[Arcadia]

Sooo ..... yesterday, I had what is possibly the most surreal day of my life. A friend asked me ... pleaded with me ... to say a couple words on camera for a candidate she's supporting. This candidate isn't even running in my district, and doesn't stand a chance, but .... well, you know, a friend asked.

 

So I show up, with The Mom in tow, expecting an hour or so of answering the same questions a few times, then off home. Well, no. It turns out they were filming a 30-second spot. Featuring me. And only me. I had to memorize a script, and everything. And wear a microphone. And PERFORM. I am not an actor! I never wanted to be an actor! Let me outta here!!!!

 

But ... you know, a friend asked. (And she must have apologized a thousand times; she didn't know it was going to be such an ordeal either. She ended up looking after my mom for four hours. Yes, four hours. She said she owes me. She's right.)

 

So here's what I learned:

1. Why theatrical makeup is called greasepaint. It really is that thick; it felt like they were slathering yogurt on my face. The Greek kind.

2. It really does make you look 20 years younger. It also makes you look like a plastic doll.

3. Trump has white around the eyes because he closes his eyes when his orange makeup is applied.

4. Keeping your eyes open when someone is dabbing them with a blunt instrument is really hard.

5. It takes forever.

6. Getting wired for a microphone involves a complete stranger putting his hands inside your clothes without asking first.

7. He asks you a lot of questions about yourself to distract you from what's happening.

8. He is very professional the whole time.

9. Everyone on the crew is.

10. They are also incredibly patient.

11. You have to drink from a straw so you won't mess up your makeup. They put the straw in the drink for you.

12. They do everything for you. The "talent" is not allowed to move, hardly.

13. Until you're on camera. Then they want you to move, instead of standing frozen in terror.

14. They watch every twitch you make, and critique it. And suggest different ways of "acting natural."

15. They are incredibly patient.

16. The lights are every bit as hot as you've heard they are.

17. If you touch your hair, the makeup lady will be all over you.

18. They really do say "Quiet on the set!" even though it's not a set, just someone's living room.

19. That is possibly the scariest sentence on earth.

20. From that point on, you are sitting alone on one side of the cameras, with about 10 people on the other side intently watching every motion you make. Literally.

21. It is really hard to remember even short lines when everyone's staring at you.

22. They are incredibly patient.

23. They will make you do it over and over and over and over and over until the director is happy. With. Every. Single. Word.

24. Then you have to do it again a different way. Over and over and ....

25. They hear everything. Even the tiniest noise outside will cause them to halt and start over.

26. It is really hard to remember even short lines when you also have to remember how to tilt your head, where to look, what to do with your hands, which word to emphasize, use the right inflection, and speak at the right speed.

27. They are incredibly patient.

28. It really is a reason to swear when you blow your lines.

29. Actors really do spend most of the work day doing absolutely nothing.

30. The thirty minutes you're in front of the camera is very intense and incredibly exhausting.

31. They take hundreds of still shots afterwards. They don't explain why.

32. The camera they use to take them cost over $34,000.

33. They will explain nothing to you, but patiently answer any question you ask.

34. Some of the makeup doesn't wash off easily, you have to scrub.

35. I always thought I'd hate being an actor. I was right. But the behind the scenes stuff is really, really cool.

[Pseudonym]

Ooo, that's different. So you don't think you'll be BC's co-star anytime soon?

[J.P.]

At least you can call yourself a colleague. :D

[T.o.b.y]

Wow, Arcadia, I would never, ever have done that, no matter how much I liked the friend who asked. She does owe you big time!

[Carol the Dabbler]

Closest I ever came to anything even remotely like that was when they were filming an ad in the house next door.  That house didn't have enough electrical capacity to power all of their big honkin' lights, so they ran an extension cord into my basement (with my permission, of course) and gave me $100 for using my electricity for a few hours.  I wasn't in the ad, of course -- they had a couple of professional actors for that.  But I do remember the proud feeling I had while watching the ad, knowing that was MY "sunshine" pouring in the window!

[Arcadia]

Ooo, that's different. So you don't think you'll be BC's co-star anytime soon?

 

No, he's welcome to stand out in that field all by himself.

 

At least you can call yourself a colleague. :D

 

I don't know, does it count if I don't get paid?

 

Wow, Arcadia, I would never, ever have done that, no matter how much I liked the friend who asked. She does owe you big time!

 

Ohhhhhh, yeah.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Holy carbonara.

That must be a very very good friend.

Or you are a very kind person, or you are borderline nuts. :p

 

But well done, I hope at least you like the endorsement. And don't get too attached to the fame.! XD

[J.P.]

Prepare to send us signed photos though. :P

[Arcadia]

Holy carbonara.

That must be a very very good friend.

Or you are a very kind person, or you are borderline nuts. :P

 

That last description is probably the closest, but the main reason I went ahead with it was 1) to keep a promise and 2) I really despise the person this candidate is running against. :P If something I do helps to get him defeated, it's worth it. (But it won't. He's an incumbent conservative in a conservative district; no way he's getting voted out.)

 

But well done, I hope at least you like the endorsement. And don't get too attached to the fame.! XD

I hope I like it too, but if it's anything like the newspaper articles I've been quoted in, I'll end up looking like a complete moron.   Which is possibly accurate.

 

[Boton]

I'm starting to think I'm no longer an introvert.

 

I'm just so *lonely* anymore!  I told my husband that I want to find a salsa club where the music is loud and pounding and people are pressed up against you on the dance floor and just go and experience the fact that there are other people in the world.  

 

I want to sit and gossip with someone about something *fun* for a change, like what shoe styles are in for fall or who we know that's dating someone new or what an idiot a celebrity made out of himself on the red carpet.  I'm so tired of having to say everything so carefully and so thoughtfully so that conversations don't accidentally tumble into politics, which they all inevitably do.

 

I'm starting to have conversations with people in the grocery store, just for the thrill of having this little ephemeral interaction with another human being.

 

Maybe I should take the MBTI again....

[Pseudonym]

Isn't a sign of being a true introvert the fact that you're not lonely being alone though? I'm at my happiest when I'm on my own. 

 

The other parts, yup, I'd agree, doesn't sound very introverted. 

 

I've been dragging myself out to various clubs and activities, and I have to say that a lot of the time I don't like it. 

[T.o.b.y]

I'm starting to think I'm no longer an introvert.

 

I'm just so *lonely* anymore! I told my husband that I want to find a salsa club where the music is loud and pounding and people are pressed up against you on the dance floor and just go and experience the fact that there are other people in the world.

 

I want to sit and gossip with someone about something *fun* for a change, like what shoe styles are in for fall or who we know that's dating someone new or what an idiot a celebrity made out of himself on the red carpet. I'm so tired of having to say everything so carefully and so thoughtfully so that conversations don't accidentally tumble into politics, which they all inevitably do.

 

I'm starting to have conversations with people in the grocery store, just for the thrill of having this little ephemeral interaction with another human being.

 

Maybe I should take the MBTI again....

Well, those things can change. Besides, even introverts get lonely and we certainly get tired of political debates (tell me about it, we just had our federal elections and no functional government in sight yet).

 

I like the definition best that says introverts feel energized by spending time alone and get tired / spent socializing. For extroverts, it's the other way round.

 

I love to exercise but I still need to rest afterwards eventually. I feel the same way about interacting with people. That makes me an introvert.

[Boton]

Yeah, I've stopped being quite so happy being on my own.  Don't get me wrong, I still relish having an evening all to myself when I can watch trash TV and knit and not have to interact with people, but I increasingly keep logging onto social media or wanting to pick up the phone to call people so I can hear another voice.

 

Honestly, and this is going to sound very hippy-dippy-trippy (as my friend puts it), but all summer I was going to a thrice-weekly yoga class that focused on the spiritual aspects as much as the exercise/flexibility portion.  At one point, we talked about how most people will find that they meditate best focusing either on the heart chakra (more emotional) or the third eye (more intellectual).  I kind of sighed and thought, oh, here we go, I have to focus my mental energies again, but I couldn't focus on anything but the heart.  That was the only thing that felt comfortable to me was kind of bathing in this pink and gold glow of my own heart and wanting to reach out and extend it to everyone.  Ever since then, I've been craving more and more human contact. I seriously would not have believed that I would feel this if I hadn't experienced it.

 

I still do like to recharge alone, so there is that.

[Pseudonym]

Hm, I've been debating doing mindfulness classes, since they are supposed to help centre and destress you. Was it that sort of class?

[Boton]

Sort of.  This particular class divided down into a section in which we talked about Buddhist philosophy in a very general way (like looking at the concept of ahimsa, or non-violence, and talking for a few minutes about how you can enact that in the small things of your life), then a larger section of the actual yoga poses, and then a bit of chanting and meditation.  I did find that it lessened my stress level and helped me keep focused on what was important to me rather than letting every distraction in the world keep pulling at me.

 

If you are curious about it, I would recommend trying whatever class is available to you.  If you are anything like most people, you may find elements you like and those you don't, and you may wind up changing classes or approaches as your needs change, but learning to be present in your own life is a very helpful skill.

[Pseudonym]

I might have a hunt about. Though fitting in another class will probably be impossible. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Boton, I'm not sure whether this question is actually bugging you or not.  But if it is, please remember that everybody's different.  We can't all be neatly sorted into two boxes.  In fact, I imagine that nearly everyone is somewhere between the boxes.

 

I had a friend who lived alone and enjoyed it.  She commented to me (shortly after her mother's death) that her father just didn't appreciate solitude the way she did.  I pointed out that she was surrounded by people all day at work, whereas he was retired.  (Besides, she was used to being alone, and he'd been married for forty or fifty years.)  So there are whole bunches of factors that affect how we react to being alone vs. having company.  Maybe you're just bored with doing things the same way.  So yeah, go ahead and try some other things.

[Boton]

Thanks, Carol.  It doesn't bother me if I start not being an introvert; of all the MBTI and other types of designations, "introvert" is probably the one I'd most like to shed.  It's just the actual experience of not having enough human contact in my life right now. We/I do need to make some alterations to our regular schedule, for sure.

[T.o.b.y]

:-D Boton, you can have some of my human contact, I would love to spend a weekend without visitors. Seems like there are people coming to our place all the time. All people I love dearly but I find myself sighing with relief when they leave.

[Fantasy Lover]

Can I have a few as well?

[T.o.b.y]

Sure! Just give them back when you're finished :-P

 

Seriously, sorry to hear you're feeling lonely too (at least that's what I take your comment to mean).

 

I used to get terribly lonely when I was younger. I remember reading "Villette" by Charlotte Bronte and hardly being able to finish the book because the main character's incredible tangible loneliness hit too close to home.

[Pseudonym]

Have a look what Meetup groups are in your area, I was surprised there were so many groups around here and I *think* it's international. If not there must be an alternative in your country. It's weird at first but since the whole purpose is to meet new people to make friends everyone I've met has been nice and chatty. Not met a new best pal yet but it's early days. ;)