Introverts, how is your day?

[Pseudonym]

I did something similar to that this morning too!  I just put a jumper over my pajama top and a beanie over my birds nest hair and nipped to the shop. I don't know how coiffed everyone else was, I made an effort not to make eye-contact with anyone. One of the perks of living in a city, I know I'm not going to see any of those people again, and the chance of running into someone I know is very slim. If I lived in a small town and had to actually speak to anyone, rather than use self-service check-outs, I don't know if I'd be so bold!

Everything hurts at the moment. I went for my first proper run of the year on Friday (it was actually light when I left work! ), and then spent a few hours earlier branch lopping a tree overhanging my garden, including quite a few branches I should probably have used a saw on. So now everything aches. My thighs, my calves, my feet, my back muscles, my arm muscles... owchieness everywhere. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Um, what about the earthquake?

[Pseudonym]

Earthquake?

[Carol the Dabbler]

The news is saying there was something of a quake in your neighborhood. Glad to know you didn't even notice!

[Pseudonym]

Hm, didn't know anything about it. That's about the time I was out the garden, and I didn't feel anything. Didn't even set any car alarms off. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Being outdoors would explain it -- you were presumably on your feet; i.e., with only a small area of ground contact.  If you'd been sitting or lying down, especially if the building and/or the furniture wasn't the sturdiest, you'd have been more likely to notice it.

I likewise "missed" my first earthquake in California, because I was standing on a concrete-slab floor.  I heard rustling noises above me, but thought an animal had gotten into the attic.  Whereas the floor of Alex's office (about a mile away) was on rollers (so it would "give" in a quake, rather than break), plus his chair was on wheels, and he went for a nice little ride!

[Pseudonym]

Ah ha!

[Fantasy Lover]

What is about my face that makes people stop and ask me directions? Do I have an invisible neon sign that reads "I am a walking google maps, please consult me for directions"?!

[HerlockSholmes]

No one who knows me ever asks me for directions. I could get lost in my own street! It’s weird but I have absolutely no sense of direction. Even in my town when a place is brought up in conversation and I point in what I think is the right direction someone always tells me that I’m wrong. I think about it for a while and become more and more convinced that I’m right. I’m 100% wrong every time! I never learn though. 

I found my way to a friend’s new house the other day. About 3 miles from my own house. I felt like Indiana Jones😀

[Carol the Dabbler]

Maybe you look like you know where you're going, FL -- lotta people don't, these days.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Same here Herlock. And I hate it when people give me direction with South, North, East, West. How do I suppose to know... so I tried to replicate what they say with left and right but most time they ignore it and insist of me following the direction of earth's axis and magnetic field or something like that.

Once I got lost in parking area for one hour. To be fair, it has mezanine and only specifically accessible from one way.

I'm getting better though, because I have to for some of the things I do. But it's not natural, have to force-learning it. Funny enough, if I am dumped somewhere, somehow I always find my way back, maybe I have those doggy talent where one can never get rid of me if I don't want to.

Fantasy, I think it's your face. Seriously.  

I asked a friend of mine who is an insurance agent that it must be difficult to approach strangers who are more likely to shun or reject you. She said they choose the people they approach, she made some remarks and I happened to laugh at it. And she said, Like that kind of smile, that's why you are likely to be approached.

When I think back, I suppose she is right. I have my b*tch face, but when my mood is in default I probably look friendly enough. I was approached to convert my religion, whatever I have, multiple times on public place even when I have my earphone on, and when I pass by same station couple of times within two hours, I was asked every single time I passed that credit card booth, and at least twice by a same staff.

But for direction, I imagine people have more urgency to ask. You probably look like you know where you are going, local and again, approachable if they choose you when others are around.

[Carol the Dabbler]

1 hour ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

I hate it when people give me direction with South, North, East, West. How do I suppose to know... so I tried to replicate what they say with left and right but most time they ignore it and insist of me following the direction of earth's axis and magnetic field or something like that.

It's sometimes a cultural thing.  This part of the US is laid out in a grid pattern, with most roads and streets going either straight east-west or straight north-south.  In fact, a lot of streets have the words north or south in their names, so people are quite aware of the cardinal directions.

When I ask directions in another part of the country, I get very frustrated, because people can't tell me which *direction* to go, or even whether the store is on the north side of the street or the south side.  I generally end up asking something like "Well, do I need to go toward the harbor or toward Framingham?"  They can generally tell me that just fine, which really puzzles me -- haven't they ever seen a map of their own city, to know which side of town the harbor is on?

When I write out directions, I generally try to give it both ways, like "turn left (north)."

[SherlockedCAMPer]

For many directions I give, I use Left/Right and use the ordinal directions as needed for the correct direction of the highway. I also put in prominent (to the area) landmarks if they exist. (Eg for my parents, coming from the US trunk highway, I tell people the 4.5 miles north (right at the exit) on a winding road and after a stretch of open land they need to start counting streets before making their right & if they reach a 4-way stop, they need to turn around and it’s the first left.

[HerlockSholmes]

If I’m asked directions I would never use north, south, east or west. Mainly because I wouldn’t have a clue in which direction each one was but also because, as the uk is vastly smaller, were never that far away from anything. It’s usually a case of ‘next left, third right, across the island, next left and there you are.’ Or, more accurately in the case of men, it’s ‘turn left at The King’s Head go past The George and Dragon then right at The Duke Of Wellington and there you are👍‘

Strangely the only time that I get asked for directions is when I’m away from home so I’m more clueless than ever!  In reality the days when people ask for directions must be coming to an end as most people have phone apps and one day everyone will have one. I’ve got a compass on my phone. I’ve never found a use for it though.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I wouldn't be nearly as likely to give directions as north, south, etc. in the UK myself, simply because most streets go at an angle and/or curve around, so that such terms become somewhat meaningless.  I still *think* in those terms a good bit of the time, though, when major streets (e.g., Marylebone Road) do happen to go fairly straight.  (And I really can't help it in the case of North Gower Street!)

[SherlockedCAMPer]

If you really want to have fun with ordinal directions and street names, go to Duluth, Minnesota. It’s considered the San Francisco of the Midwest. It on the shore of Lake Superior which obviously curves so the whole city sits at a weird angle. Streets have name similar to N 10th St E. And that might not even be near the lake as the city is kind of on the northwest shores. So using the ordinal directions would be slightly insane. (Sounds perfect for this fandom)

[J.P.]

https://www.google.de/maps/place/Mannheim/@49.4863252,8.4685694,15.55z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x4797cc24518e3f45:0xb1e4fe7aa406e687!8m2!3d49.4874592!4d8.4660395

This is an inner city of Mannheim, Germany. The adresses are not bound to the streets but to the blocks of houses and sound like B3, 24. Sounds weird but it was actually quite easy to find your way through the town.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Sounds similar to the system of naming rural roads here in Indiana -- same very basic idea, anyhow, if I'm interpreting your example correctly -- sort of a grid pattern.  And yes, it does work very well, once a person understands it.

[Arcadia]

How was my day? Slow, a bit overlong, came home really tired, turned on the TV, there was this cute young thing gracing my screen. Soooo... yeah. A pretty good day. Quiz: what is this from?

[SherlockedCAMPer]

33 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

How was my day? Slow, a bit overlong, came home really tired, turned on the TV, there was this cute young thing gracing my screen. Soooo... yeah. A pretty good day. Quiz: what is this from?

I'd say it's from August: Osage County.  The shirt and suit coat look about the same only darker because of lighting.  And the hair style is about the same as his Little Charles Aiken.

[Van Buren Supernova]

I *still* write down my direction manually until quite recently. End of this road, turn left, this landmark, right, etc, etc.

Now I just put my phone in my jacket, although I still read the map manually instead of using GPS.

The inner city looks pretty neat, J.P.

No such luck here, especially residential area. 

 

Never heard of Osage County before, looking at how young BC, it must be an older show?

 

Do you guys ever get stuck in a plane with chatty neighbor? It is one of the worst actually, second only to smelly neighbor = tie with screaming children.

A elderly couple was trying to chat with me, starting by commenting on my jacket etc. And when I helped them with their overhead cabin, they became even friendlier.

But thank goodness for earphone and inflight entertainment, it is easier to gesture that you are about to watch something, and them having it give them something to do as well although they ended up chatting with people sitting in front of us.

Since I have nothing but a small backpack, after we were 'released' from the seat belt I quickly made a beeline along the aisle to the exit, which is what I always do as long as it doesn't disrupt others yet, and completely forgot to help them with their bags since they couldn't reach the overhead cabin. Oops, hopefully some strangers around would help them since they seemed pretty nice although less chatty would be good.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Don't worry -- one of the staff would have helped them eventually.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Yes, but the staffs are normally in front or at the back during 'discharge' time. (not sure what is the term, unloading passenger? ), so they'd have to wait until the plane cleared off, which would take a long while since it's a big plane and we were seated just couple of row behind business class. 

I'm not worry though, there are a lot of helpful strangers, especially when they are not doing anything while waiting for the line to move. 

Just that ignorant neighbor who left them without a word ...

[Pseudonym]

Headphones are definitely a blessing in those situations, I normally have my headphones early, even if it's not playing anything, to discourage unwanted conversations from starting. If I'm really trying to make a point I want to be left alone I'll put the hood on my hoody up too. That's normally fairly effective. 

There is nothing more irritating that people who insist on talking to you regardless of headphones. Can you not see I want to be left alone? Is it not obvious that I'm trying to discourage you from interacting with me?

[Pseudonym]

Half day today, yaaaay! Decided to go visit my parents for a couple of days, so will duck out of work early, go for a run and then drive to their house. It's been nice and sunny this week though bitterly cold. Also getting my hair chopped which it desperately needs but I hate having done.