Makin' conversation...

Runs With Scissors

Runs With Scissors

Joined
Dec 3, 2000
Messages
3,002
I've ended my weekend with the painful conclusion that I gotta get out and socialize more often. My wife and I had our own little Garage Sale this weekend, Most of the time, I could relate to Nastys thread regarding that whole ordeal.

Here's a little known secret about me around the forums...90% of the time I'm extremely shy and not at all a gregarious social butterfly type. So before we even put out the signs I was panicking and trying to figure out how to make conversation. Some topics were used, others not.

Weather...yay...lets talk about the weather. Everyone wants to b!tch about the weather. Its too hot out, its raining too much, its too overcast and there's too many mosquitoes, it's too windy, it's not windy enough...justa bitchin', gripin' an' moanin'...who freakin' cares about the weather??!! we're all standin' up, respiratin' an' pulsatin' in it. We got the clothes to adapt, and if ya' didn't have the ocassional rainshower, we wouldn't appreciate the sunshine. blah...

Houses, cars, etc. Mildly interesting topic, except that it so frequently turns into a chest pounding pecker measuring one up kinda event. The money required for "stuff" is a fleeting thing. a person could go from well off to p!ss broke in a very short period of time, and aint none of it gonna make a sh!t in the end anyways. I do enjoy nice trucks and fast cars and all that. I just don't care enough to bother with them myself, or to converse about it more than a few minutes.

sports, celebrities, etc. once again, I couldn't care less. Why should I give a rip about Jacko, Paris Hilton, or professional sports, they don't even live in the same universe as I do, how could I possibly be interested, give a crap or relate?

society and culture, a very intriguing topic, and one I can converse about for hours among friends, but with strangers it's walking in a landmine. So frequently you wind up offending folks or getting in a tight spot with a person anytime you take exception to the mainstream media. It's not that I'm afraid to offend somebody, I just have better things to do than argue. It's also a good way to set off Amway Salesman and religious zealots. Besides that all the right things to say never come to me until at least two hours later... :D

I've concluded it's a short list of things I care to talk about. Family, dogs, outdoors, guns, knives, books, general shade tree philosophy. I gotta broaden my interests, join a book club, go golfing, or something. :rolleyes:
 
RWS?

If it looks like more than a casual "hello," stop for a minute, gaze intently at the person and ask, "you been in prison too? State or Federal?"
 
I was once an adept conversationalist. Now I find my conversations full of miscues, akward silences and a feeling people are either ignoring me or just hearing me out til they can make an escape. I don't know what happened or when exactly, but my communication skills seem to have fled.
 
I struck up a conversation with a guy in a bookstore who also liked Richard Stark. Stark is a pen name of Donald Westlake that he writes his crime novels under (Payback was made from one of the books). He asked me where I did time.
My wallet was still there when I left the store. :)
I used to never hang out with coworkers, because in the computer field, most are geeks- who only want to talk about computers and games. Thankfully this batch of coworkers have more varied tastes. I even met a knife knut who writes for Blade.
 
Kismet said:
If it looks like more than a casual "hello," stop for a minute, gaze intently at the person and ask, "you been in prison too? State or Federal?"
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:D

I've tried and failed. Sometimes you want to ask someone, "How can I become as exceedingly shallow as you?"

Or... "Can we talk about something other than how awesome you are?"

:rolleyes:
 
Bruise?

Your comment stirred my memories to something a wonderful old friend told me about a guy she was dating at the time.

"He's great in bed, but I'm just not able to have a half-hour conversation about sunglasses."
 
RWS Since I don't know what part of our largest state you reside in, this question may seem off the wall, but forgetting all belted magnums for a moment, do .270/30-06 type rifles, or heavy ball 45-70 types work better in your neck of the woods? I'm curious as to your neighbors' preferences.
 
Last time I talked to someone in a BOOKSTORE,he wanted me to give him a source to buy.....I then was contacted by someone(govt.)who asked for the person's description,offered me $$$$$$$$ to "help" if he contacted me again!! :rolleyes:I don't talk to ANYONE(unless she's a blond & beautiful)in a bookstore anymore!! :grumpy: I'm quiet & grunt when applicable!!
THE DUCK! :cool:
PS- THIS TIME ,I WAS COMPLETELY INNOCENT!!HONEST!!I WAS A VICTOM OF CERCUMSTANCE!!!
 
I used to be extremely shy, I think I've conquered that pretty much. I can type fast, and I play on here when my work is done, or when I'm at the library, or at home, which is one of the reasons I have so many posts. I've met several makers and members here on Bladeforums, and I think that all could say that I was very respectable, and softspoken. I used to work in retail, and I always asked customers if they needed any help. Most would either ask for help, or politely say no, some told me to leave them the hell alone after the first and only time I asked. I learned to tell who needed help, and who was just daydreaming. (Yes, I always asked the honeys if they needed help ;)). Now, in my current position, I am very respectful when dealing with customers on the phone, but I am quick and to the point. Now, I will get to the point. Those people are not looking for anything in particular other than a bargain on something. They may think they are looking for something specific, but they are just whiling away their time, looking for a bargain. I would just nod to them, say Hey, how you doing, and leave it at that. Most people don't want to talk. If you have a table full of horror novels, someone might strike up a conversation about the horror genre. If you have a lot of pots and pans, someone might talk about cooking. If you have knives laid out, you might get a conversation about knives. Other than that, these people are just whiling away the hours while you hope you get enough money to cover your ad in the paper for the garage sale.
 
jurassicnarc44 said:
RWS Since I don't know what part of our largest state you reside in, this question may seem off the wall, but forgetting all belted magnums for a moment, do .270/30-06 type rifles, or heavy ball 45-70 types work better in your neck of the woods? I'm curious as to your neighbors' preferences.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty tough question, actually, with lots of factors to consider. My father, myself, and lotsa folks I know have gotten by primarily with a .30 caliber, ('06, primarily) When properly placed I've yet to see a Moose, caribou, or black bear need a follow up shot with one. The only time it becomes questionable, is when your skinning and packing out forementioned game, and you're watching out for Mr. Brown Bear. Then it occurs to you that something with a bit more oomph would be nice to have right about then.

I've met lots of people that consider the .338 to be the most desirable cartidge available. It'll take a caribou out and still leave you some meat, but it's still got plenty of horsepower for moose and bear.

I haven't noticed ye ole 45/70 being really popular in my area except in the configuration of a Marlin Guide Gun. I'd say it's definitely considered more of a back-up defensive round than a primary one for most.


And the terrain of course plays a huge factor. Here in the Matanuska Susitna valley there's a tremendous variance of terrain, from long shots across Tundra type areas to brush you can't see ten feet in front of you in, so that tends to factor in quite heavily as well.

Hope I answered your question sufficiently with my ramble... :D
 
Facinating. I appreciate the answer. I have several .270's and one 45-70. I have had a .340 Weatherby in the safe for ? 15 years or so...It shoots better than I can, but is actually too much gun for anything around here. I'm hoping one of my sons will make it up to Alaska to hunt one of these days....with a bad ticker and the aftermath of cancer, it's a pretty sure thing I'm not. Nevertheless, I make it out to hunt deer every year....now days I hunt slower and see more....Amazing!

My hands down favorite deer rifle is paradoxically not my most accurate...it's a little wood to the muzzle Ruger 77 RSI in .270 Winchester with a 3X Post and crosshair Leupold scope (post doesn't get lost in the gloom in timber). On a good day it'll do an inch for 3 shots; the other half of the time inch an a quarter to inch an a half....favorite load 55 grains of IMR4350 in win cases under 130 grain Nosler Partitions....and it has never missed during hunting season (some others have). The 45-70 is a Ruger #1 with the same scope set up....I may try my luck with it this year, but with the 77 RSI behind the seat of the pickup.
 
I unfortunately live in ultra liberal land. San Fran. My conversations during my nights out to the "office parties" are "isn't that Michael Moore movie great?" or "Isn't that Hillary Clinton such a great canidate?". All I ever want to talk about is "what do you think about Fackler's writings on the tumbling effects of a 5.56 round through balistic gelaton and how realistic do you think that ballistic gelaton is to real flesh?", "or wouldn't it be nice to have a range that is longer than a 100 yards so I go shoot my 50 bmg 1000 to 2000 yards?" or better yet "do you really think my HI Khuk could chop the head off of a goat in one strike?".

I know I'll be looked upon with fear and be reported to the local LEO's as a "dangerous militant type". So I have to resign myself to conversations like "how's that housing bubble treating you, doesn't it suck that in Kali, you can make 6 figures and still not be able to buy a house" or "Isn't this gas prices so horrible, I have to spend $80 bucks just to fill my SUV". Frankly, these conversations bore the hell outta me. I hate going to these things. I end up hidding in some corner with my Gameboy. Imagine a full grown man having to resorting to playing Gameboy to escape the liberal freaks around him.
 
Damn 50...I don't know what that post made me want to do more...laugh, or cry! :D

Can definitely relate to the sentiment though. My Co-workers finally came to the conclusion that "Mike just lives in a little bit different world than the rest of us"
 
5o Freak, I wear dull muted colors, I can blend in with the plants better when hiding behind them.

RWS, my friends used to tell their friends not to ask me what I was thinking, it would disturb them.

JN44 and RWS, a 45/70 is never out of style, and the closer you get the surer the kill. But I normally hunt with a Scout Rifle.

Bobwhite, I have this boss. I can't read him to save my life, I just try to stay away from him, it's just we live on different worlds or something...
 
45-70 said:
5o Freak, I wear dull muted colors, I can blend in with the plants better when hiding behind them.

RWS, my friends used to tell their friends not to ask me what I was thinking, it would disturb them.

JN44 and RWS, a 45/70 is never out of style, and the closer you get the surer the kill. But I normally hunt with a Scout Rifle.

QUOTE]

Heh...aint that a coincidence...my normal hunting rifle is a Scout Rifle also, although I'm planning on taking my falling block 45/70 out to play with the moose and caribou this year. (if I'm lucky enough to get drawn for caribou) :(
Click to expand...
 
I was thinking about it last night. I changed slowly over the last ten years. I got married. Both my wife and I had serious illnesses. But I think what changed me most is that I quit watching TV. Right before I got married I noticed that if I didn't turn on the TV when I got home, I was able to focus on my hobbies. My wife and I made a decision when we got married to stay TV free. We had our 7 year anniversary yesterday. We can watch movies on a Tv/VCR combo we have, but no antenna, cable or satellite hookups. My point is, I lost touch with mainstream society. I can't participate in all the conversations about TV shows, sports or whatever. I can talk you ear off about my hobbies or books or stuff most people give you blank stares about. But I have noticed that the majority of conversations are about something on TV.
 
Always be yourself.
Don't pretend to be something you're not for fear of their judgement.
Isnt that what liberalism is all about?
No judgment or prejudice?
 
I've always been troubled by the 338 Why? Well, it's so good mathematically. But it isn't really a big bore. It'll overtake the 375 at long yardage. But the field reports give the nod to the 375 for greater effectiveness. I've owned both but never shot at game with either, not that the handful of game I'd take would have any statistical bearing on either cartridge's effectiveness.

It's wonderful fun to think about cartridges for Alaska and Montana.

It's wonderful to be paranoid.

Danny- the original 60's- whatever they were- yes- be yourself. In practise; be like me. We don't want to be like those others- the Republicans.

munk
 
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