Fallen on Deaf (and Nonexistent) Ears

When people irritate me, I can generally brush it aside; I may show my displeasure to a degree, but it’s a fairly reserved displeasure—a slight grimace, a furrowed brow or perhaps a slightly sharp comment. It’s never at the reality TV show level where there’s unimaginative name-calling, outrageous accusations and physical brawling. [Pause.] However, when I get irritated at inanimate objects, suddenly it’s an entirely different story.

I don’t think I’m alone with my frustration of inanimate objects. Really, anything could set me off, although anything technological has a better shot of pissing me off—like my computer. I love my computer when everything is going smoothly, but if (and when) something goes awry, suddenly I’m cussing up a storm. I know very well that my computer can’t hear me, and my throwing verbal slams at it doesn’t help one bit, but my inability to magically fix the situation angers me and that anger doesn’t want to be bottled up inside, so it explodes in expletives. And while my swearing doesn’t solve anything per se, eventually I get tired enough to calm down to the point where I can deal with the problem with a clearer (and less pissed off) mindset.  

I think the problem I have with inanimate objects is that they often lack the ability to actually help you understand the problem. You just get some cryptic message that something’s wrong and then you have to decipher what that actually means (through a manual or by searching the internet for answers); that inability to know what the issue is, is often more frustrating than the actual problem itself. And as a result, being in that black hole of uncertainty inevitably brings out the verbally worst in me. [Sigh.]

I’m Bored. Let’s Eat.

Eating tasty food is one of the most satisfying parts of any day. Some days I can’t wait to eat and I eagerly await my stomach to growl at me so I can fill it with delicious food. However when I’m busy working on something, sometimes it’s easy to forget to eat. If I’m in the middle of a project and really focused on it, then somehow eating becomes an afterthought—almost an annoyance. I don’t want to eat because then I have to stop what I’m doing and take a ten minute break to wolf down sustenance so I can continue on (and it seems like such a hassle). [Sigh.]

On the flip side, I may want to eat if I’m bored. I want to nibble, nosh, munch and taste something tasty. I know I’m not actually hungry, but I feel like eating something. I think this wanting to eat for the sake of eating is most apparent when watching TV (because who doesn’t want a little snack while watching TV?). Somehow popcorn seems to make just about any TV show a bit more palatable to watch.

Sometimes I’ll catch myself and realize that my hands just want to be busy, so instead of eating I ought to do something with my hands (e.g. knitting, drawing, crafting, etc.), which is infinitely better for my already full stomach. It’s excessively easy to mindlessly snack, so I just need to distract my hands so I don’t end up eating something I don’t really need.  

Short and Not So Sweet

Language isn’t a static thing; it morphs and changes as time goes on. The usage and popularity of words can shift often due to pop culture, technology and current events. Every generation speaks a bit differently than the former one, and the way the language changes can often be a mixed bag.

One aspect of language I’m not a fan of is the shortening of words, which seems to be more prevalent than ever. It’s not a new concept; people often want to make things easier and faster to say (“froyo” springs to mind). But likely with the advent of texting, abbreviating words has become even more commonplace, and then that shortening mentality easily turns into verbalization. I cringe when I hear someone shorten a word that doesn’t need shortening. I mean how lazy do people have to be change a two-syllable word to one syllable?

Words are useful. Words are fun. Words can create visual pictures. Words can transport you and make you think and feel and experience something. Words can say a lot. And while shortened words may have the “same” meaning as their unshortened counterparts, the impression they leave to me is an incomplete word. They just sound terrible to me, like they got amputated with a dull knife. And every fiber of my being just wants to finish that tortured fragmented word because they just make me so sad. [Pause.] Maybe it’s time I just buy myself a rocking chair and sit on a porch and complain about how my hip acts up when there’s a cold snap. [Sigh.]

I Swear Mini Cards

Inspired by swear words (and substitution swear words), I created mini cards that each convey a swear word moment. I was actually inspired by substitution swear words first; when I posted What the Fudge! I thought of various faux swear words and “blowhole” stood out in my mind. I envisioned a cute whale with “You blowhole!” on it, and I thought I could create a series of cards using swear words and drawings.

Let’s Fill the Silence

One of the most painfully long (or at least seemingly long) conversations to have with others is small talk. It could happen at any time or any place. It could be with acquaintances, or friends of friends, or relatives you hardly ever see or people you just happen to cross paths with, but somehow you’re in a situation where you’re forced to interact with that someone…and often it makes for some awkward conversation.

When two people don’t know each other very well, what is there to talk about? The weather is often one of the first conversation points brought up because everyone knows what’s happening with the weather. You’ve been experiencing it yourself so you know if it’s been hot or cold or sunny or rainy. (Of course if both parties already know what the weather’s been like, is it really necessary to talk about it—it probably wasn’t very exciting while you were actually experiencing it in the first place). [Sigh.]

Small talk tends to fall into the shallow end of the conversation spectrum. Topics that aren’t very personal and perhaps just based upon straightforward facts are often the focus because anything too personal may inadvertently offend the other person (and that would just make things even more awkward).

Yet while small talk isn’t the most riveting conversation, somehow it seems to be preferable to most people than silence (at least in the U.S.). Silence tends to make people uncomfortable; they’re not quite sure what to do if they’re not talking. It may be based upon being polite and not ignoring the other person, but sometimes it would be nice to skip any effort for small talk. Sometimes small talk just makes things even more abundantly clear that neither of us has anything in common nor is particularly interested in the other person. Sometimes silence is preferable.