you know that never works, especially if you're quagmire

#49 Agreed. I've moved because of random people wanting to have, uh..."interesting" chats with me. One time, a guy offered me a frozen chicken breast. I refused several times and eventually changed seats.

A frozen chicken breast? Really? Surprisingly, I haven't had many strange bus experiences, although there is this weird shaman guy that occasionally rides my bus. He has this stick thing with horse hair or... something.

Ha! A chicken breast? WTF? Spas, that sounds like one of the few people for whom I'd make an exception! I bet he'd be an interesting conversationalist, as opposed to the chit-chatters I try to avoid. Small talk is so achingly boring and pointless, and trying to do it just reminds me of how hopelessly bad I am at it. :[

I couldn't imagine you being bad at talking to someone! Unless, you're like me and find it easier to type than talk.

Honesty, you're sweet. :) Yes, I do find it much easier to talk via written communication. I'd rather wrench out each of my teeth individually without anasthesia, then "mingle" and make forced small talk with strangers. Here if I have nothing to say, I just don't comment; you can't do that IRL without looking like a snob or a social retard. But then I get all neurotic about whether I said too much, or not enough, or sounded a lot dumber than I am, or if I liked our talk, whether I should've asked for their info so we could maybe be friends, but then maybe they would've thought I was a desperate friendless barnacle-loser, or was just hitting on them, etc. etc. It gets pretty complicated.

Jane, I'm beginning to think we're the same person somehow.

Ditto to both Jane and Spas! :P I'm completely the same way...

Sweet. We're like the nerdy Neopolitan of social neuroses. >.<

On the bright side, we can now form a club! Bring on the secret handshakes and matching jackets. We'll also have meetings, but only if we're not feeling too socially anxious to do so... :P