06/09/02: I don't really have any thoughts of my own.

juju · 06-09-2002, 06:39 PM

I was talking to this guy at work yesterday about religion. He's a baptist. When I asked him what his beliefs were, he actually said, "I don't really have any thoughts of my own." He related to me that he just believes what his parents and the church tells him. He seems like a cool guy, but this really did surprise me. I'd always known this was true, but i've never had anyone actually admit it before.

My wife's car has been broken down for about a week. We've been sharing my car and taking each other to work. It's kind of cool, because we can spend an extra 15 minutes together a day. I guess that sounds silly, but we really do enjoy it. Plus it gets me up a bit earlier on some days.

I am completely irresponsible when it comes to my car. I've been driving with 1 headlight and no rear left blinker for over a month. I tried replacing the bulb in the left blinker last week, but it still didn't work. I can only assume it's a wiring problem -- this condemns the problem to being ignored for another month. Sometimes I hand signal.. but I feel like such a fool when I do.

Somehow, the glass on my left headlight got cracked. That's why the bulb went out -- it rained, and water filled the inside of the headlight. Apparently that's bad for halogen bulbs. They just burst when they're exposed to liquid. I can't figure out how to extract the headlight to get the water out, but I have an elaborate scheme planned involving fish-tank tubing I bought at wal-mart today and a little old-fasioned suction. I have another bulb ready if it works.

My neighbors in my apartment complex are Mexican. They seem cool, but I can never understand what they're saying. This make me nervous, and I never know how to act when i'm around them. I'm not sure if this makes me prejudiced or not, though I don't want to be. Normally, I would engage in idle chit-chat with my neighbor in order to relate to them better. But I can't do that in this situation. All I can do is smile at them and hope they think i'm not an idiot. This situation has existed for over a year, and we basically ignore each other. It's kind of sad, but I don't really know what to do. It's not like I want them as best friends, but i'd at least like to be able to say 'hi' to my neighbor when I pass them in the hall. I know, of course, that this is completely my own social screw-up. Somehow, I have engineered this situation where i'm not even comfortable saying hello to my own neighbor.

elSicomoro · 06-09-2002, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by juju
My neighbors in my apartment complex are Mexican. They seem cool, but I can never understand what they're saying. This make me nervous, and I never know how to act when i'm around them. I'm not sure if this makes me prejudiced or not, though I don't want to be. Normally, I would engage in idle chit-chat with my neighbor in order to relate to them better. But I can't do that in this situation. All I can do is smile at them and hope they think i'm not an idiot. This situation has existed for over a year, and we basically ignore each other. It's kind of sad, but I don't really know what to do. It's not like I want them as best friends, but i'd at least like to be able to say 'hi' to my neighbor when I pass them in the hall. I know, of course, that this is completely my own social screw-up. Somehow, I have engineered this situation where i'm not even comfortable saying hello to my own neighbor.

The funny thing with this juju, is that they probably feel the same way. Have you ever just said, "Hi, how are you today?" or "Hola, ¿como está?" I'm sure you know what "Bien, ¿y tú?" means. :)

We don't really converse with any of our neighbors. I know who they are, and most of them seem nice. (Except for the new couple that lives below...they've been here about 4 months now, and they seem to be trash.) I wouldn't MIND conversing with them, b/c I'm an extroverted individual...but *shrugs*

juju · 06-09-2002, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sycamore
The funny thing with this juju, is that they probably feel the same way. Have you ever just said, "Hi, how are you today?" or "Hola, ¿como está?" I'm sure you know what "Bien, ¿y tú?" means. :)

I've actually been taking Spanish classes at school. I really suck at it, though. I've said 'Hola' to them a few times, but whenever I do I feel like a fool.

When I first moved in I didn't really know any Spanish. Now I know enough to hold very basic conversations. It's just that this weird thing already has a kind of momentum going, so it's hard to break that.

I've gotten to where I can pick out certain words in their conversations. Never enough to understand a full sentence, though. But I think it would be really awesome if I were to learn enough Spanish to actually talk to them.

elSicomoro · 06-09-2002, 07:46 PM

My ex-fiance's parents are Hispanic. Her mom is from PR, and she learned English in school. Her father is from Mexico, and although he has been in the US almost 30 years, his English is horrible.

In order for me to communicate with him, I had to use my semi-decent Spanish, using Mimi as a go-between of sorts. It was rather funny. :)

I have a horrible time understanding conversational Spanish. I watch Univision or Telemundo sometimes to see if I can keep up.

From my experiences, most Spanish speakers are appreciative if you just bother to try and speak it, horrible as it may be. And if you ever get in a jam, you always have, "¡Lo siento! Mi español no es muy bien." :)

juju · 06-09-2002, 08:07 PM

Ya know.. something crazy just happened. Immediately after writing that last message, I opened my door to go downstairs, and one of the women actually said, "Hello, how are you today?"

How's that for a coincidence?

Anyway, I said "Excellent."

jaguar · 06-09-2002, 08:27 PM

and she probably didn't have a damn clue what you said ;)

MomentsAre · 06-10-2002, 08:54 AM

The situation I have with my neighbors is just as tragic. The lady who lives below me communicates to me by banging on her ceiling randomly to tell me to shut up. If it weren't for these brief "conversations", I wouldn't even be aware of her existence.

The guy who lives next door to me is a complete nut case. He admits to doing drugs constantly, but I can never tell if he's saying this for shock value, or if he's trying to appear 'hip to the jive' or what.

Another guy who lives in the same apartment building as I do is constantly reintroducing himself to me. This has happened 3 times in the past two years that I have lived here.

Most of the people who live here are way past 50 which makes me feel terribly uncomfortable and unwanted. I can't understand this, though. I live less than 10 minutes from the university with a bunch of old people on their way to the bottom (or, at very best, the middle). So, I live with a bunch of people who are compeltely disatisfied with their lives and they are quietly judging me as I walk by. I know this is not how it really is, but it may as well be, because that's the way I feel. I'm just playing an assumed role in their lives.

06-09-2002, 06:39 PM	#1
juju no one of consequence Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Arkansas Posts: 2,839	06/09/02: I don't really have any thoughts of my own. I was talking to this guy at work yesterday about religion. He's a baptist. When I asked him what his beliefs were, he actually said, "I don't really have any thoughts of my own." He related to me that he just believes what his parents and the church tells him. He seems like a cool guy, but this really did surprise me. I'd always known this was true, but i've never had anyone actually admit it before. My wife's car has been broken down for about a week. We've been sharing my car and taking each other to work. It's kind of cool, because we can spend an extra 15 minutes together a day. I guess that sounds silly, but we really do enjoy it. Plus it gets me up a bit earlier on some days. I am completely irresponsible when it comes to my car. I've been driving with 1 headlight and no rear left blinker for over a month. I tried replacing the bulb in the left blinker last week, but it still didn't work. I can only assume it's a wiring problem -- this condemns the problem to being ignored for another month. Sometimes I hand signal.. but I feel like such a fool when I do. Somehow, the glass on my left headlight got cracked. That's why the bulb went out -- it rained, and water filled the inside of the headlight. Apparently that's bad for halogen bulbs. They just burst when they're exposed to liquid. I can't figure out how to extract the headlight to get the water out, but I have an elaborate scheme planned involving fish-tank tubing I bought at wal-mart today and a little old-fasioned suction. I have another bulb ready if it works. My neighbors in my apartment complex are Mexican. They seem cool, but I can never understand what they're saying. This make me nervous, and I never know how to act when i'm around them. I'm not sure if this makes me prejudiced or not, though I don't want to be. Normally, I would engage in idle chit-chat with my neighbor in order to relate to them better. But I can't do that in this situation. All I can do is smile at them and hope they think i'm not an idiot. This situation has existed for over a year, and we basically ignore each other. It's kind of sad, but I don't really know what to do. It's not like I want them as best friends, but i'd at least like to be able to say 'hi' to my neighbor when I pass them in the hall. I know, of course, that this is completely my own social screw-up. Somehow, I have engineered this situation where i'm not even comfortable saying hello to my own neighbor.

06-09-2002, 07:46 PM	#4
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Re: Re: Re: 06/09/02: I don't really have any thoughts of my own. My ex-fiance's parents are Hispanic. Her mom is from PR, and she learned English in school. Her father is from Mexico, and although he has been in the US almost 30 years, his English is horrible. In order for me to communicate with him, I had to use my semi-decent Spanish, using Mimi as a go-between of sorts. It was rather funny. :) I have a horrible time understanding conversational Spanish. I watch Univision or Telemundo sometimes to see if I can keep up. From my experiences, most Spanish speakers are appreciative if you just bother to try and speak it, horrible as it may be. And if you ever get in a jam, you always have, "¡Lo siento! Mi español no es muy bien." :)

06-09-2002, 08:27 PM	#6
jaguar whig Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 5,075	and she probably didn't have a damn clue what you said ;) __________________ Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. - Twain

06-10-2002, 08:54 AM	#7
MomentsAre Excellent buyer!!! Fast payment!!!! A++++++++ Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Fayetteville, AR Posts: 11	neighbors The situation I have with my neighbors is just as tragic. The lady who lives below me communicates to me by banging on her ceiling randomly to tell me to shut up. If it weren't for these brief "conversations", I wouldn't even be aware of her existence. The guy who lives next door to me is a complete nut case. He admits to doing drugs constantly, but I can never tell if he's saying this for shock value, or if he's trying to appear 'hip to the jive' or what. Another guy who lives in the same apartment building as I do is constantly reintroducing himself to me. This has happened 3 times in the past two years that I have lived here. Most of the people who live here are way past 50 which makes me feel terribly uncomfortable and unwanted. I can't understand this, though. I live less than 10 minutes from the university with a bunch of old people on their way to the bottom (or, at very best, the middle). So, I live with a bunch of people who are compeltely disatisfied with their lives and they are quietly judging me as I walk by. I know this is not how it really is, but it may as well be, because that's the way I feel. I'm just playing an assumed role in their lives.

06-09-2002, 08:07 PM	#5
juju no one of consequence Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Arkansas Posts: 2,839	Ya know.. something crazy just happened. Immediately after writing that last message, I opened my door to go downstairs, and one of the women actually said, "Hello, how are you today?" How's that for a coincidence? Anyway, I said "Excellent."

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