We had a great time visiting Grandma

[East]

I rarely know where my phone is..and don't wish to answer it anyway. I only call people to ask a specific question about something..and then we hang up.....

I only like conversations on the phone when I cannot talk to them in person...like they live in another part of the country...then a phone call is fine with me....but if I see you regularly in person..we are NOT going to sit on the phone...I like looking in someone's eyes when I am talking to them if possible....

I also don't text ...and rarely type... on my phone....nor do I take pics....my text is disabled....

I check on my online businesses once a day maybe if I am away from home...and sometimes I will read here or some of the other message boards I go to...occasionally say something...but nothing else...

The thing I use my phone most for is taking credit cards LOL...and I have no problem whipping out my phone for that

[Steve]

[MENTION=18508]East[/MENTION] ...It's good to know I'm not the only one who almost never answers the phone. The only people would be Mark or his parents happened to call when Mark was out. His parents are elderly and I'd want to know if they needed help for any reason.

I don't have use for anyone else calling by phone. A goodly percentage of the time its either robo-calls, especially since we're currently nearing the horror of a presidential election year. The other calls -from unknown numbers - are almost always scam operators. Whenever we Google the phone numbers afterward inevitably scam reports surface.

Hell, I almost never even answer the door unless someone has called ahead to let me know they're coming over. I got tired of Mormons trying to foist off cult religion. It got to the point where I'd simply tell them that I was gay and that I thought they looked too cute to waste on religion. Talk about a whiter shade of pale.
[MENTION=21405]meridannight[/MENTION] These days carrying a paper notebook with pen/pencil only adds to the smart hipster look. It brings to mind the image of artistic flare and the beatnik writing revival look. Kudos
[MENTION=20947]MikeW[/MENTION] Cafe Stada huh? You California types are so trendy! Seriously though, I don't think in all the times we've talked that you mentioned you suffer from Tinnitus. Me too. Doctors first look at me like I'm a frequent flyer, but once they're sure I'm clean they tell you there nothing they can do about it. I just want to scream, "So why look at me like I just farted on a baby if you can't do anything for me?" Usually exercise, a decent diet, and good sleep help, but sometimes... Man! I can't even think through the ear ringing high pitched tones. Just what I need, another thing driving me absolutely batty!

[Virge]

OMG!

At the top of my list of piss off is people who call and say they're bored decided to call me!!!!!!!

[Anocxu]

OMG!

At the top of my list of piss off is people who call and say they're bored decided to call me!!!!!!!

Virge-y..
I'm bored..
I'm about to call you..

[Virge]

OMG!

At the top of my list of piss off is people who call and say they're bored decided to call me!!!!!!!

Virge-y..
I'm bored..
I'm about to call you..

No you won't... unless you want to wear your scrotum as a trilby

[Anocxu]

No you won't... unless you want to wear your scrotum as a trilby

Umm..
My scrotum is like.. 40 shades lighter ..

Why not a Sombrero?

[MikeW]

[MENTION=20947]MikeW[/MENTION] Cafe Stada huh? You California types are so trendy! Seriously though, I don't think in all the times we've talked that you mentioned you suffer from Tinnitus. Me too. Doctors first look at me like I'm a frequent flyer, but once they're sure I'm clean they tell you there nothing they can do about it. I just want to scream, "So why look at me like I just farted on a baby if you can't do anything for me?" Usually exercise, a decent diet, and good sleep help, but sometimes... Man! I can't even think through the ear ringing high pitched tones. Just what I need, another thing driving me absolutely batty!

I know I've mentioned it a couple times here on the forum. Mine is actual physical damage to the inner most ear that happened when I was 18 years old. It was a culmination of two things: First, my dad had this ridiculous notion that if you removed the muffler from a tractor, that would extend its gas millage. This was at a time when fuel was 35 cents a gallon! Anyway, he had me up on an International Harvester for EIGHTEEN HOURS IN ONE DAY with the damn muffler removed. I don't even know how to describe what that was like; the exhaust being in front of me about four or five feet, papapapapapapaing about as loud as a fire cracker going off a hundred times a minute. Of course back in those days, none of us ever thought to wear ear protection, either.

After that my ears were ringing like crazy AND IT NEVER WENT WAY.

Some years later as an adult I went to a hearing specialist. I remember they put me in a sound proof booth to test my hearing and at one point the guy running the test was talking outside the booth to someone else and I had NO PROBLEM hearing them.

The point being, this isn't a VOLUME issue. People don't understand this. If I mention I'm partially deaf to people, they always start talking louder -- which is thoughtful but doesn't necessarily address my problem. MY PROBLEM is a "comprehension" issue. Since my ears are ringing constantly (it is always bad but being around high-frequency sound generators like electric motors, you know, blenders, vacuum cleaners, leaf blowers, jet engines, that sort of thing, only makes it worse) the consonant sounds that allow us to differentiate "bat" from "hat" or "cat" from "sat" not to mention "that," "brat," "splat," "rat," "fat," "pat," "tat," and "vat" are lost on me. They all get "mushed" together and sound alike. BUT if I can see your lips moving, I can SEE those sound differences being formed (a consonant is a letter/sound that requires the closure of the air passageway by teeth, tongue, lips or constriction of the vocal cords). So you have to be FACING me and I have to be looking right at your mouth.

One of the funny things is, if I can't see your mouth moving, I do "hear" you talking but what my brain MAKES of your words can be something totally ridiculous. LOL, I can't think of a good example because, what happens is I hear someone say something and I *know* what they "said" made NO SENSE at all; therefore I'm pretty sure I didn't hear them correctly. I have to say, "What?" and then make sure I'm facing them or they're facing me. OH... and the worst are mumblers! People who mumble their words by barely moving their lips at all. FUCK THAT! I can ask someone like that three times what they said and STILL not be sure I have it right and usually don't. ENUNCIATE PEOPLE!!! ENUNCIATE!

The other thing is being in crowded rooms... like restaurants or bars. If I'm in a noisy bar and talking with some hottie, even IF I can see their lips moving, I have NO IDEA what they're saying. They can put their mouth right next to my ear, makes no difference.

The thing about a disability like this is that it isn't "visible". I've worked at the same place with the same boss for almost 40 years. She knows me very well and knows exactly what my issue is but does that prevent her from saying something to me with her back turned toward me? Nope! She knows but she doesn't "get it" and hasn't ever gotten it and never will. I say to her over and over and over again, "If I can't see your lips moving, chances are I'm not understanding what you're saying." So, she turns to me and repeats it... but damn, you'd think someone would "get it" eventually, but nope!

As far as disabilities go, though, I'd rather this than a lot of others. I rely so heavily on my vision, I can't imagine what it would be like to be partially or completely blind, for example.

[MikeW]

MORE ON TOPIC: I regard human society as a UNIVERSE OF YAK: Yak, yak, yak; that's all people do all day long. That's what we're doing right here in the forum; yakking away with text. Now people go walking down the street yakking to people somewhere else. And some of them NEVER stop! Astounding!! I see "herds" (families) walking together all yakking at once... a perpetual "reality re-inforcement" operation.

Think about it. The sounds we make with our mouths (or the words we type right here) are, in and of themselves, MEANINGLESS. They're just sounds or shapes, BLATHER! But we're acculturated to "make meaning of" them! It's fascinating when you really start to think about it. THE UNIVERSE OF YACK!! EVERYTHING that makes up the social reality we experience day in and day out -- from the toilet paper next to the john to our bank balances -- not to mention our government, sense of self (who, where, what and even 'when' we think we are) -- the laws that govern us, our personal philosophies, our religion -- on and on and on -- ALL of that is made possible through a LITERAL/VERBAL/SEMANTIC CONSTRUCT.

I'm convinced that talking (and writing, watching movies... all that) IS A FORM OF HYPNOSIS. We're all ENTRAINED by these totally symbolic references to *experience* subliminally a shared "collective reality construct". That's why families never shut the fuck up. Why we think it is important to be "tuned in" to what's going on in the world around us. We're always reinforcing and re-entraining symbolic reference formations: AKA "social reality constructs".

To a very large extent, our lives are perpetual, socially reinforced, narrative FICTIONS!

[Steve]

No you won't... unless you want to wear your scrotum as a trilby

Now that would be a practical. A hat with curly hair. A stylish way to keep warn in winter.

Umm..
My scrotum is like.. 40 shades lighter ..

Why not a Sombrero?

You could always have it dyed? Teal? Puce? Rainbow tie-dye? (No one's that gay!) You'd just have to deal with it looking like plucked chicken skin. Could set a trend. I can see you on the cover of GQ. Maybe A & F? They've wanted to show guys' nads in their catalogs for years.

A sombrero? Holy BallSack Batman! Y'all must have some low hangers!

[Anocxu]

Now that would be a practical. A hat with curly hair. A stylish way to keep warn in winter.


You could always have it dyed? Teal? Puce? Rainbow tie-dye? (No one's that gay!) You'd just have to deal with it looking like plucked chicken skin. Could set a trend. I can see you on the cover of GQ. Maybe A & F? They've wanted to show guys' nads in their catalogs for years.

A sombrero? Holy BallSack Batman! Y'all must have some low hangers!

Loool....
A "Scrotum Colorist" ?
"Testicular Pigmentation "
New college course!!
New profession!!!

I ..
I mean .. Steve called it!!

Yes Stevie ...
I had them stretched. .
I had an incident at a nude hurricane party .. the day of Hurricane Katrina ...

I don't want to talk about it. .!!