I'm an abject coward!

[An archist]

So today I was sitting by the river reading a book. It was so nice and pleasant. Normally I feel sorta sad that I don't get to share these trips I take with somebody else, but today it looks like such things will remain just a pipe dream.

The incident was trivial enough. I was on th bench and a lady walking her dog sat down on the bench next to me. There she stayed for like 20 mins and she caught me glancing at her a few times. And after a while I couldn't read anymore cuz I kept on thinking that this is one of those times that I should try to strike up a conversation with her, but I was kicking myself for being such a pussy cuz I couldn't do it. Eventually she got up and left. I don't know if she was like waiting for me to approach her but I felt like a loser for not doing it. Afterwards I felt like honeysuckle...but since it was such a nice day I eventually got back to reading my book (Anna Karenina)....alone.

 

[Lonesome Crow]

**** it...Arch
you didn't take a pic of her beaver,... did ya ?

 

[Spare]

So today I was sitting by the river reading a book. It was so nice and pleasant. Normally I feel sorta sad that I don't get to share these trips I take with somebody else, but today it looks like such things will remain just a pipe dream.

The incident was trivial enough. I was on th bench and a lady walking her dog sat down on the bench next to me. There she stayed for like 20 mins and she caught me glancing at her a few times. And after a while I couldn't read anymore cuz I kept on thinking that this is one of those times that I should try to strike up a conversation with her, but I was kicking myself for being such a pussy cuz I couldn't do it. Eventually she got up and left. I don't know if she was like waiting for me to approach her but I felt like a loser for not doing it. Afterwards I felt like honeysuckle...but since it was such a nice day I eventually got back to reading my book (Anna Karenina)....alone.

I would have done the exact same thing, more's the pity. *sigh* I should hire someone to kick me; I'm tired of doing it myself all the time.

 

[An archist]

**** it...Arch
you didn't take a pic of her beaver,... did ya ?

No, I never did....I don't have a camera. But not that it matters since I never saw her, or her perty pink panties ever again. So it goes.

 

[Jesse]

****. I'm right there with you man. Even if I did have the courage to say something, I'd have no idea what to say anyway and I'd be completely terrified. You were braver than me though so feel good about that. Braver as in I wouldn't have even glanced her way out of fear of her seeing me look at her.

 

[iwasaloverb4thiswar]

see now I am the type of person who likes to pester the hell out of people in those situations, but this is just as bad because then i worry that I am too forward and am bothering people and ruining thier perfectly good day at the river.

reenactment:

"oooo is that anna karenina? I have only ever read about 20 pages of it but I always mean to finish it. do you like it? where are you in the book? have you ever read anything else by Tolstoy? Russian literature? reading? books? bookmarks? rivers? water? swiming? swimming lessons! baby pool! diapers!uuuuhhh Tito! Jackson Five!??? Hey hey, where are you going!?!??!"

So, you see?

speaking of russians and rivers, my old russian biology teacher used to pronounce river like this (role the R now) "RWwwweeeevaaarrr"
Quite honestly it was difficult to discern what the fresia he was talking about most of the time. Oh, and he couldn't spell, and he would put russian accent marks on english words.

 

[Lonesome Crow]

**** it...Arch
you didn't take a pic of her beaver,... did ya ?

No, I never did....I don't have a camera. But not that it matters since I never saw her, or her perty pink panties ever again. So it goes.

Oki doki....

A different chick or maybe even the same chick will come into your life..maybe at a coffee shop, a libuary or maybe even the same park bench...maybe she might be wearing a pokie dotted undie...

Life sends you the same lesson over and over again until you GET IT....so it gose

Get a cell phone with a camera at least ...

 

[Jesse]

see now I am the type of person who likes to pester the hell out of people in those situations, but this is just as bad because then i worry that I am too forward and am bothering people and ruining thier perfectly good day at the river.

reenactment:

"oooo is that anna karenina? I have only ever read about 20 pages of it but I always mean to finish it. do you like it? where are you in the book? have you ever read anything else by Tolstoy? Russian literature? reading? books? bookmarks? rivers? water? swiming? swimming lessons! baby pool! diapers!uuuuhhh Tito! Jackson Five!??? Hey hey, where are you going!?!??!"

So, you see?

speaking of russians and rivers, my old russian biology teacher used to pronounce river like this (role the R now) "RWwwweeeevaaarrr"
Quite honestly it was difficult to discern what the fresia he was talking about most of the time. Oh, and he couldn't spell, and he would put russian accent marks on english words.

If I could just find a nice lady to pester the hell out of me like that I'd be golden lol. I can talk fine if someone were to open a convo on me like that.

 

[Minus]

... but I was kicking myself for being such a pussy cuz I couldn't do it....

I don't know how many times i have had that fight go on in my head.

...Eventually she got up and left...

That is how it usually ends for me.

 

[Sodium]

I always do that because I cant think of what to say or maybe they'd think I was a freak for talking to them.. but then most people here aren't that friendly and would get all shocked if you spoke to them

 

[Oceanmist23]

I'd love to strike up a convo in a situation like that, but I can't think of what to say either.
Unless that person has a cute dog with them, that helps as a convo starter
though the convo then will only revolve around dogs and to be honest I'm not a huge fan of them compared to cats lol
But yeah I've been in a situation like that several times, where a person will sit down next to me
and there will be silence for 20 mins and then that person leaves and I'm left thinking fresia why didn't I talk to them...
I have so little experience with how to strike up convos, chit chat,
hell just how to be social in general without being tipsy ain't my strong side lol.
Well being tipsy doesn't always help either.. meh.. lol.
For some people it seems so easy, I don't get it.
Like the last place I worked, this Dutch girl my age who had just moved into town to work in the hotel
seemed to instantly become bestest everest friends for ******* life with some 40 year old woman working in the marketing department.
Eh.. wtf?

 

[An archist]

I'd love to strike up a convo in a situation like that, but I can't think of what to say either.
Unless that person has a cute dog with them, that helps as a convo starter
though the convo then will only revolve around dogs and to be honest I'm not a huge fan of them compared to cats lol
But yeah I've been in a situation like that several times, where a person will sit down next to me
and there will be silence for 20 mins and then that person leaves and I'm left thinking fresia why didn't I talk to them...
I have so little experience with how to strike up convos, chit chat,
hell just how to be social in general without being tipsy ain't my strong side lol.
Well being tipsy doesn't always help either.. meh.. lol.
For some people it seems so easy, I don't get it.
Like the last place I worked, this Dutch girl my age who had just moved into town to work in the hotel
seemed to instantly become bestest everest friends for ******* life with some 40 year old woman working in the marketing department.
Eh.. wtf?

I guess the art of bullshit bantering just comes more naturally to some more than others. I'm actually a lot more at peace with myself and converational deficiancies--constant, mindless, idle chatter isn't that wonderful if you ask me. Now, that's under the normal run of things. However, every now and again I'll have a situation like the one I just described and *pow* I feel like honeysuckle for it once more.

I don't think introversion and shyness is that big a problem, it's only due to other ******* people that it becomes a problem! Remove the other people, remove the problem....time to dust off the old sniper rifle

 

[Jack Kerouac]

I guess the art of bullshit bantering just comes more naturally to some more than others. I'm actually a lot more at peace with myself and converational deficiancies--constant, mindless, idle chatter isn't that wonderful if you ask me.

You can train yourself to make casual conversations with strangers- you don't have to be a natural at it at all. Start saying a couple extra sentences to a cashier, or a waitress, or a person in line with you somewhere. Give yourself goals of how many people to say something to in a store or at a park and just make it happen regardless of the outcome.

In your situation, you could have said "that's a cool dog you have, what kind is it? or how old is it? or It's a really nice day out".

And midless chatter is not only wonderful, it's crucial to building relationships with other people. It's more about connecting with them then the content of the message. Connecting with other people, or just even knowing you have the courage to try to connect with other people, makes you feel good. If you said something to her you probably would have felt a bit of a rush.

 

[livingdeath]

I'm the same way. I can't talk to them. If I force myself to do it I'm so so nervous that it sends my anxiety through the roof, and scares her away. Then I feel even worse. So I have given up trying.

 

[iwasaloverb4thiswar]

I guess the art of bullshit bantering just comes more naturally to some more than others. I'm actually a lot more at peace with myself and converational deficiancies--constant, mindless, idle chatter isn't that wonderful if you ask me.

hey now! I hope you weren't implying me there!

 

[An archist]

I guess the art of bullshit bantering just comes more naturally to some more than others. I'm actually a lot more at peace with myself and converational deficiancies--constant, mindless, idle chatter isn't that wonderful if you ask me.

hey now! I hope you weren't implying me there!

Certainly not, and I also think that I was characterizing things much too simply there. You're fine. Just keep your powder dry, keep an eye out for Charlie, and you'll live to see the end of this war.