There's a boatload of shy, nerdy, and awkward people in my life and that's totally okay, I'm a bit of each of those things myself. So you KNOW I get my fair share of random interjections having nothing to do with the subject matter at hand, unnecessary personal information, obscure references, conversations that go on long after I've mentally checked out, and way too many jokes that fall flat (for me anyway). So at the risk of coming across as dry, I'm going to start saying:
"I'm sorry, but I missed how that was relevant. Could you please explain it to me?"
"I think that was a bit more than I needed to know."
"No, actually I've never heard of [insert unknown band, film, artist]."
"Well it was nice catching up with you, but if you'll excuse me I'm going to go [insert other activity]."
*smile*
What do think about my new social goal to keep things real? Am I being too harsh? Or do you agree with author/aviator Anne Morrow Lindbergh who said that "the most exhaustive thing in life is being insincere?"
Image: flickr.com