On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:02:52 +0000, Invisible wrote:

>> (my point being that Andy
>> thinks he sucks at things he's never tried, and if that's the criteria,
>> then we all suck at even more things <g>)
> 
> By that definition, I suck at sex.
> 
> Which may or may not be true, IDK.

Exactly my point.

> (Hmm... maybe "suck" is the wrong term...)

LOL!

Jim

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>> I never did understand how travel is supposed to teach you anything.
>> (Other than how to feel lost and afraid - which I already know how to
>> do.)
> 
> Going places and interacting with people teaches you about how people 
> behave.

Interesting. IME, "travel" involves sitting in a moving vehicle for 
hours feeling bored and uncomfortable. And let's put it this way: I 
can't interact with people who speak my own language. How am I supposed 
to get anywhere with people who don't even know what I'm saying?

(I was about to add "and probably don't like me", but then I remembered 
that that's normal anyway...)

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:33:38 +0000, Invisible wrote:

>>> I never did understand how travel is supposed to teach you anything.
>>> (Other than how to feel lost and afraid - which I already know how to
>>> do.)
>> 
>> Going places and interacting with people teaches you about how people
>> behave.
> 
> Interesting. IME, "travel" involves sitting in a moving vehicle for
> hours feeling bored and uncomfortable. And let's put it this way: I
> can't interact with people who speak my own language. How am I supposed
> to get anywhere with people who don't even know what I'm saying?

English is understood in many parts of the world.  I was in Barcelona a 
few years back, and thought I'd demonstrate my skills by speaking 
Spanish.  You know what?  They don't speak Spanish in Barcelona - they 
speak Catalan, which is a hybrid variant of Spanish and French.

I still managed to communicate effectively enough to find what I was 
looking for.

Similarly, when I was in Russia, I managed to get by just fine, even in 
situations where the person I was talking to spoke no English at all - 
and I don't speak Russian.  If anything, in many foreign countries, 
people are more forgiving if you (a) make an effort to try to say 
something in their language, and (b) often times will take advantage of 
the opportunity to practice their English skills, which very frequently 
are very good.

I evaluate prospective instructors in English; I've evaluated instructors 
from Pakistan, most of Europe, Latin America, South America, and I've got 
one next month from China.  I've been very impressed at how well most of 
them speak English, given it's a second language for them.

> (I was about to add "and probably don't like me", but then I remembered
> that that's normal anyway...)

I call bullshit, Andy.  You may not realize it, but there are plenty of 
people who like you.  I've told you before, I don't interact with people 
I don't like, and I'm interacting with you.  That offer to go out for a 
Dr. Pepper when we're next over in the UK is still on, BTW. 

Unfortunately, it's still going to be a little bit before I actually get 
there, what with the US economy being tanked at the moment (and the 
exchange rates being great for those from Europe coming over here but not 
so good for those from the US going to visit in Europe).

Don't assume that people who have never met you don't like you.  Remember 
what "assume" means.

Jim

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Jim Henderson escribió:
> Don't assume that people who have never met you don't like you.  Remember 
> what "assume" means.

Yep. Making assumptions makes an ass of u and... mumptions.

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On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:04:02 -0200, Nicolas Alvarez wrote:

> Jim Henderson escribió:
>> Don't assume that people who have never met you don't like you. 
>> Remember what "assume" means.
> 
> Yep. Making assumptions makes an ass of u and... mumptions.

:-)

Jim

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Invisible wrote:
>>> I never did understand how travel is supposed to teach you anything.
>>> (Other than how to feel lost and afraid - which I already know how to
>>> do.)
>>
>> Going places and interacting with people teaches you about how people 
>> behave.
> 
> Interesting. IME, "travel" involves sitting in a moving vehicle for 
> hours feeling bored and uncomfortable. And let's put it this way: I 
> can't interact with people who speak my own language. How am I supposed 
> to get anywhere with people who don't even know what I'm saying?
> 
One of the great things of being abroad is that they don't know you have 
problems interacting. They'll put it down to you being a foreigner and 
will be much more responsive than the people around you who know how a 
ordinary member of society should behave.

> (I was about to add "and probably don't like me", but then I remembered 
> that that's normal anyway...)

You know what? I guess quite a lot of people here might like you when 
you would meet them IRL. Unlikely of course as you don't travel and most 
of us only go to interesting places when given a choice.

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Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:27:28 +0000, Orchid XP v7 wrote:
> 
>> Who said history is the *only* thing I suck at? I'm quite there's quite
>> a long list there... :-/
> 
> Don't focus on what you suck at, focus on what you're GOOD at.
> 
> We all suck at a long laundry list of things.  I suck as a comedian.  I 
> suck at building nuclear reactors.  I suck at history.  I suck at talking 
> about old-time films with my wife.  I suck at remembering names of people 
> I've met.  I suck at freehand drawing.  I suck at playing the accordion.  
> I suck at poker.  I suck at keeping my desk uncluttered.  I suck at 
> finishing a job I've started (go on, ask me how long we've been working 
> on this damned addition on our house, I *dare* you).  I suck at 
> medicine.  I suck at doing the laundry.  I suck at washing the dishes.  I 
> suck at scooping the cat poop out of the litter boxes.  I suck at being 
> patient with our mean cat.  I suck at wicker repair.  I suck at masonry.  
> I suck at chemistry.  I suck at physics.  I suck at integral calculus.
> 
> I also apparently suck at giving advice.  THAT DOESN'T MEAN I WILL STOP 
> TRYING!
> 
> (This list is not all-inclusive, by any means)
> 
Yes, you also suck at making lists.

(Ok, see if we can get this into a Russell paradox ;) )

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andrel wrote:

>> Interesting. IME, "travel" involves sitting in a moving vehicle for 
>> hours feeling bored and uncomfortable. And let's put it this way: I 
>> can't interact with people who speak my own language. How am I 
>> supposed to get anywhere with people who don't even know what I'm saying?
>>
> One of the great things of being abroad is that they don't know you have 
> problems interacting. They'll put it down to you being a foreigner and 
> will be much more responsive than the people around you who know how a 
> ordinary member of society should behave.

You know what? It might just be the whole "the grass is greener" trip, 
but it certainly seems that the people in Switzerland were a lot more 
friendly than the people over here. Maybe they just take customer 
service more seriously, IDK...

>> (I was about to add "and probably don't like me", but then I 
>> remembered that that's normal anyway...)
> 
> You know what? I guess quite a lot of people here might like you when 
> you would meet them IRL. Unlikely of course as you don't travel and most 
> of us only go to interesting places when given a choice.

The thing about the Internet... the people you meet are almost 
guaranteed to live really far away. Ah well!

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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andrel wrote:

> (Ok, see if we can get this into a Russell paradox ;) )

NOOOOO!!!! >_<

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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>> Interesting. IME, "travel" involves sitting in a moving vehicle for
>> hours feeling bored and uncomfortable. And let's put it this way: I
>> can't interact with people who speak my own language. How am I supposed
>> to get anywhere with people who don't even know what I'm saying?
> 
> English is understood in many parts of the world.

Well, certainly a fair few waitresses in Switzerland spoke English 
vastly better than I speak French. But not all of them. Heh. Do you 
know, I actually still have a reciept in my jacket pocket so people know 
what I'm after...

>> (I was about to add "and probably don't like me", but then I remembered
>> that that's normal anyway...)
> 
> I call bullshit, Andy.  You may not realize it, but there are plenty of 
> people who like you.

Er... really? :-.

> I've told you before, I don't interact with people 
> I don't like, and I'm interacting with you.  That offer to go out for a 
> Dr. Pepper when we're next over in the UK is still on, BTW. 

*makes mental note* "Jim Henderson"...

> Unfortunately, it's still going to be a little bit before I actually get 
> there, what with the US economy being tanked at the moment (and the 
> exchange rates being great for those from Europe coming over here but not 
> so good for those from the US going to visit in Europe).

The US economy is "tanked"? I thought they were the richest nation on Earth?

(I notice that the exchange rate for the £ to... almost anything is 2:1 
or higher. Or so it seems anyway; that's probably not *literally* true...)

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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