Philotic Web

The yin to the other thread's yang. We all have things we'd rather not talk about or simply wouldn't know how to answer if asked.

For me: What do you want to do with your life? Why haven't you had a job in two years? Why were you fired from your previous employer? What are you doing, currently, to find a job?

Some of those I have answers for but not any good ones. They seem like reasonable answers to me, but I know they'd most likely sound like excuses or evasions to someone else and I'm honestly not sure which view would be closer to the truth.

Can you help me with [legal issue] (for free)?

"That research you do... what is it useful for?"

Some people just don't grasp the concept of basic science... my parents among them lol

Why aren't you engaged? When is David going to propose? What are you kids waiting for? And any variation thereof.

PRIVATE SUBJECT, PEOPLE. Can't you see me being patient? I AM BEING PATIENT. I am. It is very difficult for me to be patient, so please don't harrass me. Also, People I Don't Even Know Who Work In My Building? My marital status is none of your damn business. QUIT ASKING!

(Sorry. Touchy subject. I got asked FOUR TIMES today so far).

You don't know ANYONE in Newfoundland? Won't you be SO lonely?
Don't you know that buying new stuff will cost more then selling your old stuff?
Who's going to take care of your kid while you're having your other kid?


Thanks, people. Your negativity is so helpful.

Are you ready for college?

"How long are you living here for?"

I've only been asked it three times this week.

How/When/Where are you going back to school?

What is your phd in?

Why aren't you engaged?

This.

We walked into Starbucks a while back and the first thing the girl said to us was "Aren't you guys married yet?". The girls at my work always ask why we're not engaged/married/having babies yet.

They just don't get it, and it's annoying.

"Got a girlfriend yet?"

No, Mom. Thanks for asking.

I guess I don't dread it so much as get really annoyed.

Why aren't you engaged?

This.

Seriously, girls, it's a pweb trend.

I kid, I kid.

"How are you?"

"So what kind of software do you write for your job?" (I made an honest effort at this one once... from now on, if someone's really curious and isn't a technical person, I'm telling them the rest of their day better be free if they really want to know)

Anything my boss might ask. As much as he claims benevolence, I cannot find a polite term for his tone, how he asks questions, or for nearly anything he says or does.

"What do you do?" Banal useless crap, thanks for asking.

How's the dissertation coming along?

How's the wedding planning going?

How are you coming along on those reports?

What happened to your arms/legs?

So, are you analyzing me right now?

How's the dissertation coming along?

QFT

I know this is a bit of a bump but honestly, I've been thinking about this and its sister thread ever since they were first created. I can't think of any questions I want to be asked by any and everyone (there are questions I want certain people to ask that would be dreaded from others) but there is one question that is pretty much dreaded for me, no matter who it comes from:

What are you thinking (right now)?

People have this uncanny ability to ask it when I least want to let out what it is I'm thinking, too.

Very timely bump.

"What is your book about?"

"How are you?"

I've always liked to give this answer: "Dead."

Preemptively dreading: How was BabyTime/Storytime?

That starts tomorrow. I think the first person who asks will get a nice big helping of "I'm never speaking to you again."

"What brought you to Newfoundland?" (it was the only place that accepted me, okay? stop grilling me!)
"What is your thesis about?" (uh....)

"What brought you to Newfoundland?" (it was the only place that accepted me, okay? stop grilling me!)

Oi, yes.

I couldn't think of any for a month and now they're presenting themselves nicely. I get the potential strangeness from this one but alas:

What books would you recommend for [age group/genre]?

-or it's cousin-

What did you think about [book]?

What is it you do, exactly?

I've got [symptoms], what does it mean?

"did you get held back or something because your kinda older than anyone in this grade?"

and i go, "No, the stuipd district wouldnt accept me because i was born in December. and i was 4(only a few more months til my 5th birthday) when my mother registered me, but they told me to wait another damn year. even though i already knew how to count up to 75 without stopping. and knew how to spell most kindergarten words."
as you can see, theres a long explanion why i am kinda older than anyone in my grade. i hate when people ask me that.

You won't mind it so much when you're the first one to get your driver's license and suddenly become everyone's new best friend.

"So, are you getting excited about the wedding?"

I dread it because I am feeling so overwhelmed and like such a wedding planning failure. So much to do and nothing else I can delegate.

But I cannot WAIT to see everybody. I am so homesick for North Dakota these days, it's ridiculous.

"So, are you getting excited about the wedding?"

I dread it because I am feeling so overwhelmed and like such a wedding planning failure. So much to do and nothing else I can delegate. And I want to say yes, I want to act like the happy bride-to-be, I want to be able to conjure up the good feelings I have about it when I am able to be positive and put things in perspective, but it's really hard to do that on demand right now.

But I cannot WAIT to see everybody. I am so homesick for North Dakota these days, it's ridiculous.

"What brought you to Newfoundland?" (it was the only place that accepted me, okay? stop grilling me!)

The answer is simply, "my education," or "I applied because it was one of the top blahblahblahs in blahblahblah and we've never been to this part of the country before, and yes, it's been an adventure."

"What is your thesis about?" (uh....)

Here's a hint to avoid my problems: If you STILL dread that question once you've picked your topic because you have to pause and think about it because there's just so much involved, you need to simplify it. I wish I had realized that.

"What is your thesis about?" (uh....)

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive ... micid=1030

and while looking for that, I also saw http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=47 , which is actually probably more relevant.

the stuipd district wouldnt accept me because i was born in December. and i was 4(only a few more months til my 5th birthday) when my mother registered me, but they told me to wait another damn year

I had the reverse problem. I was barely old enough, to the point where the school district was like "um... don't you want to hold on to him for another year?" and I was always younger than everyone. That was especially hard in later elementary, when everyone else was starting to get interested in the opposite sex was totally stupid blind to it all. I was even accused of sleeping with someone's girlfriend before I knew what sleeping with someone meant. It's hard to deny an accusation when you don't know what the accusation means and the accuser doesn't know how to talk about such things maturely or reason logically.

Also, sports: forget about it. I was always a growth spurt behind everyone else.

Finally now someone gets the feeling! Because today ANOTHER person ask about my freakin age. But the good thing is school board is deciding whether to advance me to the next grade level next quarter, since they realized that two others have the same thing going on. I HOPE I GET ADVANCE.