I have to do it all the time.
I live in a very strange sort of existence, really. As you lot may have noted by now, I have a rather overactive mind and a twisted sense of humor. So I clearly don't fit in all that well with a bunch of Dilbert-like engineers.

I also happen to be fairly well educated- obviously, as I'm an engineer. I read a lot, faff about on the Internet and can toss odd bits of pop culture into conversations, quoting song lyrics, movies, odd sound bites from other things as I talk to people. So I clearly don't fit in with the blue collar crowd.

I have an artistic streak to me, as evidenced by my writing QOTW answers that make the Best Of pages and by the stained glass work I've recently started doing, so I clearly don't fit in all that well with a bunch of Dilbert-like engineers.

But I have a strongly pragmatic side to me, an analytical streak that makes me good at making things and fixing things that break, so I clearly don't fit in all that well with the artistic types.

I love to wander around in the woods by myself, and find that I need the solitude of the trees periodically to keep my sanity. The animals are far easier to understand than people are, so I clearly don't fit in well in the city.

At the same time, I'm an engineer- and we don't tend to find jobs off in the remote forests. I also have kids in school, one of whom lives with me. So I clearly don't fit in with the wilderness hermits.

I'm an American in my mid forties, and don't know anything about Photoshop. I can take cool pictures of stuff, but I'm unable to manipulate them like everyone else on this site. So I clearly don't fit in well with the bulk of b3ta.

And yet, somehow I manage to fit in with all of them. I have the people skills and conversational skills to be able to interact well with engineers, redneck construction types, artists, university faculty, car mechanics, professional musicians and even people who live on the other side of the goddam Atlantic from me who use very weird terms in their daily language and have their own version of gallons and pints and measure distances in miles but measure temperature in Celcius and weight in stones.

So what the fuck does that make me?
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:04, 23 replies)

conceited
Or the king of all humanity
(popiellajones, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:07, closed)

Actually
I tend to think it makes me a psych patient in the making with multiple personality disorder.

Hence my screen name.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:08, closed)

Just call me god
I have a rather overactive mind, I also happen to be fairly well educated- obviously.
I read a lot can toss odd bits of pop culture into conversations. I have a strongly pragmatic side to me, I have an artistic streak to me.
I need the solitude of the trees periodically to keep my sanity. I can take cool pictures AND I have the people skills and conversational skills of the best diplomat on the planet.
(popiellajones, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:45, closed)

and
me too!
(haberman is singing in the changes, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:52, closed)

Nah.
Pretty much all of those can be proven empirically- I have my college degrees, people who have met me can tell you that I toss out quotes from everything from Looney Toons to Kevin Smith movies, I work as an engineer, and I have posted photos here that I've shot- either of cool things or of things that I've made. None of that is boasting, it's just a statement of fact.

Similarly, I work with engineers and spend a lot of time outside the office interacting with fabricators (that is, the guys who make our equipment for us), and can chat with a wide variety of people- ask those who met me at the London bash, for instance. What does a middle aged American engineer really have in common with a British scientist (Rakky) or the other English people from b3ta that I've met? And yet we did sit and talk, in person. I took Clendrix on a tour around Richmond, and have done so with Big-girls-blouse as well.

I do lay claim to the ability to get along with almost anyone, but I hardly think that makes me a god or a diplomat. *shrug*
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:55, closed)

Woah
Loony Toons AND Kevin Smith.
(popiellajones, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 15:04, closed)

Not quite sure what you're on about
but whatever, dude.

There's a hole in the world, it's a great black pit
and the vermin of the world inhabit it
It's filled with people who are filled with shit
and it goes by the name of...
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 15 Jan 2009, 15:10, closed)

I'm not trying to be nasty
It is funny when people list all the things they're good at, adding a bit of self-depreciating humor, suggesting that they're a little bit 'mad' or 'kooky'. I'm not denying that you're an engineer or anything else. Just that I found your post funny.
(popiellajones, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 15:17, closed)

Ah.
No prob.

If it'll help I can list all the things I suck at. For instance, dancing is not a good thing for me to even attempt. Imagine if Janet Reno and Al Gore had had a child...

The last time I tried dancing in public people knocked me to the floor and started forcing phenobarbitol down my throat, then prying my jaws open to keep me from biting my tongue off as they dialed 911. By the time the paramedics got there and I explained to them that I am in fact not epileptic, it's hard to say who was more embarrassed.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 15 Jan 2009, 15:25, closed)

I sense a QOTW here (if it's not been done already): What do you suck at?
(Musuko, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 17:06, closed)

I think you're right.
I could tell endless stories on how much fail has been in my life thus far...
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 15 Jan 2009, 17:27, closed)

What he's saying is...
He's a jack of all trades but master of none.


But obviously your too blind with jealousy to notice that.



Edit - Popiellajones - you need to be more careful how you phrase things. I've learned that little lesson myself.

Btw - his singing's not great either.
( girlinthehole, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:56, closed)

I agree
I think it sounds a bit conceited as well. And I know him.
(The Lunatic Artist throws paint to the wind, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 19:22, closed)

Sorry.
That was not my intent. I was trying to point out that no matter what, I don't quite fit in anywhere- but I fake it well enough to get by.

Guess I wasn't clear enough on that.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 15 Jan 2009, 19:35, closed)

Sock-Puppet
.
I read scanned first line of your post and knew it was you immediately.

You, really are, so similar to me it's scary.

Except that I don't have an artistic bone in my body.

And I can't stand Yanks. Except for the select few. Obama,you, Citidel (a b3tan ) and a few 'merkins who's blogs I follow.

One day mate I'll send you a ticket to come and see me and the Mrs in Oz.

Cheers

Cheers
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:12, closed)

I'll take you up on that!
I really want to visit Oz one day anyway- I'll bring along some Twinkies and Ding Dongs and spray cheese so you can experience American snack food first hand- and then marvel that us Americans have somehow survived it.

First pint's on me!
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:16, closed)

It makes you speshul.
*belms*
( girlinthehole, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:16, closed)

Yup, there's even photographic evidence of that.
But as I've been threatened for posting that pic before...
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:20, closed)

I wonder
what pic that would be then..?
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:25, closed)

You asked, "So what the fuck does that make me?"
It makes you one of the most interesting and open minded people I have ever had the pleasure of conversing with.
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:33, closed)

You don't fit in with me, sunshine
My bum-bum's tighter than a scotsman's wallet.
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 14:59, closed)

So what the fuck does that make you?
The Resident Loon - Renaissance-man, oddball and b3tan.

Welcome to the crowd!

* hugs *

* clicks *
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Tue 20 Jan 2009, 0:56, closed)

Normal
Have a pint :)
(andythepieman Is surfing the waves of indifference on, Tue 20 Jan 2009, 15:45, closed)