The Beginning

So this is the beginning of a blog. I never really thought I would have need for one. Blogs always seemed to be a place to share information or personal stories. I'm not really one for laying my life before all to see. And as this is the internet, I would be doing precisely that.

However, I do have a couple friends who blog. They are writers, which I think most bloggers of the non-images-sharing variety are. One of them is very verbose in her writing. "Fluffy" as my friends and I like to call it. Stating a relatively simple concept in the form of several pages. She does it because it's her style, but I always kind of found it to be a waste of time and energy. Though, I am a very blunt person. Blunt and concise.

Well, I try to be concise. I'm not so concise when I'm speaking, because I often have trouble finding words or stringing them together correctly. So I'll usually babble on, using vocabulary that doesn't quite fit what I'm trying to say, until I get a point across. Depending on the listener, this could take a long time. I'm better than I used to be. As with everything, practice has helped. And, really, how can I not get practice talking? I'm shy, but I'm not shy with my words. If I want to say something, I will say it. If someone asks for an opinion, I will give them my honest opinion. Unfortunately, I have discovered that most people don't actually want my honest opinion.

That's something that's always baffled me. Why do people ask things such as "Well, what do you think?" and then get angry when I tell them what I think? This is a social phenomenon that is beyond my understanding. I'm also beginning to realize that this isn't a phenomenon that only happens among girls. Oh, no. There is definitely the fair share of men who do the exact same thing. Ask for advise and get angry when I give it.

I do sometimes give advise when it's not asked for. Usually when someone comes to me with a problem they're having, whether it be family, dating, school, or just general stresses in life. Since these are obviously problems they would like to solve, I always assumed that they were trying to find a solution.

Nope. Not really. At least, not most of them. I have been yelled at several times for not just shutting up or not listening to them. I mean... okay, you don't want advise, fine. But what about giving advise makes you think I'm not listening?

Other times, when I give a solution, they yell at me for being "too logical". This also baffles me, as I can't imagine anyone being too logical. Logical being a thought process that takes all factors into account, including the unpredictable nature of humans and emotions.

Anyway, so.... these people just want me to sit there and listen? They just want me as a shouting board? No advise? If they want emotional comfort, they shouldn't have come to me anyway. As I have neither empathy nor sympathy, I wouldn't know what to do what would assuage their emotional distress.

This hasn't happened as often since I've come to college. Surprisingly, the friends I've made here have taken my odd communication habits and my strange thought processes in stride. None of them have ever really gotten frustrated with me when it comes to my reactions to things. None of them have asked me to change things I do naturally. In fact, the only thing that I think really bugs my friends is my stubbornness in debate. I know I'm stubborn and I try not to be. It is, however, an ongoing process.

Well, this post was longer than I anticipated. I'm interested to see where this blog takes me. If the outlet will be good for me, or if I'll just find it to be an interesting endeavor. Either way, I look forward to it.