I saw This video today about inattentive blindness on I-am-bored.com and immediately thought of this thread.
Ooohhh, watch your back - it’s Greek!
I can’t vouch for its authenticity, but the form in which it was presented to me the other night was a sort of biscuit covered in crème patissière with phyllo pastry on top.
(bolding mine) See, now, there’s the problem. You’re supposed to chug galaktoboureko. 
Man, I hate it when I get between two conversational groupings. There must be some kind of subtle facial signalling or something to break in, that we who think too much never quite get. Or we need to yell more.
[sub]*What’s galaktoboureko? It sounds Esperanto-ish, or maybe Bulgarian.[/sub]
Edit–I see your post. I never heard of galaktoboureko before; it sounds yummy.
Damn you wikipedia, you’ve failed me again. It actually does list it as both a Turkish and Greek dish, but I somehow totally skipped the part where it said Greek. It does look kind of familiar, but I can’t be certain if I’ve had it. I know I didn’t know the name.
Where did you get it? Sort of sounds like something Santropol would have…
Of all the things to name your penis…
Two theories:
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He’s really hot and she didn’t want to stare at someone else’s man.
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She remembers him from some interaction long ago and hopes he won’t remember her.
I have been going to a gals’ night out thing about once every month or so, by invitation. We have our drinks and something to eat, and then the conversation inevitably turns to sex, husbands, sex, boyfriends, work gossip, sex, kids, sex, and so on.
I have no gossip to share, no hubby or kids, and all the talk of body parts, positions, and so forth gets tiresome after a while. So I listen but I don’t know what to contribute.
I came in here to kindly ask this same thing. I am “invisible” now, as I am a “normal” size, but the type of invisibility being morbidly obese is another matter altogether.
VCNJ~
But what about sex?
You might have to buy her dinner first.
It’s just that I’d rather talk about movies, music, tv and restaurants, and travel. Those are things I’m actually interested in. From now on, I suppose I will have to change subjects rather abruptly and awkwardly.
Have you tried farting really loud? They may avoid you, but at least they notice you.
Or so I’ve been told.
Regards,
Shodan
I asked him #2, and he couldn’t recollect ever seeing her before.
As for #1, I think I’ll let go of my annoyance at her and hold on to that unlikey yet happy thought. Thanks, gigi
I refer to my social invisibility as “my personal Somebody Else’s Problem field”.
I’m frequently invisible and inaudible. It used to bother me. I’d be at work, talking to somebody, and people would just walk up and start talking right through me to the other person:
ME: (TO JOE) “–so it seems to me that if we move the cardstock up to the front–”
PHIL: (WALKS UP) “Hey, Joe! Do you know where I could find an extension cord?”
JOE: “I’m pretty sure they’re hanging in the A/V closet. How long of one do you need?”
(PHIL AND JOE START WALKING AWAY)
ME: “–then we wouldn’t have to move the stock every time, and now you’re walking away and not listening at all to what I’m saying you goddamn bastards…”
Eventually I figured out a solution:
ME: “–we’ll definitely need to replace the refrigerator before next year–”
PHIL: (WALKS UP) “Hey, Joe! Where’s that folding ladder we used to have?”
JOE: “It’s behind the–”
ME: (AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS) “AAAAUUUGGHHH!!!”
(JOE AND PHIL BOTH STARE RIGHT AT ME)
ME: “…Anyway, as I was saying, the gasket on the fridge is already loose again, and–”
I don’t do it quite so much anymore, though. I’ve come to appreciate some of the advantages of invisibility. Ater all, if I don’t speak to any of them either, who’s to say that THEY’RE not invisible instead of me? Maybe THEY’RE the ones who aren’t there!
Regardless of who’s right, I think that work goes much more smoothly this way for everyone concerned.
There was an office party earlier today. Actually, it was for the entire department, including people who are not in the office.
As usual, the food sucked ass.
I sat down right in the middle of the side of one table, where I knew everyone. To the right of me were Joe, the new office manager, and David, the interim office manager. I was trying to talk to the women in front and to the left of me. They didn’t seem really interesting in talking to me (normally they are), plus there was some sort of odd acoustical thing going on where my voice was just not heard well. And maybe thirty seconds after I sat down, they finished their lunches and had to get back to work.
So it was me, Joe, and David. They were talking about a certain former employee who has almost a celebrity status around here, and who was here for a visit Sunday and Monday. They were speculating as to why he was here. I piped up that I knew exactly why, as it largely had to do with meeting with me and my office mate. Joe seemed pretty interested for about three seconds, then he and David went back to their speculation, as if I had said nothing at all.
I blame David. He seems pretty cold and uninterested in anyone who can’t give him something he wants. I’m glad he’s gone, quite frankly.
So where’s the support group for HSII sufferers? I had a friend witness this at a restaurant; it turned into a double-header. We ordered then waited over an hour for our meals to appear. Disappeared from the waiter’s view we did. The food was ice cold. Almost another hour to get the check and report that the meals weren’t acceptable. I wrote a comment card detailing how bad it was.
Corporate sent coupons for free meals, everything on the house. The manager sat us then hovered nearby. I guess he didn’t want another bad comment card. After we got our drinks, we headed downstairs to the salad bar. When we returned, out table was completely clean. The silverware, napkins, drinks, and plates were gone. Gone! With the manager watching, we disappeared again.
Like matt_mcl, I’m not a wisp of a man. I tend toward sumo size. How can someone not see something that big moving into his field of vision? I’ve stood at the cashwrap in department stores for more than 5 minutes, unacknowledged, while salesclerks 2 feet away on the other side of the counter couldn’t see me. I can’t understand how that happens.
I fear it’s spreading. Just yesterday, the chambermaid took all the towels from the bathroom but didn’t replace them. How else could she miss the signs that the room is occupied, the clothes, magazines, boxes, and computer cables everywhere, unless they disappeared.
They’re just not that into you…
Which is entirely reasonable, and I don’t blame them for that. Frankly, I’m not that into me either. But that’s no excuse for blatantly ignoring the fact that I exist! How much extra effort does it take to politely explain, “Excuse us, but we’re just not that into you,” before walking away? It’s simply not that difficult. My parents used to say it to me every day. It’s just common courtesy.
Besides, these people aren’t getting paid to deny my existence. When we’re on the clock, it’s not my lack of personality that’s the critical issue; but rather the presence or absence of adequate card stock, which could literally mean life or death for thousands (admittedly under an extremely far-fetched set of circumstances). If others insist on blotting me out of their field of perception, then I reserve the right to scream like a lemur in heat until my concerns have been addressed.