# Listening to someone go on, and on, and on.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 11, 2015, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listening-to-someone-go-on-and-on-and-on/724896 "2015-07-11T22:50:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listening-to-someone-go-on-and-on-and-on/724896/1 "2015-07-11T22:50:50Z")
We were at my stepdaughter’s house, and she had gone to an ice cream shop. She and her family shared a large banana split. She must have talked about it for 15 minutes. In this situation, I always envision the speaker suddenly clapping their hands over their mouth in horror when they realize how BORING they are. I inwardly cringe waiting for this moment. “Can’t you _hear_ yourself?!?” ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listening-to-someone-go-on-and-on-and-on/724896/2 "2015-07-11T23:01:33Z")
My stepdaughter has ADHD and when school is out she doesn’t take her medicine and she literally never stops talking. Even if you tell her to be quiet for a few minutes she’ll just sit there and hum in this nonstop, disjointed, atonal, unmusical way. I know it’s not really her fault but all the same it just drives me insane after a while. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listening-to-someone-go-on-and-on-and-on/724896/3 "2015-07-11T23:02:32Z")
I remember discussing this very topic with my uni roommates. The person who brought it up opined how nice it would be to have a bell, like to call a hotel bellboy type desktop bell, that you could carry around and whenever the conversation got to the ‘on and on and on’ stage, you could just, ‘DING’, and someone would change the topic directly and everyone would immediately just move on. No one would be allowed to take offence! We all agreed how eminently civilized this would be! Unfortunately, that’s not how it plays out. For the next couple of years, if you were in the right group of people, and you were excitedly going on about something, some wise ass would always call out, “DING!” Often from the other room. Turns out, extremely annoying and terribly uncivilized! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listening-to-someone-go-on-and-on-and-on/724896/4 "2015-07-11T23:27:55Z")
> [@pool](#): > > My stepdaughter has ADHD and when school is out she doesn’t take her medicine… And you allow this? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listening-to-someone-go-on-and-on-and-on/724896/5 "2015-07-11T23:29:07Z")
It’s not up to me, it’s her biological mother’s choice. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listening-to-someone-go-on-and-on-and-on/724896/6 "2015-07-12T04:44:04Z")
Here is what I would have done. When the conversation finally does winds down, and there is a pause, say, “so, tell us more about this banana split.” mmm ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listening-to-someone-go-on-and-on-and-on/724896/7 "2015-07-12T05:08:19Z")
But maybe you are actually looking for these situations. I mean you _are_ right here on Mundane Pointless Things I Must Share on purpose, aren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listening-to-someone-go-on-and-on-and-on/724896/8 "2015-07-12T08:38:28Z")
I carry my work phone and my personal phone. I have my work number on a speed dial shortcut on my personal phone and just get an urgent work call when things get boring. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listening-to-someone-go-on-and-on-and-on/724896/9 "2015-07-12T09:07:20Z")
Eh, I’m pretty good at just smiling and nodding and thinking about my own stuff. Indeed, sometimes when I’m stuck in social functions I don’t want to be in, I kinda appriciate someone like the OP’s stepdaughter, since then I can be social without actually having to go to the effort of thinking up anything to say. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listening-to-someone-go-on-and-on-and-on/724896/10 "2015-07-12T10:02:10Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > But maybe you are actually looking for these situations. I mean you _are_ right here on Mundane Pointless Things I Must Share on purpose, aren’t you? you can’t tell the difference between an internet message board, and IRL situations where some people think “quiet” is an opportunity to fill the air with the noise of their voice? ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2015, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listening-to-someone-go-on-and-on-and-on/724896/11 "2015-07-12T13:10:14Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > you can’t tell the difference between an internet message board, and IRL situations where some people think “quiet” is an opportunity to fill the air with the noise of their voice? I was joking, sorry if that was not clear. I just thought it was ironic to complain about someone sharing a mundane and pointless thing here of all places.