in re:
Shodan, You still trying to embarrass the crap out of your daughter? 
I’ve listened to lots of old folks bragging about their surgeries, and try to one-up each other on the cost of their prescriptions.
I’ve seen people try on each other’s glasses to see who has the worst eyesight. Okay, I’ve done that too. There! Ya happy?
Several years ago, I went with my wife to her ten year high-school reunion. We ended up sharing a table with an extremely irritating woman who could not stop bragging about being a single mother. This would not have been a bad thing if she were bragging about being a strong independent woman or some such; instead, she was proud of the fact that her child proved that she was a badass who had had unprotected sex, thereby proving that she was no longer the loser she was in high school. I found it bemusing that she would think anyone would be impressed by the fact that a 28 year-old woman had had sex, and more so by the fact that we would be impressed that she had managed to get knocked up.
As for being proud of things you haven’t done, I am also proud of never having smoked a cigarette, or indeed done any recreational drugs besides alcohol (which, I am not proud to say, I do occasionally overindulge in).
Okay, to be more than fair, a surpise snake in the flowerbed being weeded can make adreneline flow too fast and hard to pause for positive ID. I’ve murdered more than one harmless bull snake snake in my time. 
However, being proud of it is, at the very best, sleazy and stupid. Sheesh. I’m not happy about killing the rattlesnakes that taught me to over-react to snakes in my flowerbed. I did it, it was unfortunately necessary, but it’s damn well nothing to be proud of.
I actually know a guy who doesn't own a TV and isn't an elitist insufferable prick. Of course, he doesn't go around bragging about it, it's just something that you figure out after asking: "You mean you *haven't* seen that show!?"Thank you, thank you all.
But I am, in fact, a real, live girl. Well…maybe not a girl any more.
Since the thread topic was originally things you’re surprised someone would be proud of I thought my post fit right in. I never expected anyone else to think of this as an accomplishment. Sounds pretty dumb on the surface.
(However, for me it is wrapped up with an intensely personal issue and my family is well aware of why I don’t wear dresses or skirts. Scoff if you want.)
I worked as a museum environmental consultant back when the earth was young… I could look at a dust sample under a microscope and identify its source…
Yep… I was a Dust Expert… and proud of it…
sigh
FML
My boss’s boss is a workaholic and he’s very proud of himself about it. He has a daughter who lives with his wife in Maine while he works here in Connecticut. He can’t see her more than maybe on the weekends sometimes. On top of that, his wife doesn’t seem too excited to be a mom…she misses her career a lot. Their baby is such a little sweetie, and I feel so sad for her. There are more important things in life than working.
Reason #373478 why I love the Dope!
I don’t have a TV. The cost here is roughly double that of the US and there are only 2 English language channels (both news). I get my news online and have a 23" computer screen to watch movies on… we do rent DVDs, just have no reason to get a proper TV.
In Dubai, we had a TV for a year or so but almost never watched it as the satellite system was uber-complex and wonky. I do remember that on the 500 or so channels the 24-Sex channel was right next to the God Channel. 
Back when I was living in Tbilisi we only had 4-6 hours of electricity each day. We did have a TV and got to watch Titanic dubbed in Georgian… and one gruff guy did ALL the dubbing… for every character, with no change in his monotone.
I’ve been told it’s strange that I’m proud I’ve never been in a romantic relationship. I just don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings when we’ll inevitably have to break up (I’m already certain if I tried I’d be out of the market due to failure in a week). I can’t say I’m proud in an “I’m better than you for it” way so much as a “I’m proud I’m making my best effort to be courteous to those around me when taking my own personality into account” way.
I owned a car one time, and despite using the windscreen washer almost every day, the water in the washer-fluid reservoir lasted well over a year. It was like The loaves and The fishes. I was so damn proud of that car.
I told EVERYONE.
I’m proud of the fact that I haven’t watched any reality show from beginning to end since The Real World fifteen years ago.
When I was a junior in high school, I was extremely proud of the fact that I managed to go an entire school year without washing my gym shorts.
The year after that I was even prouder that I got voted Most Likely to Fall Asleep in Class in my senior yearbook (a category created specifically for me!)
I don’t know what it says about me, but (at least initially) I’d be interested in knowing more about dust. It’s one of those things I’d never really thought about and I had no idea that dust from different places had distinctive characteristics. I’d consider this to be a cool skill.
Unless you are unable to talk about anything else. 
Maybe you can tell me why there is more dust in Prague than anywhere else in the universe? I find dust collecting much faster than it does in Dubai with extremely fine sand all over the countryside.
Shall I send you a sample?
I’m with you there brother.
I’ve also never seen a single episode of:
1.Emmerdale
2. Home and Away
3. Eastenders
4. Coronation Street
5. Any other crap soaps or reality shows
I don’t have a TV, but I honestly don’t feel ‘proud’ of it. If anything, it’s a comment on my age (48) and how TV is increasingly geared towards younger viewers. About the only times I bring up the matter are when someone asks me why I haven’t seen some widely-watched show.
To the OP: I am baffled at guys who brag about all the bars they’ve been thrown out of or banned from.
And at managers who cheerfully profess complete ignorance of the technical workings of things they’re supposed to be in charge of. “I don’t have to know that stuff – I’m the manager”. Yeah, for now.
When my father was alive, he and the other older men in the neighborhood used to walk around the block daily for exercise. One of the neighbors used to brag that he hadn’t spoken to his wife for years. They’re both still around, and now and then I feel like asking him if he’s broken radio silence yet.
I think I speak for everyone when I say “EWWWWWWW!!!”
I would have voted you Stinkiest Guy.
I thought of another thing I’m dubiously proud of - I’m 41 years old, I still listen to current Top 40 music, and I LIKE it!
Dust Expert. I bet you didn’t get invited over to many folks home for dinner.
I’m a GIS programmer. For about 18 years I’ve worked in GIS and it does not stand for ‘Google Information Search’.
Back in the early 90’s I just said ‘I make maps with a computer’. “So, it sure is nice weather today for a bbq isn’t it”.