my sentiments exactly. i'm not a huge fan of questions like "how was your day?" and "what did you do yesterday?" it's not so much that i hate answering those questions (my answers 99% of the time are "good" and "nothing," respectively)... it's more that those questions breed reciprocity. in turn, i must ask "how was your day?" and "what did you do?"



this is a problem because most times i'd rather not ask and spend the next 3 minutes pretending to listen intently. i've come to the realization that the daily itinerary is seldom interesting.



it's sad that i must find one's life entertaining in order to become engaged in it. while yes i do care you, and understand the fact that the cafeteria ran out of coleslaw right when you got to the front of the line devastates you - but i would be much more interested if you had an affair in a big vat of coleslaw.



it's a sad state that something must be entertaining in order to be interesting. i blame tv.



in primitive days (i.e. before technology and tv), those kinds of day-to-day nuances were probably rather exciting. "the milkman didn't come today? aww shucks!" "mary lou's cat got stuck in the tree - again?" "you speared a buffalo? incredible - we can eat for days!"



now the world is much smaller and abound with tales warranting further fanfare. "your cousin had an 11 pound baby? that's nothing. someone in botswana had a 14 pound baby. nananana."



so really, why should i pay attention to you when the tv has much more interesting people and plotlines? and cnn.com reports headlines seemingly straight from ripley's?



everyone speaks of desensitization to violence - but what of the desensitization of interest? shows (even of the "reality" variety) have such crafted storylines, complete with anticipation, climax and resolution, that ordinary life pales in comparison.



i'm trying to get excited over the fact that you went grocery shopping and to the bank today, but really, that doesn't compare to a real worlder getting thrown in the drunk tank or rob van winkle heckling gary coleman in a restaurant. stop collaborate and listen...



so really, if my eyes kind of glaze over as you talk about processing documents, interesting stories, high tech brain surgery esque procedures, or strawberries rotting, don't take it personally or feel offended - just blame society.



author's note: for the few readers who made it all the way to this note, thank you for not flying into a rage and throwing your computer against the wall nicholas sparks book style. i'm not trying to say you must draft and revise your conversation before you approach me, open with a one-liner or end every dialogue with a punchline... i'm just saying you shouldn't expect enthused captivation if you don't.

-penned by an anonymous guest blogger-