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lightcastleGiven my last few posts, I find it somewhat amusing that I had a totally random conversation on the bus in this morning with a co-rider her reading material, another in the coffeeshop about the netbook my neighbor was using, a small discussion of molecular gastronomy with the family next to me, and just had a brief interaction with the stunning young woman who couldn't figure out where to bus her own dishes.
Since, you know, I am obviously against strangers interacting in public spaces. ^_^
I still expect to be stood up today and am consoling myself with hot chocolate, mind you.
So to help those who like rules, I present Soshie's rules for talking on public transport:
1. Be aware of your bus. Are you in a sketchy part of town? People may not want to talk to you because they’re already wary. Also if it’s night.
2. Don’t walk to the other end of the bus just to talk to someone. It’s creepy and looks like you’re a stalker.
3. Don’t approach anyone who’s reading/working/has headphones on/is staring out the window/is staring at the floor/is staring into space. They don’t want to talk to you. They’re busy. Don’t be creepy.
4. Open ended questions/statements are good because they can either be answered with one word or a lot of words. Example: “Cute hat!” One word answer = don’t talk to me. A couple sentences usually = sure, I will talk with you. If you complement someone’s hat and they just say “Thanks,” don’t keep talking. You’re being creepy.
5. Don’t ask about significant others unless I mention one and we’re already having a decent conversation. This is very creepy and makes me think that you’re trying to pick me up.
6. No touching. Ever. Under any circumstance. It’s creepy and may cause me to hit you, especially if you don’t move your hand when I ask.
7. Don’t take it too personally if people are rude. You were probably being creepy. If you weren’t, they were probably just having a bad day. The world doesn’t revolve around you, you know.
Since, you know, I am obviously against strangers interacting in public spaces. ^_^
I still expect to be stood up today and am consoling myself with hot chocolate, mind you.
So to help those who like rules, I present Soshie's rules for talking on public transport:
1. Be aware of your bus. Are you in a sketchy part of town? People may not want to talk to you because they’re already wary. Also if it’s night.
2. Don’t walk to the other end of the bus just to talk to someone. It’s creepy and looks like you’re a stalker.
3. Don’t approach anyone who’s reading/working/has headphones on/is staring out the window/is staring at the floor/is staring into space. They don’t want to talk to you. They’re busy. Don’t be creepy.
4. Open ended questions/statements are good because they can either be answered with one word or a lot of words. Example: “Cute hat!” One word answer = don’t talk to me. A couple sentences usually = sure, I will talk with you. If you complement someone’s hat and they just say “Thanks,” don’t keep talking. You’re being creepy.
5. Don’t ask about significant others unless I mention one and we’re already having a decent conversation. This is very creepy and makes me think that you’re trying to pick me up.
6. No touching. Ever. Under any circumstance. It’s creepy and may cause me to hit you, especially if you don’t move your hand when I ask.
7. Don’t take it too personally if people are rude. You were probably being creepy. If you weren’t, they were probably just having a bad day. The world doesn’t revolve around you, you know.
