Exchanges with People that Make Your Brain Hurt

[TurtleDove]

The only really really flawless people that I have seen not affected by this have a *load* of personality and charisma. It's like the opposite of the unattractive person where you don't notice that they're unattractive because of their personality.

Or the assumptions some people make that a person who is not physically beautiful automagically must have a shining personality, it's just that superficial people can't get past the physical.  In my experience, people of all levels of beauty can be awesome in the personality department or downright ugly.

[gramma dishes]

...   Or the assumptions some people make that a person who is not physically beautiful automagically must have a shining personality, it's just that superficial people can't get past the physical.  In my experience, people of all levels of beauty can be awesome in the personality department or downright ugly.

That's true, but it is also true that if you know a "pretty" person with a horrid personality, they pretty quickly begin to look a lot less attractive and if you know a relatively homely person with a wonderful personality you tend to think of them, and indeed begin to see them, as quite attractive. 

[Sirius]

...   Or the assumptions some people make that a person who is not physically beautiful automagically must have a shining personality, it's just that superficial people can't get past the physical.  In my experience, people of all levels of beauty can be awesome in the personality department or downright ugly.

That's true, but it is also true that if you know a "pretty" person with a horrid personality, they pretty quickly begin to look a lot less attractive and if you know a relatively homely person with a wonderful personality you tend to think of them, and indeed begin to see them, as quite attractive.

Grandma D, you're right on. 

[2littlemonkeys]

One of my classmates in high school enlisted in the army because he was "sick of people telling him what to do."

Oh, ow. 

Guihong, my kids make my head hurt all the time.  One day, when DD7 was a tot, she asked for a PB&J sandwich.  So I made her one.  Then she fell apart and I could not figure out what the problem was.  Eventually, I learned that in her world, PB&J means Peanut butter, hold the jelly.   

Just last night, a very overtired DD4 was happily putting honey on her chicken.  Then she dissolved into tears because she had honey on her chicken.  Then, she realized she wanted honey on her chicken and cleaned her plate.

Double 

[Jones]

I made lasagna with spinach in it the other night.
DH: Is this spinach? Yum!
Me: Yes, it's spinach, felt a little "veggie" tonight.
Jean: Does MINE have spinach?
Me: Well, you see that green stuff, you've already eaten a bit? It may or may not be spinach.
Jean: EW I DON'T LIKE SPINACH.
Note, she's always eaten spinach in the past, no problem.

Jean then proceeds to eat, occasionally asking if her serving--which came out of the same pan as the rest of ours--had spinach. I told her that all the rest of the lasagna had spinach in it, and hers had the same items as the rest of the lasagna. I pointed out the greens again.

Jean cleaned her plate. Inhaled it, really. I told her she had eaten spinach. She gagged.

Now, next day, lunch time.
Jean: Mom, do we have leftover lasagna?
Me: Yes, but it has spinach in it.
Jean: That's fine, I'll eat it. It doesn't taste that bad, and it's better than going hungry.

[jedikaiti]

When I was a kid, my Dad planted a garden including a few too many zucchini plants. They mass produced - my parents were giving away zucchini to anyone who would take it, freezing it, and Mom was cooking it up any way she could find, including, of course, zucchini bread.

I wanted nothing to do with the zucchini. Wouldn't touch it, wouldn't eat it, not even any of the zucchini bread. Until I was visiting the nice older lady down the street, Mrs. B, and she was making zucchini bread. I tried hers, loved it, and told her she should give her recipe to my Mom, since hers was far superior to that garbage Mom was trying to feed me.

Anyone wanna guess where Mrs. B got her recipe (and the zucchini)?

[Carotte]

The only really really flawless people that I have seen not affected by this have a *load* of personality and charisma. It's like the opposite of the unattractive person where you don't notice that they're unattractive because of their personality.

Or the assumptions some people make that a person who is not physically beautiful automagically must have a shining personality, it's just that superficial people can't get past the physical.  In my experience, people of all levels of beauty can be awesome in the personality department or downright ugly.

Kind of goes with the assumption (several tv shows have done something on that ) that someone with a disability ( deaf or mute usually ) cannot do wrong (be mean, lie, cheat..); in the tv shows the characters quickly find out that just because Suzy cannot speak it doesn't mean she won't be signing mean stuff about you.

[jpcher]

When the DDs were younger I used to serve them White Castles for dinner (the frozen ones you buy in the grocery store.)

I would steam-heat them in the oven and serve them up. DDs took the top bun off to put their ketchup on, made a scrunched-up goofy face and scraped off all the onions.

I noticed that with the steaming, the bottom (thinner piece of bread) was getting a bit soggy so when I steamed them the next time I put them top side down and served them that way.

DD's took off the bottom/top to put their ketchup on, made a happy face because there were no onions to scrape off and gobbled them up.


Did I tell them they were eating onions? Nope. Not me. Uh-uh. I just served them upside down from then on

[lilfox]

Last night DD was putting up a fight about taking a potty break.  This conversation occurred:

Me: Honey, time for a potty break.
DD: No, I don't want to!
Me (not above bribery to avoid wet pants): You can watch TV after you take a potty break.
DD: No, I will watch TV after I take a potty break.
Me:  Yes... exactly!
DD: No! I want to watch TV after I potty!
Me: Right, so let's go.

Clearly she intended to say before, not after.  But she eventually did do things in the order I specified.   

And two from work:
Orientation session on one of our related organizations, which included discussing the new motivational slogans being put on posters all over.  One is "Be Here Now," which was helpfully interpreted by the presenter to mean, "Be in the present."  As opposed to any of the possible alternative meanings...  Really, any presentation that involves explaining tired management concepts such as the "Blame Ladder" and "Mood Elevator" as if people couldn't immediately figure out their intent from the poster is going to make my head hurt.

Not a conversation, but at least two people have the following poster in their cubes:

TECHNOLOGY IS NOWHERE

Did you read this as nowhere or now here?

Um, as nowhere because that is how spacing works.  It is not an indicator of pessimism or optimism, but of attention to proper grammatical construction.  Also, I don't feel that either interpretation has any real meaning so it's doubly brain-hurty to me.

[Iris]

DD2 regularly makes my brain hurt (bless her creative soul) but this was my favourite one from this week, when she lost a tooth;

[bg] DH and I have a policy of not lying to the kids. When they heard/saw all about Santa etc from other people as little kids we happily played along with their fantasies but if they ask, they're getting the truth. Last Christmas DD2 asked me about Santa. After checking that she was sure she wanted to know I filled her in. She was pretty disappointed, but being the girl that she is she got DD1 to conspire with filling up a small stocking for DH and I, pretending all the while that Santa comes to parents as *well* now [/bg]

DD2: Mum, is the tooth fairy real?
Me: Are you sure you want to know?
DD2: Yes, tell me!
Me: Okay. It's just that you were a bit sad when you asked me about Santa.
There was a pause and then in a small voice from the backseat, DD2: Santa's not real??!!

[Piratelvr1121]

...   Or the assumptions some people make that a person who is not physically beautiful automagically must have a shining personality, it's just that superficial people can't get past the physical.  In my experience, people of all levels of beauty can be awesome in the personality department or downright ugly.

That's true, but it is also true that if you know a "pretty" person with a horrid personality, they pretty quickly begin to look a lot less attractive and if you know a relatively homely person with a wonderful personality you tend to think of them, and indeed begin to see them, as quite attractive.

Grandma D, you're right on.

POD. I've always felt that way.   There was a time when my mom met a friend of mine when she picked me up from college. I'd described this friend as very pretty, as I thought that she was. On the way home I said something like "Isn't she pretty?"

"Eh. She's kinda plain.  Does she ever wear makeup or do anything with her hair?" Next time I looked at my friend I just kinda mentally rolled my eyes at my mother as I just couldn't see what she meant by plain.  No, friend didn't wear makeup much, if at all.  She still doesn't but I don't think she really even needs it. Her hair is brown and straight, usually worn shoulder length and if she does anything with it, it's usually to just pull it into a ponytail.  She's shorter than I am and a bit curvier but I don't see the "plain". This friend is very sweet and quiet and a lot of fun on a one on one basis.

My best friend describes herself as plain but I'm not seeing that either. 

[PastryGoddess]

One of my classmates in high school enlisted in the army because he was "sick of people telling him what to do."

*Snorggle*

[lady_disdain]

The only really really flawless people that I have seen not affected by this have a *load* of personality and charisma. It's like the opposite of the unattractive person where you don't notice that they're unattractive because of their personality.

Or the assumptions some people make that a person who is not physically beautiful automagically must have a shining personality, it's just that superficial people can't get past the physical.  In my experience, people of all levels of beauty can be awesome in the personality department or downright ugly.

Kind of goes with the assumption (several tv shows have done something on that ) that someone with a disability ( deaf or mute usually ) cannot do wrong (be mean, lie, cheat..); in the tv shows the characters quickly find out that just because Suzy cannot speak it doesn't mean she won't be signing mean stuff about you.

Which is why I love the Good Wife. The episode with Michael J Fox is amazing!

[CakeEater]

DD2 regularly makes my brain hurt (bless her creative soul) but this was my favourite one from this week, when she lost a tooth;

[bg] DH and I have a policy of not lying to the kids. When they heard/saw all about Santa etc from other people as little kids we happily played along with their fantasies but if they ask, they're getting the truth. Last Christmas DD2 asked me about Santa. After checking that she was sure she wanted to know I filled her in. She was pretty disappointed, but being the girl that she is she got DD1 to conspire with filling up a small stocking for DH and I, pretending all the while that Santa comes to parents as *well* now [/bg]

DD2: Mum, is the tooth fairy real?
Me: Are you sure you want to know?
DD2: Yes, tell me!
Me: Okay. It's just that you were a bit sad when you asked me about Santa.
There was a pause and then in a small voice from the backseat, DD2: Santa's not real??!!

Ha!

My SIL and BIL have the same policy, but when they told niece about Santa at age 3, she wouldn't believe them, and still believes in Santa now at age 5.

[norrina]

When I was little, I decided that I only liked eggplant that was "grown in the garden". The family went to visit friends for dinner, and my parents learned ahead of time that the hosts had prepared eggplant parmesan. So they warned the hosts of my interesting prejudice against store-bought eggplant, when I asked suspiciously if the eggplant came "from the garden" the hosts said yes (because, after all, a commercial garden is still a garden), and I happily ate my meal none the wiser.