The Shred Room II (with extra youth)

James wrote: song_of_copper wrote: Personality and general intelligence are much more important than an education, you know. I agree on the latter.  However, my personality is obscure and weird and scares people off and my intelligence is non-existent.  I know a few things about random pointless subjects.  That is all.  I do not know much about the important aspects of life.

I think you'll find you have more in common with Average Joe and Joanne than you realise.  People are not nearly so different and unique as they think they are.

Knowing random stuff is cool, by the way!  Oh, how about this - go on Mastermind!!  You have good general knowledge, yes?  And an encyclopaedic knowledge of RIO?!  That could be your specialist subject... and if you say on TV that you're single and looking... who knows what might happen!

James just needs a haircut first

song_of_copper wrote: James wrote: song_of_copper wrote: Personality and general intelligence are much more important than an education, you know. I agree on the latter.  However, my personality is obscure and weird and scares people off and my intelligence is non-existent.  I know a few things about random pointless subjects.  That is all.  I do not know much about the important aspects of life. I think you'll find you have more in common with Average Joe and Joanne than you realise.  People are not nearly so different and unique as they think they are. Knowing random stuff is cool, by the way!  Oh, how about this - go on Mastermind!!  You have good general knowledge, yes?  And an encyclopaedic knowledge of RIO?!  That could be your specialist subject... and if you say on TV that you're single and looking... who knows what might happen!

My General Knowledge is awful.

That's what I was getting at.  I know too much about obscure things and not enough about the important stuff.

I always bomb on the General Knowledge round on Mastermind.  I am better at Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? but then so is everyone who doesn't actually go on there.

Oh and my memory is horrible too.  I cannot even think of the name of the guy from Henry Cow for the moment.

All other members besides him.  I always forget his name.

Oh and no, seriously.  I have very little in common with any of my friends.  I just sit with them in silence most of the time.

James wrote: Bern wrote: I love dystopian novels James. Any good suggestions? We by Yevgeny Zamyatin Brave New World by Aldous Huxley The Sleeper Awakes by H.G. Wells (which I have yet to read yet) Catch 33 - Joseph Heller (again, I have not read it) Most novels by Kurt Vonnegut.  He isn't dystopian as such but he writes amazing black comedies. Plus I recommend an author called Jeffrey Ford.  His talents are rather good.  He reminds me of a modern-day Wells.

Thanks. I'll check out Yevgeny Zamyatin, Kurt Vonnegut and Jeffrey Ford since I've already read the others.

James wrote: Oh and no, seriously.  I have very little in common with any of my friends.  I just sit with them in silence most of the time.

Going out with people is fun for all of five minutes.  None of my friends invite me anywhere and most of them don't go any further than the pub or club anyhow.  It doesn't help that I live 15 minutes away from most of them either.

People only contact when they need something too.

James wrote: Oh and no, seriously.  I have very little in common with any of my friends.  I just sit with them in silence most of the time.

Then why do you call them your friends?!

If you think they are shallow and non-intellectual, you have nothing in common with them, you don't make even smalltalk with them...

There is no point hanging around with people just for the sake of hanging around with people.  Not very fair on them either, in some ways.

James, you seem to be in a very negative mood this evening.  You need to do something positive!  Cheer yourself up!  No more dystopian novels - they will only depress you!

How about some comedy - have you got anything of the Goons or Not Only But Also or something else totally meaningless?  That might do the trick.

So what's the usual topic in England? Soccer and...?

June wrote: So what's the usual topic in England? Soccer and...?           I hate last.fm... I added Bing Crosby to my library because I love his voice and they keep streaming Xmas songs...

Footie and last night's TV, mostly.   I loathe sport and don't really watch TV any more.  However, I am pretty good at making surreal remarks.  That's my best chance at being useful at conversation!

Haha, last.fm... it still amuses me that I apparently mostly share my taste with teenage boys.  (And there's nothing wrong with that, of course, but still...)