Thing normal people do that you dont

[SckizoBoy]

Care about my birthday.

My birthday comes around, I give genuinely zero shits to the point I often forget the date itself and my own age. I only remember because I'm reminded on the day by family and a couple friends who message me (that and it's part of the security info for online banking). My social media has the wrong birthday listed, so it's hilarious to get notifications of my birthday... on my dad's birthday, 'cos I care about his birthday more than I do damn near anyone else's.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

Feel joy, confidence or even content. Kinda used to it now, as long as I can brute force a temporary illusion of it with various drugs and alcoholic, it's almost enough to keep thoughts of suicide behind a safety glass at a functional distance. Have lately wondered if those are related to not experiencing any nostalgia warm fuzzies too. Nor pride. I've destroyed or given away everything I've created, literally nothing to show for years of work I've done, and I feel weird that it doesn't bother me as much as it probably should.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Feel joy, confidence or even content. Kinda used to it now, as long as I can brute force a temporary illusion of it with various drugs and alcoholic, it's almost enough to keep thoughts of suicide behind a safety glass at a functional distance. Have lately wondered if those are related to not experiencing any nostalgia warm fuzzies too. Nor pride. I've destroyed or given away everything I've created, literally nothing to show for years of work I've done, and I feel weird that it doesn't bother me as much as it probably should.

You still have your posts on the Escapist, which, I personally have always noticed and enjoyed, even way back when you had the bear avatar.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I don't know how alone I am in this but I buy paper towels instead of napkins.

 

[Dalisclock]

I don't know how alone I am in this but I buy paper towels instead of napkins.

I use paper towels for cleaning surfaces and such. I used to use them for meal(face/hand wiping) but my wife suggested cloth napkins, which means they can be washed and reused.

 

[davidmc1158]

Own a smart/celll phone. Sometimes I think I'm the last human being on earth that doesn't have one . . . . . and I take a great deal of pride in that fact.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I don't know how alone I am in this but I buy paper towels instead of napkins.

I use paper towels for cleaning surfaces and such. I used to use them for meal(face/hand wiping) but my wife suggested cloth napkins, which means they can be washed and reused.

I'm a paper towel guy, too. There's just so much utility with paper towels; napkins just serve such an [ostensibly] singular purpose, it feels unnecessary to buy them AND paper towels. As to cloth napkins... no. I understand it makes complete and total sense and probably saves a lot, but the idea that every meal ends with a load of dishes and a load of laundry is just beyond me. #PaperTowels.

Own a smart/celll phone. Sometimes I think I'm the last human being on earth that doesn't have one . . . . . and I take a great deal of pride in that fact.

Okay, this I don't get. Outside of expense, I see no reason to avoid smart phones. Pretty sure we're evolving to the point where anyone wanting a cell phone won't have a choice. All the possible bells and whistles aside, their convenience can't be denied. I get that "dumb" phones still have basic functionality insofar as calling and texting, but outside of that, smart phones are conveniences to solve several inconveniences; avoiding them borders the line of adult practicality and childhood stubbornness. I mean, on what principle do you not have a smart phone? Even the cheapest of them outshines a dumb phone by orders of magnitude. I don't get into all the frivolous apps and such, but having the internet in my pocket is a major convenience. Plus, you can play solitaire on the toilet!

 

[Piscian]

1. I don't celebrate my birthday or acknowledge it for personal reasons. I honestly forget how old I am from time to time because I haven't had a "birthday" since 1996 or so.

2. I lost track of social media apps after facebook. I dick around somewhat anonymously on reddit, like I don't have a presence or talk to anyone there. To be honest reddit seems weirdly built to avoid making human connections. I don't have tiktok, or snapchat or whatever is hot these days, I have a couple friends and family who ping me on facebook sometimes because its easier than texting, but I dont follow anyone or anything on facebook. I don't watch twitch.

3. I don't follow sports really. I watch UFC from time to time, but I don't follow it too closely. No baseball or soccer etc

4. No kids, where I'm from it's kind of bizarre not to have a few kids by the time you're twenty. I got married a couple times, I always got the itch to leave before we talked ourselves into having kids. I feel like I run into that a lot, like my friends will invite me to meet other people and everybody has kids and I seem weird being single at my age like theres some law that requires you to settle down even if you're unhappy.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I use paper towels for cleaning surfaces and such. I used to use them for meal(face/hand wiping) but my wife suggested cloth napkins, which means they can be washed and reused.

It just seems like too much of a hassle for me. I'd either forget or get tired of washing and drying the cloth after every meal.

I'm a paper towel guy, too. There's just so much utility with paper towels; napkins just serve such an [ostensibly] singular purpose, it feels unnecessary to buy them AND paper towels. As to cloth napkins... no. I understand it makes complete and total sense and probably saves a lot, but the idea that every meal ends with a load of dishes and a load of laundry is just beyond me. #PaperTowels.

Pretty much this.

 

[Xprimentyl]

3. I don't follow sports really. I watch UFC from time to time, but I don't follow it too closely. No baseball or soccer etc

I've always been a sports fan, but since the pandemic, you could call me a RABID sports fans. North American football (NFL), NCAA football and Formula 1 primarily, but sprinkle in anything that acts as a distraction from COVID pandemic, mental health, race or political discussions. Sports are a great equalizer. Nevermind the whole behind the scenes crap that blends with the hot topics of the post couple of years, something about a sport where the rules are clear and talent is on display that just lets you drift away from the everyday and enjoy a sportsmanlike competition. Cheering for your team/player, wearing the gear, bantering with opponents, it's just a great equalizer. I have a lot of friends gained through sports, a lot of people I probably would have never even spoken to had they not seen me on a game day. I get why a lot of people don't follow sports, but in these most recent days, we've NEEDED them, and they've helped tremendously. Watch the start of a Saints game, when they drop the hammer and thousands of people chant "WHO DAT?! WHO DAT?! WHO DAT SAY GON BEAT THEM SAINTS?!" and try not to get into the spirit. It's beautiful.

4. No kids, where I'm from it's kind of bizarre not to have a few kids by the time you're twenty. I got married a couple times, I always got the itch to leave before we talked ourselves into having kids. I feel like I run into that a lot, like my friends will invite me to meet other people and everybody has kids and I seem weird being single at my age like theres some law that requires you to settle down even if you're unhappy.

Same. I never didn't want kids, but I woke up one day in my late thirties and realized it's probably not going to happen for me, and I'm not upset about it. I think there's a stigma in a lot of cultures that procreating is a foregone conclusion for us all, but it's apparently not for everyone. I see a lot of parents who swear their children are the best thing that's happened to them, and I think to myself "really?" My money is my own. I'm not ripping and running to pediatric appointments, little league games and parent-teacher conferences. When I'm hungry I eat what I want, and don't have to bother vetting the menu through some glue-eating, snot-nosed brat who wants nothing but chicken nuggets. I don't feel an 18-year minimal responsibility to anyone who's probably gonna hate me until they're 35 and realize I kept them alive and away from shit decision-making all those years I was "telling them what they could or couldn't do." And frankly, I've known humans my whole life; there's enough of us; I don't need to add to the shit show.

 

[davidmc1158]

Okay, this I don't get. Outside of expense, I see no reason to avoid smart phones. Pretty sure we're evolving to the point where anyone wanting a cell phone won't have a choice. All the possible bells and whistles aside, their convenience can't be denied. I get that "dumb" phones still have basic functionality insofar as calling and texting, but outside of that, smart phones are conveniences to solve several inconveniences; avoiding them borders the line of adult practicality and childhood stubbornness. I mean, on what principle do you not have a smart phone? Even the cheapest of them outshines a dumb phone by orders of magnitude. I don't get into all the frivolous apps and such, but having the internet in my pocket is a major convenience. Plus, you can play solitaire on the toilet!

None of the conveniences appeal to me so they don't justify the expense (to me). I enjoy knowing I can be away from a phone, have some alone time and not have to worry about calls, especially in the sense that since my friends know I don't have a cell, they don't feel the need to text or call at the slightest whim. When I get a call, I know there is generally a good reason for it. I hate watching videos on a screen that small. If I'm going to be on the toilet long enough to warrant something else to occupy my time, I take a book (especially since my eyes ache after trying to read anything off of a screen after a while. My eyes are trained to read off of paper.). I've worn a watch on my wrist for 40+ years and it's as convenient a way to check the time as I have ever had. It also doesn't help that I find the sound quality of cell calls to be piss-poor, making the caller hard to understand sometimes (which is probably a problem with reception in my area rather than an intrinsic issue with cell phones).

I have no doubt that the near future will see the old land-lines phased out just because time consistently moves on and that's just the way it is. Other people's desire for conveniences that I neither want or need will inevitably outweigh whatever I may think or desire. Not denying that at all.

Buuuuuuuuuuut, I was raised by a Catholic midwestern farmer and if I learned absolutely nothing else from that background, I certainly learned how to ***** about things I do not like or prefer.

EDIT: for some reason, the Escapist doesn't want me to use any emojis in my post. Weird. Ah well, just imagine a smiling devil face at the end of the post, then.

 

[Xprimentyl]

None of the conveniences appeal to me so they don't justify the expense (to me). I enjoy knowing I can be away from a phone, have some alone time and not have to worry about calls, especially in the sense that since my friends know I don't have a cell, they don't feel the need to text or call at the slightest whim. When I get a call, I know there is generally a good reason for it. I hate watching videos on a screen that small. If I'm going to be on the toilet long enough to warrant something else to occupy my time, I take a book (especially since my eyes ache after trying to read anything off of a screen after a while. My eyes are trained to read off of paper.). I've worn a watch on my wrist for 40+ years and it's as convenient a way to check the time as I have ever had. It also doesn't help that I find the sound quality of cell calls to be piss-poor, making the caller hard to understand sometimes (which is probably a problem with reception in my area rather than an intrinsic issue with cell phones).

I have no doubt that the near future will see the old land-lines phased out just because time consistently moves on and that's just the way it is. Other people's desire for conveniences that I neither want or need will inevitably outweigh whatever I may think or desire. Not denying that at all.

Buuuuuuuuuuut, I was raised by a Catholic midwestern farmer and if I learned absolutely nothing else from that background, I certainly learned how to ***** about things I do not like or prefer.

EDIT: for some reason, the Escapist doesn't want me to use any emojis in my post. Weird. Ah well, just imagine a smiling devil face at the end of the post, then.

Also a Midwestern Catholic here.

That said, fair enough; to each their own. But given the times, eschewing smart phones is akin to eschewing a flat-screen color television in lieu of a black and white tube TV... Why?

 

[davidmc1158]

Also a Midwestern Catholic here.

That said, fair enough; to each their own. But given the times, eschewing smart phones is akin to eschewing a flat-screen color television in lieu of a black and white tube TV... Why?

Think of it this way. In your metaphor, I really don't watch any TV at all, so I don't want to shell out the money for the flatscreen while my old TV still works well enough for the DVD player attached to it to play. Still works for those rare times I ever get around to actually using it, so why pay for the more I don't need?

That, and being a stubborn contrarian helps too.

 

[Dalisclock]

Same. I never didn't want kids, but I woke up one day in my late thirties and realized it's probably not going to happen for me, and I'm not upset about it. I think there's a stigma in a lot of cultures that procreating is a foregone conclusion for us all, but it's apparently not for everyone. I see a lot of parents who swear their children are the best thing that's happened to them, and I think to myself "really?" My money is my own. I'm not ripping and running to pediatric appointments, little league games and parent-teacher conferences. When I'm hungry I eat what I want, and don't have to bother vetting the menu through some glue-eating, snot-nosed brat who wants nothing but chicken nuggets. I don't feel an 18-year minimal responsibility to anyone who's probably gonna hate me until they're 35 and realize I kept them alive and away from shit decision-making all those years I was "telling them what they could or couldn't do." And frankly, I've known humans my whole life; there's enough of us; I don't need to add to the shit show.

I love my kid, but I spent long enough as a childless bachelor to remember that a lot of people are quite happy not having kids and I don't blame them at all if they don't want any. Fuck, even as a parent of 1(and only one, because we've decided one is plenty) I've had people ask "so, when is the next one coming?" I doesn't ever end because for some people, no matter how many you have will never be enough(of course, they aren't the ones to raise them). It's the same kind of people who pull the same "Why don't you have a SO/Why aren't you married?" card and I despise it when people try to busy body themselves into others personal lives like that.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

...a lot of people are quite happy not having kids and I don't blame them at all if they don't want any.

You're kind of a rarity. It seems to me that a lot of people who've had kids are desperately seeking validation of their choice, and the best route they can think of is to cajole and browbeat everyone they know into making the same choice.

 

[Piscian]

I've always been a sports fan, but since the pandemic, you could call me a RABID sports fans. North American football (NFL), NCAA football and Formula 1 primarily, but sprinkle in anything that acts as a distraction from COVID pandemic, mental health, race or political discussions. Sports are a great equalizer. Nevermind the whole behind the scenes crap that blends with the hot topics of the post couple of years, something about a sport where the rules are clear and talent is on display that just lets you drift away from the everyday and enjoy a sportsmanlike competition. Cheering for your team/player, wearing the gear, bantering with opponents, it's just a great equalizer. I have a lot of friends gained through sports, a lot of people I probably would have never even spoken to had they not seen me on a game day. I get why a lot of people don't follow sports, but in these most recent days, we've NEEDED them, and they've helped tremendously. Watch the start of a Saints game, when they drop the hammer and thousands of people chant "WHO DAT?! WHO DAT?! WHO DAT SAY GON BEAT THEM SAINTS?!" and try not to get into the spirit. It's beautiful.

Its funny you should say that I wasnt watching MMA, but during covid TV & movies just kinda shut down. I was surfing through old stuff on my server and thought "hey I wonder what UFC is like these days?" then for the whole year I just sort of got caught up on 25 years of MMA then they got the Saudis to build them that Fight island where they could safely have fights isolated from the public completely. It ended up being kind of genius because even if a fighter is anti-vaxx, the whole crew stays on an isolated pennisula for months with regular testing. You test on entry, isolate and test regularly. Cant really do that with Major league sports due to logistics. Its kinda sad, Fighters already do an insane amount of training and so many are anti-vaxx despite being serious about their health. Two Fighters Amanda ribas and Dustin Poirier almost died from covid, both were off and on intubated for a year and both are still fighting long term side effects. I don't really understand people, even if theres a .001% you could die or even just lose your sense of smell just get the dang shot. Then again Ive done some hardcore drugs in my youth, theres nothing short of anthrax that could come out of needle to scare me.

Same. I never didn't want kids, but I woke up one day in my late thirties and realized it's probably not going to happen for me, and I'm not upset about it. I think there's a stigma in a lot of cultures that procreating is a foregone conclusion for us all, but it's apparently not for everyone. I see a lot of parents who swear their children are the best thing that's happened to them, and I think to myself "really?" My money is my own. I'm not ripping and running to pediatric appointments, little league games and parent-teacher conferences. When I'm hungry I eat what I want, and don't have to bother vetting the menu through some glue-eating, snot-nosed brat who wants nothing but chicken nuggets. I don't feel an 18-year minimal responsibility to anyone who's probably gonna hate me until they're 35 and realize I kept them alive and away from shit decision-making all those years I was "telling them what they could or couldn't do." And frankly, I've known humans my whole life; there's enough of us; I don't need to add to the shit show.

Im originally from Kentucky, statistically the average first pregnancy was between 13-15. We bang early there. I'm not sure its gotten any better in the last 10-15 years, but I don't a single person I went to school that doesn't have kids or is paying child support. It was a real wake up call for me because I spent my first 30 years between two marriages, I was sad for a long while after my last divorce and then I suddenly realized I could do whatever I wanted and buy whatever I wanted. I didn't have to plan things or schedule or discuss. Even in the good times it was still constant debates over everything. I have a friend with 4 kids and its constant planning all the time. Just seems exhausting.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I love my kid, but I spent long enough as a childless bachelor to remember that a lot of people are quite happy not having kids and I don't blame them at all if they don't want any. Fuck, even as a parent of 1(and only one, because we've decided one is plenty) I've had people ask "so, when is the next one coming?" I doesn't ever end because for some people, no matter how many you have will never be enough(of course, they aren't the ones to raise them). It's the same kind of people who pull the same "Why don't you have a SO/Why aren't you married?" card and I despise it when people try to busy body themselves into others personal lives like that.

Having been with my current girlfriend for almost 6 years, I've watched her son grow from a typical 12-year-old boy into a 17-year-old asshole that needs punched in the mouth. I can't wait until his 18th birthday so I can beat him like the grown man he THINKS he is, that precarious line where child abuse becomes your run-of-the-mill assault. Yeah, I'm GLAD I don't have kids.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Own a smart/celll phone. Sometimes I think I'm the last human being on earth that doesn't have one . . . . . and I take a great deal of pride in that fact.

Not the last. I also don't own a cell phone.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Own a smart/celll phone. Sometimes I think I'm the last human being on earth that doesn't have one . . . . . and I take a great deal of pride in that fact.

I don't own one either. I never really call anyone, except to make an appointment to get a haircut or if the online is on the fritz. Maybe if I had a social life, but I don't.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Not the last. I also don't own a cell phone.

I don't own one either. I never really call anyone, except to make an appointment to get a haircut or if the online is on the fritz. Maybe if I had a social life, but I don't.

I respect your abilities to disconnect from the world at large. I don't necessarily need my smart phone, but I'm glad it's there when I need something otherwise inconvenient to appropriate at a pinch. Like directions when I'm lost, the phone number to an establishment I'm trying to find or music when the radio isn't entertaining enough (which is 99% of the time.)

If you don't NEED a cell phone, I get it; fine. But if you have a cell phone and it's not a smart one... on what principle? Smart phones are readily available and cheap enough (if you you don't need the latest and greatest) that denying them basically makes you Amish, someone with a deep-rooted aversion to today's basic commodities for reasons most people won't appreciate. Not saying that's a bad thing; I love the Amish and their furniture is amazing, but if they ever ask me for a quarter to use a payphone that doesn't exist anymore (let alone only cost a quarter) because their buggy breaks an axle, I'll demand they point to the exact verse of the Bible that prohibits them from what equates to a basic necessity in the modern era.

I'm far from a conformist, but even I'll admit that a smart phone is miles away from the most egregious concession an adult in 2021 can cede.