Let me tell you about myself

[andrewducker]

1. What are your favourite and least favourite things about living in Edinburgh?Edinburgh, to me, is very much a compromise. I grew up in Kent, in a town that was basically one big commuter area for London, and in many ways I feel more comfortable in that kind of quiet setting. I used to visit London every couple of months, and every time I'd

Comments

[alitheapipkin]

Those are really interesting answers, thanks for getting round to them :)

I feel exactly the same way about single sex education but the Boy's grammar school was single sex up to A level and he thinks boys learn better in that environment. Luckily we aren't having kids so it doesn't matter that I fundamentally disagree with both single sex and selective schools!

I like Frankie's definition of an introvert - someone who is drained by being around people and needs time on their own to recharge. Which makes me more of a shy extrovert rather than an introvert. But I get what you mean - spending time with people I'm uncomfortable with isn't particularly relaxing. I find small talk is easier when everyone present is in the same situation e.g. all strangers at the same event, but struggle when I feel like the odd one out in a group who know each other.

[andrewducker]

From my recollection, girls do better in single-sex schools. I can't remember about boys. But education isn't everything, and I think the social aspects are at least as important.

My favourite social situation is one where there's enough energy from other people to keep the conversation going, and I can dip in when I have something interesting to say.

[alitheapipkin]

The Boy has some theory that modern mixed teaching favours girls by not being competitive enough for boys, or something. But I agree with you, school is about learning how to get on with people as much as academic stuff.

Mine too, or with people I'm comfortable enough with that it doesn't matter if we sit in silence for a while.

[andrewducker]

Some boys like competition, some don't. I suspect there are tendencies along gender lines, and also people within each gender who do not fit the stereotypes.

Having some people challenged more, and some supported, would make more sense to me than splitting by gender.

[camtarn]

> I have dozens of backup conversation starters worked out

I have very much the same issue - pair me up with someone who finds talking easy, and I can have a wonderful multi-hour conversation, but with someone who's more like me, we tend to chat for five minutes then lapse into awkward silence. I'd love to see your 'Guide to Rescuing Conversations' ;)

(it's been so long since I used LJ that I can't remember if this thing actually puts real names on comments... I'm Andy Walker on FB/IRL)

[andrewducker]

Hi! Will add you tonight.

It depends on what you mean by "like me". If you mean "is quite quiet", then yeah :-> If you mean "Shares an interest in X, Y and X" then I can chat for ages about those things.

I'll make a note to write about conversations in a future post!

[cybik]

Despair is female, isn't she? It's Desire who is both/neither. I agree with your choice though. Destruction just seems lovely.

[andrewducker]

I wasn't trying to imply that Despair was genderless - I just ended up using gender-neutral language through habit :->

[cybik]

I think what made me assume that was that you'd used gendered language for some of the other Endless.

(I was slightly assuming you'd made a mistake rather than thinking you didn't know Sandman well, btw!)

[andrewducker]

Yes, I'd tidy it up, but I can't edit stuff on DW easily from work, so it would have to wait until I got home anyway.

[steer]

Robert Anton Wilson (particularly The Schroedinger's Cat Trilogy)

This... people talk about Illuminatus more but this was my favourite of them... it remains an amazing book.

[andrewducker]

I've been nervous to re-read it. I should give it a go though, and just hope that I can get past anything that's gone wrong since I last read it!

[apostle_of_eris]

Schroedinger's Cat probably holds up better than Illuminatus!. And there is less Joycean obscurity.

[pennski]

Fascinating answers! I've been thinking a lot about the introvert/ extrovert thing lately. I used to read as introvert - mainly because I read so much. Then I started taking Myers-Briggs-type tests and coming out as strongly extrovert - because in work contexts I tend to focus on people. But I've noticed that spending a lot of time with groups of people is very draining and that quite often I do crave quiet and alone time.

I rather liked this feature & quiz which has the concept of an "ambivert" - yes, some of us don't fall into the simple binary oppositions that are offered! http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/mar/13/why-the-world-needs-introverts

Walkabout?

[lsanderson]

Copyright done gone on the test -- at least on this side o' the pond.