Were you ever in a strange situation where you weren't sure what the hell was going on?

Once I was on on a bicycle tour in Italy. We stayed with a Couch Surfing host in Pavia, Italy.

Our host spoke excellent English but something was lost in the explanation of the evenings festivities and to this day I am still not sure what the hell was going on.

He took us to some sort of farm expo that evening. There were all types of displays there. Pavia is know for riso (rice). So that was pretty much the focus of the expo,

We then all lined up to be served rice and wine. People were lined up at least a half hour before the event and the line stretched on for some distance. There had to be a couple of hundred people in line all with 8 euros (maybe $10-$12 US at time).

Figuring with all of these people waiting to get in, this has to be some kind of great deal. All the food you can eat, wine you drink etc. The server came around and gave us one little scoop of pumpkin risotto and a small glass of wine. That was it! Oh we did get a sample box of risotto..

The whole evening was so surreal. I still don't know what the hell was going on but it was still a lot of fun and I am glad I had that experience.

That little scoop of rice was not enough for a couple of hungry cyclists that were riding all day. so our host took us to his favorite local pizzeria. Sure was tasty.


So have you ever had one of those strange experiences were you are still not sure what was going on? While sober that is.

 

Too many to count and about half of them came from the ~ 4 years I was married.

 

Too many to count and about half of them came from the ~ 4 years I was married.

Sort of like this guy?

https://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/the-jokes-thread.60389/page-73#post-917182

 

Both marriages and the woman who cured me of all women. That's why I was studying mental illness on Youtube last week.

The first one was merely dumb as a box of rocks. She saw me at a hardware store 6 years later and asked me to come back, Like she had from 21 years old to 27 years old to find someone better than me and she would rather have me with a mangled leg than what she had found on her own during her best 6 years of youth, beauty, and potential. Hard to understand so I just accept that I'm not going to understand.

The second was a narcissist, but I didn't know it until I filed the divorce papers. Then I learned what, "Narcissistic Rage was."

The third one (Thank Dog I didn't marry her!) was a full blown, Burst-Into-Flames if Holy Water touches her, Borderline Personality Disorder.

Then I learned that I kept choosing dysfunctional relationships because I feel, "normal" in those conditions.
I see. An alcoholic and a Paranoid Schizophrenic for parents left me believing all families were loaded with drama, lies, betrayal, and suicide.

I'm done. If that's what makes me feel, "normal", I'm done.

 

The first one was merely dumb as a box of rocks. She saw me at a hardware store 6 years later and asked me to come back

She had the good taste and sense to realize you were the best she found in those 6 years.
Now how could that be dumb?

 

Now how could that be dumb?

I had been in California most of that time, and California is not a one girl a year state.
I had seen better, had better, and refused better than her.
Besides, one of my inflexible rules is, "If you commit adultery, it's over."
When I looked at her my only thought was, "Why would I want a known cheater back?"
I believe she was stupid to ask.

 

Back on topic please. Lets not turn this into another ex bashing thread.

 

I'm done. If that's what makes me feel, "normal", I'm done.

And here I thought you might have been in it for the "adventure".

 

And here I thought you might have been in it for the "adventure".

Nope. I started out believing women were as capable as men in every category except muscles, and inherently, "special" in their own way. The price used to be worth the adventure, to me. Now, the only thing I can think of that fits the Topic is women.

I figured out why a transistor has a gain of 200, but you only design for a gain of 10. I figured out how to work with invisible forces like electricity, heat, magnetism, and phase changes in a refrigerant system. I figured how to walk into a corn field and know how many more days it would take for the crop to, "make". I figured out how to catch exactly which snook I wanted. (That's robalo in Cuban Spanish.) The only thing I have studied that I keep getting worse at is, "What the hell is going on" with women.

Sorry, @spinnaker That's all I have.

 

Were you ever in a strange situation where you weren't sure what the hell was going on?

Yes, multiple occurrences of two types of situations:

1) Nightmares in which I'm in a room somewhere full of people dressed in formal evening attire, standing around in groups sipping fine wine and chatting, while I'm either buck nekkid or wearing only my skivvies. Nobody notices me.

2) In 4-hour long Software Quality Assurance Process review meetings. Everyone else seems to be speaking Urdu or Tagalog, and I have no idea WTH they're talking about because they're speaking in acronyms.

Yeah, and women, too; 'nuff said.

 

Wandering through bustling town in Spain when all the sudden it turned into a ghost town and stayed that way for hours during the middle of the day.
Could not get food or find anywhere to relieve myself.
Learned that a Mexican siesta has got nothing on a Spanish siesta.

 

Everyone else seems to be speaking Urdu or Tagalog, and I have no idea WTH they're talking about because they're speaking in acronyms.

Try reading the "EHT power supply" Thread by Aleph(0) and let me know how far you get without a dictionary.

 

Try reading the "EHT power supply" Thread by Aleph(0) and let me know how far you get without a dictionary.

Good point, although most of the reason I no longer try is not because I'm tired of reaching for the dictionary, but because I'm tired of having to mentally re-write nearly every post to strip away all the verbal fluff and rhetorical flourishes and asides to get at the essential point of the post--which often can be expressed in one or two very brief sentences.

 

most of the reason I no longer try is not because I'm tired of reaching for the dictionary, but because I'm tired of having to mentally re-write nearly every post to strip away all the verbal fluff and rhetorical flourishes and asides to get at the essential point of the post--which often can be expressed in one or two very brief sentences.

Well said.
Mr. Pragmatic approves.
I'm installing a pointer for @Hypatia's Protege and @Aleph(0)

 

Wandering through bustling town in Spain when all the sudden it turned into a ghost town and stayed that way for hours during the middle of the day.
Could not get food or find anywhere to relieve myself.
Learned that a Mexican siesta has got nothing on a Spanish siesta.

In Italy it is call La Pausa (The pause). I rolled into a small town, late for lunch. I was in a place where there were lots of shops in sort of like an ancient shopping mall. I ducked into a place to grab a sandwich . Minutes after I left the store, I hear slam, slam,slam.... All around be rolling metal doors were being slammed shut. It was 1PM. Yes in small towns in Italy and Spain, they don't mess around for "siesta".

 

Well said.
Mr. Pragmatic approves.
I'm installing a pointer for @Hypatia's Protege and @Aleph(0)

I think any post by those two would qualify fro this thread. I am never sure what the hell is going on.

 

I think any post by those two would qualify for this thread. I am never sure what the hell is going on.

and another pointer for @Hypatia's Protege and @Aleph(0)

 

In Italy it is call La Pausa (The pause). I rolled into a small town, late for lunch. I was in a place where there were lots of shops in sort of like an ancient shopping mall. I ducked into a place to grab a sandwich . Minutes after I left the store, I hear slam, slam,slam.... All around be rolling metal doors were being slammed shut. It was 1PM. Yes in small towns in Italy and Spain, they don't mess around for "siesta".

HUH! I had no idea that the Italians observed a similar tradition. I've been to Italy and I don't remember that. But that doesn't mean anything because I only had one day of Liberty there, and I stayed drunk the whole day. I wish I had been sober for more of my world travels.

 

In southern Italy, the Italians had their siestas in the mid day as well.

I never confuse siestas with fiestas.

 

Good point, although most of the reason I no longer try is not because I'm tired of reaching for the dictionary, but because I'm tired of having to mentally re-write nearly every post to strip away all the verbal fluff and rhetorical flourishes and asides to get at the essential point of the post--which often can be expressed in one or two very brief sentences.

Sorry about that But then 'aesthetics' and concision -at the expense of precision- are inherently inconsistent with 'best practice' where safety of life, conservation of property/materials and, indeed, indemnity from liability are at issue! -- Hence our expedient of something woefully reminiscent of 'legalese'

the essential point of the post--which often can be expressed in one or two very brief sentences.

Perhaps - granting assumption of the readers' preexisting 'nodding acquaintance' with the material! -- Which being a dubious assumption at best!

For all that, in response to reader feedback, we are making an extra effort (Re: general 'accessibility' ) on the tutorials themselves!

But to topic

Strange situations where you weren't sure what the hell was going on?

Although my efforts to salvage an 'obsolesced' VHF bay array (mounted near the top of a 600 meter tower) was with the 'fringe benefit' of a unique 'photo op' (below) -- Honesty compels my confession that, once having ascended said structure, I certainly found my position strange enough and confusing enough considering my 'nagging' acrophobic tendencies! -- My 'sentiments' at such time being, perhaps, more precisely related thusly: "What the H. am I doing here?!"




Very best regards
HP