pucheen (sp?).

poteen? (maybe? I think?)

ETA: poitin

If there is a crazy person within about square mile of me, they tend to find me and strike up a conversation. People have witnessed this many times. It's like a superpower, only, well, one that sucks.

yup. my BFF is the same way. She's worse, so when I'm with her, the crazies talk to her an leave me alone.

Me? I don't want to talk to people. I hate it when I get stuck next to someone chatty on a plane, or a bus, or...well...most places.

yup. I have been known to put my iPod buds in just to not talk to people. I had this one woman on a plane that was just babbling because she was nervous, so I felt bad, but STOP TALKING TO ME. Super plane pet peeve: someone saying "is that a good book?" I want to say "yes it is, you twit, so shut the fuck up so I can get back to reading it"

My sister is under orders when she's out with me and my friends to try and act normally, especially if we're going to a restaurant, because she has an especial song and dance routine she goes through there--sometimes it works really well, and sometimes I think I'm getting spit in my dinner. I don't want to gamble.

I like to think of myself as sociable, but only randomly garrulous. Which is why I think like bon does: too close to home. I don't get to be random with my neighbours, so I have to pick the lowest common denominator of consistency, and that's totally silence and warm smiles and nods.

If there is a crazy person within about square mile of me, they tend to find me and strike up a conversation. People have witnessed this many times. It's like a superpower, only, well, one that sucks.

I have this too. And it is so hard for me to get away, because I have politeness ingrained in me. Recently I had a man interrupt my book-reading on the bus to tell me about how the airplane contrails are really the government spraying us with anti-depressents to keep us docile.

Poitin.

And yeah, why would people start talking to me unless I give them some indication of wanting to talk? I wouldn't do that.

That sounds like it, Nora, but I'm sure it was pronounced "putcheen"-which is what the article says is the Anglicanized pronunciation.

I can't say I know my neighbors, but I do have nodding relationships with several, and of those people, I know two of their names. And there was the kid who wants to crawl through my fire escape into his mother's place next door. I guess that's something.

Dru Hill is actually a neighborhood. Around Druid Hill Park.

Because people are too lazy to say the additional syllable! No wonder they can't spell.

In work news, I just had a meeting with the Big Boss that was almost perfect! I swear, maybe some day I will actually cross all my t's, but sadly today was not that day. It was just one little thing, but seriously.

Also, I know that some of you took a look and had comments on a website search function for my job-- here is the almost final product. We were able to use a lot of comments to simplify, so thanks so much!

[link]

We know some of the neighbors. Our former next-door neighbor (they later bought a bigger house elsewhere in the development) is the association president, and he started introducing himself to everyone from day one.