If I had to label myself by region I think I'd say I'm Floridan or North Floridan rather than being Southern. Dad's family is definitly Southern, Mom's from Oklahoma. And around here, with the universities and state government there's such a mix of people from various parts of the state and country. But if you go a few towns over, then yes, you are definitely in the South and can feel it. Of course a quick trip north will take you to Georgia.

Visitors to Atlanta often say, "Everyone was so friendly. They all smiled at me."

And finish it with "...and it bugged the crap out of me." Or maybe that was just me, for about the first year I lived there. Eventually I grew to really like it there, but it took a real shift in mindset.

They talk more down here. Which can be nice and friendly, and other days it can bug the crap out of me because it seems to demand I be in a friendly mood all the damn time.

Heh. I can and will talk to pretty much anybody. Old truckers at the dive bar, little old ladies in the grocery, homeless people, you name it. I don't normally jump right in like Mr. Jane, but once I hear something I can speak to or someone speaks to me, it's on.

I would drive most of you insane.

I *hate* when people I don't know try to talk to me. It's like they can't stand the idea of silence or something. Why is it friendly and courteous to intrude on a stranger's privacy?

Signed, Surly Northeasterner, what are you looking at?

id as a New englander relaxing into the California mode.

and if you don't read Unshelved , here is a link to Sundays strip.

[link]

On sundays, the comic reviews a book - y'all will know this one

I can usually take the hint if someone wants peace and quiet. Generally, down here though, that's not going to be the case.

They talk more down here. Which can be nice and friendly, and other days it can bug the crap out of me because it seems to demand I be in a friendly mood all the damn time.

Yeah. Which is why it's kind of nice to be in New England. Although, since I've been feeling better, I tend to be more on the chatty side, which gets me a lot of, "Where are you from?" And much confusion when I say, "Boston." "No, I mean, where are you from?" "Oh, right."

In my job, the people I interact with tend to be very nervous and try to make small talk with me to sort of cover that. A lot of it is in Spanish, which to my brain means that I have no context to cling to so I'm left going, "what?"

For example, today a guy tried to ask me if my husband and I were done having kids (I had just mentioned that we will soon have a boy and a girl) only the phrased he used was something close to "closed for business" and I had zero idea of what he meant.

I liked it better pre-baby when they just asked where I was from and left it at that.

I live in New England and strangers feel the need to talk to me constantly. I must be doing something wrong.