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.

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

You just must be running into me a lot. I'm sorry about that.

Boy still can't get over how much we smalltalk over here.

Bwah! I thought you meant over here at buffistas.

Baltimore is the friendliest place I've ever lived. It's way more friendly than the most Southern place I lived, Greensboro, NC. (Uh...despite the crime. But even the junkies will often say "Hi Hon" to you on the street.)

I remember being shocked by a convenience store clerk having a pleasant conversation with me when I first moved from Boston to SF.

You just must be running into me a lot. I'm sorry about that.

No. They tend not to be witty and super smart, otherwise I wouldn't mind them talking to me in the first place.