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</style></head><body><div>Online bios of mine used to sometimes say things like "Observer from the Galactic Federation, visiting to evaluate Earth's membership application. Don't fuck it up." With which, unsurprisingly, nobody ever engaged.</div><div><br></div><div>In response to being asked what I "do," in person I am likely to reply "computers," (or "IT" in Australia), if I want to talk about something else. Because really, who wants to actually talk about that stuff most of the time?</div><div><br></div><div>But really, lately, I have been avoiding the question by being present at a minimum of actual physical encounters! That works pretty well.</div><div><br></div><div>I agree that it's much more fun to discuss things about which people are actually passionate. But sometimes we need to do a little work to find out what those things are in a socially acceptable way and it starts with professions. I'm okay with that. I do love learning about almost anything if someone else is excited about it! And probably most of us are similar that way.</div><div><br></div><div>Jeremy</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>P.S. I just pulled up Thought Brownie and will give it a listen, seems promising, thanks Hari!</div><div><br></div><div>P.P.S. I also make a lot of music. :) <a href="https://jeremy.org/music/The%20Jeremy%20Bornstein%20Trio/">https://jeremy.org/music/The%20Jeremy%20Bornstein%20Trio/</a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>On Wed, 2024-10-09 at 10:16 -0700, Yeddanapudi Radhika via Silklist wrote:</div><blockquote type="cite" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex; border-left:2px #729fcf solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="auto">My standard answer to the question about where I am from has been (since 1993): Planet Earth. And you?</div><div><br></div><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">El mié., 9 oct. 2024 10:09 a. m., Rajesh Kasturirangan via Silklist <<a href="mailto:silklist@lists.digeratus.in">silklist@lists.digeratus.in</a>> escribió:<br></div><blockquote type="cite" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex; border-left:2px #729fcf solid;padding-left:1ex"><div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-family:SF Pro Text">I don’t mind the ‘what do you do’ question. I make up an answer that’s both true and contextually relevant. What bugs me a lot more is ‘where are you from?’ - often with the connotation of ‘where are you </span><em style="font-family:SF Pro Text">really</em><span style="font-family:SF Pro Text"> from.’ To which I give a nonsensical response - these days it’s Alpha Centauri. </span></div></div><div name="messageReplySection">On Oct 9, 2024 at 1:00 PM -0400, Christopher A Kantarjiev via Silklist <<a href="mailto:silklist@lists.digeratus.in" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">silklist@lists.digeratus.in</a>>, wrote:<br><blockquote type="cite" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex; border-left:2px #729fcf solid;padding-left:1ex"><div>I like it!<br></div><div><br>On 10/9/24 7:56 AM, Hari Shenoy via Silklist wrote:<br></div><blockquote type="cite" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex; border-left:2px #729fcf solid;padding-left:1ex"><div>In recent times I've responded with - "I suppose you asked me what I do<br>to earn my paycheck, and I will tell you once you follow me on Spotify"<br>and following that humbleflex, the conversation goes off the rails.<br></div><div><br>On Wed, Oct 9, 2024 at 3:50 PM Chris Kantarjiev via Silklist<br><<a href="mailto:silklist@lists.digeratus.in" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">silklist@lists.digeratus.in</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:silklist@lists.digeratus.in" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">silklist@lists.digeratus.in</a>>> wrote:<br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>On Tue, Oct 8, 2024 at 1:43 PM Udhay Shankar N via Silklist <<br></div><blockquote type="cite" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex; border-left:2px #729fcf solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><a href="mailto:silklist@lists.digeratus.in" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">silklist@lists.digeratus.in</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:silklist@lists.digeratus.in" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">silklist@lists.digeratus.in</a>>><br></div></blockquote><div>wrote:<br></div><blockquote type="cite" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex; border-left:2px #729fcf solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><br></div><blockquote type="cite" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex; border-left:2px #729fcf solid;padding-left:1ex"><div>This, the most banal of all conversational opening lines, is<br></div></blockquote></blockquote><div>something I<br></div><blockquote type="cite" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex; border-left:2px #729fcf solid;padding-left:1ex"><blockquote type="cite" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex; border-left:2px #729fcf solid;padding-left:1ex"><div>discourage at the meetups I organise. So it was interesting to see<br>silklister CY Gopinath's take.<br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/opinion/article/and-you-do-exactly-" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">https://www.mid-day.com/news/opinion/article/and-you-do-exactly-</a><br></div></blockquote></blockquote><div>what-sir-23407241 <<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/opinion/article/and-" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">https://www.mid-day.com/news/opinion/article/and-</a><br>you-do-exactly-what-sir-23407241><br></div><blockquote type="cite" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex; border-left:2px #729fcf solid;padding-left:1ex"><blockquote type="cite" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex; border-left:2px #729fcf solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><br></div></blockquote></blockquote><div><br>Depending on the context, I might reply with my actual work<br>situation, but more often I'll say one of<br></div><div><br>I'm a recovering British car addict<br>I'm an aspiring furniture maker<br>I ski as much as possible<br></div><div><br>Those are much more interesting conversational gambits.<br>--<br>Silklist mailing list<br></div><div><a href="mailto:Silklist@lists.digeratus.in" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Silklist@lists.digeratus.in</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:Silklist@lists.digeratus.in" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Silklist@lists.digeratus.in</a>><br></div><div><a href="https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist</a> <https://<br></div><div><a href="http://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist</a>><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></blockquote><div><br>--<br>Silklist mailing list<br></div><div><a href="mailto:Silklist@lists.digeratus.in" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Silklist@lists.digeratus.in</a><br></div><div><a href="https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist</a><br></div></blockquote></div></div></blockquote></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div><span></span></div></body></html>