Robots? Well, they don't have metal bodies or droning voices, but they do work, and you don't have to pay them. Robots! I could call them 'scripts', then you could confuse them with something else. Used in enough context, you have a great deal of freedom with words. "Then the musclebound oaf unzipped his fly and pulled out his square-wave oscillator." Hell, I just barely have to make sense and you'll still comprehend. Go ahead, try it. If you have the ability, try substituting strange words into a normal conversation. If you keep your tone normal and don't falter, people don't notice. Either that, or they assume you've just used a word they don't know, and try to figure it out from the context. This isn't always true of course. ("What the hell is 'wakalixes'??!?")

We used to play a game in tech support where we'd pick a word or phrase that someone (or everyone) would have to use in their next tech call. Things like "Penguin", "Semaphore", and "Aluminum Siding" were typical. No customers EVER commented on it. Maybe they didn't notice? "NetBIOS is sort of the aluminum siding of network protocols," I once said without cracking up. The customer made some noises intended to convey comprehension of the concept. "We'll have your connection going faster than a penguin down an ice slide!" - That one was Ed. So if you've called tech support and they say something really out there, maybe they're playing the word game.

Probably not though, not many Chads out there. (he made it up)

The restaurant was located in Ballard county. At least I think it was Ballard. When we left the place, I saw Ballard Ave., the Ballard Building, a sign pointing to Ballard bridge, and many other things with 'Ballard' in their name. There are lots of scandinavians in that area. I'm a stupid American. Uff da!

I guess men can be manipulative too. Naturally, I don't have to be as wary of men, because they do not have the lever of sexual attraction to use against me. Instead, they use physical (or mental) intimidation. It works two ways, though, since guys are so dopey that they REALLY DON'T know what they're doing (or at least, why they are doing).

Okay, misanthrope section finished. I've made some big, impossible generalizations. Paranoia showing through. Oh yeah! Paranoia is another one of the sysadmin virtues! It helps them plan for contingencies. Getting back to people, I don't really have these defensive patterns running through my brain full time. They just come up when someone seems to be influencing me and I can't logically account for my own actions. (Logically account, not rationalize. I can rationalize pretty much anything. I don't buy it though, I know I'm trying to fool myself.)(There I go again! Trying to convince myself that I know what I'm up to.)(Know why I like parentheses? They allow you to change the subject quickly!)(I like the color green!)(Ok, stop it.)

Yes, I know not all women are like that. I know all men aren't like that. A skillful manipulator or intimidator may be a good thing, too. Or not. Crazy humans. Can't categorize them.