(no subject)

Atlanta was weird - people were really, really, really friendly. I had a couple people walk up and compliment my shoes (patchwork chucks). Each time I was ready for mocking, sarcasm, assault, or regular panhandling (in one case) but it just seemed they were...well they liked the shoes. Huh. Even in the office I had to stiffle my normal course of business as each person wanted to know how my day was...like really, like they did greetings and expected a real response. It was like talking to overseas/latin folks who find it rude to just jump into business without asking about the family first. I've heard a lot of people say they miss that southern hospitality...however, at the same time, people voiced a lot of fear of violent assaults and crimes.

I'm a social moron. I can socialize in an office or a goth/ind club, but really nowhere else. I don't know how you walk into strange situations or groups of people and just start interacting (needless to say, I'm not a pickup wonder either). I think as much as I travel I should learn. Because while taking my book to a bar and reading at a table while drinking by myself is technically more social that sitting alone in my hotel room - it's just barely so and doesn't do wonders for my mood. I don't mind, nor am ashamed, of being alone - it's kind of nice actually, but I would like to know how to start social interaction from "scratch." I'm missing a major benefit of my travels when I'm unable to discover strange and neat new people when I'm in strange and neat new places.
and kill them