The cost of being extroverted.

[Rain Man]

I decided to work in my dining room today, so I was busily hunting and pecking on my laptop. My wife had some people over to do some housecleaning work, and I heard them come in.

Two of them went upstairs, and suddenly a guy appeared in my dining room. He said that he was just admiring our home decor, talked at me nonstop for five minutes about our furniture and art while I said nary a word, and then wandered off.

At that point my wife came downstairs, and he went into the living room to talk to her. I idly listened, and then at one point he said, "I'm actually a general contractor, and this is just a side business since I have to have housecleaners on my sites anyway."

That caught my attention. I have a project that I've been wanting done, and it's been really hard to get bids. I've been ignored or ghosted by six or seven contractors. One guy finally had some followthrough, but it's been three months of waiting while he very slowly puts prices together. It's not a large job, but it'll be probably $20,000 based on what I've seen so far, so it's not negligible for a small contractor.

So I think, "I'll see if this guy wants to bid on it and I can walk him through the job right now. It'll be really easy." I get up and go to the living room where he's talking at my wife. I figured as soon as he stopped talking, I'd mention the project and gauge his interest.

Well, he never stopped talking. My wife said nothing and I said nothing while this guy just vomited out an unceasing torrent of words. He never tried to have a conversation, never gave us an opening to say anything, and he had mastered that phenomenon of taking a breath only in the middle of sentences when you're not expecting it, so that no one can ever jump in. And I'm an introvert to start with, so I'm the type of person who needs a clear opening to converse. I need my conversations to be very conversational and not a competition to talk.

I stood there in my living room for probably 15 minutes waiting for a chance to cut in, and I finally just gave up and abandoned my wife to him. I went back to the dining room and started working again while he kept talking. My wife is semi-extroverted and I'm not sure that she even got a word in. After a while I finally heard him say to her, "Well, I should let you go because I'm one of those people who can talk all day."

Yep.

Little does this guy know that he was in the room with someone who was willing to pay him $20,000 if he would only stop talking for five seconds.

[Hog's Gone Fishin]

Wondering did he get your wifes phone number?

[Rain Man]

Wondering did he get your wifes phone number?

He may have asked for it in there somewhere, but unless she wrote it down he never gave her a chance to tell him.

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Wondering did he get your wifes phone number?

Probably when he was upstairs banging her.

[displacedinMN]

Rain man's stories are the best

[Kman34]

If you managed to get to the job question you would probably still be talking to him and never would have made this thread..

[TinyEvel]

I get it. Though I would say I am also extroverted and like talking to people.

one exception: massages.

We get 'em couple times a year (pre-covid) on vacation, in Vegas, spa trip etc. Always am polite and say Hi and then the usual "what areas for focus" etc. Then once my face is in the big padded donut that's you talk with your hands time. Even if they try to start something like "how's your trip going or where are you from? I just go "mm-hmm" or grunt a little bit and they get the signal. I know it's called massage therapy but I don't need someone who thinks they're a therapist.

[Mennonite]

I thought this story was going to end with you going back downstairs to discover that this dude had been distracting you while his assistants stole your laptop and fine artwork.

[wheeler08]

Probably when he was upstairs banging her.

I totally thought this was where this was going....

[Dante84]

I thought this story was going to end with you going back downstairs to discover that this dude had been distracting you while his assistants stole your laptop and fine artwork.

The cost of being extorted

[Rain Man]

I get it. Though I would say I am also extroverted and like talking to people.

one exception: massages.

We get 'em couple times a year (pre-covid) on vacation, in Vegas, spa trip etc. Always am polite and say Hi and then the usual "what areas for focus" etc. Then once my face is in the big padded donut that's you talk with your hands time. Even if they try to start something like "how's your trip going or where are you from? I just go "mm-hmm" or grunt a little bit and they get the signal. I know it's called massage therapy but I don't need someone who thinks they're a therapist.


I love getting massages, but the vocalization process is sensitive. I don't want to have a running conversation because it's highly distracting, but if it's dead silent, am I supposed to grunt in appreciation when she hits a good spot? What if that good spot is, you know, on the thighs or something? Does that get weird if no one has said anything for ten minutes?

The best massages involve a minor four sentence conversation every five minutes or so. You have to find exactly the right person to get that.

[Graystoke]

You want the quite assassin type contractor. You don’t hear a thing then BAM, you got a
new crawl space.

[Mennonite]

The best massages involve a minor


Hey now. Gettin a little too extroverted around here.

[TribalElder]

I hope he didn't spew covid particles out along with all that nonsense

[Rain Man]

I hope he didn't spew covid particles out along with all that nonsense

Well, that was the other annoying thing. He wasn't wearing a mask. He stayed more than six feet away, but now I can't touch my walls for a while.

[notorious]

I work along side lot of contractors, and if they like to talk it usually sets off red flags.

Most guys that are successful have shit to do, yet communicate well while being direct.

This guy is full of shit. Stay away.

On a side note, 3 months waiting on a quote? JFC, that's downright horrible.

[stevieray]

Sounds like you dodged a bullet.

Imagine him supervising your project.

How old was he?

[Rain Man]

I work along side lot of contractors, and if they like to talk it usually sets off red flags.

Most guys that are successful have shit to do, yet communicate well while being direct.

This guy is full of shit. Stay away.

On a side note, 3 months waiting on a quote? JFC, that's downright horrible.

Sounds like you dodged a bullet.

Imagine him supervising your project.

How old was he?

Yeah, the more I stood there, the more I started thinking, "I don't want to deal with this guy on a project." So I slunk away into the night and I don't think he even noticed that I'd left.

And yeah, 3 months on a quote is horrible. And that guy is far and away the most responsive contractor I've contacted. I think the residential remodeling industry is booming in Denver because a bunch of work-at-home people are doing home additions and remodels (like me). I recognize that they'd probably prefer to do bigger jobs, but you'd still think there'd be small firms out there that are interested.

Oh, and he looked to be maybe 45 to 50 years old.

[EPodolak]

I had an eccentric aunt who figured out that talking all the time like that distracted her from her inner tormented thoughts. Like a wall of speech is protection from everyone and everything.

[Holladay]

My sister is like that.

Anything that enters her brain comes out. I was on the phone with her and had to go pee. I set the phone down, took a piss, picked up the phone and said " Uh hum", didn't miss a beat.

There is a reason God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth.

I am surprised he is still in business or has a business in the first place.

[BWillie]

Extroverts are the worst.

I turn into a big extrovert when I drink though. Bla bla bla otherwise I don't say much.

[srvy]

I love getting massages, but the vocalization process is sensitive. I don't want to have a running conversation because it's highly distracting, but if it's dead silent, am I supposed to grunt in appreciation when she hits a good spot? What if that good spot is, you know, on the thighs or something? Does that get weird if no one has said anything for ten minutes?

The best massages involve a minor four sentence conversation every five minutes or so. You have to find exactly the right person to get that.

https://www.pbh2.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/seinfeld-gifs-it-moved.gif

[scho63]

Rain man's stories are the best

They sure have a lot of detail.

"The pool boy moved all my O'Hara furniture which I received from my grandmother on my father's side. The furniture was special to me as I had it moved multiple times from California to Idaho to Mississippi. The drawers had that beautiful inlay with lines that matched the lines on my Grandmother's face. Little did I know that the pool boy was the secret child of grandmother from the time my grandfather was off to war. Jesus looked nothing like our family but he was a jovial young fellow with the disposition of a bull and heart made of butter. Shockingly we made butter together as children in my Uncle Ned's workshop back in Oklahoma. Uncle Ned was special to me as he taught me how to rope a calf and change the oil in my car when I turned 6 years old. Sadly Uncle Ned died from a bee sting at 47, the same year my Aunt Sally fixed me up with an older women, her friend Martha from the PTA. Martha taught me things I'll never forget like tying a cherry into a stem with just my mouth, how to balance my check book and who was the best starting QB in Chiefs history.
It was at this moment I fell in love with the Chiefs and entered CP as the legend I am today." - Rainman

[Bearcat]

They sure have a lot of detail.

"The pool boy moved all my O'Hara furniture which I received from my grandmother on my father's side. The furniture was special to me as I had it moved multiple times from California to Idaho to Mississippi. The drawers had that beautiful inlay with lines that matched the lines on my Grandmother's face. Little did I know that the pool boy was the secret child of grandmother from the time my grandfather was off to war. Jesus looked nothing like our family but he was a jovial young fellow with the disposition of a bull and heart made of butter. Shockingly we made butter together as children in my Uncle Ned's workshop back in Oklahoma. Uncle Ned was special to me as he taught me how to rope a calf and change the oil in my car when I turned 6 years old. Sadly Uncle Ned died from a bee sting at 47, the same year my Aunt Sally fixed me up with an older women, her friend Martha from the PTA. Martha taught me things I'll never forget like tying a cherry into a stem with just my mouth, how to balance my check book and who was the best starting QB in Chiefs history.
It was at this moment I fell in love with the Chiefs and entered CP as the legend I am today." - Rainman

https://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/troy_abed.gif

[Pitt Gorilla]

The cost of being extorted. I thought this was going to be a slightly more interesting thread.

[KCrockaholic]

I can't stand most contractors in all honesty, and yet I am one lol. Luckily my title is a bit different I have a contract for multiple years instead of a short period of time.

[ThaVirus]

I worked a shitty telemarketing job once upon a time and they'd tell you in training not to overtalk as you'd be likely to talk yourself right out of a sale.

Sounds like this guy has no problem getting in the door; he just doesn't know how to seal the deal.

[jettio]

I wonder what he would have done if you raised your hand like in grade school.

[HayWire]

You have a group of housekeepers? Didn't realize you be swimming in the coin like Scrooge McDuck

[burt]

You have a group of housekeepers? Didn't realize you be swimming in the coiin like Scrooge McDuck

I read that as ..."swimming in the colon...."LMAOLMAO

[burt]

Well, that was the other annoying thing. He wasn't wearing a mask. He stayed more than six feet away, but now I can't touch my walls for a while.

so ....you're one of those "mask sheep"???? Haven't you seen on face book? They don't work!!! I read that from my buddy at the muffler shop AND my friend that is a Toyota tech...

[HayWire]

I read that as ..."swimming in the colon...."LMAOLMAO

Ummm damn autocorrect....yeah, let's go with that.

[Rain Man]

You have a group of housekeepers? Didn't realize you be swimming in the coin like Scrooge McDuck

I spend a lot of time in the investing thread.

[Jewish Rabbi]

Rain Man, what's the project? Strip club bowling alley?

[HayWire]

I spend a lot of time in the investing thread.

I spend a lot of time buying lottery tickets. I'm going to retire soon

[Rain Man]

Rain Man, what's the project? Strip club bowling alley?

I don't bowl.

I'm wanting to build a gigantic monster head to peek over the back of my house toward the street.

That's what I'm wanting to build. What I'm actually doing is remodeling a bathroom and doing some painting and concrete work in other areas.

[Jewish Rabbi]

I don't bowl.

That’s what the strippers are for.