Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, Time, New Scientist, Smart Investor, Harvard Business Review, Money, Choice, The Economist etc. As many as I could carry!

My friend comes over to visit, and I can tell he thinks I'm just borrowing these particular titles to look intellectual

but the truth is I borrow them because of the pictures and I secretly I like to surround myself with these things hoping that I might get even a little bit more intelligent as a result but he dropped in unannounced and I swear I just didn't get the time to put them all back in my library bag!

but it makes me wonder, do people do things (that don't truly interest them) just to seem more impressive? I know they do (and say) very competitive things on FaceBook with that intention.

Anything you do - confess if you dare.

My sister puts on a load of washing at NIGHT so she can hang it up in the morning and make her neighbours think she gets up to do housework at the crack of dawn

(now I'm trying to impress you all with all the fancy mags I read I'm such a namedropper )

Deadcake said:

Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, Time, New Scientist, Smart Investor, Harvard Business Review, Money, Choice, The Economist etc. As many as I could carry!

My friend comes over to visit, and I can tell he thinks I'm just borrowing these particular titles to look intellectual

but the truth is I borrow them because of the pictures and I secretly I like to surround myself with these things hoping that I might get even a little bit more intelligent as a result but he dropped in unannounced and I swear I just didn't get the time to put them all back in my library bag!

but it makes me wonder, do people do things (that don't truly interest them) just to seem more impressive? I know they do (and say) very competitive things on FaceBook with that intention.

Anything you do - confess if you dare.

My sister puts on a load of washing at NIGHT so she can hang it up in the morning and make her neighbours think she gets up to do housework at the crack of dawn

(now I'm trying to impress you all with all the fancy mags I read I'm such a namedropper )

Hell no. Life is too short with too much to deal with just as is Think of all the time a person would waste pretending to be interested in something, when they could be having fun authentically invested in something they truly enjoy. As for Facebook, you've now just reminded me why I do not partake in it (although I d think it's an awesome micro-management PR tool for businesses and non-profits)

[Edited 12/30/11 7:39am]

Sometimes I try new things just to seem like that girl that's up for anything even though a lot of the time I'm like "Jesus Christ, really?" I do have to say that I take away good experiences from most of the activities whether it's a new craft, new food, new exercise and am almost always happy I at least tried whatever it was.

Ottensen said:

Hell no. Life is too short with too much to deal with just as is Think of all the time a person would waste pretending to be interested in something, when they could be having fun authentically invested in something they truly enjoy.

EXACTLY that !

nope, if people don't like me the way i am, i'm not going to pretend to be something i'm not. i really don't take time to think about it. or try to impress others....

Nah. The stuff I'm interested in is weird enough without trying to make it seem any different.

I have had a National Geographic subscription for many years, though. Its interesting the varying responses that will get laying on a coffee table. Some people get really excited, some people are like, "National Geographic huh?", with a shitty smirk on their face.

To impress? Nope.

Although I once didn't wear make-up and left my house untidy beause a 'friend' thought I couldn't possibly have the time to raise 2 under 18 months and find time to clean my house and still look good. She made me feel terribly guilty that I was coping well... while as a mother of 1 she couldn't manage it. After one day of living in a shit-hole and looking awful i dedcided to say 'fuck it' and done things my way again.

[Edited 12/30/11 11:28am]

I'm more likely to do the exact opposite; keeping personal things that others may find impressive about me to myself. I rather relish the fact that there's more to me than meets the eye. Still waters run deep; a common saying that I comfortably identify with.

I can't think of anything right now.

A few years ago I started drinking beer so that I could "hang" with the other guys.

So you'd see me with a bottle of Heineken Light that I'd nurse the whole night.

Now, I have a genuine appreciation for the stuff...more specifically; Dos Equis...so when you see me with a bottle in hand, it's because I'm really drinking it!

Deadcake said:

Actually a great example I saw the other day was on the comments section after an article about FaceBook. Folks were all trying to outdo each other in the "I quit FB and never looked back" stakes everyone had more of a life than the last person commenting.

Reminds me of Kristen Wiig's "Penelope" skits:

Saturday Night Live - Pen...anksgiving

Why not cut to the chase and leave your sex toys lying around?...who cares about being interlectual when he's banging down your back door

funkmunki said:

Why not cut to the chase and leave your sex toys lying around?...who cares about being interlectual when he's banging down your back door

PDogz said:

I'm more likely to do the exact opposite; keeping personal things that others may find impressive about me to myself. I rather relish the fact that there's more to me than meets the eye. Still waters run deep; a common saying that I comfortably identify with.

Yup.

They don't need to know.