I remembered I have marshmallows I can put in my hot chocolate! Not tiny marshmallows, but still, yum.

When I'm really talky, I can make a rock an interesting conversationalist for other people, okay?

(Seriously, for all I need my quiet time, I can do the Peoples like whoa and be the freaky catalyst who gets all sorts of people talking to each other. But only if I'm up to it. When I'm not, I'm not sure who the hell that person is and it makes me want to cry, thinking of even talking to family.)

I may have to brave the wind and shove an empty dumpster out of the wind. Two doors down and it is banging a lot.

I still remember this brilliant conversationalist on a flight to Montreal. She was on one side of me, and this pro tennis player on the other, and she engaged him in stellar conversation the whole flight. I was actively jealous of her ability to do so. But I wasn't switching seats. Nuh-huh.

I still got his number, and I hung out with her a little bit in Montreal (she was going to the same event I was), but man, I have never seen such deft talking in my life. And I grew up with a diplomat for a father.

I've seen that doc. I know, shocking that there's a documentary that I've watched... It was interesting.

I can't believe you people talk to strange people in airports.

I don't try to talk to them. But occasionally it's interesting.

And once a guy was blatantly hitting on me, even. We were flying to the same location. If I'd been single that weekend, it'd have worked too.

But usually it's just talking to pass the time. And I can always claim it's time for my flight and walk away. There's always an out if I need one.

I'm definitely not that good. Just people-don't-look-like-they-want-to-escape and I get numbers and such unsolicited. Which I pretty rarely chase down, but then, neither do they!

I've gotten really good at not beginning any conversation at the beginning of any flight over 2 hours. Oh that lesson was quick to learn when the person sitting next to me starting talking 10 minutes in on the flight to Hong Kong and never shut up.

Now I gladly talk for the last 20 minutes or so of any flight, but I pretty much stay with a pleasing grunt before then. There's the occasional exception, but man do you have to be careful!

ita, I'm so curious - what made her a great conversationalist in your eyes? Tone? Content?

The last time I fly, guy sat down next to me, said "Looks like we're going to be roommates for this flight." I looked up from me book and said, " If we survive." and went back to reading.

Sue, I would have started laughing hysterically and YOU WOULD NEVER BE SAFE FROM ME. But that's cause that's my humor too...

ita, I'm so curious - what made her a great conversationalist in your eyes? Tone? Content?

Content. She never ran out of really good, on topic questions, and they were all about him, but not in a pushy way. Anything he said, she had a good question about it. How the fuck she could keep doing that is beyond me.

I have only had one guy hit on me on a plane. He actually left his seat to come sit near me, to tell me he'd noticed me laughing in the departure lounge over something I was reading. Another flight-long conversation, with the ultimate end that he sent me the Book of Mormon.

Yeah.

I had a cousin start up a conversation with a guy (now famous, then no one) in the departure lounge, and then he said he'd see her on the plane. She said "No, not unless you're in first class!" and then upgraded him before he boarded and got him the seat next to her.

I don't think she got laid out of it, but I did (NOT WITH HIM--with his friend), so it's one of my favourite meet cutes. I remember when he came over to visit, her mother just stared at him and said "Well, he's goodlooking." He took it pretty well.

You underestimate my powers of repellant, sara.