January 30, 2011
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You Can End Your Long-Winded Story Now
Have you ever been on a the receiving end of a story somebody is telling that takes way too long to finish? I definitely have! RaquelHiggins005 is going to help me explain what I mean in this short video:
So, how do you deal with people that are guilty of doing this? Let me know!
***************************************************************************On a separate note, I wanted to update you all about what I’m going to be doing in these upcoming months. First, let me talk about work. I’ve been technically working and getting paid as if I was part time for the past 6 months since I was hired before they had budgeted money for an additional staff person. Well, not anymore! Starting this month, I’m officially a full time employee. Besides getting a very generous pay raise, I will also be handling a lot more responsibilities at my job. I’ll be on a three months probation period as well, so I need to really impress my boss by going above and beyond what’s expected of me.School wise, this will be my final semester as a graduate student. I’m only taking one in-person class, but I will also be doing my capstone project (basically an internship) that will allow me to earn my masters. I’m doing it with my current organization and my project will be creating strategic plans for each one of our committees. There are many committees, so I will have my hands full.
What I’m trying to say is I’m going to be very busy these next few months! I think I will be able to to keep up with everything here, but if you suddenly find me MIA for a few days you’ll probably know why that’s the case. I just wanted to give you all the heads up!
Comments (103)
wow you have a lot going on. Congrats on the job and best wishes with all youre doing.
O God, this was so annoying. XD I love Raquel, though. ♥
This was a cute little video. I can’t help you here, though. XD The same thing happens to me a lot.
Yay, you’re vlogging!
Good luck on all the things that you have to do. You’re almost done!
just repeat back all the words verbatim in your mind and let them get it out. maybe you are not a rambler, but one day those trivial details might be coming out of your mouth and be crucial to your storytelling. I don’t know. patience is a virtue. unless your laundry is really pressing, maybe you could just say come with me while I check on my laundry.
Good riddance! oh YEHH!
Have patience, Alex! Let me tell you a story,… blah blah blah. What? You are claiming MIA and excuses already before I even started? mmm
Too many in fact. Most conversations are this. I usually just nod my head or make agreeing noises like “Yes, Oh I know etc;” Usually they are so full of themselves and so busy with talking about this, that they don’t bother knowing if I was genuinely listening.
That’s great =D
Haha, I totally know a couple people like this… but I just listen until someone else interrupts or I can at least contribute to the conversation somehow? The background music in the video cracks me up–and very clever
As for the full-time bump, yay! and good luck with finishing up school and impressing your boss! I’m sure you’ll do awesome 
The long winded ones don’t bother me nearly as much as the long winded ones who repeat certain parts of the story over and over and over.
oddly flip takes forever to share stories.
SO RONG!
“..But anyway, HEYYY! The part about the strobe lights is IMPORT-int!! The lights made her get soooo wast-id. Are you even LISTENING to meeeya?”
I find discretion to be the better part of valor, and give the girl my attention. Though, “Walk with me on the way to the laundromat” sounds like a good compromise.
Just keep eating and thinking about your favorite naked lady! Just like you said!!
ROFL your sideways glance at 29 seconds cracks me up
Only solution to that I have is to predict the future of the story and help them along to it by guessing words…it’s a bit hit and miss sometimes.
Sounds like you’ve got some pretty cool/exciting things going on, we’ll miss you but I hope everything goes well, and i know you’ll kick ass at your job…your Alex how could you not?!?
Yawn yawn yawn *skips through the video* you took too loooong!
.
Loljk. Usually I will just sit there and listen. Sad.
I used to be like that. I felt I had to tell every detail or they wouldn’t get it lol.
Aw don’t go MIA on us! lol
but yay for the last semester I wish I was you I want to grad already 
Congrats on getting hired full time … and last semester!! *yay*
When people go on and on… I sit and listen, and give them eye contact. I never cut people short… it feels mean/rude to do so )=
lmao. I look different in the video o.O weird. Well anyway, I almost forgot about this! At first I didn’t think I’d do so good when you told me what my part would be but I guess I’m pretty good rambler. Hehe, strobes lights…I like the safari music btw lol
OMG YAY that sounds awesome! Congrats!
Dang, graduate graduation. ;O
@macphoto - Thanks!
@Queen_of_You188 - Raquel did a good job ab-libbing it all, especially that late at night
@fLiPgUy31O - @CaKaLusa - ~~~tHaNkS fOr ShOwInG mY pAgE sOmE lUv~~~
@CuaSo - See, I listen to your advice sometimes =)
@estrellasong - Ah that is one way to handle it, although I would still be listening to them rambling on and on haha
@Roadlesstaken - Seriously, she did a great job. :3
@stevew918 - I’ll be around for sure, but I can at least explain why my blogs will be less often. I’ll still try to get at least once a week though.
@Hinase - you’re right! Of course, you might get in trouble if they suddenly ask you to recall something.
@webofsimplicity - Thanks. What made you say my background music is clever btw? I kind of arbitrary picked it from iMovie haha
@sonychak - He stays relevant to the point, so I don’t mind it. Stop hating fool!
@tsh44 - This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friennnddssss….
@Roadlesstaken - Usually they don’t though. They usually just want you to agree with them.
@cyberbear - Now, would it change anything if it was a guy who was telling the long-winded story?
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace - Oh duh! *Thinks happy thoughts*
@BFB1131 - I’ll still be around to read and comment at least. I can’t stay away too long! I just might not have the time to think/write up blogs as much as I would like to though.
@pika_whoosh - Let them walk alllll over ya huh?
@LillyVRose - Ah, you were THAT girl! So what made you finally change your act?
congrats on the good news!
as for the long winded story,…I’m still trying to figure a way to pay attention to them! I have several friends like that and it’s worst when they tell a joke. After 5 minutes, I don’t even remember what the hell the joke started out as and the punch line doesn’t even make sense.
@hollywoodfever91 - Do you really now? Personally I would not mind the undergrad life again!
@babixling - That’s what I usually do since I tend not to be around these people to often. I think I would go crazy though if I had to put up with that all the time
@RaquelHiggins005 - You are indeed a good rambler. I guess you found your natural talent! How do you think you look different?
@hilabpartnerxD - Thanks!
@xchinkylaydee - I know, I’m getting so old.
@Roadlesstaken - But you did such a great job! And you know you can’t change anyone anyway, so you may as well eat, think and drink your way through those stories that never end.
@Utoppia@datingish - oh man, not the joke version. Some people just do not have comedic abilities.
@Roadlesstaken - shut your pie hole. your stories are long too and not straight to the point. like your vlogs, hoe.
lol I used to do that. But not 5 minutes. Maybe 2 or 3 max. Hopefully. Anyway. Congratulations on being a full-time employee. All the best! =)
pick an apropriate point to interupt and tell them that what they just said reminded you of something. then start your own story, don’t tell an actual story of something that happened to you, make it up as you go. drag it out for as long as possible.
i envy you for finally landing a good job that pays well and keeps you busy. i’ve been waiting for like forever for a call from the company i applied for. hopefully ill be hearing from them very soon. as for the gist of this post, i think im guilty of that. sometimes i hear people getting bored of my stories but i pretend not to notice and just keep going, lol!
0:46 – 0:47 HAHAHAHAHHAHA well I can’t stop laughing XD
Oh and congratulation on the job (: I would be able to use your money to buy pizza
It’s on such occasions that owning a gun can come in very handy.
@nov_way - Perhaps
I’m exaggerating the time length, but it does sometimes feel like it
has been that long! Actually scratch that, I do know on at least some
occasions where this certain friend of mine had drag a story for more
than 5 minutes.
@sonychak - That’s pretty funny coming from you with your 30901284 minutes long vlogs, hypocrite!
@ionekoa - That would be kinda fun to do. I kinda do a variation of that whenever a friend of mine would brag about something he has or done. Whenever he does, I’ll just one up him by making up something that’s obviously not true. For example, he says his new phone has a 10MP camera. I would then say I have a phone that has a 100MP camera that can automatically take perfect shots. Fun stuff!
@KGTeriKat - Haha, well I wouldn’t quite say it pays THAT well, but I’m getting by alright. Ah, so the POV from the other side. You know you’re doing it and you keep on going? How awful! =P
@Roadlesstaken - all those minutes are worth it.
There’s a girl I know who takes 20 minutes to tell every story and then you realize how pointless the story was that she just told you.
“he was like hi and i was like hey and he was like what’s up” – actual excerpt
@fabolousclown - If pizza is all you want then I can do that, easy!
@DraculVanHelsing - A tranquilizer gun right?
@JustPlainMorgie - I feel your pain. I was asking my friend the other day if he knew of anyone that’s like that and before I finished he said the name of the person that inspired this video haha.
@Roadlesstaken - awwh promise huh?
aaannd.. chocolate . ok ok? XD
@fabolousclown - Easily done!
Good luck on all your stuff getting ready to graduate!
Good luck!
Congratulations on the promotion, Alex. You must be impressing the heck out of them. As for the people who run on at the mouth, I try and avoid them. There’s one of them here in Bangkok and I generally decline invitations to lunch or dinners that include him (or else sit far away) so I don’t have to listen to the same stories told in the extended remix version, again and again.
@Roadlesstaken - oh, I meant the video idea is clever
@christao408 - Ah good tactic! From my evaluation I’m doing alright, but there’s a couple areas I know I still need to work on. I think once I get confident in everything I do I should overcome those aspects.
@Cestovatelka - @oxyGENE_08 - Thanks!
hahah yeah, i’ve been on both ends. except when i’m giving the long story, i usually ask the person listening a lot of questions.. and then i seem to cut them off before they can say too much and go back to my story. XDD ..and then if i’m interested, i’ll ask more info on what they were saying previously. pretty annoying, i guess. but usu. when i’m on the recieving end, i like to participate in the conversation in order to make it more fun for myself. ask questions, make each other laugh.. if you want, you can construct the question in a way that would speed it up by skipping over events. hahh XD
congrats on your success, and good luck.
Congrats on getting the full time hours! Good luck balancing your school and your new work responsibilities. I think you’ll do just fine though.
My sister is like that when she tells a story. I just tell her to net it out which really pisses her off.
@pcketfulofsunshine - Good tips! Must test it out in the future.
@ElusiveWords - Net it out? I haven’t heard that phrase before.
Congratulations with your job! I’m sure your boss has noticed your contributions. Hooray – final semester of grad school! Good luck with everything.
Hahaha I’m terribly guilty of doing this. >.< I would just tell them directly to get to the main point. It’s worked on me in the past! Lol.
But! I have been on the receiving end as well and that doesn’t nearly annoy me as much as people who spend a whole 30 minutes or more talking about themselves and how great they are.
Good luck with everything, Alex!
And this is why some of us blog stories instead. Also, congratulations and good luck to your final semester and job!
Lmao, this is great! It does get super annoying… Unfortunately, a lot of my clients are that way, and there’s not much I can do about it. =/
Wow, you got lots going on! Congrats on the promotion! Seems like it’s back to work for both of us! Cheers to a great (and final) semester!
@LADYLILYTHAO - She has, now I just need to impress everybody else out there in my field. Aiya!
@Southeast_Beauty - Oh that reminds me, I haven’t told you lately how amazingly smart and beautiful I am. When I have more time I’ll get back to you on that =)
@wikipediot - I don’t know, I know some bloggers that tend to go overboard with details too. Not you, of course!
@oOo_itsJuJu - Back to the grind as you wrote in your post. Ahhh!
lol I still kinda do it, but i’m aware of it, so I try my best to shorten the story.
@Roadlesstaken - Seriously. There are just people out there who have no problem praising themselves and making sure everyone hears them!
I’m absolutely guilty of rambling waaaaay too much, instead of getting straight to the point, so this video hit home for me! haha Also, good luck with everything you’ll be involved with. You can do it!
Hahaha…. it gets frustrating!!!
Congrats on your studies and on your job. I usually listen because hey people need people to listen to them.
@roadlesstaken- haha, yeah i know. i can’t help it. i’m such a talker. that’s why i blog so i can rant all i want.
Your friend’s voice is so soothing lol she can tell me a long story all she wants.
hm… that did not sound creepy at all…
Excellently amazing… I am happy that at least somebody gave this subject an attention. Hats off to your creativity man…this is a world-class write-up which I think should be read by every citizen of the world. People should understand its importance as well…
generic viagra
@ElusiveSoul - now the real question is will you change your ways?
@shuang_zhaohui - True true, although certain people do push it haha
@CITYG1RL - =O Stay away from her!
Haha. Racquel is so cute! I would just sit there, and nod my head, and try for the sake of god, to pay attention. LOL. Congrats on the job!
@oOo_itsJuJu - Haha, we’ll be okay. It’ll be especially hard to start, though, because we just got back from vacation!
Wow… I’m pretty blunt about things like this so I would just come out and say, “So what’s the point to your story? I thought you were going to tell me about the girl who got wasted, not about you?” But I would say it in a nice tone so they don’t take it the wrong way. =) Well, good luck in your job and school and I know you’ll totally impress your boss!
Alex,
You will never be hard to pay attention to, whether your contribution is written or in the form of a video! I feel that it is a privilege to be gradually getting to ‘know you’ even though at long distance like this! On the matter of missing your undergrad days, I believe you will always be able to relive them through the eyes and ears of appreciative students who will ‘sit at your feet.’
David
i am definitely not guilty of that. i hate it. they go on tangents and forget the story. it’s just a few notches worse than people telling a joke while laughing at it WHILE telling it.
ryc: i have no “place,” yet, sir. but, if you’re good, i’ll visit you before i get one. i know where VA is.
An error occurred so I must try again later, apparently.-_- youtube.
But give me your motivation please okay.
Hey congrats and good luck with evrything! As for long winded people, I have ADD so by my habitual short attention span and looking off in another direction people tend to tell me their stories pretty quickly. So I guess just act like you’re uninterested or bored.
Ehh I HATE THE WORK lol
I have a few folk around me who love dragging out a story. I usually have my acknowlegement of what they are saying in hand, “Oh”, “I see”, “Mmm..”, “really”. Then to get away I use the “moving away a step at a time” technique. When I get to a safe distance, it looks like they are talking to themselves so that’s my cue to say “gotta go, bye”! Job done!
I think you did pretty well when you asked her “what were we talking about again?” Too bad your friend there didn’t get the hint. Maybe you should say “what’s this got to do with ___?” or “why are you telling me this? Do you really think this is really relevant?” Maybe by being upfront, you’ll throw her off enough for her to want to get to the point. It might be impolite, but like you said, you have other things to do. Had she offered to tell you all the details of her night at the party, it would have been completely different. However, she started out by asking you if you wanted to hear about the “wasted girl” which you agreed to listen to.
congrats on the job!
and best of luck with all your work!sounds like you’ll be really busy
@suefa_lee - Thanks for the encouragement! I really hope I do impress the higher ups.
@Grampa_David - Thank you for your kind comment. I’m glad you’re enjoying my posts as I progress through life =)
@TheBigShowAtUD - When are you expecting to get a place? Btw, I will probably be in NY either in March or April. I’ll let you know when I’m up there!
@thexCITYxsplit - Error? Ah try again! Did it work this time?
@sw33tw3asl3 - Hmm, doing the opposite of what I’ve been doing. I may have to try that out on some people I’m not really fond of! haha
@hollywoodfever91 - Be a man and do the right thing!
@Margo73 - Hahahaha, the gradually walking away technique! I like that!
@T0m03 - Haha yeah we had that conversation staged so I could give an example of how another friend would really go about telling such a story. Thanks for your input though!
@jing116 - Thanks! Yeah, I’m currently working from a hotel right now. I want my free time back!
Good luck on your job/degree work Alex! :]
I laughed/thought it was cute that you admitted you’d probably be doing laundry instead of talking to a pretty girl lol. As for how to get people to get to the point, your best bet is to remind them of why they started talking anyway. It usually makes them get out of their train of thought back on track, which is probably why people prolong what was once a short story. They got ahold of some associated network of neurons and forgot where they were going :]
(psych references are funnn)
by the time you’re here, then. wooo.
@Roadlesstaken - Yeeess it did. Actually, my parents are the ones who tell incredibly long stories and I’m like lol can I go now. If they were getting sidetracked you could fix it with a ”BRO TELL ME ABOUT THE DRUNK GIRL ALREADY.” But otherwise, I have no clue. Load up on the chips ._.
congrats on the career development! i’m sure everyone here will understand if you can’t post up stuff at the pace you’re doing now; besides, i think i speak for everyone as well when saying that we’re glad things are on the up and up for you (career and school wise). keep up the great work man.
as for your san fran trip, loved the pictures! the “weh” shot had me laughing out loud. lol!
oh, and i’ve had the long-winded storytelling situations plenty of times. i just tune out. haha!
@indiechaos - Brownie points for you for using psych reference!
@ThePrince - Thanks man! Yeah, just had my first class today and it’s gonna be even more work than I thought -__- . Oh well, just one more semester!
haha… i hate it when that happens!
Hehehe…I’ve experienced long narratives such as this with little kids. I usually am quite patient, so I’d listen to the whole story. However, if I’m busy, I would tell them I have things to do and maybe they can tell me the story another time =P.
Good luck with the project!
@mindfulreflections - Thanks, I’m gonna need it. This semester is looking like a doozy.
hmm… interesting point you bring up… if it were me, i’d find a place to interject and be like. “so how did this all end?”.. or some kind of leading question that forces them to skip to the ending.
One of the things on your agenda this semester is to come to NY to visit me. :)
By the way… good luck on your last sem!
@bengozen - Now that I think about it I generally do that. Once again, too many similarities..
@LitlKittyKat - I’m working on it =) . Better be available when I come up! Also, be available to sing for me!
@Roadlesstaken - LOL let me know and I’ll definitely make some time. :) Hahaha you might hate me if I sing to you. :P
haha I totally agree. Stories that come from yourself and directly involve yourself are always more interesting =) Oh! And congrats on the full time job man!!
@eRicSpellsRice - Thank you much. So, you wanna make vlogs too now eh? Let’s collaborate sometime!
Hey, I stopped by to give you some hugs today!
Today, give a stranger one of your beautiful smiles! It might be the only sunshine he or she sees all day.
HUGS!
@adamswomanlost - Thanks, and you’re right; it’s all cloudy/rainy today =)
lol, what were you eating there? The entire time… I was trying to decipher what was on that jar of yours! Congratulations on the job
Good to hear good things happening to awesome people!
@AzureRecollections - It was some yummy ranch dip. Tasted amazing at 4am!
hahah hmm i don’t think so.. lol but i hate boring convos.. that makes me very impatient.. lol
@Roadlesstaken - oh wow, I wasn’t even close in my guess. I thought it was mayo xD
good luck with everything! hopefully your hard work will pay off at the end.
it really depends on the person. some people say things that are totally irrelevant to what they are saying but there some really good story tellers out there and those are the long stories that I love to hear. They give you enough background information so that you can really appreciate their main point (think How I Met your Mother). but if it’s the former (just rambling about unrelated things), i give subtle signs that i am not really into the story and hope they will pick it up.. such as avoiding eye contact, nodding and saying mmhmm a little less. sometimes, i go right ahead and say, wait, what does this have to do with xyz again?
this is a bit late considering this was up in late jan but umm congrats on the full time employee promotion!!
@mylilmei - You’re not too too late =) . Thank you!