[RKDinOKC]

Don't understand the term "small talk."

In first grade we got sickers on our desk for our behavior. If you kept things clean you got a cat sticker, if polite a deer, quiet a mouse. All kinds of animals with a related behavior. I got a monkey because I talked all the time. As a matter of fact, the teacher thought I had a reading problem. When reading out loud to the class, when I got to the end of a line in a paragraph instead of going to the next line I would just start making up a story better than the one we were reading. It wasn't an inability to read, just that what we had to read was boring.

Anyway, I learned that different people like different things and can be somewhat offended fairly easily. So when around new people I am very quiet. I don't ask a lot of questions as I found that can be off-putting. Basically just be a good listener until I find what they like and discover my boundaries. Then I become my usual chatty self.

On my phone I have a couple of videos of my Golden retriever saying "Hello." It is very clearly said. Those videos are always a good ice breaker even if the people are not into pets. It is jus so cute, a puppy saying, Hello.

Have always been the kind of person that when we go someplace the order taker, waitress whomever always knows my name and what I am there for.

As an example there is a Starbucks just a couple blocks from my house and my brother lives just two houses away. He is a big coffee drinker and goes to Starbucks every day. Me, not so much, dp get a frappuccino every couple of weeks in the drive thru with my dog, Pepper. Pepper always sticks way out the window and says "hello" to the drive thru person. All the Starbucks staff have to come greet and make over her when I get my frap on.

One Sat morning my brother asked me to join him for Coffee at Starbucks. He orders and says he is paying for both of us. The barista recognizes me from the drive thru and immediately asks about Pepper etc. Never asks for or takes my order. Gives bro he bill. Bro says wait you are supposed to add his. She says I did and points to it on the bill. Bro says but he never gave you his order. About that time another barista hands me my frap over the counter. They started it when they saw me come in.

Brother mumbled about how he comes there every day and only sometimes do they remember his name, and he always has to tell them his order. Then his brother comes along and they just say hello, know his name, his dog's name, and hand him his order over the counter like he owns the place. Have noticed the few times I've met him for coffee since then that now they do say hi and his name as he comes in the door. But he still has to give them his order.