Adventures in Laryngitus

I talk too much, don't I.

I've had laryngitis all day you see, the result of a bad cold I've been fighting all weekend.  This morning  I wanted to chat with my roommates, but couldn't do more then smile and nod and make hand-signals like a lunatic.   If someone turned on the TV, I couldn't give running commentary.  There was no singing in the shower, no thinking out loud, no ordering at restaurants, no answering the phone, no asking questions, not even any chuckling to myself.  An entire world of self-expression was suddenly denied me.

I've been surprised to discover how thoroughly small talk and chit-chat dominate my daily activities.

Cause here's the thing: I'd long just sort-of assumed that I was rather reserved, maybe a tad shy, that I was comfortable being alone, that I always spoke with purpose and never just to speak, that if I just had a book in hand then I could go for hours without interacting with anyone.  I may have to re-evaluate those assumptions; I speak all the time, I enjoy talking loud and long, don't I.  There's a certain class of "Silent Cal"-types who can sit quietly by themselves and never utter a word save when absolutely necessary, but I am not one of them.  I am not a minimalist.

I may be private, I may listen and observe, I may wait my turn in conversation and I may even use conversation as a sleight of hand to keep others off my track (something I've noticed that many people do), but that is far and away different from being quiet.  Guys, you can be honest with me.

I talk too much, don't I.