Real Men Of Annoyance: Subject Changer Guy

This is really stupid, but also very annoying. I hate when my buddy turns into The Subject Changer Guy!

Said Subject Changer Guy might end up reading this, but oh well. Shit happens. I just told Subject Changer Guy about a buddy of mine that he knows that just bought a house. His response was not "Oh that's cool!" or "How much did he pay?" or the like. The response was about how awful Motley Crue was at Rockfest, something he's been talking about all morning/afternoon.

Well...that's wonderful I guess, but...that has little to do with our buddy's house, which if you'll remember...was what I was just talking about (or, what I thought WE were talking about). Not quite sure if he even heard what I said, or if he was busy prepping his 5th Crue related diatribe of the day during my two sentences of speech.

This happens every day! Swear to god. I'll go over to him to tell him about a complete nincompoop customer I just talked to on the phone, and his retort will be about a scene in "The Hills Have Eyes". Ok, that's all well and good...but I'm still failing to see the connection here, dude.

Me: "Haha, Bruce Dickinson looks like such a choad in this picture - look at it!"
Subject Changer Guy: "Yeah, me and the wife were out the other day driving around and according to her apparently I have a speeding problem."
Me: *blank stare*

(Update - before I hit post, I just got the 6th Motley Crue @ Rockfest related diatribe of the day. This one wasn't a subject change though, to his credit.)

Yeah...

 

My kids and I went to the pool yesterday and it was closed for maintenence. 

Ok, that does suck. I have another to add to this list: people who WON'T let you change the subject. In particular, a certain ex of mine who I am still friends with, talks a lot. And I mean A LOT. Which is fine, she's a fairly intelligent person but she tends to drift to topics for which my attention span rivals that of a circus monkey. I'll listen for a while but when it's apparent that it has turned into a one-sided conversation, I get bored and start thinking of the waitress's ass or something.
So I try and change the subject. Not in a rude and abrupt way but subtly and slowly. And I'll talk and she'll listen. As soon as I stop, expecting some sort of a reply on the new subject, she manages to go right back to what she was blabbering about without skipping a beat. Drives me fuckin' nuts!!!

I do this a lot.

If you talk about stupid shit to me, don't be surprised when I change the subject.

Now that's how you make a delicious peach pie.

Peaches & Pickles do not mingle....that's what my wife just told me.  But Cherry Pie is nummy!

I like cheese.

Would you like some free porn?

Gosh, you guys are soooo clever with your subject changes! It'll be hard to outsmart you all!

*barf*

I once barfed the volume of Lake Michigan out a car door.  Good times.

I have a pal who for some strange reason, insists on
taking the devil's advocate position with EVERYTHING
I tell him about what's going on in my life.

He offers to lend an ear, then tears me to shreds.

Deep down, I understand he's trying to help me in a different
way and I can appreciate that, but god damn, it gets annoying.

I can do the devil's advocate thing real well too.... but I didn't sign up for
a recurring role on a talk show, I just needed him to say "yeah man, that sucks."

Yes, that would be plenty, so thank you for listening I guess.

I know some one like that.

I call his problem "chronic jerkassitis".

I change the subject and my mind wanders 24/7 (Spyz).

And then I get long winded if I'm sticking to one subject, so come think of it I shouldn't really try speaking at all.

aaronious:

I have a pal who for some strange reason, insists on taking the devil's advocate position with EVERYTHING I tell him about what's going on in my life. He offers to lend an ear, then tears me to shreds. Deep down, I understand he's trying to help me in a different way and I can appreciate that, but god damn, it gets annoying. I can do the devil's advocate thing real well too.... but I didn't sign up for a recurring role on a talk show, I just needed him to say "yeah man, that sucks." Yes, that would be plenty, so thank you for listening I guess.

Well maybe your looking for some quick words of agreement, but what about your pal's needs? Maybe he needs to feel like he's always helping someone and maybe the only way he can do that is by tearing you to shreds. Damn, your so selfish!

sometimes, when people talk way too much to convey one idea, I like to wait til halfway through the 60th sentence and interrupt AND change the subject at the same time, giving them the sense that I wasn't paying attention at all through the whole boring dissertation, rather forming ideas and sentences for MY boring dissertation. The expression on the victim's face is always worth it! Learned this trick from a friend of mine, I hated it at first, but now in retrospect, that is one amazing individual. Even if he wasn't doing it on purpose, was just an idiot. STill amazing.

Being hung over sucks...and it's 1:30 in the afternoon!!  Glad I have today off...well, not really...

Today's example:

Me: Dude, if you like wraps, you should try that chicken wrap McDonalds has now. It's just basically a chicken finger with lettuce and cheese, but it's really damn good, actually. Only $1.29 too.

Him: Yeah, I gotta tell ya about something funny that happened at Rock Fest this weekend....

Me: *here we go again*

p*:

aaronious:

I have a pal who for some strange reason, insists on taking the devil's advocate position with EVERYTHING I tell him about what's going on in my life. He offers to lend an ear, then tears me to shreds. Deep down, I understand he's trying to help me in a different way and I can appreciate that, but god damn, it gets annoying. I can do the devil's advocate thing real well too.... but I didn't sign up for a recurring role on a talk show, I just needed him to say "yeah man, that sucks." Yes, that would be plenty, so thank you for listening I guess.

Well maybe your looking for some quick words of agreement, but what about your pal's needs? Maybe he needs to feel like he's always helping someone and maybe the only way he can do that is by tearing you to shreds. Damn, your so selfish!

Yeah, you're right - I'm sorry.

but I still blame HIM!

I'm only jealous of his moobs.

flyingvien:

This is really stupid, but also very annoying. I hate when my buddy turns into The Subject Changer Guy!

Said Subject Changer Guy might end up reading this, but oh well. Shit happens. I just told Subject Changer Guy about a buddy of mine that he knows that just bought a house. His response was not "Oh that's cool!" or "How much did he pay?" or the like. The response was about how awful Motley Crue was at Rockfest, something he's been talking about all morning/afternoon.

Well...that's wonderful I guess, but...that has little to do with our buddy's house, which if you'll remember...was what I was just talking about (or, what I thought WE were talking about). Not quite sure if he even heard what I said, or if he was busy prepping his 5th Crue related diatribe of the day during my two sentences of speech.

This happens every day! Swear to god. I'll go over to him to tell him about a complete nincompoop customer I just talked to on the phone, and his retort will be about a scene in "The Hills Have Eyes". Ok, that's all well and good...but I'm still failing to see the connection here, dude.

Me: "Haha, Bruce Dickinson looks like such a choad in this picture - look at it!"
Subject Changer Guy: "Yeah, me and the wife were out the other day driving around and according to her apparently I have a speeding problem."
Me: *blank stare*

(Update - before I hit post, I just got the 6th Motley Crue @ Rockfest related diatribe of the day. This one wasn't a subject change though, to his credit.)

 

I ahve a tendency of going one step further and not only changing the topic at hand. but using something the person has said to change it. you mentioned your friend buying a house.........House was a good movie. it had the greatest american hero in it :) Only I have a zero tendency to do it all the time.

 

I agree with Todd, I do the same, depending on the person.

person #1 Runs at the mouth about Tech stuff or anything, I take what they have said and change subject. GREAT SEGUE!!!  (for you sound people, you get it)

For instance: Friend, "Blah Blah Blah, way back when I was in said job or military"(this guy lives in the past) . Me..."By the way, hear about the military in Lebanon, "ect, or whatever. Anything to keep it current and stop the rambling.

person #2 On phone: "Blah blah blah, it is ALL about ME" I add to conversation, she interupts by cutting me off, yelling at her kids, ect. She is one of the rudest, self centered people I know. She runs at the mouth and repeats herself constantly. Never hears what others say. Others say this about her, and she know this, yet keeps doing it??  Who knows?  Her ex husband and her brother inlaw both call her a stupid bitch. I am beginning to see why the guy left. IRGGGGGGGGG! I have gotten to the point where I just cut her off also, or say I have to go!!! God she is annoying and self centered as hell. 

Person #3 Will be yapping away about something.. Then gets distracted, this air head then,  20-30 minutes later out of nowhere will resume the same conversation about the same thing. By then, I am going........."whaa the fuuu__ are you talking about??" Well, I assume that after 20-30 min., MOST would have moved on to another conversation, or other things and forgotten what was discussed 20-30 minutes ago.  AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! This one has a need not to be ignored, I guess??  

 Next time my friend rambles, I think I will tell him to look at the waitresses ass, and I will make my escape. HA! 

 

Today's example:

Me: "Holy shit dude, Panasonic's coming out with a 103 inch HD plasma! Diagonally, that's the size of Shaq!!!"
Him: "Shaq, haha. All I know is that Cuba Gooding Jr. was drunk on Howard (Stern) this morning."

Alllllllllllrighty then. I know when I think of the biggest HDTV out there, this morning's guest on Howard Stern's satellite radio show comes to mind. *scratches head*

Today:

(We'd been talking football for about 20 minutes)

Me: "Keep your eye on that Wes Welker guy if you're looking for a receiver later in the year for your fantasy team. He looked pretty good to me in last night's game."
Him: "I love that part in "The Crunge" by Led Zeppelin where they ask "Do you need a bridge?". It's kind of an inside joke, cuz there really is no bridge in the song."