"Does anyone else find themselves tuning out and listening to the radio in the background instead when this goes on for too fucking long?"
Definitely! Strangely enough one of my friends is like this, every tiny detail is covered, described and and re-described. I often tune out for the really tedious unimportant bits and then have to remember to put my 'oh, really?' amazed/interested listening face on again in time for the main bit of the story.
Just realised I sound utterly dreadful to have a conversation with but I'm not, honest, guv
Phones, oh dear, phones, they drive me demented, especially in the work arena. To be able to follow a thought or task from start to finish without being constantly interrupted with largely unimportant twaddle (as I seem to be the unofficial receptionist for an entire floor) is a luxury I can only dream of.
And friends phoning, not keen on that either since I also used to get two hours of emotional drama, 'he said this', s'he said that', 'oh isn't awful', 'what am I to do' and then the bastards would hang up without even asking how I was.
I've taken to converting one or two of my neighbours into good enough friends to have occasional dinners and days out with - works very well especially since no ione s far enough away to have to have hour long chats over the phone :)
Relationships, mmh, strange area that, like another poster here I kept going and going for years knowing I wasn't happy and wanted out but everytime I thought about it seriously I felt only horror at being all alone in the world, a 'sad act' singleton with only cats for company.
Yes it was strange and sometimes lonely at first but two years on it was absolutely the right thing for me to do - nearly twenty years spent bending myself over backwards to accoodate the needs and likes and dislikes of someone else mean it's taken ages to get to know me.
When I'm in a Relationship I turn into this nervous, anxious creature, always worried about whether what I'm doing is upsetting/disturbing the other one, are they happy blah blah blah.
Which wouldn't have been so bad had I not insisted on picking partners who were thoroughly entitled, selfish and childish and happily hoovered up all of the love and care and concern and comfort without ever thinking it might be a good idea to return some of it.
Having the house free of games consolse noises, tv turned up really loud because there's a film on, snoring, loud washing up and tidying away (are you washing up or re-building the kitchen dear?) door slamming etc etc - and being free of the dread of the starting is bliss.
Whenever I was first to come home from work the place would be silent and peaceful.
As soon as partner would step in the door the tv would HAVE to be on (like it was some sort of law) and the moaning about his awful day would start, kettle boiling constantly for more tea and general noisy and moody stomping about a tiny house shattering any hope of any sort of peace.
Funnily enough, a lot of the women who know that I have chosen to get rid of my tv express envy, saying 'oh, I'd get rid of the thing like a shot, but partner would be hell to live with'
Bit of an epic post again - it's all pouring out of me now, the gates have been opened :)
Ah, it's nice to feel 'normal' inside for a change!