Michael's Texas Embrace

Good topic. Apparently, all my co-workers think that I am always very angry and stressed out, and they are scared of me. They say I give a "look of death" to a lot to folks around here. I do get annoyed all the time at work, but I always thought I gave a tired, defeated look at work, instead of a cold, calculating killer look.

Also, I've had to face the fact that I'm just a 'sensitive' dude, as much as I hate to be called that. I try to tell myself that I'm not, but then I get some weird email that puts me down, and I flip out over it.

I do think I am a much different person in Tullahoma than out of it. Knoxville me and Johnson City me and Austin me are a ton different than Tullahoma me. So, I think you can have different parts of yourself.

As for feedback on yourself, I don't know about your intense look...but I can maybe see where Maggie is coming from. If I were to ask you the question, "Should we lay down a Banjo-style techno track, or go with an Electro-country circus ballad?" your eyebrows might lower, your hand might go to your chin, and your bottom lip might set a tad in an intense look while you thought it over. But that's pretty cool!

Perhaps you should start a blog with someone's name in it, and then have all your readers write a paragraph or two of comments on what they think that person is REALLY like? I promise I won't be sensitive!!!
 

hmm that was a really good subject. I have been thinkig alot about my self and how I am kinda moody and sometimes kinda flaky on sharing some of my ideas. plus jen has noticed this odd thig that i do where i start off a conversation with the end of a statement some times just as if we were holding a conversation about that subject. also, somes time i find my self clapping my hand softly and shakeing some part of my hands or feet. also some times i find my self thinkig of the most delusional things like one day i was walking the dogs an i imagined what if they had little portable toilet to follow them around an scoop up the poo, man that would be nice i thought. but ill post again later.?
 

Michael... Where do I start?

You have always stared at your food. We always said that you ate like a bird because it would take you so long to eat. Sometimes you would place tiny bites of food in just the right spot on your eating utinsel. Like when you used to place Dorito crumbs on your sandwhiches before every bite. I don't think smelling everything, staring at your food, or taking a long time to eat is weird. Its just you.

You do have kind of an intense look on your face at times but it is only when you are really thinking about something. Like when we remind you of something that you have forgotten, which happens a lot, and you are thinking really hard about it. Maybe you have the tendency to disect and analyze everything, or it could just be because you are very forgetful. You also scratch your head when you do this, or touch your chin, like Murph pointed out. You do smile a lot which is really nice, you have a beautiful smile. I think you smile more than look intense. Don't get me wrong, its not a scary intense look, just a very thoughtful one.

At times you are very easy to read. I can usually tell, even if its over the phone, how you are feeling. Despite what you may believe, you never look blank. Maybe you are only easy to read by people who know you really well. Its really easy to tell when you are really happy or a little sad. I think you are extremely deep and there is a lot more going on in there than you express at times. Although, by the look on your face or sound of your voice you can tell its there.

I think that you would like yourself if you saw yourself the way we all do. You are the most amazingly talented, funny, and intelegent person I think I have ever known. You might be a little on the strange side, but it wouldn't be Michael if you weren't strange. You were born strange. You are extremely unique, and sorry but I don't think you will find anyone else like yourself to compare yourself to. If you did find someone like you I think you would be jelous of him, like myself and probably everyone else is.

I love you and miss you. Happy Valentines Day!
 

yes michael, we all love you.

now about me:

apparently, i'm kind of rude to people, and inconsiderate and mean. people have told me this, but it is hard for me to believe because i always think i'm so nice and friendly. people look at me strangely a lot, like i'm a retarded child. i think i strike people as rude and somewhat retarded.
 

oh.... were we supposed to talk about ourselves?

hmm...I don't think people think what I feel I really am either. People seem to think I am always happy. Not true, I have a very dark side and was diagnosed with chronic depression when I was like 12. People will never know and understand the things I think of.

Also, last time I saw Amire he said I was a yuppy. That greatly offended me. I don't want to be a yuppy. Because I work at a museum does that make me one? I don't make a lot of money, just enough to get by. Maybe I am a little more cleaned up or mellowed out, but certainly not yuppified. I drive a Honda and live in a rented 70's subdivision for Gods sake.

I will never be nearly as creative as my brother or mom. Possibly because I feel as if I don't have time to or because I am too much like my dad, the organizer and realist who never met a stranger.

I really don't know what people think about me. I don't think I want to know, because usually it is different than what you think about yourself. The truth is I am comftorable with myself, not the Lisa other people might think I am.
 

Wow. Great topic. You know Michael - I can actually picture you staring at your food before you eat it. I never would have thought about it had you not written it, but you DO do that. As far as the 'intense' look, I'm not sure that I'd use that word, but do often look kind of preoccupied about something. Of course, I think everyone might do that. I think people in general look like they're thinking really hard about something really important when they're actually just sort of thinking about those little particle floating around in the sunbeams or something.

As far as how I come off to other people, I'd gather I probably come across as pretty hyper-active - or at least high energy. Chrissy thinks I talk really loud, and I think she's probably right. In fact I know she's right although I never realize it when I'm doing it.
 

this is a great post. and now that i've read that you have a dog's sense of smell, i worry that perhaps i stunk at work. it was a hot summer afterall.

i visited tennessee for the first time over the weekend (memphis only). i don't get that pyramid.
 

here i am again. did you ever see "me you and everyone we know?" anyway, that director has a short film out called, "are you the favorite person of anyone?" so, all that to say that the title of your post reminds me of that. and it would make a lovely short film.
 

Actually, Michael - do you think that you might be trying to communicate with your food? Perhaps on a cellular level?
 

Lisa's comments make this post award-winning. I love all you guys and gals!
 

Holy Crap! I post this random thing, then I go to work, and then class, and then I have some beer and sushi, and then all of the sudden, there are 10 replies! I got to read more material than my (longish) post contained! That, my friends, is a score. I'd actually like to hear more, if anyone has any other observations about themselves gained through other people. This is fun.
 

Wow! You opened up a can of worms there Michael. First, yes....you arange foor on your spoon and then stare at it and eat slowly, like when you put those little fried chinese things on your spoon with the wonton or eggdrop soup. You have always been an avid sniffer, which is just you. The intense look is a very thoughtful almost quizzical look. (I don't think our family can spell) It just shows great depth, like Lisa says. I agree with Lisa because we have discussed it often, that you are the most amazing creature, creative witty and intelligent, that we know. But, we are your mom and sister. However, she tells me everybody thinks that about you.
The thing I am always amazed about is that NOBODY really knows anyone, that we ALL feel alone and unique and different and isolated from the rest of the world. We all feel like we are not really fitting in and that nobody understands us totally, I think, and the other wierd thing is that we really don't know what we look like either, because we never see ourselves in 3D. It is also wierd that we don't even hear our own voice like it really sounds. You know how strange your own voice sounds to you when it is recorded?
And...no, Lisa you are not a yuppy, your moma is. Also you are just as creative as your mom and michael, you just use it in a different way. But you are a much better organizer and schedular, because without a job I sure suck at it.
 

aww i just got through reading everyones post man i think all of you are great people that i feel lucky to know(man i'm feeling so emo right now) michael you are just one of those unique poeple that provide the spice in life you know that make life so interesting and fun. i ran into levio( i hope i spelled his name right)and he was reflecting upon some of the things you guys talked about at the roast. as far as the odd things that people do i think that those are the behaviors that make up them. i miss all of my friends cause you guys are that coolist group of people that i have the previledge of knowing.
i know this is off topic but the other day i drove past lisa at my apartment complex atleast i think it was her i waved cause i was like hey its lisa, and after reading her post i hope the she didn't mean the creppy porno looking seveties aprtments literlly across from mine and jens apatments.
 

Travis... It was me waving rediculously at you. I was fixing to be really embarrassed if it wasn't you or if you didn't recognize me. I do not live in the porno apartment across from you. I live in North K-town. However, Sabrina lives in your apartment complex so I stop by from time to time.
 

oh k i was just wondering cause i was in a state of happy like "hey theres someone i know" after a much long day of work.
 

michael, you are coasting on the success of your extremely successful post. we are waiting for a followup. or, i am waiting for a followup.
 

If I were the author of this blog, I would be very nervous about what to post next. I mean, imagine how Tim Burton must have felt after he made that first Batman movie! It's a lot of pressure.

Yup, if I were the author of this blog, I'd follow this post with a definite throw-away post, like perhaps a five line discussion on how, through the selective eating of certain colored foods and proper timing, one might be able to produce striped feces.
 

like the zebra strip gum except for poo:) now that would be a poo of a different color.
 

Waa-waa-waaaaaaa...
 

comment number 21, that's 7 * 1 * 3, that's my birthday!