I mean, what’s something you can do that people are like, “really? You know how to do that?”
I can click my tongue really, really loud. Like a baseball hitting a bat hard. Aside from making people jump, I have yet to find any practical use for this talent.
Learn how to echolocate!
Lol I thought you meant eat chocolate.
I know how to spin a laptop on my finger
That’s aggressively anxiety inducing more than surprising
I could do that, but probably only once.
That is cool. Maybe don’t tho.
In this economy?
I never forget a face
I never forget a face but damn if I can remember their name. Drives my wife nuts, when she asks me who that was
I’m a huge guy, 6’8" and immensely heavy, people do a double take when I tell them I can and do windsurf.
Cooking. IDK why but everyone assumes I don’t know how to cook. I must fit a stereotype or something. The last time I lived alone I cooked (or had leftovers of something I cooked) every night for like 8 months. I tell people that and they are always surprised. It’s a big reason I hate living with roommates because the kitchen situation is so chaotic I can’t really do that anymore.
Same, and especially baking bread, which people seem to think is an involved, laborious process that requires dedication and being obsessed. I learned it on youtube lol. Making a loaf of really good bread takes like 10 minutes of actual work; the rest of the time it’s making itself.
I’m able to forget most things my dad says … he has an opinion of everything and will babble for 20 minutes about stuff no one else in the house cares about.
Also, I can picture a blueprint in 3d.
I know how to can food and make preserves. I’m 46 M.
Compared to most people, I know a fuck ton of keyboard shortcuts making me look like a computer wizard.
I’ve been criticized for that, lots of people say “use the mouse, it’s better”. I say “how is it better?”. They say “it just is”.
The truth is that they can’t do the keyboard shortcuts and are jealous.
I’m certainly no vim wizard but just knowing a good number of shortcuts really saves time doing precise clicks and selections with your mouse
Somehow, it’s a surprise to people that I’m a competent trumpet player. As if every high school in the state doesn’t have a band class. Fully half of my graduating class in high school were musicians of some kind between chorus, orchestra and band classes. But somehow nobody expects a random dude in his mid-30’s to pick up a trumpet and play a few bars of Ravel’s Bolero.
I can put a needle in any body cavity (of someone else). Or a wire or a catheter. Besides the skull and a few more delicate ones I also know how to do that without actually killing the person. Well,at least not “certainly” killing… accidents happen.
People are surprised that I can jodel a bit. My geeky high-schools self worked hard to build this skill.
I’m a crossing guard at school. My amazing trick is to balance the lollipop on my nose.
I also know some Shakespearean sonnets and the first page of finnegans wake by heart, but that’s usually more expected.
The most wow reaction i had from my sons’ friends was when i swore better than them. But then again, i once went on a two week tour to schools teaching the kids how to swear, so …, no big deal.
i once went on a two week tour to schools teaching the kids how to swear
I feel like this needs elaboration.
Long story short: taught kids about swearing as s substitute teacher, got the principal (my mother) in trouble, wrote a manuscript about swearing, interviewed a linguist about religion for the humanist (atheist) magazine, she invited me to join her book project on swearing, the book was published, the «kulturelle skolesekken» (bringing culture to schools) invited me to tour the northernmost, most swearing part of Norway to talk about swearing.
https://www.nettavisen.no/teacher-taugth-swearwords-in-religion-class/s/12-95-151785
Landscaping
My very first job at the age of 15 was working at a Nursery/ Garden Center. I also would work on the landscaping crews and even did some design work.
When my wife and I bought our house she said she always dreamed of having a big flower garden, but said she didn’t know how to do it properly.
Well… I do. Even my Mother-In-Law, who is an experienced gardener, learned a few things from me. Although, I have to admit, she really does know a lot and I learned a lot from her as well.
Our flower beds are beautiful throughout the growing season with a huge variety of plants.
I surprise ppl with my drawing skills, and they always say my place is nice and cosy. Everyone who comes over for the first time gets weirdly surprised. I am not sure if that is a skill tho xD
I’m really good at hating myself.
