Embarrassing Spacing Out Moments

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Hello everyone....damn, my posting average has dropped to .96 a day! Well, I guess that's what World of Warcraft can do to a person.

Anyways, I have a new (hopefully) question for my fellow 'siblings' of Wrong Planet:

Have you ever had a moment where you spaced out in a public setting, only to be aware you were being looked at funny by a stranger when you came out of it?

Something like that happened to me last week in the Dunkin Donuts, when I was waiting for my flatbread sandwich to finish. I was thinking of the scene from The Sound of Music when the Von Trapp family was singing "Edelweiss" at a competition, and at the end, the entire audience was singing along with them. I thought to myself 'so this is the kind of powerful feeling that certain rock musicians feel when an entire crowd sings the chorus for you', as I was getting a little teary-eyed imagining such a scenario.

Well, when I snapped out of it because I sensed my sandwich was ready, I was aware that some lady standing next to me was giving me a weird look, like she'd seen the last 30 seconds of my space out! Boy was my face red! Trust me, I made tracks as fast as I could once I got my food...

So, what about you guys? Have you had something similar to that kind of embarrassing moment happen to you? I'll be here to listen. ^_^

Usagi1992

Last edited by Usagi1992 on 07 Jul 2009, 11:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Heh heh, all the time.
But it sure beats the real world

A lot. Most recently, in my workplace, the bosses told me that I have to look after some student-workers (like I'm the most fitting person to do that, anyway), and they have loads of questions, of course. Well, it happened about 3-4 times that I just didn't hear that they were talking to me. They were sometimes actually shouting at me when I realized that they were. I was just out there somewhere... Don't exactly know where. And it's pretty bad when all of a sudden you have to snap out of this twilight zone. And then of course I got the "who is this ret*d?" look by them. It's kind of embarrassing, yeah, but then again, I couldn't really care. Like Popeye says, "I Yam What I Yam". Or something.

I do that a lot, and in situations similar to yours (waiting in line). And it is indeed better than the real world.

I used to space out a lot when i was younger don't how it stopped though.

Oh, yeah. All the time. I've even spaced out on people while they were speaking to me. It's very embarassing.

Regards,

Patricia

I too experience this frequently. I am probably 50% or more NT. Aspies don't have a corner on this if that makes you feel any better. The following is an entry that was posted on a forum for folks who are mostly NTs that have the MBTI personality type INFP, unless it is an ASD to be an INFP. I have posted this somewhere else on this forum, but I don't recall where now.

Last edited by willmark on 07 Jul 2009, 4:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I think I know what you mean... in Ireland it's called "being away with the fairies." I do that a lot.

Not so much in work situations though, at work it's always curtailed. ... it's like I've got two sets of experiences occuring at the same time. So, for example, my boss is describing what's going to be happening next week, and how to organise the team etc etc. My brain is away with the fairies (I'm thinking about Battle Star Galactica, for example, and the theological ramifications of the last scene of the entire series. Please, let me bore you... someone start a thread!) It is noticed by someone that I haven't said much, and I'm asked, "did you hear any of that?" And I repeat it word for word.

It used to happen at school all the time. I sometimes didn't even consciously hear what was being talked about, but when the teacher sarcastically asked if I knew what was being discussed, I could pretty much repeat it word for word.

Still can pretty much dictate my A level classical history lessons word for word. Anyway...

Yes, when in social situations I'll almost completely zone out, and it can be embarassing.
At work it's like I've got a little secretary taking shorthand in my head, because even if I'm not paying attention, I'm always partly aware of what's going on.

Perhaps I think my work is more important than my second cousins... Does this make me a bad person?

You're blessed is what you are. All you need to do in a class is to zone out and your autopilot will record the lecture for you. When I zone out, I tune out everything but what I am thinking about inside.

I did that once while walking and walked right into a plate glass room divider. Left a nose print on it and everything. Yes, people who witnessed it were shaking their heads in wonder.

I've twice called in an order to the local Dairy Queen, entered and paid, and then left without receiving my food. Thankfully, on both occasions I was stopped before I got back in my car.

yes.. all the time...

Oh God, I space out all the time, it's one of my MOs, LOL!! !

I space out all the time...also don't notice doors/trees/lamp posts and am forever walking into things....one of my favourite incidents was at a restaurant buffet, I got distracted by the bread rolls & butter on one of the buffet tables (I love the smell of freshly baked bread) and didn't notice the huge butter scupture of dolphins on the table and ended up headbutting it because I was totally focussed on the bread. Luckily I didn't knock it over (although it did wobble) but did leave a dent in the dolphin's nose and had to go wash margarine off my forehead.....

I don't think I space out too often, but then again I might not really know I'm spacing out. There was one instance that was not only embarassing, but also left me feeling cheated.

I used to work in a college library and one section of the counter was shaped like a large U with the librarian or library assistant working inside the U. I wasn't working at the time, but I stopped by to visit. I was leaning on the counter on one side of the U (customer side) and just zoned out. I couldn't even tell you what was going through my mind...I just "wasn't there." Well, the next thing I know the library assistant I knew there nudged me and said, "Dude...you shouldn't stare like that." I said, "What are you talking about?" He said, "That girl...you shouldn't have been staring." Apparently this girl, a female student, was standing on the other side of the U (customer side) directly opposite me. And my eyes were on a direct line to her chest. I didn't remember that, and now I wish I had stared at her chest because at least then the embarassment would've been worth something!

I have done this at the grocery store.

I have gone shopping, picked out the items I want, waited until my items are scanned and bagged, paid, and just walked out without picking up my bags.