OT: Things You Suck At Worse Than You Should

[Deepster]

Guessing the orientation of a plug or USB cord. You've got a 50/50 chance and I probably guess correctly 10% or less. It's really quite amazing. I can't say I should be good at it but you'd think I would at least get it 1/3rd of the time but I massively defy the mathematical odds.

And I can't grow bell peppers. I wouldn't say I'm a huge gardener but I have planted at least some stuff every year for the last 20-25 years or so. I've never been able to grow peppers. Once I got one very small one that was so bitter it was inedible. Usually the forming peppers just die and fall off even when trying every natural and chemical approach. Further, this is the second year I've tried to grow cilantro and once again the plant died within 3 days. Basil, thyme, parsley, chives, tarragon.... all fine. Can't grow cilantro.

I feel the pain on this post.

I also guess wrong on a USB port at least 90% of the time. And I get mad every time I'm wrong.

I will say, don't kick yourself on cilantro. I had a good talk with a master gardener who told me "You're going to get one nice sized batch of salsa and it bolts. Just accept that."

 

[Deepster]

Keeping my car clean.

My desk, closet, kitchen, garage and most of my life is tidy and organized. Not crazy OCD in perfect order, but what I'd call "neat". Not my car. Old coffee cups. Empty water bottles. Receipts. Needles from last year's Christmas tree. Sand from last year's Cape Cod vacation. Pretty embarrassing if I'm being honest. I don't know. It's like the one area of my life I just don't give a f.

 

[uconnfan68]

Dribbling a basketball with my right hand even though I'm naturally right-handed.

I'm right-handed for literally everything else. I shoot jump shots with my right and do layups and runners just fine and I can drive left all day and twice on Sunday but I can't go three dribbles with my right hand without losing control. Annoys the hell out of me!

Is that you Hawk?

 

[Kolumbo]

Guessing the orientation of a plug or USB cord. You've got a 50/50 chance and I probably guess correctly 10% or less. It's really quite amazing. I can't say I should be good at it but you'd think I would at least get it 1/3rd of the time but I massively defy the mathematical odds.

And I can't grow bell peppers. I wouldn't say I'm a huge gardener but I have planted at least some stuff every year for the last 20-25 years or so. I've never been able to grow peppers. Once I got one very small one that was so bitter it was inedible. Usually the forming peppers just die and fall off even when trying every natural and chemical approach. Further, this is the second year I've tried to grow cilantro and once again the plant died within 3 days. Basil, thyme, parsley, chives, tarragon.... all fine. Can't grow cilantro.

USB connectors always take at least 3 tries.

 

[8893]

And I can't grow bell peppers. I wouldn't say I'm a huge gardener but I have planted at least some stuff every year for the last 20-25 years or so. I've never been able to grow peppers. Once I got one very small one that was so bitter it was inedible. Usually the forming peppers just die and fall off even when trying every natural and chemical approach. Further, this is the second year I've tried to grow cilantro and once again the plant died within 3 days. Basil, thyme, parsley, chives, tarragon.... all fine. Can't grow cilantro.

Peppers of all sorts—including bell, even though I don’t like them—were always my best growers and producers over the years. I dedicated a little more than half of my garden to tomatoes of all sorts and I had decent luck with most except heirlooms. Did around 30% peppers and the rest herbs (and marigolds around the perimeter to keep the deer away). My peppers always exceeded expectations and now they are the only thing I grow; I gave up the community garden plot and just grow them at my mother in law’s house (we’re surrounded by massive oaks and in a bit of a valley and don’t get enough sun).

 

[Improviser]

Speaking Spanish.

Despite the name, my mother is from Puerto Rico and a native Spanish speaker. I lived there as a kid for a short while and. My Abuela lived with us and I also have half my family speak English as second Language.

I took 3 years of Spanish in middle school, four years of high school and two years of college at UConn Spanish. My sister speaks Spanish fluently and my dad minored in Spanish when I was a kid .

I speak zero Spanish and can barely put two words together in that language.

Que Pena.

 

[TRest]

Ok guitar folks, I thought this would be the case for me. Bought a Fender acoustic about 12 years ago. Tried to learn from YouTube lessons for about a year and a half. Got some chords, but never really any progressions. I have big palms but shorter fingers and just struggled mightily with the mechanics of the strings. I never had the guitar adjusted to make that easier, like filing the frets.

As a person who's hobbies mostly include booze and movies, plus some golf, I am often tempted to try again. But I know I won't succeed on that guitar. I believe I'd need an electric. Is it still worth making the attempt at 56? If so, what's a versatile fairly inexpensive guitar and amp for learning? I imagine Guitar Center would give me something for my Fender, it's in perfect shape.

I’m 61 and started guitar during the pandemic. Got a Yamaha acoustic used for $100, played much better after luthier set up. Then tried electric with a mid level Yamaha Pacifica and fender champion 20 practice amp, I find it much more difficult to play. Just had lighter strings and a set up on the electric, hope it helps. I know I should practice playing songs but usually just end up dicking around with new chords and playing scales.

 

[TRest]

^^ the above offer stands for any yarder. I’d love to have 2-3 guitar beginners at once weekly for a weekly. Free Skype. I like steady GROUPS of beginners because then there is a community of accountability as in “ howd you do on your homework” it pushes people. No shame just celebrated achievements” pm me

I would love in on this. I started a Skype lesson weekly this summer then got hit with a bad flood and lost the content s of our basement, so put the guitar down for a few months while dealing with it.

 

[superjohn]

Under-rated travel tip - disposable clothing! I do it too when I can.

Wait, what? You guys buy cheap clothes for traveling and throw all your clothes away before you fly home?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Speaking Spanish.

Despite the name, my mother is from Puerto Rico and a native Spanish speaker. I lived there as a kid for a short while and. My Abuela lived with us and I also have half my family speak English as second Language.

I took 3 years of Spanish in middle school, four years of high school and two years of college at UConn Spanish. My sister speaks Spanish fluently and my dad minored in Spanish when I was a kid .

I speak zero Spanish and can barely put two words together in that language.

Honest question. How is your hearing? I can pick up reading most languages. But conversational Spanish, with the verb conjugations and dozens of words that are phonetically similar; It’s just impossible because I can’t really discern the differences. All the Romance languages share that problem.

 

[UCMB88]

Wheel of Fortune. I consider myself fairly intelligent, and 'm actually pretty good with Jeopardy, but when Wheel of Fortune comes on at 7:30, I am terrible at it!

 

[boba]

Wait, what? You guys buy cheap clothes for traveling and throw all your clothes away before you fly home?

more room for liquor on the return! Actually it's how I clear my closet, throw away what needs to go, get "new" stuff there if needed. Worked real well for trips to Hong Kong oh so many years (decades) ago when you could get tailored stuff cheap. Allows one to blend too, if they can.
And yes, everyday abroad, yesterday's underwear goes in the garbage. No longer the 100K year traveler but still have habits.
Oh and I suck at making pizza. I can make every dough on the planet, from naan to Brazilian cheesebread, but my pizza dough is rarely acceptable. Never could repeat my best attempts and even those were not up to par with my other culinary skills. Luckily, a couple of Neapolitan's opened a pizza place down the hill.

 

[AtlantaHusky]

I suck at cleaning/folding/the like. I rock at making a mess but thank goodness for Easter Euro attractive female cleaning women. I've had several and they are spectacular at improving the quality of my life.

 

[Shamon30]

Anything involving tying knots. Beyond tying my shoes, I can do nothing in that area.

 

[Get a Job]

more room for liquor on the return! Actually it's how I clear my closet, throw away what needs to go, get "new" stuff there if needed. Worked real well for trips to Hong Kong oh so many years (decades) ago when you could get tailored stuff cheap. Allows one to blend too, if they can.
And yes, everyday abroad, yesterday's underwear goes in the garbage. No longer the 100K year traveler but still have habits.
Oh and I suck at making pizza. I can make every dough on the planet, from naan to Brazilian cheesebread, but my pizza dough is rarely acceptable. Never could repeat my best attempts and even those were not up to par with my other culinary skills. Luckily, a couple of Neapolitan's opened a pizza place down the hill.

Did you throw away stuff after wearing it one time?

 

[Improviser]

Anything involving tying knots. Beyond tying my shoes, I can do nothing in that area.

I have trouble un-knotting knots.

I can tie the knot on the drawstring of my bathing suit, but opening the knot is an entirely different matter.

No sailor am I.

 

[MDHuskFan]

Can’t read all these. But golf. It has to be golf for 97% of ppl who play right?

Or coitus

 

[Improviser]

Honest question. How is your hearing? I can pick up reading most languages. But conversational Spanish, with the verb conjugations and dozens of words that are phonetically similar; It’s just impossible because I can’t really discern the differences. All the Romance languages share that problem.

And, the accents make it really hard to understand. Usually, I can sort of understand an American born person who learned Spanish and did not hear it spoken in the home.

But, when I hear a person from a Spanish speaking country speaking Spanish, I lose them.

Idioms are tough because you can know the translation of the words, but the meaning is not literal.

I took one year of Spanish at UConn. I listen to Spanish music and when I can't understand some of the words, I google the lyrics and match up the English translation with the words.

 

[storrsroars]

And, the accents make it really hard to understand. Usually, I can sort of understand an American born person who learned Spanish and did not hear it spoken in the home.

But, when I hear a person from a Spanish speaking country speaking Spanish, I lose them.

Idioms are tough because you can know the translation of the words, but the meaning is not literal.

I took one year of Spanish at UConn. I listen to Spanish music and when I can't understand some of the words, I google the lyrics and match up the English translation with the words.

I was pretty fluent in the 90s when I lived in Mexico, but even then I couldn't understand a Puerto Rican speaker.

 

[Improviser]

I was pretty fluent in the 90s when I lived in Mexico, but even then I couldn't understand a Puerto Rican speaker.

When I visited Mexico 30 years ago, I understood much of what I heard.

Tried to listen to Sabado Gigante on TV with Don Francisco. Understood almost nothing of what he said.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Overly simple DIY things far too often prove difficult/problematic. I mean there's no reason that installing a new doorknob should be an issue. But I guarantee it will be far more difficult than it needs to be.

My calculation in home DIY isn't how much money I'll save by doing it myself. It's how much will I have to spend to get someone who knows what they're doing to fix what I did.

For me it's plumbing. Tried a couple simple fix-its, has never gone well.

 

[Chin Diesel]

My calculation in home DIY isn't how much money I'll save by doing it myself. It's how much will I have to spend to get someone who knows what they're doing to fix what I did.

For me it's plumbing. Tried a couple simple fix-its, has never gone well.

The legend is the average DIY plumbing task takes 2.5 trips to home improvement store to complete (Or not complete and call a plumber).

 

[boog204]

My calculation in home DIY isn't how much money I'll save by doing it myself. It's how much will I have to spend to get someone who knows what they're doing to fix what I did.

For me it's plumbing. Tried a couple simple fix-its, has never gone well.

I nearly flooded my condo twice doing plumbing stuff. The first, I brilliantly forgot to turn off one of the water valves while installing a dishwasher. The second, I thought I could change a heating element on a water heater without draining it (they did it on youtube!). Good lord, that was a lot of water.

I now defer on 98% of plumbing tasks...

 

[mussels]

Knowing when to keep my mouth shut. All the rest of my suckatude is small potatoes in comparison.