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The other day I was minding my own business fueling gasoline into the car. As I held the handle to continue the flow of oil, I was approached by a stranger who said something to the effect of:
"Excuse me sir, but I was observing you pump gas, and I noticed that after getting out of your car you didn't touch a piece of metal to get rid any static electricity that you may have. This is dangerous, as the electricity can transfer from your hand into your car and cause it to ignite."
I thanked the man for his helpful advice - even though I still don't follow it.
Has anyone else received any unexpected advice from strangers?
Posts: 2756 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Yes, but I can't remember anything in particular at the moment. More just me asking someone exactly how to fill up my tank in the first place.
Turns out I'd figured out the whole buggered thing on my own except that you have to push up the holder for the gun-looking part. Who knew? Posts: 1548 | Registered: Aug 2002
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I remember lots of unexpected and at times unwelcome advice from strangers when I was pregnant.
When we moved recently, the telephone guy advised me to homeschool my children, which I thought was kind of strange. I was like, you're the telephone guy, not my personal educational consultant!
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I know a girl who was riding a bus once, and was bummed out because of guy problems. She got even more bothered because some guy on the bus seemed to be staring at her, which she tends to get because she's good-looking (go figure). She saw him writing and then start to walk towards her and thought he was giving her his phone number. When he got off the bus and she read it, however, she read something along the lines of: "Don't let some guy make you that sad when he doesn't respect you like you deserve. You deserve more, and you know it, so don't let him control you like that. Try to cheer up and enjoy yourself, there's more fish in the sea." The guy was exactly right, and my friend ended up dumping the jerk. Odd story . . .
Posts: 16 | Registered: May 2004
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My brother was once approached by a stanger and given advice on how to refinish the paint job on his car. To demonstrate the shiny luster his methods would bestow upon my brothers vehicle, the man bent down and licked the hood of his car.
Posts: 681 | Registered: Feb 2004
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I was taking a class of sorts. It was one of the last days and the instructor had us filling out a class evaluation form. I approached the instructer, signed the form, and waited for him to take it. He did. And he looked at my survey and my signature and glanced up to say "Michael, are you a writer?"
I said, "no"...
*pause*
"I'm a biophysicist."
he glanced at my signature again and said, "are you sure?"
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If I'd been there for the original scene, my advice would have been, "Stop pumping oil into your gas tank!"
Posts: 1907 | Registered: Feb 2000
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being pregnant always invites advice from strangers ... and uninvited tummy touches (ewww)
when I was pregnant with my first daughter, our landlord's brother advised that if it was a girl, it should be named after me - like Carol Jr. I think not!
I am guilty of offering unexpected advice to strangers, myself. I will mention to people at Walmart that Walmart matches prices and that item is $x.xx at another store. They just need to tell the cashier. When I was a cashier, I would say to the customer, "You said this item is $x.xx at this other store? Okay." That way they could get the price matched ...
Posts: 2034 | Registered: Apr 2004
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I'm the person who goes up to these people with unwanted advice.
I can't help it. I love talking to strangers. I always have -- much to my mother's chagrin. I just find all people fascinating and want to talk to them, so I find things to say as an excuse to go talk to them.
Then once I get to know someone really really well, I get bored and want to move on to new people I haven't met yet.... (must be why my marriages failed)
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Well most cars these days are designed that your foot touches something to discharge the static electricity metal as you are getting back into the drivers side when you touch the running board.
Steve pumps my gas if he is in the car with me during the winter. This is because otherwise I start fuming at all of the stupid mommies in their SUV's that are endangering their children's lives by LEAVING THEIR VEHICLE RUNNING while pumping gas. They also get back in their cars when it is very clearly posted at most gas stations that you are to be out of your vehicle and in plain sight of the gas pump at all times. Getting in and out of a vehicle while pumping gas is the best way to build up static electricity too.
Grrrr this is a pet peeve of mine. Though so far I have actually refrained from giving my unsolicited advice regarding their stupidity. I just mentally sign them up for the Darwin awards. Caus not only will they wipe themselves out they will be wiping out their progeny at one fell swooop.
I did give some unsolicited advice in a bookstore the other day, but it was well recieved. I was able to point a guy with only a vague notion of what he wanted to the exact book he needed and he was tickled pink.
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The reason he probably did it was because there was a story on the news about it. Someone thought that a cell phone caused an explosion at a gas station and the news report said they pretty much were sure it was more likely to have been static electricty.
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Ditto the pregnancy and baby advice. I have people ask me repeatedly if my kids are wearing sunscreen, if I brought a hat, and demands that I cover them up because it's "too cold". Nevermind that babies don't actually need much more clothing than adults; I still have people tell me to put a hat and jacket on my child when the rest of the world is wearing short sleeves.
I also give advice to people at random, because it helps me find kindred spirits. If I talk to someone at random and they smile nervously and shuffle away, then no dice. If they perk up and talk right back, then we become best pals. Maybe that's why all my friends are old ladies.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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My wife had a stranger give her advice about our son. When Kristine told her that the advice was completely against what the pediatrician had said, the woman told her pediatricians don't know what they're talking about. Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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People giving me advice = talking to people and trying to be pleasent when I don't know them.
That sounds like an unsolicited social engagment to me, and despite what I'm like on the forum, I tend to take forever before I talk freely in front of people. I fit the anti-social nerd profile much better in person.
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