What is the oddest talent you have

[Mammatus]

I was lucky I was born 5 years later after they changed the education system here. If not, my cursive and left handed would make me fail the writing test and language test.. But I had experience with teachers whacking my hand, asking me to write with right hand, the correct hand, they say. They still whack me if I turn the paper counter-clockwise...

I don't write with my left hand, but I must say if I did and this happened, I'd be sent to the principal's office. Then suspended, and probably eventually, if nothing was done, expelled.


One of my natural talents. Debating. Or as others say "arguing". I always tell them I'm an aspiring politician or lawyer

 

[Ignotus]

Gah, I remember that as well! I learn from one of the best oratory speaker. So, in debate contest, I literally made everyone, teacher included, speechless.

 

[Red Night]

I don't know if this counts as a talent, but I have a high endurance to the cold. I mean COLD. Not chilly, spring day, but icy, windy, January night. Everyone thinks I'm crazy because I can be in a T-shirt and jeans when it's 20F and not freak out.


I hate extreme heat on the other hand. If I had my choice, I'd rather die from hypothermia than because of the heat.

 

[Kapitan]

I am not fond of heat myself - my limit for outdoor warmth is 65 F. Anything beyond that and I am not very comfortable. I would much rather the cooler weather over the stinking heat any day - at least with cooler weather you can do something about it, when it's really hot out...there's not too much you can do other than sweat it out.


Re General Response: Glad you folks liked the GPS cartoon! :laugh:


Like Wuxin - the GPS is my arch fiend too. My cell phone is a simple 'Tracfone' so I don't do too much with that because I hardly get calls and hardly call anyone. My laptop still undoubtably has stuff in it that I don't even know about, but I don't bother poking around too much in it - I have other priorities. I'm the type that's 'just the basics'. I know what I want out of something and that's what I get - no more, no less.

 

[Totoro]

if a talent is some form of carry over from a previous life, I don't see it as being "odd" but maybe more as unexpected


While I was playing my keyboard the other day I found I was suddenly able to knock out a few Chinese sounding folk melodies.


Then there's my own piano playing ability in general ..

 

[Rembrandt]

Horse whispering...in a way. Am a natural around horses, taught myself to ride, have not fallen off a horse yet, in my many years of riding a training. Even got a wild mustang to let me ride him. People often come up to me and say, am surprised that horse let you do this or that, it won't let anyone near them, etc. Science/medicine came easy to me as a child too, I would spend hours reading my stepmother at the time, medical text books, and did work giving vaccines on animals at the age of 8. I could read the books and when questioned could answer their questions. Was even given an honorary seat at the local university, to attend their classes. However, after my stepmother left, that all ended and have lost that information, but every once in awhile it comes back.

 

[kmatjhwy]

Rembrandt, now I hear what you are saying about being a natural around horses. As for myself I have not ridden or been arouund horses much but I seem to be a complete natural the few times I have ridden also.


Also as for myself, I seem to have a special knack around animals it seems. I have had many a times where animals come up to me where I can pet and scratch them. And many a pet owner has commented to me that their pet never does that to people or allows that to happen, etc.. It seems to happen quite often. And this of having a special knack also includes the wild animals including 'Grizzlies' it seems for have had quite a few very interesting and special close encounters to the Wild Grizzlies and the other Residents of the Wilds.


A psychic recently picked up on this and in a reading said this of having a way with animals stems from an earlier Native American past life.


Along with this it seems for me that 'Bushcraft', the way of living in the wilds has always come so natural for me it seems also

 

[Shiftkitty]

Rembrandt, now I hear what you are saying about being a natural around horses. As for myself I have not ridden or been arouund horses much but I seem to be a complete natural the few times I have ridden also.

First time I ever swung up into the saddle as a rank amateur ("Where's the ignition?"), the horse two horses back started picking a fight with my friend's horse, who was right behind me. His horse was trying to move forward, but the whol line was blocked by a chain. We were waiting for the trail boss. My horse finally tried to jump the chain, but his legs got cuaght up and we started to go over. I did what came naturally, not knowing what to do. I stayed in the saddle until I could tell which way Bear was going, then I jumped free (except that my shoe cuaght in the stirrup). Two hands grabbed me and I just got as far from the kicking horse as I could. His saddle had gotten caught in the railing and they had to let him free himself.


After the incident, they offered me a refund, but with little kids watching and now scared, there was no way I was going home. I dusted myself off, laughed about how exciting it was, saying it didn't hurt (and it didn't, really), then I went and grabbed the reins of the horse that started the fight, Flash.


Bear was a beginner's horse, Flash was for advanced riders because of his attitude. I swung up into his saddle and decided he owed me a good ride. The trail boss wanted to trade horses because hers was such a good-natured horse, but it was personal between me and Flash! Yeah, he acted up. He'd buck a little, tried taking me under low branches, tried rubbing up against fences, walking right along crumbling trail ledges, and the trail boss kept asking me if I was sure I'd never ridden before. She said I seemed to know perfectly well what I was doing with a cantankerous horse.


Finally we got into an open area and Flash broke free from the line. He was picking up speed like he was in the Kentucky Derby. The trail boss spurred her horse to come after me so she could grab the reins, but I was standing a little in the saddle so as not to bounce around too much. It was like I knew exactly what was going on and I knew how to stop it. I pulled the reins back suddenly and hard. He came to such a hard and shocked stop that he couldn't even rear up. I then turned him around and made him walk calmly back to the line. I was smiling ear to ear because that run felt so good! Add to that the fact that I had won the battle of wills against an animal that I had never personally seen before (I'd seen pictures of horses, yes, but never a close-up one!), and I'd call it a good day!


Flash behaved himself for the rest of the ride, and I have no doubt that he could have taken me out of the saddle if he was determined to, but all the while he was acting up I had this feeling like "I've busted worse nags than you, you lop-eared bandicoot!" It may be PL related (I did sling a gun to a tragic ending in a PL, and may have busted broncs for a living back then). I never considered it a 'talent', but I'd give anything to get back in the saddle again!

 

[Truthseeker]

I don't think this qualifies as an odd talent but I'm not sure where else to share it.


I was a sniper in WWII but have never fired a gun in this life. Today I was at Chuck E. Cheese with my family. We were there for my niece and nephew's birthdays. They had a videogame there where you were shooting moving targets with crosshairs. I was kicking butt at the game. The games at Chuck E. Cheese you win game tickets that can be cashed in by the kids for prizes. At the end of the shooting game you had one shot to hit an apple. I know, I know, an apple's not that interesting or impressive. But it was moving and far way. If you hit it you won 25 tickets. - I hit it! - I'm not aware of anyone else that was able to do it while we were there. I know it's just a game, but I felt like my sniper skills haven't completely eroded. I certainly have no need to shoot anyone or anything, nor any desire to thankfully, but it was kind of nice to have that feeling like "hey I can still do it."