Do any of you have friends/family members who tell the same stories again and again? I have a cousin that constantly tells us about the same stories about some ex-boyfriend she had who treated her poorly, about some medical condition she had when she was younger, and how the people she went to school with were neanderthals. The stories weren't very interesting the first time she told them, but it seems like every time someone brings up a relationship the ex-boyfriend is brought up, or if school is mentioned she brings up her fellow students, and I can tell you word for word what she says about her medical condition because I've heard the story so many times.

There are times that family members have butted in while she was telling the story to finish it, thinking that if we let her know that we've heard the story enough to tell it verbatim she would get a clue. Instead, she ignores us and keeps yapping.

My mother also has a friend who tells the same stories about her children over and over. Fortunately she lives far away and we don't see her much so we don't have to hear the stories so much, but this cousin we see at all family functions (birthday parties, holidays) so it is hard to blow her off.

Does anyone else have annoying friends/family members, and have you figured out how to get them to start talking about something new?

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

Answers

Oh yes! My sister-in-law has only 3 subjects that she will talk about. Kids, sewing and cooking. Snooze.

I've noticed on boards that some posters will post the same shit on every board they frequent. I'm too lazy to type the same crap over again.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

I know a person, and that person is me. I'm hanging my head in shame. It's not like i do it on purpose. I was in a nasty accident this summer and lost my memory, and now my short term memory is almost gone. It's embarassing, but at least i have honest friends to tell me to shut up :)

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

My SIL is the same, except her topics are kids, cooking and church. At family functions, I just avoid her.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

I just tell people. "Uh-huh. You told me that already." Lifes to short and there is too much to convey to listen to the same thing over and over.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

Kate, my sil would dicuss church too. She became 'reborn' a few years ago and was trying to convert my whole family, but failed. We are so bad that we will talk about stuff like gays and lesbians just to watch her leave the room. We are all going to hell.

She is so bad that you can't even say, "Hey, did you see that movie or tv show, blah, blah, blah, becaause she doesn't watch anything unless it's rated G.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

Yeah, one of my sorority sisters is like that. She'll mention, say, an incident that happened at her job (she's a substitute teacher at a local elementary school) to me on Tuesday. Then again on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday...she'll keep telling the same story until there's another story for her to tell. And then she'll run that into the ground.

But I have no room to talk because I tend to talk in circles too.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

I work at probably one of the most pathological biotech. companies. This one woman, who has worked her way up to a pretty powerful position has children who are true prodigies. She talks about them incessently and the same stories to everyone. The bummer is if you don't suck up to her and ou and ah, she gets you fired or makes your life miserable.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

I had a friend like this. Talked about past relationships over and over. That is basically all he talked about, old girlfriends and people he used to be friends with and how they did him wrong. It made me realize that he had no personality and I decided to become one of his stories to tell a new victim/friend.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

Heck, *I* do it. "But wait, it's relevant!" "But so-and-so might not've heard it yet!" "But it's such a good story!" "But it illustrates-"

I'm not so bad that I can't talk about new/different things, but man, why waste a perfectly good story that's only been used a few dozen times, huh?

I know. Kick me. :)

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

Don't tempt me.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

I tell the same story or say the same things over and over but it's usually just during sex. I can't really help it. I just verbalize my fantasies and boy oh boy is it fun. Luckily, there's usually noone there to hear what I say but sometimes when I AM with my partner, I forget and say the same things. Then when we have sex again and I say those things, she must be thinking, "I've heard this one already. No, I'm not going to have another woman join us, put THAT in my butt, have a shaved lemur touch me or use my mouth THERE." Oh well. Sorry to bring sex into the topic.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

I tend to tell the same stories. But then again, I talk a lot. It never bothers me when someone tells me nicely that they've heard the story before. It's when someone finish my sentences, sarcastically summarizes or otherwise acts like a butthead that it gets ugly. There's a nice way to clue someone in and I would be terribly offended if someone opted to be rude instead of talking to me like I have brain. I think it's a pretty common mistake and in my opinion, any reasonable person won't mind if you let them know you've "heard it before." But then again, there are lots and lots of idiots in the world, and you may have stumbled on a couple of 'em.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

Oh, I tell the same stories over and over and over. My friends are pretty patient with it, and I know I do it, so I don't take it personally when someone calls me on it.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

Oh, Gardanna, believe me we have tried to be nice but it has gone over her head. She would start telling a story and one of us would say "Oh, right, you told us about that before" and she would respond with "Yes, but..." and then tell the story again thinking we would appreciate hearing it for the 12th time. Then we nicely started saying "Oh, yeah, you told us about the time your ex-boyfriend said you were fat, and you ended up not going to the party because you felt so self conscious." And she would respond with "Exactly!" and then go through the details again of what he said word for word to her and how she was feeling, because apparently we didn't understand the first 10 times we were told about it.

Another cousin and I are thinking of starting a drinking game - chug a drink every time blabber-cousin tells an old tired story. We can't imagine how drunk we would end up, but it would make our time with annoying cousin a lot more interesting.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

Hey Nicole, If you want, feel free to start talking about my fantasies any time she starts in with her stories. Let her get a sentence and a half in and then say, "That reminds me of this onee time when I was having sex and my partner asked if we could bring a sahved lemur into the bedroom..." You can make it up from there or IM me for the details of the story. Then you could use it everytime and pretty soon everyone will be like, "Yeah, we know, the cops came and they needed the jaws of life to save you and the lemur!" Oh sorry. TMI! But you get the idea.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

Thanks Tyler! I'll email you to get specifics on that lemur story.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

I don't think it's possible to tell a story involving a lemur too many times!

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

The other day I started to tell a coworker (Spiderman, for those who care) a story, and he interrupts with, "Yeah, you told me that already."

And it was kind of cold-blooded, but also kind of funny. So then I finished my story and left.

Heh.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

Well, I've just told my "Me, Charlotte and Phyllis Diller Hiking the Appalachian Trail" Dream about 13 times this morning and they just can't get enough!

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2001

Depending on who the other person is, I might just loudly say, "yeah, yeah, yeah" until he/she stops. Or "blah, blah, blah." It depends on how well I know the other person and whether or not they will take the joke in the spirit in which it was intended.

But if it's someone I have to be somewhat nice to, well.... I don't know a good way to deal with it. I generally be as polite as possible and look for a way to escape. Gently.

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2001

My now thankfully ex-coworker used to talk to me about all her soap operas like she was actually there.

I refuse to watch soaps because I may see her lurking in the background, lol.

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2001

I am guilty as charged when it comes to the repeated story. I think it's hereditary, because my parents do it, too. I usually try listen to their repeated stories with enthusiasm. I'm hoping that others will do the same for me.

I have a friend who tells an ass penny story, and I make him repeat it everytime I see him. He tells it in a funny voice and is very animated and I laugh every time. Basically, in summary, the ass penny story is this: My friend says he sticks 100 pennies in his butt every day. That's 36500 pennies a year. That means that you each probably have a penny that's been up my friend's ass. That gives him the advantage.

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2001

Erika, I agree that there are some stories that are worth repeating for comedic or entertainment value. However, there is a fine line between repeating said story merely for attention as opposed to providing true entertainment. If your friend is putting pennies in his ass in an effort to get some type of advantage, it sounds like he may have some issues to work out. Encouraging him to repeat this story may add some fuel to his need for attention getting. He may start inserting other objects (maybe even shaved lemurs) in his ass and noone wants that. Just be careful because you sound like a nice person and I would hate for your friend to inflict you with some type of 'foot and ass' disease!!!

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2001

HA! Now I could listen to funny stories over and over, like the ass penny story!

And fart jokes.

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2001

I see what you mean, Tyler. My ass penny friend also tells a story about a dream he had where a rhinoscerous tried to have sex with him. I never ask about that story. And I don't know if it's a fact, but he may already be inserting lemurs in his ass.

Foot and ass disease... Can you get that from playing "Butts Up"?

Nicole, I agree! All stories and jokes that deal with butts are funny. (Unless they're sad.)

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2001

Speaking of farting, I had PBS on the TV this morning and I wandered away from it for a few hours. When I came back the Teletubbies were on. The yellow Teletubbie was working at something I think the voice-over called a "Teletubbie custard machine," which kinda looked like a Play-doh insert-dough-squeeze-handle-out-comes-long-turds-of-dough machine. It got some air bubbles in it and started making all kinds of obnoxious farting noises. The yellow 'tubbie giggled at it. That's a combination I never thought I'd see: farting and Teletubbies.

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2001

They don't show Teletubbies here anymore, but I do remember that episode and my kids cracking up.

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2001

When the Teletubbies first started airing one of my friends was obsessed with them. I can't blame her because I enjoy(ed) the show too. Anyway, I bought her a Tubby colouring book and there is a picture in it of Po with her hands on her knees and her bum pointed in the air. Beside her bum is the printed word, "parp." We decided that Tubby farts must sound like that. I think there is a long history of Teletubby flatulence.

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2001

Hah! Parp. We always called them putt-putts. I don't know where that came from. My dad always called them that. My youngest will always say, "I farded!"

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2001

my mom in law.....drives my hubby nutz. :-)

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2001

Tylerd, just by reading all of posts on these forums, I think it's safe to assume you already have foot and ass disease.

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2001

Some of my friends do this--tell the same stories more than once--but they are mostly GOOD stories, so I don't mind hearing them anew. I can't think of anyone who has run a particular story into the ground.

I'm lucky to be surrounded by many witty and entertaining conversationalists, I suppose. Or perhaps I am extremely patient.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001