All hail my powers of concentration

[nanila]

Ever since I was a child I've been able to immerse myself completely in things to the exclusion of everything around me. This power of concentration, or "total lack of situational awareness" if you prefer, never left me. My favourite anecdote about it is the one from when I was about ten. My dad handed me a drink whilst I was reading. I took a big swig of it without looking at it. It was beer (stout). I ran around the house trying to find things to eat and drink to take the taste away for a good quarter of an hour.

Today was the first time in a while I've had this particular ability tested. I work in a big glass fishbowl of an office. I like the fishbowl. It's clean, modern, has good lighting, and I have a nice desk between two lovely colleagues, with three on the other side of the partition. The fishbowl is quite a busy place, with phones ringing and people talking.

I was in the middle of writing a document when one of my favourite lecturers came up behind me. According to my colleagues, she became curious when I failed to react to her presence, especially since all five of them had acknowledged her. (She has a very strong presence. She is also quite mischievous.) She crept up very close to my chair and said cheerfully, "Hello!"

I leapt out of my chair and then burst out laughing. She looked almost as astonished as I was. "How did you not notice me?!" she demanded, sounding mildly offended. "It's my superpower," I replied. "Rubbish, isn't it?"

Comments

[caulkhead]

Rubbish superpowers represent! Mine is invisibility, but it only kicks in when I'm stood in front of a bar.

[fred_mouse]

Oh, I've got that one too. Except that it kicks in and out randomly without warning, causing people to startle as I 'suddenly' appear.

[ironed_orchid]

I have it with some automatic doors.

[fred_mouse]

Oh, yeah, that one too.

[nanila]

Rubbish superpower with terrible timing! Even better. /o\

[davidgillon]

I notoriously have this same superpower.

[nanila]

*fist-bump of solidarity*

[silveradept]

That sounds like an awful familiar superpower. I think it might have been more common in the lottery than we were led to believe.

[azurelunatic]

I have it, or have had it in the past. There were a few keywords that could get my attention, though.

At Virtual Hammer, I installed a blinking doorbell so people wouldn't touch me.

[nanila]

It seems a silly thing to have propagated through thousands of years of evolution. Sigh.

[marahmarie]

This is actually one of mine, too. I get so absorbed in something I will not notice people talking directly to me, standing beside me, waving at me, or anything peripherally related to those activities. That said, good concentration. Excellent.

[nanila]

*fist-bump of full concentration solidarity* This is how we get things done! :P

[rmc28]

I have that sometimes. But argh, sneaking up on someone. At least she didn't touch you.

(I have trained my colleagues to knock on my desk if they want my attention and I seem elsewhere.)

[nanila]

That's a good trick! I may borrow it, if that's okay?

(I cannot imagine this person trying to touch me uninvited; they are quite reserved too)

[rmc28]

I'm sure I picked it up from someone else. If it's useful, use it :-)

[redsixwing]

Oh dear. xD

My useless superpower is untying knots, with a dash of social invisibility.

[nanila]

Untying knots is an amazing superpower! My earphones, while excellent, often take me minutes to untangle.

[hilarita]

I have this too. Have trained people not to touch me.

[nanila]

Good idea. I was lucky as I don't think this person would have taken the liberty, but there are definitely others who are not so sensitive.

[pbristow]

HEH! =:oD

It's the opposite of my superpower: The amazing ability to be intently aware of every possible noise, movement, smell, or other factor that is completely *unhelpful* to my thinking/working process. =:o}

Oddly, though, as a kid, I could go often into a bubble of my own and ignore all the adults chatting away around me. I blame the loss of this talent on too many adults barking "*PAUL*!!! Pay attention!" in class. =:o?

[nanila]

Rubbish superpowers ftw! Er, or something? :/

[bens_dad]

Why do I think this super-power correlates with Autism/Aspergers ?