Hello wide world!
I hope I find you well today.
And here's another hope I secretly carry within that little, scary heart of mine - namely that this week's headline in my beloved little blog will provoke some of your, dearest imaginary readers, into some kind of response that finds its way as a text e.g. into my chat-window, mailbox or anything similar.
Provoke... provocative... (Don't you just love the sound of these words?) - that is basically the admirable mentality to take a step beyond your own little inner sanctum and rub yourself comfortably against the harsh, cruel outside world. And of course, dearest fellow-members of the human race you just love to chat yourselves up all the time, I am not quite that serious as my title sounds - I cherish those pathetic little conversations with myself quite a lot. Is this really escapism, make-belief, protecting ourselves against a world that is not as we'd like it to be? These were some questions I was confronted with recently by one of those annoying members of the German nation. "Annoying" you ask, eye-brows raised in (mocking?) concern, partly suspecting simple-minded tendency towards stereotype, cliché or maybe even prejudice? Yes! Absolutely so! But allow me to elaborate:
The annoying qualities found in some of the Germans I've met so far are that, among other things

• they can be pretty to very observant if they want to - resulting in the fact that they notice things about you that you never realized before (the surprise can be a quite disorienting sensation)
• in public places, as well as in some social surroundings, the Germans  tend to be very quiet. This can be quite unnerving in combination with observation No. 1 made above (at least the Germans where I live, Herford is in Northrhine-Westfalia, Geography-lessons about this town will follow up in one of the on-coming blogs)
• Germans don't appear to sing in supermarkets (as a symbol for public places permanently playing soft background music)  - and that's something that I am quite used to listening to and doing myself at home in merry old Ireland. If you are German or live in Germany, try doing it and observe the horrified expressions you provoke - doubting your mental sanity is the very mildest response you'll face... 
• surprisingly, Germans, once they've warmed up to you, do like to talk and are quite adept at it (which insults my previously unshakable belief that we Irish do this best) - this can catch you quite by surprise.
• Once Germans talk to you, they make you think! I start to wonder if there is some truth in our image of Germans as a nation of philosophers.

Anyway, as I am sure you've guessed already, some conversations, chats and talks with those Teutonic barbarians have made me question my inherent inclination towards talking (or even better singing) to myself as a sign of either droll, Woody-Allen-style psychological idiosyncrasy or (much worse!!!) a subconscious cry for help out of the sheer loneliness and isolation of my heart (Cry Havoc! Unleash the dogs of war!).
However, the ensuing phase of self-doubt and presumably surprising insight has past after two nights of nail-biting and self-flagellation, and I am ready to defend any form of muttering that is not directly directed at a fellow human being:

We, the talkers to ourselves, commit this irritating act because we are in love with communication.
We believe that this is not a sign of isolation and neglect but rather of a rich, complex and prosperous inner life. An extremely positve side effect of this - we tend to not get bored (with ourselves least of all).
We are occupied with dealing with the world when engaged in acts of self-conversation - and not obsessed with keeping our countenance all the time.
We are familiar with the complexity of our surrounding world and aware of the necessity of good counsel in difficult situations - and we take it from the best: Ourselves!

Ha! Showed 'em, didn't I?

Ups- and I did it again... talking to myself! Unless you might want to comment this time on my defence of the innocent art of articulating your own stream of consciousness? Please, please, please, dear imaginary readers, free me just a little bit from this prison of my mind by conversing with me! I'd simply love to talk to you ;-).

Have a nice one,

Yours

Kitty