Cannot do

[kyounge1956]

I've never understood physics or electricity.

 

[CuppaJoe]

I cannot sing in tune, the music teacher was not impressed with my rendition of “Don’t Fence Me In,” and I sat out 8th grade chorus with the smartest kid in the class. Everyone else made the cut and we sat there like outcasts in our usual seats, she right behind me, passing messages by kicking my foot. “Lori” was destined to be valedictorian and prom queen and I figured if it was the only thing she couldn’t do, it didn’t matter. La La La, as Dirty Harry would say, one must know one’s limitations.

 

[clifp]

1. Play any sport that involves a ball.
2. Not get lost in another city.
3. Proofread my own writing.

 

[Nords]

I have no sense of décor. If I lived here alone then we wouldn't even have bathroom doors.

I used to be proficient at parachuting out of airplanes & helicopters, and now I won't do that anymore. Not only in the sense of absorbing shock in my left knee, but mentally as well. Does that count as "cannot"?

I'm pretty sure that I can't run a marathon on these knees either, but I have no intention of finding out.

 

[travelover]

Sing or dance. I took ballroom dancing lessons for about 5 years and still never felt confident that I could hear the beat.

 

[CuppaJoe]

Sing or dance. I took ballroom dancing lessons for about 5 years and still never felt confident that I could hear the beat.

What?

 

[travelover]

What?

Well, there is deaf and tone deaf

 

[CuppaJoe]

Well, there is deaf and tone deaf

Or both. My parents were baffled and had my hearing checked.

 

[NW-Bound]

There are soo many things I could not do even when I was young, and certainly wouldn't try again now. Like,

1) Catch something thrown to me. I would just try to move to avoid getting hit in the face.
2) Maintain my balance on skates, skateboards, skis, or anything that moves underfoot. I amazed myself that I could ride a bicycle when I was around 5.
3) Singing in tune. No, I am not tone deaf. These are different thangs! One is INPUT, the other is OUTPUT! Got that?
4) Dance. Same as above, I get the rhythm of the music, and can mentally tap my feet to it, but cannot move my body to match. Good thing DW also does not care about dancing.
5) Play the guitar. I have posted about this before. My siblings all took piano lessons, and did reasonably well. I wanted to do something different. Failed miserably.
6) To this day, I play no sports, hence have no interest in any sport of any kind. For physical activities, I go up to my boonies home to move some rocks, or trim some trees.
7) I cannot whistle, but I can chew gum, used to smoke a cigarette, while doing whatever.​

There are more, but those should be enough. I will wait for someone to start a "Can do" thread, then I will post more.

 

[MuirWannabe]

Whistle. Drives me crazy. Even my son, who seems to have inherited almost all traits from me, can whistle all day long. I try, but only air comes out. Ridiculous.

 

[FIREd]

1) Meditating. Just can't slow my overactive brain down while I am awake unless I am dead tired. But then I'll fall asleep.

2) Working out. If I can get my exercise while doing something useful (mowing the lawn, cutting a tree, gardening, etc...), fine. But lifting weights, running on a treadmill or pedaling in place on a stationary bike, no. Too boring for me.

3) Waking up in the morning to the sound of an alarm clock or a telephone... That will ruin my day. I'll wake up when my body is rested. It usually requires 7-7.5 hours of sleep.

4) Keeping a proper journal. As a scientist, the ability to keep a journal is very important, but it is an ability that I do not possess. Thank goodness I have an excellent memory.

 

[Meadbh]

There are soo many things I could not do even when I was young, and certainly wouldn't try again now. Like,

1) Catch something thrown to me. I would just try to move to avoid getting hit in the face.
2) Maintain my balance on skates, skateboards, skis, or anything that moves underfoot. I amazed myself that I could ride a bicycle when I was around 5.
​

Ditto! I cannot skate because I am afraid of losing control. I have never had good proprioception.

On the other hand I have a good spatial sense and if you are on a road trip, you want me as your navigator. And I have no problem riding a bike.

 

[freebird5825]

2) Working out. If I can get my exercise while doing something useful (mowing the lawn, cutting a tree, gardening, etc...), fine. But lifting weights, running on a treadmill or pedaling in place on a stationary bike, no. Too boring for me.

Ditto on number 2.

I also never mastered downhill skiiing. I've been "sportsy" all my life but this one eluded me.

I feel that I cannot sing, however I did a pretty decent rendition of the Beatles' "Yesterday" and "And I Love Her" at karaoke in Daytona Beach a week ago. It may have had something to do with the 99 cent draft beers, the non-stop attention the karaoke guy was giving to a "new face in the crowd", and the fact I was returning to the hotel by trolley (not driving).
And perhaps it may have slightly mattered that I would never see these people again.

 

[mbooth]

There are soo many things I could not do even when I was young, and certainly wouldn't try again now. Like,

1) Catch something thrown to me. I would just try to move to avoid getting hit in the face.
2) Maintain my balance on skates, skateboards, skis, or anything that moves underfoot. I amazed myself that I could ride a bicycle when I was around 5.
3) Singing in tune. No, I am not tone deaf. These are different thangs! One is INPUT, the other is OUTPUT! Got that?
4) Dance. Same as above, I get the rhythm of the music, and can mentally tap my feet to it, but cannot move my body to match. Good thing DW also does not care about dancing.
5) Play the guitar. I have posted about this before. My siblings all took piano lessons, and did reasonably well. I wanted to do something different. Failed miserably.
6) To this day, I play no sports, hence have no interest in any sport of any kind. For physical activities, I go up to my boonies home to move some rocks, or trim some trees.
7) I cannot whistle, but I can chew gum, used to smoke a cigarette, while doing whatever.
​

There are more, but those should be enough. I will wait for someone to start a "Can do" thread, then I will post more.

Can we exchange birth date/location details? Despite undoubted geographical distance (born in UK, now live 'down-under'), most likely temporal inconsistancies, birth-parent non-convergancies and, for all I know, ethnic and cultural phase-shifts........I feel there is a strong likelihood we may be identical twins!

The reference to being completely non-sports oriented literally raised the hairs on the back of my neck (being particularly relevant since I'm totally bald and have no neck-hairs)

 

[Meadbh]

Can we exchange birth date/location details? Despite undoubted geographical distance (born in UK, now live 'down-under'), most likely temporal inconsistancies, birth-parent non-convergancies and, for all I know, ethnic and cultural phase-shifts........I feel there is a strong likelihood we may be identical twins!

The reference to being completely non-sports oriented literally raised the hairs on the back of my neck (being particularly relevant since I'm totally bald and have no neck-hairs)

I didn't know you were allowed to live in Australia and not be sports-oriented!

 

[ksr]

I also never mastered downhill skiiing. I've been "sportsy" all my life but this one eluded me.

That's funny because I was never sportsy or athletic but finally found two things I could do - downhill skiing and horseback riding. I concluded at a young age that I was not good at anything that involved a ball (volleyball, soccer, softball, etc.) but *might* be OK if it instead required balance.

 

[RunningBum]

For me it's anything musical or artistic. Can't sing or play an instrument, though I never really had an interest. Can't draw or paint. I just can't translate the picture I'm looking at or have in my head to paper, plus I'm not very creative.

Chess is another odd one. I have a computer chess game and can only hold my own against the beginner level. Against intermediate, I always leave something open that I don't see, and it's downhill from there. It's strange, because I just thing that seeing all of the possibilities seems like something I should be able to do fairly well.

 

[Dreamer]

Oh, there are too many to list. I will say that I am not crafty, can't carry a tune or play any musical instruments, not athletic and can't speak a foreign language, even though I took 3 years of French in high school. Okay, I am going to stop with those before I start feeling bad about all of my shortcomings.

 

[NW-Bound]

Can we exchange birth date/location details? Despite undoubted geographical distance (born in UK, now live 'down-under'), most likely temporal inconsistancies, birth-parent non-convergancies and, for all I know, ethnic and cultural phase-shifts........I feel there is a strong likelihood we may be identical twins!

The reference to being completely non-sports oriented literally raised the hairs on the back of my neck (being particularly relevant since I'm totally bald and have no neck-hairs)

Hey, it's great to know that I am not as weird as I often think.

My late father was never into sports, so it rubbed off on me. In our family, we watch no spectator sport games. My son is like me now, although he is good at skateboarding and long boarding, and he plays pool. We like physical activities, but doing our own things like hiking and biking, but not in competitive events or in groups. However, my two brothers like to watch some football games.

And by the way, I remember you as the Aussie who told me I missed out on not sampling roos meat when I was down there. Pat myself on the back for having some free memory cells left.

 

[vicente solano]

I´m worthless at anything that is commonly thought as useful. And not too good at things generally considered useless. I´ve realised this sad and pathetic situation a long time ago. I´ve accepted it. I hope my current wife has, too

 

[Walt34]

I can't carry a tune in a bucket.

No sense of decor or color matching. When I had to buy a dozen suits for work it took months to assemble them and ended up with only white shirts because they go with anything.

No ability (or interest in) any sports that do not involve high-powered engines.

 

[mbooth]

but doing our own things like hiking and biking, but not in competitive events or in groups.

And by the way, I remember you as the Aussie who told me I missed out on not sampling roos meat when I was down there. Pat myself on the back for having some free memory cells left.

The only 'sport' I ever excelled in was (military) rifle-shooting. This was because I could lay down and do it, so required minimal exertion

Although it was an activity that called for 'personal best' endeavour, that meant that the 'competition' was equally laid-back

As regards the roo-meat....yeah, poor choice on your behalf, had you taken a mouthful or two, maybe your memory-retention could have been improved even more

 

[kcowan]

I cant play golf - the last time I played I shot around 130

That's my problem too. Tried for years. Won prizes for most honest golfer with scores of 3 then 8 then 11 then 4. It was all in the (wild eratic) drives.

 

[Rustward]

Juggle.

 

[Martha]

In the "can do" thread a number of people mentioned their talent for napping. I can't nap for nothing.