No, I'm not deaf.
In fact, I made a fool out of myself for once berating a poster who wrote a bunch of stuff that was nearly incomprehensible. I wanted to help the guy out but couldn't figure out what the hell he was saying. Someone ELSE here noted that certain patterns in the guy's writing indicated he was probably deaf. That turned out to be the case. I felt bad and offered an apology.
I just like to write. I also have no problem with tangential issues as they quite often are necessary to discuss if we are to see various aspects of any given situation.
And sometimes discussions simply wander into new territory. Many guys here will take a conversation and spin it into something new. I find that refreshing, personally.
I DO sometimes have difficulty hearing conversations if they are in a crowded place where there is lots of ambient noise. This is pretty normal, but I think for me it's maybe a bit more pronounced than for most other folks. I don't like distractions. It bugs me when my mind isn't focused. I hate to carry on a discussion if TVs are blaring or music is playing, etc.
Now, why would you want to take this discussion we were having and go off on a tangent about something not related?
Just kidding. Got you, though!
As for the "long post" stuff... eh. We've been down this road a thousand times. No offense meant, but my response is always the same: if long posts are bothersome, folks would be well advised to skip anything I write. Skimming is another good suggestion -- not every topic is of interest to everyone here. Generally I read MOST of whatever it is the other guys write, but I am "guilty" of skimming from time to time, too.
Probably positive reinforcement as a young man is the main reason why I write at length. In school, I would be asked to write a three-page essay and I'd turn in ten pages instead. I never had a teacher complain. In fact, they would often force me to read my shit to the whole class, which I hated. But the "A" grade seemed to say that whatever I was doing was working, so...
I also type very fast. I cannot write in cursive script. My handwriting is awful. I've been typing since I was about ten years old.
I write for other web sites as well, though I am currently on a break and able to focus more of my attention here at the moment.
I also like to be as CLEAR as possible, even when going off on a tangent. Message boards tend to be misinterpreted quite often and people's feelings get hurt if you don't take pains to be explicit.
I sometimes write shorter posts -- but not often.
And finally... I'm up in New York visiting my family and dealing with some other bullshit. It's freezing cold. There's a foot or more of snow on the ground. There's not much to do here -- the bookstores don't get busy until later at night!
Glad you enjoy some of what I write, at any rate. And no, I'm not offended. I hear this ALL the time and am quite used to it.