What is something about you that surprises people when they first find out?

People always assume I'm pretty smart because I work with computers and such.

I usually prove them wrong pretty quickly.

That I grew up homeless, got hooked on pills and then started breaking into houses and commited to a life of crime. I have multiple home invasion, assault, and firearm trafficking charges on my sheet, along with plenty of other stuff.

Nowadays I'm a software developer with a small farm that I spend most of my time working on. I'm quiet, don't go out much and just spend my time in nature with my family. I also volunteer at food drives and donate a good chunk of what I grow. I try to give back and improve the community as much as I can. People seem to consider me a good person now and I've been called Mr Rogers a handful of times in the past few years.

It doesn't come up often and I don't advertise it but it does unfortunately come up here and there. I only got my shit together 6 years ago when I got sober and just this year got off probation.

My actual age.

That I was a cheerleader in college (I'm a male).

No dessert for me thanks. I just ate - now's the worst possible moment to offer me even more food. I'll have a plain coffee though.

I have no sense of smell.

I'm a devout Christian.

I think most people assume that if you're not loudmouthed about it, it must not be important to you. Others have just had so many negative experiences with Christianity. I have complicated feelings about that.

That I am physically strong. I am skinny and don't have a lot of obvious muscle but to the surprise of many I can lift heavy and stand my ground arm wrestling.

I can put my foot behind my head. People just don't exact it from a 1.78m dude.

I have an identical twin. Or that the much shorter person next to me is...that identical twin lol. Yes twin is six inches shorter! We're still identical! Turns out when you're born 4lbs and 2lbs, the 2lb baby does not catch up in height and stuff!

Everyones surprised I'm actually a dog

I tend to fart a lot.

People always underestimate how nerdy I am. I am quite the professional in my career and people overestimate my social skills lol

Copied from my women's stuff answer:

That my mom is dead. I'm not old enough for people to really consider that that stage of life might have happened to me yet.

Also, that I'm hard of hearing. I'm in my early 30s, speak well, and don't look disabled. It's honestly like a superpower how fast people forget when I tell them I'm a lip reader or am (or am not) wearing hearing aids. Sometimes them speaking louder and to my face lasts a whole 2 sentences.

I don't like cars. I consider them dangerous and addictive, and I'm willing to cycle a few hundred km just to avoid using one. Mostly because of environmental reasons, but also because I'm probably nerodivergent. Cars are constantly reminding me of the wasted energy, the pollution, and the possibility to kill someone else, or an animal. I'm often distracted and impatient, so I just consider it better for everyone if I avoid them.

And that's usually a surprise to most people that meet me, as the vast majority of people will reply they could never live without their car. Most people love cars, but to me, seeing an endless stream of them on the horizon makes me sad.

Nice try, cops.

People are generally convinced I'm vegetarian or vegan. I'm not.

Sometimes it takes them eating with me 3-4 times to realize "Wait, you eat meat??" ... It's strange, I seem to have a veggy vibe.

I feel like basically everything? I look like a petite pumpkin spice white girl but my taste in music, media, clothing, hobbies etc are typically not what my demographic is into, or I’m super into it like fashion and tend to dress “too nicely” (as if that’s possible) which I think also makes people raise an eyebrow when they hear I listen to metal or I’m a basshead, I’m a gamer and have been one for over twenty years, I’m into cars, I love mechanical stuff in general, I like getting my hands dirty and enjoy things like manual labor, I’m always doing yard work. Other weird stuff like my health history is bonkers, but that doesn’t come up as often unless they ask me directly or ask about my scars. People always seem surprised I’m smart but don’t tell me that upfront lol I’m just a good case of “don’t judge a book by its cover” I guess

I do noncommercial talk radio and podcasts, I'm not real-world famous or anything but there are people out there who know me from that. On multiple occasions when listeners have met me in person, they've mentioned being surprised by pretty much all of what I look like as it didn't match their mental image of me. I've also had folks be surprised by my normal talking pace, because they set their podcast app of choice to high-speed playback and that's how they're used to hearing me.

56m here and I look like a simple farmer, a person of the land. The common clay of the Midwest, you know.... A moron.

The reality is I don't own a gun although I can handle one. My vocabulary is quite broad and I can use sesquipedalian words rather adroitly. I drive a hybrid Camry and my wife is highly intelligent and educated. She actually holds two doctorates. I didn't have a problem staying at home with our two boys while she got her career off the ground. Our oldest is starting at Northwestern in two weeks.

My political leanings got me disowned from my Maga loving family and I'm just fine with that.

But I still look the part of a Midwest redneck.

That I'm a virgin

That I live inside their walls.

I'm never as good looking or smart as they heard I was.

I am in a program to become a Gestaltherapist while working full-time as a computer scientist.

These are two completely different worlds, one is very focused on tech, doesn't have a lot of emotions, and the other one is full of talking and emotions. It's fun to have these two worlds in my life.

I have low affect so it's usually along the lines of "Wow, so you aren't going to wear my skin like a mask. You're actually nice. I never would have guessed."