Perception... self perception... comparitive self perception of a chronological nature.
Do you ever do or say something and realize that the people around you don't understand how you mean it to be interpretted? You have been with you your whole life and you know when your joking. Other people aren't as fortunate as you are. They may have only know you for a few minutes. Sometimes I say things I mean one way but other people think I'm making a joke. It makes me seem a bit cleverer than I really am, but no, the pun [in the conversation] was not intended.

That's not exactly what I was going to write about tonight. I have this idea of myself (internal and external) that is, most likely, very different than what other people think of me. In some ways my self concept is out of date. It's also possible that certain character traits are just buried deeper than casual life cares to dig. I mean, I still carry around with me ideas and interpretations I developed when I was a teenager. I still sometimes think like I did when I was in college. I sometimes expect those around me to understand me in that context when the vast majority of them weren't around at that time. Communication needs shared meanings and experiences to take place. I could describe a coffee cup to you, but it'd be much more efficient for me to say "coffee cup" and have you understand what I mean because you've experienced coffee cups in your life. It's amazing that communication can take place sometimes.

who are we?
shadows and forms from the past
like a locust shell on a tree
reality remembered but emptied by time
outdated, irrelevent
not dead, just buried
we are not what we once were anymore