Ohhh ok, that makes sense. They could just say it then too, heh. That's what I do when I have something specific in mind

I've spent a lot of time thinking about this kinda stuff. I choose to foot the brunt when I can because, chances are, the other person is just like me and is just as lost. It always seems to do a fair bit for them when I can make it work

I think most people are often bad at navigating conversation without a goal. They want to talk, but they don't know how, so they use the tool we've all been trained to use. Whenever I get that message, I try and think of a way to engage more, even if it's just a "what are you up to?" that opens too

I actually both agree and don't. I think "Hi, how are you?" is a colloquial greeting, sure, but it's more that way because of society. I worked register at a food place and I realized that it basically meant nothing. It's purely just a greeting. So instead I started asking something more in depth.