You're such a kittenhead...

Kittenhead: noun (ktn-hd)

 Everyone knows one of these, or is guilty at one time or another of being one themselves - folks, I introduce to you, the Kittenhead. The one who is vacantly staring at the wall while everyone else is engaged in conversation, or who absentmindedly interjects during said conversations with completely unrelated (and random) comments, the Kittenhead should not be confused with The Idiot, or The Simpleton, yet they may exhibit remarkably similar characteristics to both. The Kittenhead is, in fact, capable of intelligent thought and conversation, yet it slips easily in and out of social awareness, into a state which can only be likened to the type of distraction that a kitten experiences when confronted with a ball of yarn.

 The term originated over a dinner with six friends: five non-Kittenheads, and one Kittenhead (KH). The dinner conversation started off light, then moved to education, and even law-enforcement, at which point the KH disengaged and at several points made unrelated, even Tourrette's-like remarks. It has been speculated that the topics moved beyond the KH's realm of interest, and he, therefore, withdrew attention. As the five non-KH's observed their subject's behaviour, and speculated on what the subject of his thoughts were, they concluded that his brain was temporarily filled with kittens playing with balls of yarn.

You, or someone you know, may have experienced this condition before, but you needn't be alarmed, as it is, for the most part, harmless. Actually, at times it can be quite useful as it allows the subject to remain completely selfish throughout conversations, as the KH's friends will either reach a point of tolerance for, or even enjoyment of the KH's strange, seemingly idiotic trances, or they will follow specific conversational threads that are of interest to said KH, so as to keep him/her engaged.