I can’t replace words because I stutter nearly always, or more accurately, I block. Most people try to finish my thoughts, get it wrong, and keep guessing till they get it and I nod. As I’ve gotten older, the problem has become less about embarrassment and more about efficiency. People always tell me to not care what people think but they don’t understand it’s not about that. Time always runs out and the conversation shuts down. I never get to be funny, clever or interesting; I’m just there. I went to an NSA convention once and even there, where everybody was super understanding, the same thing happened. Conversations were really awkward and just timed out.