Should I feel disgusted or proud about the fact that my f-i-m syndrome is not restricted to pregnancy issues alone?
Last week, during one of my Grand-Sweets errands, I ran into a school-mate. After a few microseconds of initial groping around for her name inside my hardware, I remembered it and we said the usual "Hi, how are you? It has been YEARS...". Let us just call her S.L.
So far, so good.
So, S.L tells me that she works in a local arts & sciences college and is the VICE PRINCIPAL of the college.
I could have replied "Congratulations".
I could have said "Wonderful".
It would have been great if I had said "I knew you would become someone important"
Or at least I could have said "Good for you".
But what do I say?
"How come?"
I know vice principals of colleges don't blog hop; if they did, they would not be vice principals in the first place. Still, if by any remote chance S.L. visits this blog site, despite her very probable vow never to have anything to do with me ever again, the following message is for her -
That's not what I meant.
[this is good]
Yeah, but in our country the phrase "how come" isn't meant so much as an insult than as a means to get an elaborate explanation of the process of getting that job in the first place! I've said this to people too (though I have definitely preceded it with a "Oh, that's good" or something to that effect.)
Posted by: Brown Suga' | 04/14/2008 at 02:13 PM
Thanks for the comforting words, but I still think I would have been insulted if someone had said that to me...
Posted by: Lakshmi | 04/14/2008 at 02:17 PM
Good writers do not good conversationalists make.
Posted by: Terri | 04/14/2008 at 06:10 PM
Amen.
Posted by: Lakshmi | 04/14/2008 at 07:01 PM
I'm really curious to know..what did she say?
Posted by: Purplesque | 04/15/2008 at 08:44 AM
"Ummm...they made me. Ok then, bye"
Posted by: Lakshmi | 04/15/2008 at 08:50 AM
I don't blame her. If I had been her, I would have slapped me.
Posted by: Lakshmi | 04/15/2008 at 08:55 AM
*considers the logistics of the operation*
I'm all confused.
Posted by: Purplesque | 04/15/2008 at 08:59 AM
By the way who was it, as an old classmate I could probably say a few things to make you feel better.........
Posted by: mathangi | 04/15/2008 at 11:14 AM
Shantha Lakshmi. Remember her?
Posted by: Lakshmi | 04/15/2008 at 11:18 AM
hysterical.
that happens to me all the time
of course, it's much less funny when it happens to me than when it happens to you. ;-)
Posted by: karen | 04/15/2008 at 12:07 PM
I used to do things like this a lot. Either the words came out in a way I didn't mean, or I did mean it but I didn't realize that it wasn't "appropriate" to say. Last year I was fascinated by the British version of "The Office" and I realized one of the reasons was that I felt so uncomfortable by all the wrong things this man said. I could hardly watch it at first. But kept watching it and I think the reason was that I was building up an understanding that you could say the stupidest things and it doesn't kill you. And maybe to see that there is somebody who says even worse things than I do.
And...I think my heart is telling me I've learned to be "too correct" and it's time to open up some more again.
Posted by: The Doug | 04/15/2008 at 03:58 PM
Being wrong or rude intentionally is one thing. Being perceived as rude due to stupidity of the speaker is something else. I am the least rude person you could know, yet, many people consider me so because of my loose tongue.
And if I get extra careful about what I say, I sound pretentious and totally not-me.
Someday I will learn a cure.
Posted by: Lakshmi | 04/15/2008 at 07:24 PM
Oh, it is just as funny when it happens to me. I think I laughed as S.L said her hurried bye, adding to the mess.
Posted by: Lakshmi | 04/15/2008 at 07:24 PM