atw: Re: Windows-free at last.

Gedday Geoff,

 

I appreciate your protective approach to looking after the list and the
excellent forum you've provided to us. I know how personally I took some
comments/actions within a sports club that I helped to set up and then
run for nearly 20 years, so I certainly don't begrudge anything you've
done.

 

I think you'll find he wasn't writing an instruction guide on his
location, he was just saying "hi" (that's how he started his email) and
giving us some informal and useful info. He ended it with "cheers".
These could be construed as the cues you were looking for.

 

'fraid I skipped the social work and psychology courses in my education
(and I only caught a glimpse of Jenny Brockie(sp) the other night), so I
can't help with improving either of your EQs - if, indeed, they need it.
However, I happen to think that both you and Micky are both
smarter-than-the-average-bear intelligent and extremely helpful people,
and I have no problem with either of you 'blowing your own trumpets' on
the odd occasion. I know I've been guilty of it in the recent past
(annual appraisal and bonus time will do that to you) -- and I don't
know how our IQs and EQs compare, so how could I complain? 

 

Cheers,

Terry

 

 

________________________________

From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Geoffrey
Marnell
Sent: Thursday, 5 November 2009 9:35 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: Windows-free at last.

 

So, Terry, Michael writes "Please excuse my absence from this forum for
the past several weeks" and we are suppose to read that as "Hi, nice to
see you. Sorry it's been such a long time. I've been missing your
virtual company". Why would Michael mean the latter but write the
former? Isn't precision something we pride ourselves on as professional
writers.  Or is this a new form of non-literal English?  If the latter,
can someone help me improve my emotional intelligence by pointing out
the cues in Michael's words that should have alerted me to the fact that
I should read it in a non-literal manner. (And then point me to the
translation guide that would have given me the true and proper meaning.)

 

Or perhaps someone should help Michael improve his emotional
intelligence by pointing out the cues in his words that should have
alerted him that some people will read his words literally (and take
them as Michael blowing his own trumpet).

 

Sorry Terry, sorry Dave, but this is not Alice in Wonderland, where
words can mean whatever you want them to mean.

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