haven’t posted lately, so there it is.
line of the day: I’d imagined the sender, my secret commander, crafting each word with the intent of forcing me one more step along a path so curved I couldn’t see the end.
And on emoticons. It’s hard to judge someone’s tone in writing, but with the advance of written communication like emails and IM’s taking the place of in-person words, I think we’ve reached an overload of emoticons and exclamation points. Because it’s no longer enough to say
Thanks.
You have to say Thanks! 
Because if you don’t, it seems like you’re being insincere.
And so we all add exclamation points! To sentences we’d never shout or exclaim! But it’s the only written way to show enthusiasm!
I don’t mind LOL, btw, but the whole emoticon thing and exclamation points thing is something I’ve noticed more and more.
We have to be happy! shiny! happy! Shiny! Bouncy! Bouncy!
And I know how it feels to get a one word reply without the exclamation — it makes you feel like the other person is just being conciliatory and doesn’t really “mean” what they said because without the smiley face or the exclamation ,they’re just going through the motions. That’s how it FEEEEEEEEELS!
M
March 13th, 2008 at 3:20 pm · Link
yup. I found myself re-writing/adding a lot of smilies to posts and “!!!” In emails, I’ll delete periods and change them to exclamation points, depending on who I’m corresponding with. Unfortunately, you get stuck in one trend and I just know I’m about to send the flakiest email to a prof – something like “omg i iz so sick-like todai – plz 2 not call on me – kthnxbai”
*cringe*
March 13th, 2008 at 5:27 pm · Link
pretty soon we’ll all start talking like A Clockwork Orange.
but with !