"and 100 more" (nth256)
05/17/2019 at 15:30 • Filed to: None
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15|
"and 100 more" (nth256)
05/17/2019 at 15:30 • Filed to: None | 0
| 15 |
Humor me, Oppo. I was attempting to buy tires from someone on Fb marketplace, we couldn’t get our schedules to line up during the week, so I suggested meeting on Saturday if the tires weren’t sold by then. I understood that she was in agreement with this.
Talking to her today, she tells me she’s out of town on Sat ur day, and that somehow she understood something completely different.
T his is a screencap that she sent to me , as proof of what we agreed on:
I pulled the plug, wished her good luck on the sale, to which she responded, “K”.
Well.
K, then.
Was I really that vague? What am I missing here?
CalzoneGolem
> and 100 more
05/17/2019 at 15:44 |
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I don’t understand any of this.
TysMagic
> and 100 more
05/17/2019 at 15:52 |
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I feel like you could get a better deal on the tires anyway
MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
> and 100 more
05/17/2019 at 15:53 |
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and 100 more
> CalzoneGolem
05/17/2019 at 15:54 |
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and 100 more
> TysMagic
05/17/2019 at 15:55 |
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Yeah, it’s just as well.
Just Jeepin'
> and 100 more
05/17/2019 at 15:55 |
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Technically you didn’t say you’d meet her Saturday, just that you’d meet her somewhere if they didn’t sell by then.
Even without ambiguity I find most people incapable of communicating or committing. No idea how to solve that problem.
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and 100 more
> MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
05/17/2019 at 15:56 |
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Right, but who’s the idiot in this case?
Unless we both are...
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and 100 more
> Just Jeepin'
05/17/2019 at 15:58 |
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Okay, yeah, I can see that. I invoked Saturday, but i never explicitly said “Let’s meet Saturday”.
Thank you for pointing that out .
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CalzoneGolem
> and 100 more
05/17/2019 at 16:00 |
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3point8isgreat
> and 100 more
05/17/2019 at 16:00 |
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First, I would probably assume you meant meeting on Saturday. And might just double check to make sure. A lot of casual communication functions just fine on small assumptions.
But, I could see how she might interpret that as saying you’d meet wherever she wanted after Saturday. Sort of like implying you’re busy until Saturday and then free after that.
Disclaimer: This is all just a completely unprofessional take on this. I do the numbers for a living, not the words.
I’m not sure I know the correct technical grammar terms, but I think the term “clause” is what I’m looking for. In which case the comma sort of separates the clauses or ideas. So you have the clause stating the condition of them not being sold by Saturday, and the separate but related clause stating you can then meet wherever if. But the statement about meeting doesn’t necessarily specify when.
I think saying something like “I can meet wherever on Saturday, if they’re not sold before then” would better tie the ability to meet to the “when” of Saturday.
BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
> and 100 more
05/17/2019 at 16:02 |
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Like Just Jeepin’ said, it’s because you only mentioned Saturday as a cutoff for if they’ve been sold or not. You needed to say “If they’re not sold by Saturday, can we meet on Saturday at...”.
Unfortunately specificity of time / date is something I had to learn the hard way in management.
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and 100 more
> 3point8isgreat
05/17/2019 at 16:02 |
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Excellent breakdown, thank you. I can see now , I was too vague.
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Just Jeepin'
> and 100 more
05/17/2019 at 16:07 |
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A career in computers has left me very attuned to semantic ambiguities.
Although I’ll never top my grade school friend who, upon hearing a story about two imprisoned lovers who communicated through a chink in the wall, hummed a little Chinese tune. Racist but, well, kids.
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and 100 more
> BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
05/17/2019 at 16:08 |
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I think my willingness to be flexible got in the way. That seems to be a running theme for me.
Thank you for the input.
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and 100 more
> Just Jeepin'
05/17/2019 at 16:10 |
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LOL!! I’m laughing at your racist friend, not the racist joke, i swear.