You know what? You probably,
um…you know… sound like an idiot!
Now that I’m working from my
guest bedroom, without the perk of a (relatively) soundproof office, it means
that for the first time since Jigsaw’s inception that my conversations can be
overheard. Don’t get me wrong- my
family would rather listen to Urkel sing falsetto than pay attention to my
business yip-yap all day. Nevertheless my wife has caught snippets of my prattle
and couldn’t help but notice that particularly when speaking formally that I
say “you know” practically every other word. I’ve been trying to eradicate this
amazingly sticky expression from my vocabulary (it is hard!) and unfortunately
I now notice it in everyone else, too.
Y’know is one of several filler
words or syllables known (to linguistics dorks only, I’m sure) as discourse
markers. Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discourse_marker) – where all
internet info junkies hang out - aptly defines them as “a word or phrase that
is relatively syntax-independent, does not have a particular grammatical
function, does not change the meaning of the utterance, and has a somewhat
empty meaning.” I found other descriptions of these diction hiccups as making a
connection between what you are saying and yourself or the listener, serving as
a marker for emphasis, changing the topic of a conversation, serving as a pause
and a few other high-brow excuses, but if you ask me they are just nervous ticks
in conversation. And like all mannerisms they can at best slightly distract the
observer or at worst make him want to crawl out of his skin.
Continue reading "You Know?" »
As many of you know I just “completed”
(still living out of boxes and working through a wireless internet card on my
laptop) a move to Charlotte, NC.
Between selling one house in California, arranging the transport of all
our belongings and starting all the services necessary for a digital life on
the other end, I have encountered enough vendors to fuel a ton of blog posts-
mostly in the “what not to do” category.
Top on my list is one of the most infuriating and idiotic customer support
blunders out there: when the person that is “helping” you doesn’t take
ownership of your problem.
The company that moved my cars provided
the most glaring (and shameless) example of “passing the buck.” I knew going in
that I wasn’t going to get W hotel style service (“hello Mr. Moulton, what is
your wish”) from any of these guys. That’s why I thought I was wise in choosing
Company A. [I’m so tempted to call those f^ckers out by name! ] They are a
small, local, very well-referred company that were up front about being the “most
expensive because we don’t cut corners.”
While every other large national transport company had an advanced phone
tree that landed me with a different operator from God-knows-where each time I
called, this company had one location and a very friendly person (who I will
call Wendy) that insisted I speak only with her through the process. Everyone
else was squirrelly about when my cars would be delivered; Wendy ensured me
that my cars would be delivered on or before my date of arrival in NC (I had a
friend who would have taken the delivery). I called back twice after scheduling the order to test the
customer service and got my personal assistant each time. When I dropped off
the cars July 21st, Wendy wasn’t around, but the two people in the office were
nice as pie and again confirmed that my cars would be there on July 30th.
Nothing to worry about, right?
Continue reading "Don't Pass the Buck" »