Excerpts from Getting Textual – by Jill Margo, Geist Magazine
December 09, 2010
What does the Facebook message mean? Half-cut, we subject it to various decoding methodologies
…“Hope you’re doing well, enjoying Vancouver — and of course, recovered from the puppet show.”
We agree that hope is an expectation that some thing good is due to happen, which means that it also acknowledges that things might actually, as Brian says, “totally suck.” I have a new appreciation for the word hope because of the bases it covers.
I explain to Brian — and Megan and her roommate Darren, who are also listening — that I ran into A. at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, where we’d just seen a puppet show. I’d confessed to A. that I had a mild, though not very committed, case of pupaphobia when he asked me how I liked the show. I also said that I felt like I’d watched it aboard a 747 because the legroom was so bad, which is a line that I stole from Colin Thomas, the Georgia Straight’s reviewer, who was sit ting next to me.
“So he’s referencing your last encounter with a sense of humour,” says Brian.
There’s a line break in A.’s note and then he writes, “My number is …” We all agree that providing his number is a referential act and it fits with pre-existing conventions around dating — i.e., phone number = “I want you to call me so we can go on a date.” It’s also the first time A. has really asserted himself in the note. He’s confident about his phone number.
The last line in the body of the note says, “Did you see any thing else at PuSh?”
Brian notes he’s inviting conversation and even an opinion, should I wish to give it.
“He also capitalized the S in PuSh, which is what PuSh does and that shows respect for the arts,” I say. “Plus, a guy who can respect unconventional capitalization probably has a pleasant sense of propriety. He’s civilized.”
“Look at this,” says Brian, noticing the sign-off. “Best [line break] A.,” he reads out, and slaps the page with the back of his hand.
“Best has no comma after it,” I say. “The only typo in the note.”
“Or is it?” says Brian, one eye brow going up. “Maybe he’s the best guy whose name starts with the letter A. Or maybe it stands for some thing else, like Action. Maybe he’s the Best Action.”…
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