It often surprises me how much a short advertisement conveys about the person who is lodging it. Take this one:
"OFFER: Lots and lots of baby gear (I was saving it for my stepdaughter - who has now announced she doesn't want children!)
If you decide you want this, think about your response, because I won't necessarily give it to who asks first. :)"
Does anyone else, a) detect a bit of friction in that stepmotherly relationship and b) perceive some evidence that the personality behind the offer may not be the easiest ever encountered? Just two short sentences and so much is revealed. Beware the written word.
"Think about your response"? What kind of response does she want, I wonder, besides, "Hello, I hear you need to get rid of something, well here I am, willing to take it"? Isn't that how people normally respond to ads? Does she think of her baby gear as some sort of puppy, "Free to good home," and first you have to prove you can feed it and water it and give it a run in the park?
ReplyDeleteAs for the friction, it's either that I'm detecting, or a private joke between the two on the other end.
Spot on ZMKC
ReplyDeleteAh, Umbagollah, perhaps you're right about the joke - I was allowing my own experience with a tricky stepmother to overlay my reading. Although I suppose the 'think about your response' bit gave me a bit of a hint that jokes might not be on the agenda with this person. It does make me smile though to think of people ringing up and being told 'I don't like your tone,' or 'You sound like a Queenslander, I'm not giving them to you'. One of the things I love about Freecycle is how often a simple transaction - giving away old stuff - ends up being made unbelievably complicated by the people involved. In fact, the first time I got interested enough to make a blog post was way back last year some time when an epileptic chook was advertised and, whereas I'd imagined there would be no market for such a creature, a long saga, involving character references and waiting lists ensued.
ReplyDeleteNurse - I'm glad you got my (snow)drift (I hope you've read your own comment section, otherwise that will make even less sense than it does anyway)