This is about as Mundane and Pointless as it gets…
While I was out, my hubby asked me to pick up a box of Strawberry Corn Flakes. I was like… umm… I don’t think that’s a thing? Are you sure that’s a thing? He insisted it was. So I went to two stores, neither of which had Strawberry Corn Flakes. I told him I could get the similar-sounding Honey Bunches of Oats with REAL STRAWBERRIES, but he didn’t want that, so I came home empty-handed.
Cut to the next day when we happen to be at the store again together, and he grabs a box of Special K with Red Berries. “See, Strawberry Corn Flakes!” :smack::smack::smack:
Like many Chicagoans, my dad referred to carbonated drinks in general as cokes. One day when I was about 10 I went across the street to the store to buy, at his request and in his words, a couple of bottles of Coke. I bought, of course, a couple of bottles of Coke. I brought them home with the change, and he glowered at me: “When I said Coke,” he said, “I meant Pepsi, not Coke!”
Can’t speak for the OP, But my own mind reading skills were poorly developed at the age of 10. Today, in contrast, if Dad were still around and made the same request, I would know exactly what to get him.
No mind reading necessary; you just need to pick up on subtle grammatical clues and body language:
Perry: How about you, Harry, did your father love you?
Harry: Ah, sometimes, like when I dressed up like a bottle. How about yours?
Perry: Well, he used to beat me in Morse code, so it’s possible, but he never actually said the words.
Actually that’s what I thought he wanted, but yes your point is made, and made well. My wife does it often enough, saying one thing but meaning another. Frustrating!
But at least, there while he’s holding that box and having just said that, you can make a strong case for him to be accurate with his words. Whether he buys it or not, that’s another story. I speak from experience.
Perry: Go. Sleep badly. Any questions, hesitate to call.
Harry: Bad.
Perry: Excuse me?
Harry: Sleep bad. Otherwise it makes it seem like the mechanism that allows you to sleep…
Perry: What, fuckhead? Who taught you grammar? Badly’s an adverb. Get out. Vanish.
I learned long ago that when my spouse makes a request of me it will be deliberately vague, in some crucial aspect. This is done to insure that I will fail to satisfy the request adequately, which justifies scolding of me.
So, as a defense mechanism, if I am alert when a request is made, I will refuse. However, occasionally I will not be alert and inadvertently agree to a request, whereas the cycle is guaranteed to play out as described above.
My brother, who was born and raised in Alaska, also called all sodas ‘cokes’. Same scenario: he sends me into a convenience store to get “a sixpack of cokes”. When I came back, he says “Didn’t you get any root beer?” :smack:
One other story. My sister’s husband called home and asked her if she needed anything. She had been working on her raspberry patch and said “Yeah, can you pick up about ten stakes for me?” He of course came home with ten porterhouses and wanted to know who the hell they knew that rated that sort of meal.
[QUOTE=Ulf the Unwashed]
Like many Chicagoans, my dad referred to carbonated drinks in general as cokes. One day when I was about 10 I went across the street to the store to buy, at his request and in his words, a couple of bottles of Coke. I bought, of course, a couple of bottles of Coke. I brought them home with the change, and he glowered at me: “When I said Coke,” he said, “I meant Pepsi, not Coke!”
[/QUOTE]
