Stochasticity

Periodically, I have been asked for advice (spiritual or otherwise) by on-line contacts; at times, this has led to unintended results. Some humorous; others not so much.

Written communication with those whom you don't know well can be difficult. (Business language is well-developed and formalized to the "cut & dried" stage, for a reason.) The loss of intonation, body language, facial expression and even hand gestures can make interpretation of messages more a minefield than a conversation. Great care is required, as even the best of intentions can be misinterpreted, and the lack of a common frame of reference can make it even more tricky.

Further complicating the issue, there are said to be six layers in interpersonal communication, completely apart from body language, inflection and tone of voice, etc.:

1. What I mean to say
2. What I actually say
3. What I think it meant

4. What you hear
5. What you think I meant
6. What it means to you

The first time it came up via e-mail, I was unprepared for the pitfalls, and it began badly. Establishing a rapport - something that seems so easy to accomplish, face to face - was much more difficult than I'd anticipated. Nevertheless, requests continue to come in, and that's okay. 

In person, I have used humor, when appropriate, to lighten the mood. This does not always work via the written word; the success depends in large part upon that "common frame of reference" which is missing in the early parts of a written communication. It has forced me to consider the written word even more closely than before, which is a good thing.

Sometimes the misunderstandings proceed from a false sense of familiarity, such as TV viewers may feel toward an actor who's in their living room on a weekly basis. Someone who has read posts on another's blog may think they know that blogger well. That may - or may not - be true. The blogger may have left much out, and there are quite probably undertones that alter the circumstances. Those things which have been left unsaid may affect the situation quite differently than suspected.

There are more requests these days than previously; it's probably God's own grace that had me learning how to handle these things, before the number of contacts began to grow. I'm by no means perfect, and won't be - this side of Heaven. But I'm learning.

* * * * *

For a seven-day period each month, I hand the after-hours and weekend calls to an assistant. Today is the first of that period for March, and so I am gloriously free of the on-duty cellphone. The sense of liberation from that 24/7 on-call status can be quite heady at times. Today, transferring the line to the assistant's phone left me wanting to dance in the parking lot. 

I'll try to contain myself. :) But it's awfully nice to be able to relax fully, after work.

* * * * *

It is another sunny/clear sky day; this morning's temperature was -6. It was -4 yesterday, and -5 on Saturday; daytime highs have been in the upper 20s and low 30s. This has been going on in excess of three weeks now, and nobody's complaining.

The forecast is for clouds & a gradual warm-up, as a clear period lasting this long is almost unheard of. I believe Valdez, AK set a new record yesterday: 22 consecutive days without precip.

Whatever happens, we can't complain about lack of light. And break-up is getting closer all the time.