That made no sense at all

[redbird]

Gary Tesser [1] just called me. It's been long enough since we spoke that he asked for me by full name when I answered the phone (instead of recognizing my voice). When I admitted to being myself--figuring this was probably a response to some business- or job-related thing I'd sent out--he asked if I had a minute. Okay, this is either serious news or a request for something.

No. He told me he hoped this didn't sound like pandering" but that I am "an intelligent human being of the female persuasion" [2]. Oh-kay. Warning bells are going off.

It turned out that he was calling to tell me about a program on the History Channel tomorrow, about women inventors, and that I might be interested. I said "I might be, if I had a television set." Yes, I know somebody who owns one (he asked). No, I am not going to plan my Friday evening around a television program.

After a bit of randomness, he asked "Is that it?" to which I pointed out "You called me, you know whether that's it." What he said next made no sense--as in, it wasn't in any language I recognized--but was followed by a pro forma apology for swearing, and a repetition of the question. I said "Goodbye" and hung up the phone.

[1] A New York area sf fan, not someone I've ever known well.

[2] I'm not sure persuasion has much to do with it. It's what I got in the genetic randomness, and not something I feel a desire to change, but "of the female persuasion" is one of those half-jokes that seems odder and odder as time goes on.

Comments

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

of the female persuasion is the kind of circumlocution I associate, in the UK at least, with men who are somewhat socially inept around women, and sufficiently aware of the fact to make elaborate but unfunny jokes in an effort to conceal this awareness, or are generally a little heavyhanded with the language. I dislike it.

But I've never met Gary Tesser; in fact, I don't even recognise the name.