When Good Friends Do Bad Things
I probably risk alienating some friends by talking about this. But, in the long run, I think it’s worth it. I think we’ve all been there. You make a friend, or you have a friend. A friend from work, a cousin, someone you’ve known since High School. You talk, you laugh. You go out, you exchange Christmas cards, whatever the relationship. You think you know that person. You think you can rely on that person, tell your secrets to them.
Then it happens. They do that thing that we all hate. And…I realy think we ALL hate it, at least on some level.
They start sending you forwarded emails. Maybe just one or two at first. Maybe they even preface the emails with something like, “You know I never forward this stuff, but I knew you’d think this was funny.” So, that first time, you read it. It’s some kind of angel prayer, or maybe it’s a joke about how men can’t handle anything. You chuckle, but in your heart, the seed of doubt has been planted.
Then, a day or two later, they maybe forward something else. They make another excuse. The forwarded message is just not dang funny.
Usually by the 3rd or 4th time, you know your “friend” has a problem. Your getting all sorts of random crud. If you don’t forward this, some little boy in Darfur is going to starve, you’ll break his spirit, keep this chain going or no other miracles will ever happen… They are specific to our professions as well. I can tell all of my friends now, I have GOTTEN the one with all of the actual quotes from court trials (Q: Mr./Dr. Coroner, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people? A: Um…all my autopsies have been on dead people). Seriously, it was chuckle-worthy, but I’m good now, thanks.
At any rate, you can safely classify your friend as one of “those” people. Again, I know you all know who I mean. You might even be one of them. An email forwarder. You hate to do it, but after about the 15th email in about 4 days, you’ve got a decision to make. Do you spam block them or do you just manually delete anything that comes from this person. Frankly, I choose to manually delete. Somehow, spam blocking seems so cold. They are still, after all, my friend. What if something major happened and they sent me an email about it. Of course, if they were REALLLY close friends, they’d pick up a phone and call me about it.
Do you think A & E could do an Intervention episode about email forwarders?
… thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou … THANK YOU!
Comment by LunaPierCook — December 9, 2007 @ 12:09 pm
Note to self. Leave LPC and Robin off the list the next time I’m instructed by a chain email to “forward something to 15 friends who deserve something lovely… I just did.”
RR
Comment by Rebecca Regnier — December 9, 2007 @ 2:02 pm
Sorry, to me, something lovely is not go get a forwarded email.
Having said that, I realize I basically just elf-bombed my entire family with our fabulously funny “elf yourself” video. But come ON it was funny! Me, Jim, the kids…as elves…dancing!
Comment by Robin Dec — December 9, 2007 @ 2:06 pm
Hey RR, it was seriously odd to see you working this morning. If someone had sent me a chain email to watch because you were on, I’d have thought, “Yeah, right …” and deleted it. (Had to tie that to Robin’s post somehow.)
Comment by LunaPierCook — December 9, 2007 @ 3:38 pm
My first anchoring at WTVG was on Sunday Mornings with Joe Thomas and Dave Chudowsky. It’s was like old times.
RR
P.S. Elf Yourself is just wicked funny. Can’t be helped.
Comment by Rebecca Regnier — December 9, 2007 @ 4:00 pm
I like how one of my son’s friends MOM sends us the “Elf Yourself” email….I open it cuz I’m like, this will be a hoot to see the mom and dad dancing LOL….and it was pictures of the people that sent her the email!!! LMAO 2 days later we get the email with their picture…funny stuff
Personally, I love the forwarded email that says “this is a school project” enter your name, add an * if your name is there. Keep it going………
Comment by Cheryl Engfer — December 9, 2007 @ 9:11 pm
you know I’m kidding right
Comment by Cheryl Engfer — December 9, 2007 @ 9:12 pm
I plead guilty to doing this occasionally (although I am careful on my “to” list, and I don’t do the doom and gloom chain letters. HOWEVER, my very good friend Jodi once sent me an email that looked cute, but in the end promised bad luck if deleted. I, of course, deleted it anyway. Three days later, I fell and broke my ankle–I spent the next 6 weeks on crutches, and then had a bunch of other snowball impacts for the next 6 months. I now have a mailbox full of messages I’m now too superstitious to delete (but I promise not to forward them).
BTW–I had your dozen cookies, but with teenagers in the house, they didn’t last. Looks like I’ll be baking again this weekend!
Comment by Phyllis — December 10, 2007 @ 9:57 am
Seriously, the BEST ones are the ones that say “If you don’t keep this going you will die on Saturday (or any other random day). As I wrote this, I was thinkng how sad is it that I can quote a forwarded e-mail. I too, must have tons of “thos friends”
Comment by Cheryl K — December 14, 2007 @ 9:52 am
Now this is funny! I’m going to forward it to all of my friends! Thanks!
Comment by Crydo — December 17, 2007 @ 11:47 am