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Stupid Questions

Whoever coined the phrase, "There is no such thing as a stupid question" was smoking something. Here are my two most irritating:

1. What are you reading?
2. What are you doing?

Now I'll put them in context:
1. I am reading a book or my Kindle. I am trying to stay in the story which means that I need to mentally block out what is happening around me.

What are you reading?

Clearly, I am no longer reading because my concentration is blown and I am answering the question. Now I am reading nothing.

2. I am on the computer when I am asked, "What are you doing?"

Seriously? You want to know what I am doing? This one irritates me because I am not merely paying my bills on Bill Pay. While my pages load I am also:

  1. Checking my email
  2. Responding to an email
  3. Checking the children's grades
  4. Now emailing a teacher
  5. Checking ratings on a book
  6. Forgetting my bank password so I look it up in my documents
  7. Check my work email
  8. Register for a conference
  9. Writing a blog post.
  10. Stalk my favorite blogs until my stalkees are creeped out.
  11. Ordering the Deal of the Day
  12. Paying my credit card
  13. Putting a charge into dispute
  14. Looking up my paycheck
  15. Listening to music
  16. Scheduling SEOP's for the kids.
How long would it take to answer that one inane question? I know the asker is not really interested in what I am doing but making conversation. How about asking me to quote an entire Shakespeare sonnet? Or better, tell me what it is you REALLY want. Those four words, formed in question form, will result in a ten minute explanation at which time I will lose my flow and lose track of 75% of what I was doing. The credit card will not get paid. My friends will not get stalked. I won't schedule SEOP's thus I will forget to even go to them. I still won't know how much tithing to pay because I don't know how much I earned this month. I still didn't contact the teacher to explain why my child was late or absent and excuse it thus resulting in a grade dock.

Am I goofing off? Probably. But only between page loads. Want to guarantee I won't order your Christmas presents? Ask me what I'm doing. Go ahead. Ask.

What are you doing?

Comments

  1. EstherSeptember 26, 2011 at 7:25 AM

    My husband always asks me, "What are you reading?" Drives me CRAZY. I always answer, "A book." Which, in turn, drives him crazy. Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer!

    ReplyDelete
  2. M-CatSeptember 26, 2011 at 7:56 AM

    So funny because it's all so TRUE!

    I've finally started answering when on the computer and asked what I am doing "surfing porn"

    Shuts them up every time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TiffanySeptember 26, 2011 at 8:06 AM

    The worst part is, husbands do it too! They should know better!

    ReplyDelete
  4. June Freaking CleaverSeptember 26, 2011 at 11:19 AM

    Oops. I ask these stupid questions.

    Consider me admonished.

    I find that if I launch into a very long conversation about what I AM doing, they go away, and I can get back to what I WAS doing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. EmptyNesterSeptember 27, 2011 at 9:17 AM

    I hate it when Hubs comes in and sees me watching a movie and asks, "What movie is this?" And then he proceeds to ask what has happened up to the point where he came in. Really?

    ReplyDelete
  6. ScottSeptember 27, 2011 at 11:49 AM

    I'm reading a blog you were writing when I asked what you were doing I guess.

    Ironical eh?

    (yes I know it's not a word)

    ReplyDelete

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