Friday, March 11, 2005

名 语言;国语;措辞;句话

Gunner calls this morning. The transcript is roughly as follows:

G: Dude, I need a favor.
B: [thinking physical labor will be involved, and mentally manipulating his schedule to find a reason that he will not be available] Um, ok.
G: I'm driving and I have accidentally changed the language on my iPod.
B: Ok.
G: I changed it to Chinese and I can't figure out how to change it back.
B: Why not?
G: Because I can't read Chinese.
B: Ok, hang on a second and let me fire mine up.

[Brett retrieves his iPod from the stack of books he bought in Greenville, a Wendy's napkin, several blank CD's, and the Phil Vassar CD which has been in his back room since he made the first compilation for his now-neighbor some eleven months ago]

B: Ok, have you updated your iPod software.
G: Um, I dunno.
B: Well can you remember if the first word on your menu is "browse" or "music?"
G: I think it's mus... no, wai... it's brow... it's definitely music. I think.
B: Ok, go all the way to the bottom and then up three and punch the button.
G: Oka.. no, it makes it play.

[Brett, always willing to sacrifice for the sake of his friends, unless it involves physical labor, memorizes how to change the settings... then boldly changes the language of his own iPod to talk Gunner through the process - all at the risk of himself becoming stuck in another language.]

B: Hmmm. Well, scroll down until you see the thing that looks like it is four characters, with like three horizontal lines, and then like a box thing, with what looks like an "E" on the end of it.

[note: Gunner was apparently driving all this time. Nice.]

G: Hmmm. An "E."
B: Yup, an "E." Well it looks like an "E" but it isn't.
G: Well I don't see it, I'll just select the shortest word.
B: Ok.
G: Wai... aha, there it is in English. Reset. Awesome dude, thanks.
B: Drive carefully.

2 comments:

Corley said...

In the immortal words of Hank Hill, "Yup." AKA: tru dat...'nuff said....."Acknowledged" (Knight).
That kind of story-telling/scenario puts me back right there. Thanks.

Gunner said...

Driving yes, but what is one to do when stuck in Chinese, facing another 8 hours of driving? Call the friend who will exert his mental labor, albeit for a short time. "Thanks, Dude." doesn't even begin to say it.