I came to find that the word of the day was awesome. When I arrived at the office today, I encountered a couple of colleagues and one used the word awesome repeatedly during our conversation. It sounded a bit sarcastic, which was his way of dealing with a tired Monday. I could feel his pain as I'd had two activities work out and two that didn't earlier in the day. Travel plans took a bit more effort than I'd hoped, but they worked. A book I hoped to purchase wasn't in the bookstore. That means ordering online to deliver to the store -- so not a total washout just a small delay. At the end of the afternoon during a great online practice of a research presentation two colleagues and I are doing next week, the word surfaced again. This time, the tone sounded truly excited. The practice went well and our three parts seem to hang together very well. So, I agree it was awesome.
I find it interesting that a single word can carry so many meaning just by use of inflection. Often that tonal change can make the word take on an opposite meaning. If we shout a happy phrase, some might mean or understand it as anger or frustration instead of happiness. The same holds true for saying something angry or sad with a happy tone. The incongruity can create misunderstanding and confusion. People will feel uncomfortable. I suppose it could be a good way to get the attention of others. Even sarcasm can be mistaken as anger by listeners. So, tone has to be carefully curated to be clear when speaking.
I sang a couple of lines of the song for today when my colleague deliberately said 'awesome' sardonically. It made me smile, but he may not be familiar with the cultural reference, since he looked at me with a slightly puzzled expression. It can be an ear worm and for that I apologize ahead of time. Enjoy!
Everything is Awesome -- Tegan and Sara
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