Friday, October 29, 2010

My Nu Answer 4 Everything

The world is becoming one big code and the only way to survive is to be a code breaker. The use of abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms is almost viral in our world. You find them in written communication, texts, emails, business nomenclature, government agencies and marketing campaigns. Everywhere. THNQ Google for making code breaking simple. You can look up the meaning of any new or otherwise unknown "word" and survive to live another day.

Abbreviations are useful. For example, shortcuts make texting EZ and quicker. They also can make texting a bit irrit8ing for those of us over the age of 25. Luckily for me, I don't text with many serious (read young) texters so I've mastered the few shortcuts that pass between my fellow texters and me (OK, luv, u, Thx, b4, Y, R, 4, etc.) Nothing too difficult to decipher there.

The governnment and military are famous for their use of acronyms and initialisms: NASA, AWOL, IED, IRS, FUBAR. We all know these. Their use is meant to save time and create communication efficiencies. This approach works and I have found a new abbreviation that I plan to use in my own life for the very same reasons. I learned this new term from the commanding officer of the military base that is adjacent to my neighborhood.

As an aside, this commanding officer, an Army Colonel, is a very impressive person, clearly knowledgable, intelligent, driven, well-spoken and a woman. Let me just say something that I normally don't say which is OMG! I'm not going to harp on that last fact. I come in contact with lots of impressive women everyday so that's not a big surprise.  I just didn't know the commander of our little military installation next door was female and I was quite happy to learn that she was. Good on her!

Anyway, she used a term that I am adopting as my own right now. It is a multi-use term and I think it will come in quite handy everyday for me. My new answer for everything is "OBE" (just say the letters; don't make a word out of it). OBE means "overcome by events," according to my favorite new military commander. She used it in reference to a project that was FUTR (flying under the radar) so to speak and had somewhat gained a life of its own by virtue of the events that seemed to propel it forward without much clear planning. So much easier to say OBE, don't you think?

Well, I can think of a myriad of uses for OBE in my civilian life. For example, if I am ever stopped by one of our law enforcement officers and asked why I was speeding (and possibly breaking one or more secondary laws), my new answer will be, "I am sorry officer but I was OBE." My overwhelming events in that situation would likely be screaming children, too many volunteer commitments for which I am late, and general poor planning.

I will happily use OBE when my primary care practitioner questions my continued refusal to take calcium (an apparently wise idea for women around my age). The conquering events in this case will be my aversion to horse pills and the nausea that follows taking them.

OBE will come in handy too when I get down on myself for not finishing projects such as photo albums and baby books. OBE is clearly an appropriate reason for these things not being completed, even if I am just saying it to myself.

OBE works in just about any situation where you fall short. Like when I burn the garlic bread (as I do frequently) while preparing dinner, I can plead OBE.

You try it. I bet you can find lots of situations where OBE is your best defense. Here's another for me, why is this my first blog post in more than nine days? OBE people! The events of life are getting in the way of me blogging about it. Maybe next week things will slow down a bit. LOL!

6 comments:

  1. I really only text with two people. My wife, who doesn't use abbreviations because she doesn't know mot of them. And my 20 year old daughter, who I learned them from. And I think that OBE is a valid excuse for just about anyone. And by the way, my wife burns the bread all the time.

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  2. I like it and I will use it!! HA I hadn't heard it but I will be using it. It will come in handy!

    I found you via Saturday Sampling. I'm #16 by the way.

    happy Saturday!

    pam

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  3. OMG this is SOOOOO perfect 4 me. Thx! I'll probably use it too.

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  4. That is awesome. You have just saved me about 1,500 words a day.
    OBE. 'Nuf said.

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Whaddaya think about that?