Texting makes me :)

By Kurt Wagner

I always know when I am receiving a text message from my dad, and not just because the words "Dad Cell" flash across the front of my phone screen. I know because the message is typically long, maybe three or four pages in fact, is normally written in grammatically perfect English, and is almost always signed "from Dad", as if I wouldn't possibly know who this mystery texter was.

A "parent text" is, at times, almost comical. I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard a story about someone's mom, dad or grandparent celebrating the fact that they successfully communicated through texting.

The best is when a parent calls their child to tell them they just sent them a text; you can't help but laugh.

Don't get me wrong, I love to text. I have had days where my thumbs ache from the click-click-clicking that happens much too frequently, and yet I somehow find the strength to power through. I don't let a little case of joint pain get in the way of finding out where all my friends are at any given moment during the day.

My biggest complaint with text messaging comes when dealing with interpreting incoming texts, mainly understanding sarcasm and laughter.

Here are my rules about laughter:

"Haha" is a standard response to a joke, not too extreme, but shows you understand the material that was just sent your direction.

The "Haha" has a dual purpose as well, as it can be sent along with something more serious sounding to show lightheartedness in a message. A single "Ha" is a pity laugh, and a multiple "Hahaha"' is always a good thing. Personally I am not an "LOL" user, as I have found it can really turn some people off.

"The word 'LOL' actually bothers me so much, when people text it to me I actually get very upset," explained sophomore Ryan Cheu, who said he texts anywhere from 100-200 times a day. "I just find it a very annoying word."

Just for the record, "LOL" is not an actual word, but the fact that it is even considered a word should tell us a little something about our texting habits as a generation.

The smiley face text is another of life's great mysteries: When can you use it safely and what message does it send to the recipient?

In most opposite gender texting situations, the smiley face sends a flirty message, a little heads up that the sender is trying to be cute or funny. I like to wait for the girl to make the first move.

My motto is "No smileys sent unless you receive one first".

Note: this motto does not apply to real life situations. Please smile at one another; it really does make the world a happier place.

Text messaging is wonderful. It's quick, it's easy and let's be honest, what else would we do during class all day if we actually had to focus?

TTYL :)