Some years ago the phrase du jour
was, “That’s TMI.” No, no. You’re thinking of TMJ, the jaw problem that
was all the rage in the 80’s and 90’s. TMI
is an abbreviation for “too much information.”
TMI used to be interjected into
conversations when the listener thought they were being bombarded by more
information than they needed. In other
words, they were performing the service of censors.
A good example of TMI is, “So I
got me a five-minute shower this morning, but it took me nearly 20-mintues to
clean my back hair from the drain.”
“Ugh! That’s TMI!” was the normal response to that
statement. Of course the listener issued
a fake sense of disgust because, as mammals, we all have hair somewhere on our
bodies. That hair falls out and winds-up
clogging the drain of the shower. Amen.
But the you-know-them-types of
women, who looked as though they just stepped out of a trailer with their
bouffant hair-dos and makeup that seems to have been applied by Ringling
Brothers, are the first ones to cough up the letters TMI. But, I digress.
Those aren’t the people to whom
I’m referring in this space. No, the
subjects of today’s blog are the ones who leave out important details and still
feel it necessary to over explain the unnecessary stuff.
“I’ll meet you for breakfast at
8:00 AM in the morning.”
That sentence contains TMI. Traditionally, I eat breakfast in the morning. I also recall from my school days that 8:00
AM is in the morning. Where, would be a better detail to add.
Another fine illustration is when
people tell you where they live or are from.
“I was born and raised in Detroit ,
Michigan
TMI, again.
I’m certain I would have guessed
that the Detroit to which they were speaking was
located in Michigan
The same holds true for Pittsburgh , Tampa , Schenectady , and Los
Angeles Denver was moved to Illinois
I know this sounds petty but,
those same folks who feel compelled to include TMI omit critical details about
other not-so-obvious things like locations, parking availability, or quantities
left. I hate to drive 45 miles only to
discover they just sold the last one, or they moved to a new, more convenient
location.
In any case, pay close attention
to speakers to verify my concerns. And
remember to return for another new topic next Monday. TMI.
