Ice, Ice, Baby

Classes are over and the "study" period has commenced... meaning I finally have time to write.  But before delving into the plethora of topics I've been intending to address these past few weeks, I must revisit a peculiar incident that occurred during lectures one day.

The unpredictable climate in the R1 lecture theater can be likened to Melbourne itself.  No ventilation over the weekend can lead to stuffy Monday mornings even before the rows fill up with 300 some students all breathing heavily over their whirring laptops.  But leave the doors open over night and we might as well be having the lecture out on the lawns.  Only rarely is the temperature actually "room."

So on one of these days, a friend turned and asked, "Is it cold in here, or is it just me?"  Quite a common question really and one that you never give much thought in asking or answering.  Normally the askee would nod in concurrence and agree that the air does seem quite chilly.  Then both parties would be rest assured that neither is shivering alone.

But in this particular case, I believed the temperature to be quite moderate and responded instead with, "Um no, I think it's just you."  Not exactly the response the asker had in mind, I'm sure, but it did add a nice touch of awkwardness in the air.  I did answer the question truthfully though.  And if no one really wants to hear the alternate response then why bother offering such options anyways?

People who ask about some observable feature in their environment and then end it with "or is it just me?" seem to be seeking to normalize their senses or own observations, which is completely understandable.  But just the way in which it is done seems silly.  What happens when the other person doesn't feel the same way or observe the same phenomenon?  Then the asker is left feeling unfulfilled and possibly crazy depending on the severity of the situation.

Another quirk in an established phrase used so often that it loses its absurdity.  Next time I'm shivering, I'll avoid the embarrassment with a simple, "hey are you cold?" ... "yeah, me neither."