(no subject)

[pedanther]

Yesterday, I encountered an acquaintance who I have not spoken to in a while. After saying hello, he looked at me for a moment, waved a hand in the vicinity of his face, and remarked, "I'm not going to say anything about the beard."

I've been wondering ever since what it was that he chose not to say, and wishing I'd had the presence of mind to point out that, since he'd already said something about the beard, he might as well say some more.

(And it will perhaps not surprise you to learn that it is no mere happenstance that I have not spoken to this person in a while.)

Comments

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Is there now a beard, or did there use to be one in a now depilated visage?

[pedanther]

There is now a beard that there wasn't before.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Either way, I take it that, while his comment mystified you, that wasn't enough for you not to find its coyness annoying, and that the latter reminded you why you haven't frequented that person for some time.

[pedanther]

More or less.

Though I'm not sure I'd say "mystified"; I'd be prepared to bet that the comment he didn't make was uncomplimentary, since otherwise he'd have no reason not to make it. So he effectively said that there was something wrong with my beard, but didn't do me the courtesy of telling me what he thought it was. Which means that I don't get a chance to either correct it or assure myself that it doesn't need correcting.

But you're right about the annoying coyness: Politely avoiding comment is one thing, but it doesn't really work if you comment on the fact that you're avoiding comment. (To be fair, I suspect he honestly doesn't grasp this - there are several subtleties of social interaction he doesn't seem to grasp, which is why I'm never in a hurry to interact with him again.)

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

That being said, now that you have joined the ranks of men with non-depilated visages, shouldn't you send me a recent photo for my Making Light gallery? And let's not forget Rixo's.