predictive text is a wonderful thing

Today I had lunch with Jenny, a friend from Tassie (part of the Tassie invasion I think I mentioned earlier). In the course of our conversation, she mentioned an exchange she had had with the friend she was staying with in the lead up to her visit.

She told me that ever since he had moved from Hobart to Melbourne, this friend had been nagging her to come and stay with him when she was in town, so she finally got to do it. During the negotiations about dates, arrangements etc, she said she thought she should be polite and ask him about how he was going, and what life was like for him, since she hadn't seen him for some time.

This exchange was happening via SMS between their mobile phones, and the response she got back from him was along the lines of:

Things are generally going ok, except that all of Melbourne is currently in the grip of gay fever.

When Jenny received this message, she was somewhat puzzled. What could it mean? Had Sydney relinquished the Mardi Gras to Melbourne? Surely not! (and anyway, it's the wrong time of year for Mardi Gras). Was it some bizarrely obscure reference to the grand final? So she texted him back to ask what he meant. Next thing, her phone rang, and it was said friend killing himself laughing on the other end.

"When I sent that SMS I was a bit tired, and didn't check it properly... I meant to say HAY fever".

They both nearly wet themselves laughing so hard at the rather amusing mistake (and needless to say, they have both gotten considerable mileage out of it ever since :-)

Ahh... ya really gotta love predictive text on mobile phone messaging :-)

And now I am off to take some Telfast, because like Jenny's friend, I am also currently in the grip of gay fever :-)