Dear Tell All: A few months ago I met a guy through a dating website and have been seeing him regularly. We have many things in common, are physically attracted to each other, and get along well in person. The problem comes when we communicate via texting or Facebook.
This guy is my age, and he holds down a respectable job, but when he's on social media you'd think he was still 12. His messages are cluttered with emoticons, sometimes one after every sentence. I don't need a smiley face to know that he considers something in a positive light. I don't need a sad face to know that he's not happy. I don't need "lol" to know that I've said something amusing.
On Facebook, he changes his status constantly, and they're usually so cutesy that they make my teeth hurt. Needless to say, he uses all the middle school abbreviations: "R" for "are," "U" for "you," "idk" for "I don't know," etc. I used to communicate that way myself, to a degree. But it seems ridiculous to keep doing it as an adult with such adolescent enthusiasm.
Should I tell him how much this annoys me, or just grit my teeth and put up with it?
Not Laughing Out Loud
Dear Not Laughing: Such are our romantic problems in the age of Facebook. Romeo and Juliet had to worry about their family members killing each other; Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler had to worry about the Civil War; you have to worry about too many abbreviations.
So let me get this straight. You get along well with this guy, and you have great sex, but you don't like his use of smiley faces. Is there a social media abbreviation for "get a problem"?
In other words, Not Laughing, I think you're taking this way too seriously. WADR, YRL, if you know what I mean.
Do you have a question about life or love in Madison? Write Tell All, 101 King St., Madison, WI, 53703. Or email tellall@isthmus.com.
