Comments on: Just Say No to Surprise Gap

By: Temerity Jane » Blog Archive » HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END

Temerity Jane » Blog Archive » HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:52:10 +0000

[...] I’ve been holding in some big news as best I can (I have been guilty of some Surprise Gap behavior on Twitter). I really wanted to wait until everything was nailed down and completely in place, but [...]

By: Capn John

Capn John — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:25:46 +0000

But it’s a surprise! If I told you what it was, it wouldn’t BE a surprise!

By: Julie

Julie — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:54:59 +0000

I’m pro-Surprise Gap, from either side of the surprise. I love anticipation. Care must be taken however not to oversell the Surprise, or then you get the “Oh… thank you honey… it’s …nice…” When, had it been gap-free, it would have been a lovely little surprise.

Sometimes surprises can be relaxing too. I would like nothing better for my birthday, than for my husband to completely organise it. I don’t care if it’s just dinner + movie, but I don’t want to have to think about where we’re eating, what we’re seeing. I’d be happy if he even pre-ordered the food, so we turned up at the restaurant and the meals just came out. It’s so decadently luxurious to be able to just turn off your brain for a night and be spoiled rotten.

WRT anticipation… we’re planning a big holiday next year to the US (we live in New Zealand) – disneyland/magic mountain + road trip in a motorhome with some of the US side of the family – and I’m so excited. But now I’m wondering if I’m overbuilding how cool it’s going to be and I’ll be disappointed when we get there, but then it’s such a waste not to enjoy the anticipation as much as possible, and it overheats my brain to worry if I should be bouncy happy or play it cool for the 8 months until it happens.

By: HokieJayBee

HokieJayBee — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:57:03 +0000

ummm. would it be wrong to admit to using the surprise gap as a research tool?

[insert one hokiejaybee with NO IDEA what to get mrs. hokiejaybee for Christmas]

“ooooooh, honey, i picked up your Christmas gift today! it’s a biiiiiiggggg suuuurrrrrpppprrriiiiisseeee! you have no idea what it is…..”

“ooh ooh, is it the new sirius satellite radio receiver for my car because mine is old and i lost my remote and the screen is blurry and only shows half the pixels in the sunlight and i hate it because i lost the remote and have to change the station manually by reaching across the console and turning the knob at stoplights and i have to hurry and hope the light doesn’t change and sometimes i get stuck on a stupid station because i had to shift back and put my seatbelt back on and drive again because the light changed and people were behind me waiting and i had to listen to some crap until the next stop because i have no remote and i can’t even see the screen because the pixels suck and then of course i catch all green lights and never get to stop again to change the station and have to drive all the way home listening to some crap and then i get home and since i’m home i of course get out and forget to change the station so the next time i drive away from home of course it’s still on that crap station and i hate it! is it? is it? is it a new sirius receiver for my car??!?!?!??!?!”

[thank you research tool]
“maaaayyyyyyyyyyyyybbbbbbbeeeeeee”

By: Vronak

Vronak — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:07:19 +0000

savoring the anticipation, just like when you KNOW the monster/fiend/Phil is going to jump out behind someone in the movie/show/kitchen.

By: Liz

Liz — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:31:33 +0000

My husband is the surprise announcer w/o any follow-ups. It drives me crazy, especially he takes a delight not telling me after the announcement.

By: morgan

morgan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:10:25 +0000

I am a surprise gapper … I figure it builds up the excitement for the actual surprise and makes it much, much better for the person who’s receiving it!

Plus, it’s fun torturing people like you ;)

By: -R-

-R- — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:22:06 +0000

I like the surprise gap. I like the anticipation!

By: Jason Doege

Jason Doege — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:14:28 +0000

You know what your problem is? (I know how you love that.) You appear to be under the impression that the Surpriser thinks the Surprise Gap is meant to be for the benefit of the Surprisee. Really it is that Surprisers take supreme pleasure out of seeing Surprisees squirm for the duration of the Surprise Gap. We supporters of the Surprise Gap are all sadists. Yes we are. Given this bit of knowledge, you should be eternally grateful that we ever terminate the Gap at all.

By: Phaedra

Phaedra — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:59:09 +0000

I’m the total opposite. I LOVE the surprise gap! LOVE IT!! How much do I love it? I love that my birthday is in February and have gotten presents in June. Seriously – that’s like having 4 months of birthday!

However, my love of the surprise gap drives my husband crazy, because I totally tell him about surprises that ultimately don’t live up to the hype I have generated.