brb...Meeting time...

This is why I love IM. In person or over the phone, it's close to impossible to stop a conversation that you no longer want to be a part of. Sometimes over the phone you can fake the old "Someone is calling through". But then you still seem like an asshole if you choose to take that call and hang up on your "friend". In person, forget about it. Short of dousing yourself with gasoline and lighting yourself on fire, you're talking as long as the other person does.

But with IM, you can have a fairly decent conversation and still end it whenever you want. My favorite is a simple 'brb'. Then just go do something else. Usually the person you're talking to will just sign off within 5-10 mins. At work it's even easier, just add a 'Meeting time" to the end. No one will question that you have a meeting at any point between 9 and 5. I don't recommend using an elaborate story that you'll likely forget in order to get out of an unending IM conversation. When a simple brb will do, why risk future confusion when your friend asks if your brother-in-law's penguin is okay.

So is it ironic that I'm actually in a meeting right now? Possibly. If I truly knew wtf ironic meant, or if I ever used it properly.

- Adam