One of the most puzzling email conversations ever

*Names changed for privacy**

On Fri, 27 Apr 2001 12:22:14 -0700, Pat Marsh wrote:

Axess records indicate you have not registered for Paul Bator's

300-402-003-B-20 class. If you do not register for the course in Axess

by Sunday, April 29th, you name will not appear on the grade sheet at the

end of the quarter and you will not receive a grade. Please

update your axess records.

For any questions, please email Pat Marsh at xxx@stanford.edu.

Thank you.

Pat Marsh

Program Assistant

Writing and Rhetoric (WCT)

From: "Ramit Sethi" <ramit@stanford.edu>

To: "xxx@stanford.edu" <xxx@stanford.edu>

Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2001 15:22:22 -0700

Subject: Re: your WCT class

Hi Pat,

Is the email below current? My Axess listing on 4/27/01 shows the following:

402-003-B-20 WRITING&CRIT THINK 04 Letter Only Staff GALVEZ4

MW 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM

Please let me know if I need to make any changes. Thanks.

-Ramit

On Fri, 27 Apr 2001 15:53:24 -0700, Pat Marsh wrote:

Dear Ramit, I apologize, but who are you? I am the Program Assistant in

Writing & Rhetoric (formerly WCT). 300-402-003-B-20 -- the instructor is

Peter [comment: ironically, it’s Paul, not Peter, and thanks to my reading

of the Bible last quarter, I can laugh at that and not feel bad.]

Bator. My records show that the information you sent me is

correct. Why was there a question?

Pat Marsh

From: "Ramit Sethi" <ramit@stanford.edu>

To: "Pat Marsh" <xxx@stanford.edu>

Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2001 16:15:49 -0700

Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: your WCT class

Pat,

I wish I knew. I was sent an email earlier today (by you? the signature says so) saying my Axess records showed that I hadn't yet signed up for Bator's class--which I did. I wanted to get this straightened out and make sure that my WCT entry is correct. What do you think?

-Ramit

On Fri, 27 Apr 2001 16:39:01 -0700, Pat Marsh wrote:

Ramit, I apologize again. That e-mail was sent to everyone whose name did not appear on the 4/18/01 Preliminary Class Lists generated by the Registrar's Office. I'm sure the records now show you as registered for the class. Pat Marsh

[……6 days later, I get this email]:

On Thu, 03 May 2001 13:41:09 -0700, Pat Marsh wrote:

[The only content of the message was this very cryptic subject]: “the letters are ready to be signed”

From: "Ramit Sethi" <ramit@stanford.edu>

To: "Pat Marsh" <xxx@stanford.edu>

Date: Thu, 03 May 2001 14:39:53 -0700

Subject: Re: the letters are ready to be signed

Sorry, what?

-Ramit

On Thu, 03 May 2001 14:49:34 -0700, Pat Marsh wrote:

Ooops! wrong e-mail address. Sorry... Pat

[This is when it gets fun]:

From: "Ramit Sethi" <ramit@stanford.edu>

To: "Pat Marsh" <xxx@stanford.edu>

Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 02:30:47 -0700

Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: the letters are ready to be signed

Pat,

To be honest, I've been pretty entertained by our back-and-forth over the

past few days. Feel free to keep emailing, it makes me smile.

Best,

-Ramit

On Fri, 04 May 2001 08:32:06 -0700, Pat Marsh wrote:

Ramit, I promoted you to director of Writing in the Major with that e-mail

message. Something I promised myself I would NEVER say to anyone

EVER... "Have a Good Day!" Pat

The weirdest thing about this whole conversation is that, as my friend Doug pointed out, the person’s *real* name is as equally non gender-specific as “Pat”—so I really don’t know if I’ve been talking to a man or woman. I had a picture of my mind of the author being a jolly woman, but he disagrees and thinks it may be a large man. Oh well.