Ever had such a day where things start out great and then you’re confronted with the unexpected and things just unravel?
Such was my day. I arrived for a press function 20 minutes before the scheduled start time feeling very impressed with myself – enjoying a mini accolade that was short-lived.
By the time my buffer minutes had elapsed, so had my confidence.
The person at the reception desk had no notion of where to send me. By 11am she worked out that I should be at the other branch, not far away.
With verbal directions in mind, I set out to find the new venue (not the one that was printed on the invitation). Two hours later I arrived. The event was over.
With the press kit under my arm, I sheepishly drove home.
This was a day where I searched for a meaning opposite to synchronicity to describe this desperate situation. And here they are: desynchronizing, asynchronism, asynchrony, desynchronization.
The route of the word, whether used positively or negatively is sync. The Online Etymology Dictionary explains “sync, also synch, 1929, shortened form of synchronisation (see synchronise). Originally about soundtracks and pictures in the movies. Sense of “synchronisation, harmony, agreement” first recorded 1961 in in sync. As a verb, short for synchronise, by 1945.
My experience this morning can only be described as desynchronisation. I drove around, often up and down the same stretch of road, manoeuvring in and out of driveways not belonging to the venue I was looking for, much to the ire of fellow road users.
My morning was completely out of sync, wasteful and frustrating. These words, asynchrony, and the like, do not adequately describe my despair. They sound like something you would say over a mild cup of tea, and I feel a Jack Daniels straight up, strikes a better note.
Feedback welcome.