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Thanks? Don't Mention It

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Charlene said she solved the problem by loudly saying, "You're welcome" -- "and I don't bother to give thanks for the change. Belongs to me anyway, right?"

As for the radio TU/TU, Charlene said that surely Bob Edwards feels the way we do.

I called Bob, now on XM Radio, to find out. He agreed that "thank you/thank you" sounds "awkward." He doesn't even think it's necessary for interviews to end with the little exchange.

"My producers have another idea," he said. "They're the ones who edit my interviews and package my interviews and put them on the air."

Bob said they insist the segments end with him thanking his guest. "They'll sit and wait for it," he said.

We've become so Pavlovian that we are strangely compelled to thank our thankers.

Well, thank you, Bob.

"No, thank you."

Argh!

Children's Hospital

I'll tell you what I am thankful for, and that's gifts to Children's Hospital. To donate, make a check or money order payable to "Children's Hospital" and mail it to Washington Post Campaign, P.O. Box 17390, Baltimore, MD 21297-1390.

To donate online using a credit card, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/childrenshospital.

To contribute by phone using Visa or MasterCard, call 202-334-5100 and follow the instructions on the recording.

I'll thank you to join me for my online chat, at 1 p.m. tomorrow athttp://www.washingtonpost.com/liveonline.

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