When is this Thursday?

It seems simple enough. When is this Thursday?

But, see, dates are dumb. Especially if they're vague. Vague dates are extra dumb.

People think they know when "this Thursday" is, but they don't all agree. Some think that "this Thursday" always means "the Thursday in this week." Others think "this Thursday" always means "the next Thursday in the future." And to those people, I must follow up with "Well, then when is next Thursday?!"

Because "next Thursday" can mean "the next Thursday in the future" or "the Thursday in next week." Or, I guess, if you are absolutely off your rocker, "next Thursday" might mean "the Thursday after this Thursday." What's more, "last Thursday" can mean "the last Thursday in the past" or "the Thursday of last week" or, I suppose, "the Thursday before this Thursday."

And people don't always pick the same side of these questions! They may think that "this Thursday" is always "the Thursday in this week", but also that "last Thursday" is "the last Thursday in the past."

And what if today is Thursday? Is today "this Thursday" or "last Thursday?" Depending on your feelings about the above questions, you may well think that the Thursday of last week is "last Thursday," today is nothing, and "next Thursday" is the same as "this Thursday" because it is both the next Thursday in the future and the Thursday in next week.

And if it's not Thursday, this puts some nearby Thursdays in a sort of quantum state of both being and not being last, this, and/or next Thursday, only collapsing the waveform when somebody gets a confused look on their face and says, "wait, which Thursday?"

Here. Let me spend too much effort visualizing this for you:

See? Vague dates are extra dumb. Be more specific, Paydon.