Irrumifestivus Part 3
The Lunch Thief
So, I work at a Catholic Student Center. The same Catholics that are supposed to abide by a little commandment called “Thou shall not steal.” However, I’ve discovered that there are exceptions to that rule when it comes to the main fridge at the CSC.
The other day, I put a tuna casserole in the fridge for lunch. I ate half for lunch that day and then put it back in the fridge. Now, to be fair, I had been cautioned that if I didn’t label the food I put in the fridge, someone would eat. But I figured that no one was going to eat food that’s clearly not theirs.
I figured wrong.
By lunchtime the next day, my food was gone. To add insult to injury, the person had left the Tupperware in the sink, so I had to wipe the last of my dignity off with a sponge myself. I learned my lesson, but I’m genuinely surprised that someone ate it. A lot of people put food in the CSC fridge with post-its that say “anyone can eat this,” but if a dish doesn’t have that label, why would someone think it’s up for grabs? I also understand that there’s always food in shared fridge that gets pushed to the back until it looks nothing like itself (Exhibit A: All leftovers from Caroline’s meals), but you can solve that by putting a date on the food. If it’s been in the fridge for a couple weeks, throw it away. I guess even that wastes food in the end, while if someone-if not the owner of the food, someone else-had eaten it already, it would have at least gone to good use.
Okay, I just sold myself on the idea. Unless I label my food, the CSC tenants are free to eat it. The ateth commandment is safe.
Tier Two
A quick reminder about the contest: I’ve received four entries so far, so it’s wide open. The honor of ranking the Top 10 is considered sacrosanct in most countries.
Unemployed men who have 10 children by 8 different women.
Paris Hilton’s vagina (and Britney Spears’)
Ron Mexico-clean as a thistle!/Michael Vick-giving Virginia a bad name!
Dick Vitale
Women’s sizing-Really, what does size 8 mean? Just give it to me in inches.
Local news stations-Where are the hot girls? That’s the real reason nobody watches local news.
Hemorrhoids!
Men with breasts.
Bats and the associated diseases.
Eric Silverstein and his insatiable sex drive.
People who begin any phrase with “No offense, but…,” “No judgment, but….,” “I’m no doctor, but…,” or “I’m no scientist, but….”
The surge of interest in presidential candidates’ religiosity.
Facebook wall posts in lieu of real e-mails.
Itchy Sweaters. Why are they still made?
Cop cars stationed on highway turns where you can't see them.
Bookflix
This really should be titled “Netbooks.” But Bookflix sounds cooler.
Pat (aquavator) asked in a recent comment to my blog if I would pay a weekly fee-like Netflix-to subscribe to a service that would deliver books to my door. The short answer: yes. The long answer: no.
The longer version of the short answer is that I like the idea of this service. There are companies out there that do this-Booksfree, Bookswim, and the more recent Paperspine (which, as this article discusses [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/342386_paperspine06.html], is trying to take a hold of the industry by using a supplier that pretty much guarantees that you can get the book you want when it comes out or much later down the road). The cost ranges from $15 (there’s actually a $10 option, but you have to pay for the shipping for each book, which, in a Netflix world, no one is ever going to want to do. You want to feel like you’re getting something free every time you request a movie/book from these services) to $25.
The cost leads me into why my long answer is no. The cost is too much. I read a fair amount-I organize a book club that meets every month and a half, and I read about a book a month casually. In the past year, I read 18 books (and just ordered another from Amazon). I got the vast majority of those books from the library, which, although not completely convenient, is free. I eagerly await the day-probably the last day of his second term-that Bush decides to liquidate all library funds and pump that money into research to train sharks with friggin’ laser beams on their heads to scout the Iraqi coastline for Bin Ladin. Regardless, I spent just under $70 this year on books. The $15/mo Paperspine service would have me pay $180 for that same time period. It’s just not worth it. Also, Paperspine doesn’t seem to offer one of Netflix’s best features: the ability to search for and queue movies/books that have yet to be released. On Netflix, this is huge, as I often read about a movie that sounds pretty cool, but I’m not compelled to spend $8.50 on a ticket. Lest I forget about the film, I go to Netflix and queue it up. This easily equates to books as well-I often hear about a book that just came out for which I don’t want to buy the hardcopy, but I might be interested when the paperback is released (with Paperspine, I guess I wouldn’t have to wait that long). Regardless, Irruminations officially does not support Paperspine or other similar services at their current prices.
Next Week: I actually write about the other Irruminations, someone other than myself ranks the 2007 Festivus Top 10 Grievances, and The Caroline Vault returns with a vengeance. Maybe Caroline would consider doing a Point/Counterpoint with Ole’ Crusty. Their worlds collide!