There are days I'm glad to know I'm adopted...
I swear, my dad is one of very few real-life people I know to have nemeses. Not just something he dislikes, but something he absolutely abhors and wants eradicated from the world in which he lives for fear it will ruin his existence somehow--a comic-book style nemesis.
These things have come in many forms, including my cat Marbles (who just passed away last month at the age of fifteen, having spent almost two years under the care of my dear friend Stephanie), but they tend to be over trivial matters. The latest nemesis?
Cardboard boxes.
That's right. The lowly and unassuming cardboard box has had war declared upon it by my dad. According to Dad, all cardboard boxes are apparently incendiary devices just waiting to bring his world to an end in a firestorm. They're ALL fire hazards. Even one, nowhere near a potential heat source, is a fire hazard. He doesn't want a single one anywhere in his house. Ever.
Now, me personally, I tend to like to keep the cardboard boxes I get, say, from online shopping orders because they're awfully handy for wrapping birthday and holiday gifts later on. In fact, just last year, Mom asked me TWICE for any extra boxes I had so she could wrap HER presents to various people. I have tried to explain the practicality of keeping the boxes around to Dad, but he doesn't care; he's too paranoid. He says we can just "get wrapping boxes when we need them." Not that wrapping boxes are terribly expensive, but let's think... Spending a few extra dollars for every present we want to put in a box to wrap? Or holding on to ones that work perfectly well and are much sturdier, free of additional charge?
Of course, to a degree, I can understand the fire risk, maybe if you have a large amount of boxes and they're kept close to a potential flame source. But a half dozen boxes stacked inside each other safely in storage? Somehow, I think the risk is pretty minimal.
So, what will happen in the epic battle between Daveman and the wicked Cardboard-Box-inator? The world may never know!
These things have come in many forms, including my cat Marbles (who just passed away last month at the age of fifteen, having spent almost two years under the care of my dear friend Stephanie), but they tend to be over trivial matters. The latest nemesis?
Cardboard boxes.
That's right. The lowly and unassuming cardboard box has had war declared upon it by my dad. According to Dad, all cardboard boxes are apparently incendiary devices just waiting to bring his world to an end in a firestorm. They're ALL fire hazards. Even one, nowhere near a potential heat source, is a fire hazard. He doesn't want a single one anywhere in his house. Ever.
Now, me personally, I tend to like to keep the cardboard boxes I get, say, from online shopping orders because they're awfully handy for wrapping birthday and holiday gifts later on. In fact, just last year, Mom asked me TWICE for any extra boxes I had so she could wrap HER presents to various people. I have tried to explain the practicality of keeping the boxes around to Dad, but he doesn't care; he's too paranoid. He says we can just "get wrapping boxes when we need them." Not that wrapping boxes are terribly expensive, but let's think... Spending a few extra dollars for every present we want to put in a box to wrap? Or holding on to ones that work perfectly well and are much sturdier, free of additional charge?
Of course, to a degree, I can understand the fire risk, maybe if you have a large amount of boxes and they're kept close to a potential flame source. But a half dozen boxes stacked inside each other safely in storage? Somehow, I think the risk is pretty minimal.
So, what will happen in the epic battle between Daveman and the wicked Cardboard-Box-inator? The world may never know!