Instead of a well thought out, reasonable post about an interesting, albeit serious, issue for my long overdue blogging, today I will entertain you with a story. Welcome to my world! (And to my bedroom and my ingenious indoor clothesline. Everything in my room smells like freshness... and no, I'm not afraid to show you my undergarments.)
As I had spent a lot of time outside today in the renewed heat of late summer, on my knees in dirt, trying to gingerly find turtle eggs so that the construction folks who are widening a road don't potentially kill two clutches of them, I decided I deserved some cool off time. Instead of sitting in the warm laundromat this evening waiting for the laundry to be done, I went across the street to the terrible, yet very cool (temperature-wise) Coffee Culture cafe with my book ("The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman... yes, I'm still reading it. Other books keep jumping into my lap!).
Though everything there is terrible, I figured their plain vanilla ice cream can't be *that* bad, and I was very hot. Seeing in the advertisement there are three choices of container (two cone types and a paper dish), I went up to order a dish so I didn't get my book sticky. This is how it went, and my thoughts along with it... [ ( ) these are thought bubbles, haha] :
Dude: Hey can I get something for you?
Me: Hi! Yeah, can I please have two scoops of ice cream in a bowl? (ooo, maybe they have REAL bowls?)
Dude: A bowl?
Me: Yeah. (You know, a hollow, half spherical object one eats dribbly foods out of...?)
Dude: For here?
Me: Yes... please... ? (huh? Oh, I guess they must have REAL bowls then... excellent!)
* Dude goes to scoop the ice cream.*
Me: (Maybe I haven't given this place enough credit after all!)
*Dude sets down a styrofoam cup full of ice cream in front of me.*
Me: (?) *moment of silence* Do you have any... bowls...? Like a... bowl?
Dude: Well... I guess not...
Me: Yeah, I didn't really want styrofoam... see, the picture shows a paper serving dish up there.
Dude: *looks up at the big picture as he clearly misses the bigger picture altogether*
Weird. We don't even have those kinds... BUT! The good part about that is, it's lighter than a bowl, and you can just throw it out...
Me: (.........................................)
See... well... that's the thing, I don't want to throw it out... this *points to the cup* will never go away.
Dude: *light streams from his facial orifices as someone flips the switch*
Ohhhhhh! Oh yeah... so, it's $3.65.
To top it off, it was the same terrible tasting tripe as the rest of their "desserts", just smoother and frozen. Ugh, but at least it cooled off my stomach... ha!
I was so ashamed to be sitting there reading a book about the things that will be around long after we're gone, while one of the very relics in question is holding my bland, sugary treat for the day, that I actually hid it on the seat beside me.
Maybe it makes me crazy to some of you, but I actually CAN'T throw styrofoam in the garbage. I physically cannot do it. So there.
That's my first real rant about pretty much nothing. But it's also a quick glimpse into my brain. Fun times? No? :) I'll leave you with a thought that says it all for me in these days of dreaming of autumn coolness... soon enough, friends, soon enough!
"What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance." - Jane Austen
Don't worry Shanner - some day, perhaps in the distant future to us measly humans, but actually in the blink of a geologic eye - a microbe will evolve that eats long-old styrofoam, and everything will be fine. We might indeed be gone, but some day, some when, so will that ice cream cup.
ReplyDeleteI have had the same experience far too many times.
ReplyDeleteI think i have the same underwear as you......
ReplyDeleteI feel that possibly things are changing around here. Slowly, but it's something!
ReplyDeleteAnd Ms. Y... I'm glad we share something so personal.
thanks for sharing this information. its a nice post and keep it always.....
ReplyDeleteindoor clothesline