I don't usually do WTF Wednesdays, because most of the things that happen in my life are things that make me shake my head instead.

But today, I have a real, true, bona fide ("bone-a-fied" as a student once wrote in a paper) WTF:



I have to explain the backstory, though, so you know why it's a WTF.

I belong to Folio Press Society, which is kind of like the Book of the Month club, only you don't have to deal with those silly little cards to tell them "NO! I don't want this month's selection!" and it has more snob appeal. Basically they sell rather expensive but beautifully-made editions of books, mostly "classics." Every year I say I am not planning to re-up (to renew, you must order four books over the course of a year. Or maybe all at once. I don't remember). But every year I get sucked back in interested in it again because of the new offerings and because of the many excellent freebees they send. ('Tis true: this year I got free, "A is for Ox," three big books that are the "Panorama of..." on different eras, a book on the Seven Wonders of the World, and a little 2007 hardbound "diary" that I probably will forget to use).

So I ordered my books. And I had to go to the post office and pick it up.

The box was...I guess the best word is mangled. It was totally mummified in that clear tape, bits of it were torn, it looked a bit like maybe it had been hauled BEHIND the postal truck for a while. (But oddly: no sticker on it apologizing for the damage. I've received shredded catalogs and such sealed in plastic, with a "we screwed up - sorry" sticker on the outside).

I took it out to my car (I'm not quite close enough to Catty Old Lady mode to rip it open and inspect it for damage right in the post office). Opened it up.

First thing I saw was a somewhat battered book spine. "Maudit!" I exclaimed to myself (watching those "My Name Is Earl" reruns with the French subtitles turned on is paying off; I'm getting all sorts of creative ways to curse that would still be considered FCC friendly). Then I pulled it out of the box - and it was the Van Gogh book you see in the picture above.

That gave me pause as I did not remember a Van Gogh book being part of the package deal.

Then I saw the film canister (and that is what the round thing is: an 8mm film canister, with film. On the outside it is labeled "Bruins in a Canoe"). That was when I went "WTF?" (Or rather, "WTH?" for "What the heck?" - I am, after all, a lady.)

Then I found the "Prep" book. And I was thinking, somehow my good package got switched out with a box full of junk! That's not fair!

Then I saw one of the Folio books. Then I found the invoice. And I went through the box - everything that SHOULD BE there, WAS there.

So I looked at the three mystery items. And because I am an honest person, and because I imagined someone waiting for and watching for a package with those items in it, and them never coming, and that person being sad, I went into the post office to see if I could do something about it.

I explained the situation to the person on duty. "Just keep them!" she snapped at me. "We can't do anything about it!"

Which strikes me as the Wrong Attitude for a public servant to have. I mean - aren't there some forms that could be filled out, or something?

So: I am appealing to the Power of teh Internets here. If you happen to know someone - by some random crazy chance - who ordered these items from e-Bay or whereever, and they've not got them, have them e-mail me. I'd like to see them go to their rightful owner. (I'm also going to see if there's some kind of postal-inspector website where you could go and post "things I received that I didn't expect" in case there's any way of linking them up to the person who is expecting them.)

Because - like I said, I've probably been watching too much My Name is Earl - but I kind of feel like if I just kept these things (and none of them are even things I particularly WANT) without making an effort to find the owner, it will somehow come back to bite me - maybe the next lot of yarn I order will disappear into the void, and will wind up in the hands of a mechanic in Hoboken or something.

So anyway: that's probably the weirdest WTF I will ever have to present. (Or at least I hope it's the weirdest.)

*****

And this is NOT a wtf:



I've got the back of the Central Park Hoodie done up past the armhole decreases! About 8 1/2 more inches of knitting and the back will be done! This is knitting up faster than I thought.

*****
I also want to riff on something TChem was talking about the other day (No link: TChem, I'm just getting a Lycos page when I hit your link today. I think the Internets is messed up because everything's taking forever to load).

Anyway, one of the "local yokel" newscasters (not my designation; she was so designated by someone I know who's lived her all her life, so it's not just me being a Carpetbagger to say that) does a Wednesday Relationship Corner segment that's alternatively sad-making and enraging to me. (Seriously. It should be called "relating to fellow human beings for people who couldn't buy a clue with a $1000 bill"). Anyway, the topic was "blended families," which segued into the topic of "why do women marry a guy with a passel of children even when the guy isn't good for them, and they wind up being miserable together" which led to the topic that there are some women who will marry the first guy who asks, because, "He might be the last one to ever ask meeeee!"

Now, I suppose I have to issue the Bitter Spinster Warning here: I have never had a guy ask me to marry him (Well, never had a guy who was SOBER, and therefore to be held to his word, ask me). So maybe I'm jaundiced. But.

The woman was also talking about this bridal website she had seen, where woman had ALL the details of their "dream wedding" filled in - except for the groom's name. These women had all the plans to marry, but didn't have a guy. And that makes me both sad and angry. Because, it seems there are women out there who have still bought into the mentality of "A woman without a man is less of a person" that still exists in some pockets of our society. And it makes me angry because I have seen the look of horror and fear come into some women's eyes when they learn I'm over 30 and single - some of them even squeak out, "but...how do you MANAGE?" Manage what? I can balance my own checkbook. I can pump my own gas. If there's a spider in my house, I either catch it and let it go outside (if it's a harmless one) or kill it myself (if it's a brown recluse).

I mean - I know there are Certain Other Things that they may be implying, but let's not go there.

I guess for me it's having grown up in a more equality-minded family. I remember as a teenager, my mom telling me: there are a lot of good men out there like your dad, but you should complete your education so you don't have to depend on one. Because even good men can have bad things happen to them. (She had also seen a couple sisters widowed early, so that maybe was what she was thinking of). And they've NEVER done the "when are you getting married" or "aren't you awfully lonely living alone" or "when are you going to give us grandchildren?" bit.

(With that last one - they know I am JUST sarcastic enough that if they said it, they know I'd probably respons, "Okay...I'll go out next week and get myself knocked up!")

I think, though, honestly: my parents are flexible enough about their children's happiness that they understand that for me, happiness does not necessarily include a spouse. And probably doesn't include children.

But it drives me up the wall that there are people who believe they CANNOT be happy unless they are on that path. And that leads them to do things like marry people who are bad for them and make them miserable. I know more people right around here, now, who have 4 or more failed marriages under their belt, than I ever knew before - and I wonder if part of that is not tied to the remnants of the assumption that women get married and have children rather than careers.