Funny stuff, baby

I ordered a CD from cdbaby.com for the first time (and that itself is kind of a long story which I will save for later) and they just sent me the email to confirm that it had been shipped. It made me giggle. Please read the following:

Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.
A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make sure it was in the best possible condition before mailing.
Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.
We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved "Bon Voyage!" to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, September 20, 2010.
We hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. In commemoration, we have placed your picture on our wall as "Customer of the Year." We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!


Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Sigh...
We miss you already. We'll be right here at http://cdbaby.com/, patiently awaiting your return.

This alone makes me want me to order from them again!

House Rules

So we're getting there. We've got several days of school under our belts and we're chugging along.

Now, on to another matter. The HOUSE. Oh, it's bad! In the midst of our busy summer, we've let the house get a bit, uh... out of control. I don't think anyone has done an official chore in months. I mean, people will do stuff when I ask... uh tell them to but there's no order to our "madness." Now it's time to deal with all of that. We've got our scholastic wits about us and are back into the routine.

I was googling some chore charts and ideas and stumbled on a blog that had some house rules and when I started to think about it, dealing with the attitude behind the chores first may be the way to go. I edited those rules and are using them as a starting point. Here they are as they stand now:

Stevens House Rules

1.    Pick up after yourself

2.    No name-calling or mean words

3.    Be respectful of others need for space

4.    Chores and homework must be done before screens

5.    Be positive and supportive of your brothers’ efforts

6.    Manners! “Please” & “Thank You” will take you a long way.

7.    If you say you are BORED – I will find a job for you to do.

 

It's a start. I'm trying to add a little more - maybe make it a nice, even 10.

Thoughts, oh wise friends? What should I add?

Ethics... and things that fall into similar categories

So I'm in a book club with two dear friends (and, quite frankly, we think we're pretty cool) and my next read is due by the end of this month. I feel it necessary to highlight that there are two kinds of readers - book borrowers and book buyers. My sister, for example is a book buyer because she is a re-reader. I am not a re-reader (OK, sometimes I'll read a book more than once, but that's only if it's really good. I figure with the precious little time I have to read, I want to get in as many titles as I can) and therefore am a HUGE fan of the library. I don't even mind a fee once in awhile because I figure I own the library something for its awesomeness. Baltimore County has a fabulous library system. I am indeed enamored with it.

Our book for September is Emily Giffin's Heart of the Matter. I flippin' LOVE Emily Giffin! I just read her Love the One Your With while I was on vacation and it took me all of two days. I can't wait to get my hands on this new one.

Here's the problem - because it's a new book and because it's filled with Ms. Giffin's fabulousness, I'm like number 3,000,000 on the waiting list to get my paws on it. Here's the dealio, though. I found out another close branch has a large print copy of it available - like NOW!

My question is this - is it unethical or bad form for me to check out the large-print copy when I don't need it (though I am pushing 40 - it's only a matter of time)? What if some older, feeble, optically challenged woman wants to bask in Giffin wonder and I'm reading the LT version? I feel like it's akin to using the handicapped stall in the bathroom.

Thoughts? Permission to proceed?