Etiquette/Morality/Whatever
 

1. When I get a voicemail message at home that is clearly not for me (e.g. regarding who will be Sam's coach for some unnamed sport), do I have to call them back to tell them they have the wrong number? I used to, but frequently it's a pain in the ass and I haven't been lately. But I feel bad.

2. As in many states, plastic drink bottles and drink cans can be turned in here for money. Actually I'm staring at a can, and perhaps it is just a bottle thing? In any event, I collect and then take to recycle in Santa Monica (someday I will find a closer place), along with wine bottles and paper and stuff. Should I instead leave them out bagged when some homeless person will find them and be able to turn them into money? My reservation is that when I went to turn mine in for money once, at Trader Joe's, the person told me that they would just throw them away and not recycle them.

Boat
 

Aren't they ridiculously cheap? Just begging to be bought.

Etiquette/Morality/Whatever
 

NPR had a thing a few days ago on the water bottle recycling market. I was strangely compelled afterwards to look through my trash and make sure no water bottles accidently ended up there instead of my recycle bin. It wasn't the cash I was worried about (Texas doesn't compensate), but it sounded like not enough are being recycled.

Who knew?
 

This post gives me hope that Britney will eventually stage a monumental comeback.

I don't like anything colored pink.
 

And Joey Ramone. Damn right it's good enough.

Cucumber pepsi
 

This sounds intriguing, but not enough to spend money on.

I get cucumber water at the spa, but I can't imagine it would make a good pop.

TOKYO - Japanese are staying cool as a cucumber this summer with "Pepsi Ice Cucumber."

The soft drink, which hit stores here on Tuesday, doesn't actually have any cucumber in it _ but has been artificially flavored to resemble "the refreshing taste of a fresh cucumber," said Aya Takemoto, spokeswoman of Japan's Pepsi distributor, Suntory Ltd.

"We wanted a flavor that makes people think of keeping cool in the summer heat," Takemoto said. "We thought the cucumber was just perfect."
The mint-colored soda is on sale just for the summer and only in Japan, Takemoto said. She said initial sales were brisk, and Suntory aims to sell 200,000 cases over the next three months.


the rest

Etiquette/Morality/Whatever
 

I don't throw them away and do recycle them. And reuse them, sometimes.

Etiquette/Morality/Whatever
 

I'm struck at how different cities are in recycling stuff. I live in a part of LA that has a truck coming around to collect recycle-able stuff, and they don't really give a shit how you leave it for them. If it's paper, plastic, nuclear waste, whatever -- just put it in one of the blue cans they give you, and they'll come pick it up and sort it all out later.

In San Francisco, the recycling folks were Seinfeldian Soup Nazis. If I didn't have my cardboard not only FLAT, but in pieces smaller than X foot by Y foot, they would not only refuse to pick it up, but leave me a pissy note explaining my sins and de facto membership in the MilitaryIndustrialEcodestructiveCapitalisticAsshole Conspiracy.

Gattigap

Etiquette/Morality/Whatever
 

You don't have to do shit. I would only call back if the call sounded urgent ("pick your son up from the principal's office in an hour or he gets sent to Gitmo") or if the caller sounded hot.

If you want to be nice you can (a) put some cans and bottles into a bag and leave them outside so a bum can turn them into money; or (b) leave some money outside so a bun can turn that into cans of beer.

Etiquette/Morality/Whatever
 

I once got a voicemail message at home that was not for me, and I learned when I called the number back,(because the message was so unintelligible, I wasn't sure it was not for me) was for someone on an organ recipient list.

Boat
 

I've been having an internal debate with myself about how this is the most ridiculous thing I've considered doing in ages, no matter how cheap the boat or how much unused space is in my driveway.

BUT... there's a loosly organized group of pirates in the area that like to plunder the waterside bars and restaurants and chant things like "More grog! More grog!"

I'd like to join that loose confederation.

I think I'll treat this like a tattoo. If I still want one in a few years, I'll go ahead and get it.

Etiquette/Morality/Whatever
 

Fuck 'em. If they can't take the time to listen to your outgoing message then they deserve not to get an answer. I clearly say that "this is NFH, and you've reached my cell phone." If you're calling for Bill or the Hilton hotel to reserve the banquet room for your reception and you don't hear my message - then you're toast.

Etiquette/Morality/Whatever
 

2. The only time I've ever returned a wrong number, the message was something to the effect of "if you don't make it to your appointment today, your benefits will be cut off." I figured that was worth returning. The social worker was surprisingly pissy.

Etiquette/Morality/Whatever
 

SF has apparently changed their rules to just mixing everything together, per an article I read this morning in the Economist. They now sort it all out later too. A friend of mine who lived in an apt bldg closish to UCLA had a separate recycling dumpster, but my building has no way to recycle. It seems like single-family housing has recycling with their trash pickup -- this is how it was in Dallas, too. I don't get why single-family housing is apparently required to be offered curbside recycling, but multi-family (where there is more recycleable trash produced per square foot) is not. It's really annoying.

Etiquette/Morality/Whatever
 

I have an idea for people: stop drinking bottled water.