Taming the Paper--and what you find when you do

I am doing my utmost best to keep J's paper production down to a dull roar. One of my tactics is to periodically go through the giant stack and have him select many to keep and some to release. We've been doing this for several years, so he's pretty amenable to the process.

When we go through the sorting, we first divide them into like topics. Currently we have subjects like "Egypt," "Cars," "Pooh," and "Robots." Then, there's the "Miscellaneous" pile. That's a big one. Many of the papers I've never seen, so when we're sorting I often have to ask what the picture is about. There are many interesting surprises!

Take this one, for example. I had no idea what it was, so I asked. This picture, I was informed, is of a "Child Shop." OK. The numbers at the top are the ages. Behind the doors are, apparently, kids to buy. So THAT's where babies come from!

You should be able to enlarge the picture by clicking on it, but I'll save you some time. The label on Door 1 is "Wah." Door 2 is "No Returns." Door 3 is "Few Words." Door 4 is "Hi." Door 5 is "G or B?" (Which stands for girl or boy.) Door 6 is "Do Not Disturb." On Door 7 is a "Cars" symbol.

I can't even begin to analyze the thinking behind those signs. I'll leave that for you to ponder.

But wait, there's more. When I put the page face down on the scanner to copy, I noticed this coupon on the back: "Buy a 6 & 7 Get a Free Remote Controlled Robot!"

Now, that's a bargain!