Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Now This From the Wells Fargo Department of Superfluous Tautology

I noticed an especially weak bit of text gracing the Castle5000 mortgage bill this month!


(The orange oval is my own little enhancement).


How inspiring! My guess -- but this is only a guess -- is that this little koan was meant to be part of a bid to encourage me, the mortgagee, to enroll in an electronic payment plan. This would "make a difference" by saving the Wells Fargo Mortgage Company the expense of sending me bills and by eroding my day-to-day control over my household finances. Oh, by and making an unmeasurably trivial reduction in my personal share of the planet's paper use.

But whatever its original intention, somehow it has been divorced from its referant and now just sits there on the envelope, mildly encouraging us to shake our fists -- or at least wag our fingers -- at fate.

Gentle Reader! I encourage you to do one thing different and make a difference! And report back in the comments.

12 comments:

Yankee in England said...

I put my right leg in my jeans before my left leg after reading this. I usually put my left leg in first. Not sure what difference that has made bu there you go.

Aviatrix said...

This is an exhortation for me to get off the couch, isn't it?

Michael5000 said...

Yank: Well done!

Aviatrix: Unless you are already off the couch. In that case, getting ON the couch will make a difference.

UnwiseOwl said...

I drove to work using the backstreets instead of the main road. Not only was it faster for me (even after getting a little lost), but it decreased the overcrowding of one of Adelaide's major arterial routes by a trivial amount!

Ezra said...

Once when I was in college at a Wal Mart (it was a small midwestern town) I saw the following sign on a fish tank in the pet section (which burned into my memory because of its koanic properties):

WARNING: When choosing fish remember that big fish tend to eat the small fish. However, there are no absolutes.

Ezra said...

To clarify, I wasn't in college at Wal-Mart, I was at a Wal-Mart in Crawfordsville, Indiana on day during the period of time when I attended college.

mrs.5000 said...

I plan to do one thing the same, and make a sameness.

Elaine said...

@Ezra
You ruined the fun I was going to have about your matriculation at WalMart.

But I am Doing One Thing DifferentLY and getting over it.
Maybe I'll switch and mop my brow with my left hand (just got off the treadmill) but if I poke a finger in my eye (due to my extreme right-handedness) then that is going to be on YOUR head, M5000.

Jenners said...

Today I used the Evil Thatching Rake in a different way ... and got a blister! Thanks Wells Fargo!

Rebel said...

I lean towards Elaine in my preference to do one thing differently, but I think Mrs5K's suggestion wins out. Sameness it is!

DrSchnell said...

I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. Ordinarily, I would have had a better reason. Does that count?

Michael5000 said...

Owl: And increased congestion on minor residential streets! Way to make a difference!

@Ezra: Go Wal-Mart U! There are no absolutes!

@Jenners: Way to make a difference in your own flesh!

@Mrs. & Rebel: Sameness! Now THAT's a difference!

@DrSchell: The important thing is, you made a difference. How is your Reno vacation going, otherwise?