Ink Cartridge Adventure

Here's part of an email I was writing to a friend. It just flowed so nicely that I thought I'd share it with the rest of the world as well. Also, I know you all thrive on my blogs, and I wouldn't want to force you through another drought...

Do you want to hear about my ink cartridge adventure? You do? Great!

So every teacher has to take turns doing chapel. Most go about three
times a year. My last time is tomorrow. And I'm lazy, so I decided
just to read a Max Lucado children's book. But when you read a book
to 200+ children, they can't all see the pages. So I decided that I
would buy transparencies and make some at home (the school doesn't
have a color copier) and that way everyone can see the pictures while
I read.

So I start this tonight (basically I was hoping something would happen
at the last minute and I would get out of doing chapel somehow - that
didn't work). I start at about 7 or 8pm, and I have the printer on
Best and it's on the transparancy option, so everything is very crisp
and very dark. So that means it takes forever, and also, that means
that at 10:30pm, I run out of ink. (This took a really long time
because I did it during commercials of American Idol and House). But
it's O.K.! I have an extra color ink cartridge! I'm prepared! So I
put in my new ink cartridge, and... it only prints in green. I try
wiping it off, I try printing it again... still only green. Sigh. At
this point I'm really glad I live five minutes from Wal-Mart. So Josh
and I hop in the car (he doesn't like me going out by myself this late
in the big city (I love him)) and we go get an ink cartridge.

I brought the new, malfunctioning cartridge along thinking that they
could send it to HP and give me a working cartridge as an exchange.
Josh thinks this is unlikely. But after going through multiple
Wal-Mart employees, I finally get the okay. So I exchange my
cartridge. But since I didn't bring the box, they need to take the
box of my new ink cartridge so they can send my malfunctioning one to
HP. But when I rip into my new cartridge box, I find my new cartridge
doesn't come in a foil bag, and it doesn't have the tape on it that
all other new cartridges come with. I explain to the Wal-Mart
employees that this is not normal, and they allow me to go get yet
another HP tri-color ink cartridge.

Imagine my relief when I rip open this box (still at checkout - my
faith in HP is rather low at this point) and find a cartridge in a
white foil bag. My relief was even greater when I got home, installed
it, and ran a perfectly colored picture. Now it's 11pm and I'm almost
done printing, but I haven't thought much about an introduction or a
conclusion. Eh, it'll come to me while I'm up there, right? Improv
suits me well.

Anyway - that's my story! I hope you enjoyed it!