Dear Tweakers

Feb 1, 2011 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for removing pseudoephedrine from our cold medicines. It’s true that compound had kept me up at night one too many times — clear sinuses or not — and… Read on…

Dear City of Anaheim Signange Department

Mar 14, 2008 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for taking me on a scenic tour of your city today, as I searched for parking for an industry conference at your convention center. I never would’ve seen the reaches of Katella or Harbor avenues without the direction of the digital signs above the road, telling me where to park, what was full and what was open. Read on…

Dear Daylight Savings Time

Mar 13, 2008 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for coming so early this year. I really appreciate how you gave me the old get-up-and-go by taking away an hour of my wasted sleep time last Sunday, and how you bring light to the evening hours. Those energy savings would sure be nice, too. Read on…

Dear Wade, Thanks for Keeping All That Fast-Food Sauce

Jan 10, 2008 in Dear So-And-So, Food

Thanks so much for keeping those two containers stuffed full of sauces you took home from fast food places. I really needed a Hot sauce from Taco Bell to go with my new Fresco Menu Taco, and our forethought ensured I had just such a sauce. Read on…

Dear Paramount

Dec 24, 2007 in Dear So-And-So

Thanks for licensing It’s a Wonderful Life exclusively to NBC. I’d become somewhat complacent, watching the same movie every Christmas eve (sometimes several times! Thanks, UHF stations!). Fortunately, you broke me out of that rut; without your intervention, I never would’ve watched Holyfield-Bowe III on ESPN Classic. Read on…

Dear Jennifer Lopez

Oct 27, 2007 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for appearing in every commercial break during UFC fights. I really appreciate how you tell me I’m “doin’ it well” as you inform me about Rhapsody, the subscription music service brought to you by everyone’s favorite software maker.
Read on…

Dear Revlon Run/Walk for Breast Cancer

May 3, 2007 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for mangling the two fundraising e-mails that I tried to send out to my contact list. I’m glad that you ensured that I didn’t look too polished to the many people who I asked for donations, although I’ll admit that I’m not quite sure why. Anyway, I appreciate that raising money for breast cancer research shouldn’t be too trivial a task. Read on…

Dear Wade,

Apr 24, 2007 in Dear So-And-So, Photos

Thanks for leaving your car window open while running into the AIG’s place to pick up one last thing on your way to your weekend getaway. I really appreciate how you gave me the chance to replace that boring old Treo, iPod, and digital SLR that some folks just reached in and liberated. Read on…

Dear Carrie Underwood

Mar 25, 2007 in Dear So-And-So

Culottes?!… Read on…

Dear Woman Parked Near Me

Mar 22, 2007 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for carrying out your personal cell phone conversation in your car. I really appreciated how, instead of — like many people — talking loudly in public, you spoke, instead, in a private place. However, it would’ve been an even more private place if you’d closed your sunroof. Read on…

Dear Drew Barrymore,

Jan 23, 2007 in Dear So-And-So

I’m very excited to see that you’ll be in a movie this spring. I remember just a few years ago when I could look forward to a romantic comedy, or fun action flick, with you every summer. Those were good times, weren’t they? Those were the days when our love bloomed again. Read on…

Dear Dick Clark,

Jan 1, 2007 in Dear So-And-So

Thanks for hosting another year’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve last night. I really appreciate you coming out and announcing the events of the evening, with the help of Ryan Seacrest, of course. And I really appreciate all of the execs who convinced you to come on TV again, despite the fact that your stroke gave you a massive speech impediment. And I’d like to thank you for that speech impediment, because imitating it was definitely a great way to get laughs from a very drunk crowd. Read on…

Dear Kevin Federline

Nov 9, 2006 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for getting divorced by Britney. I really appreciate that now you’ll have more time to spend on that which means the most to me — your music — and also to setting an example for me by bein’ a pimp. You and your bad self and your bad five o’clock shadow are truly inspirations to me. Read on…

Dear Forty-Something Latina in a Suburban Who Ran The Light in Front of Me

Mar 28, 2006 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for providing me with that little shot of adrenalin this morning; it was a rainy, dismal morning, and I was a little groggy. Seeing you speed through the red light, and feeling my car skid just a bit as I slammed on the breaks in the wet street, stopping just feet from you, certainly got me going at peak alertness. I hope that I didn’t disrupt your cell phone conversation too much when I laid on my horn while coming to a complete stop (said action was refreshingly reflexive). Read on…

Dear NBC

Feb 12, 2006 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for televising the Winter Olympics. Being both a typical male — infatuated with sports — and a typical American — jingoistic as all get-out — I rather enjoy the nationalistic, energetic competition of the Olympics. I also love the speed and danger of the many sports that rely on sliding on sharp metal or skinny plastic things for locomotion. It would be wonderful if you could intersperse your human interest stories with some actual sports, you know, like everyone expects from the Olympics. Read on…

Dear Undergrad Sitting at the Table Next To Me, Talking On His Cell Phone's Speakerphone To His Lawyer

Feb 8, 2006 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for providing so much entertainment to me this morning with your loud conversation. As I was working in the courtyard, sitting at a table alone, I seriously considered putting on my headphones and listening to some Charles Mingus. Fortunately, you came along and spared me the mellow boredom. Read on…

Dear Master Lock Company

Feb 7, 2006 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for making a wide variety of locks, all with different combinations. It’s too bad that I have so much trouble keeping them straight. Read on…

Dear Cingular

Dec 3, 2005 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for upgrading my voice mail system. I very much appreciate that you managed to replace a simple, effective old system with something that is new, annoying, and not nearly as well-suited to the usage patterns of any conceivable user of your services. Read on…

Dear Person Who Stole My Trash Can Again

Nov 11, 2005 in Dear So-And-So

Thanks for taking my trash can from directly in front of my house. It sure was unsightly, especially since it was black and my house is white; the contrast was just awful. Thank goodness it’s gone now! If only I just had some place to put my trash, my kitchen garbage is sure getting full! Read on…

Dear System Administrator

Nov 5, 2005 in B-School, Dear So-And-So

Thank you for capping my mailbox size at 45 megabytes. I very much appreciate the periodic message telling me that I’ve used up all of my space and can neither send nor receive any messages. I particularly appreciate how you bounce back any mail sent to me, returning it to the sender with a cryptic error message. Read on…

Dear Gods of Traffic (or Single, Unitary God)

Sep 22, 2005 in Dear So-And-So

Please let my Grandma get safely through the traffic jams surrounding Houston and to her friend’s country house much further inland. Then, oh Gods of Country Houses (or Single, Unitary… Read on…

Dear People Calling Me

Sep 6, 2005 in Dear So-And-So

I understand that, with today’s cellular telephone technology, you can contact me at any time. However, that does not mean that you need to contact me at any time; and that does not mean that, if you need to contact me, you should call me. Said cellular telephone technology offers you various methods by which you can effectively, promptly, and appropriately contact me. Read on…

Dear People Who Snatched My Grandmother's Purse

Jun 19, 2005 in Dear So-And-So

I’d like to congratulate you on your recent acquisition of about $70, a 40-year-old makeup compact, and four already-cancelled credit cards. It is truly a testament to your planning ability that you were able to lie in wait for my grandmother, in a place no less supposedly-secure than her apartment’s parking lot, and then snatch her purse before she even had a chance to get out of her friend’s car! Read on…

Dear LA Cab Driver

May 30, 2005 in Dear So-And-So

You, sir, while ultimately conveying me successfully from the airport to my home, did not uphold the standards held up by taxi-drivers around the world. Taxis may be a method… Read on…

Dear Neighbor Across the Alley From My Kitchen

May 1, 2005 in Dear So-And-So

At first, I thought that the all-hours late-’70s arena rock and hair metal was, well, eccentric but amusing. I mean, who really ever gets enough Boston? And a little Styx, now and then, is okay. Read on…

Dear Person Who Stole My Trash Can

Dec 21, 2004 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for liberating me from the oppressive task of having to take out the trash every week. I so much prefer throwing all of my garbage in a pile… Read on…

Dear Windows

Jun 11, 2004 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for immediately providing focus to whatever application, window, or alert demands it. This is a sure way to maximize my productivity! I’m sure my co-worker appreciated how I… Read on…

Dear Potential Vendor

May 4, 2004 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for sending me the e-mail telling me about your product. However, when I responded to the e-mail suggesting that you call me at a certain time on a… Read on…

Dear Person Driving a Large SUV

Apr 19, 2004 in Dear So-And-So

Please make your left turn quickly, as I cannot see around your massive vehicle to determine the existence of oncoming traffic that might interfere with my left turn. Surely, with… Read on…

Short Notes To Several People

Oct 14, 2003 in Dear So-And-So

Dear Roofing Contractors Working On The Apartment Across The Alley: Mmm, your roofing tar sure smells good! Good thing I like the odor, since you’ve parked your tar truck under… Read on…

Dear Bottled Condiment Manufacturers:

Oct 1, 2003 in Dear So-And-So

Thank you for taking the time to protect me by placing plastic safety seals around the caps of your tasty condiment. I appreciate your desire to protect me from dastardly… Read on…