i was just following orders!

(2 comments)
2006.06.17
Instructions from Lean Cuisine chicken teriyaki stir fry:
Carefully remove tray from microwave and enjoy!
For some reason that final command gives me pause. It reminds me a bit of how my car GPS/navigator system ends its route instructions with something like "Arrive at Destination on Left"... the "arrive" being an order. But with Lean Cuisine, it seems like it's so their customer service people can say something like "You're unhappy with our product and want your money back? Well, sir, it doesn't sound like you were following instructions. The last step for both the microwave and conventional oven is clearly to enjoy. We can't be responsible for your failure to follow clearly written instructions, sir."


Month of the Moment
While throwing together a small calendar demo for work, I came across this Java reference link for UNDECIMBER:
Value of the MONTH field indicating the thirteenth month of the year.
It then goes on to explain how lunar calendars use it. Here's wikipedia on it. But what a wonderful definition to come across during a humdrum workday!