Shoelaces

The following item was originally posted by me on the alt.1d newsgroup, a newsgroup which deals with unidimensional entities. Arthur Hoogervorst, then of the Netherlands, now of Canada, had it placed on alt.humor.best-of-usenet, and it also appeared on a now defunct site in Australia, which I formerly used as a link. Incidentally, this anecdote is entirely true. Honest.

Subject: Shoelaces
From: corre@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu (Alan D. Corre)
Newsgroups: alt.1d
Date: 1997:03:04

I went the other day to the Public Library to return some books I had 
borrowed. I thought the clerk might say thank-you, as clerks often do, but
instead she said: "My shoelaces keep coming undone." I found this comment
rather strange, and was trying to think of an appropriate reply (How sad! or
I hope the situation improves!) when she turned to another customer. The next
day I put on a new pair of shoes which I had bought, and found that the
shoelaces constantly came undone. I told this story to a friend and added:
"I am considering two possibilities: (1) the clerk was offended at my lack
of empathy towards her plight, and she put a hex on my shoelaces; (2) she
had a mysterious infection which causes shoelaces to spring open, and I had
caught it." He replied gravely: "I would suggest you change your shoelaces."
I said: "No way. I'm gonna change my library."

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The author is:

Alan D. Corré
corre@uwm.edu