Once Over Lightly

CREATIVE RECYCLING: One of the fellows we ride the train with every day has a boat with an aluminum mast. Inside the mast, there are wires which have a way of rattling and banging about while the boat rides at anchor. This racket spoils our buddy's sleep and the sleep of those in all the boats anchored nearby. The other morning, we were discussing ways of quieting the mast. Finally, a third AA commuter piped up and suggested breaking up the Styrofoam coffee cups used at meetings and stuffing them into the mast. This seemed like a great idea. We all heartily espoused it--even renamed the boat in honor of the noble double sacrifice to be made by the coffee cups in maintaining our buddy's serenity twice. However, the buddy in question decided to "improve" on the idea. He went out and bought brand-new Styrofoam pellets to do the job, thus killing the point of the story.