That show about the nerds
Sometimes, JG’s students will goad a reluctant volunteer to ask, “Mr. JG, have you seen that show about the nerds? You kind of remind us of one of the characters.”
Then JG has to break it to them that, yes, we do watch The Big Bang Theory, and that student is hardly the first to bring up his resemblance to Sheldon Cooper.
Later, he always asks me, “I’m not really like that, am I? I’m not as arrogant or condescending as Sheldon, right?”
“Well,” I say slowly. “You, ah, are both very tall and thin. And you have the same hairline. I’m sure that’s what the kids mean.”
In that vein, I ordered JG a shirt for Valentine’s Day this year that elucidated the show’s version of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Thrown off by the decoy model (Dewey is 5’9”! He wears a Large!), I ordered a size too big, and so I went to the Cafepress site right away to submit an exchange request. In less than two hours, I received the following e-mail:
Dear RA,
I want you to be 100% satisfied with everything you purchase at CafePress.com. I am ordering you a replacement right away in the new size at no additional charge.
There is no need for a return! I don’t want you to incur any additional shipping charges. Please keep the original as our way of saying thanks for shopping at CafePress.com.
If there is anything else I can do for you please let me know.
Best Regards,
Danielle T.
CafePress.com Support Associate
What? “There is no need for a return”? I was stunned. Way to exceed my expectations, Cafepress!
Then I realized that I had this spare nerd shirt on my hands with a highly specific reference on it — what to do? It was too big and too small for the first local recipients I could think of. I considered holding a geeky giveaway, but I cringed at the thought that someone might win it that wouldn’t fully understand the shirt and give it the loving home it deserved.
Finally, I IMed Jen to see if her husband would like it. Before the arrival of her adorable baby, she and I had regular Tuesday morning chats to discuss the latest episode of How I Met Your Mother. Jen wasn’t sold on The Big Bang Theory from the start, but the show has gradually won her over. Her husband would love the shirt, she said. Why didn’t she send me something in return?
Why not, indeed?
I shipped the shirt across the country to Seattle, and over the weekend, I received a dense package of my own. A new baking book! Woo! There is not much that is more heartwarming than a blog gift exchange fueled by excellent customer service and overall geekiness, am I right?
We LOVE Big Bang Theory in our house. We are nerdy too
Yay! Just this morning I was wondering if the book got to you, since the package was, as you said, kinda dense. I trust the book has found a good home in your (soon-to-be remodeled) kitchen. As for the t-shirt, it has been washed, and soon Roth will wear it with beaming nerd pride. I’ll try to snap a picture and post it to Flickr soon.
Speaking of HIMYM — the names of those made-up Canadian sex acts were hilarious. “It’s the same as a Sacramento turtleneck, except with maple syrup.” HA.
THAT is the power of the Internet!
Wow! That seems like a pretty sweet deal, a shirt for a book. I have some hermetically sealed snacks from the Chinese lady in my library, do you want to trade something for them?
I’m not a big TV watcher, but I have seen a few episodes of The Big Bang Theory, and I found it completely hilarious!
That is some impressive customer service – wow!
And to think you got a free cookbook out of the deal….sweet!
aww blogging makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it?
(PS JG kinda does resemble that guy…but he is totally not annoying like that at all!)
Also, are you coming to DC again this summer and can we plan another party?
OMG! Tim and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother.
“Rock Paper Scissors Lizards Spock”
That is incredible.