The Difference

School is just around the corner, and I'm getting organized. I've purchased some school supplies and a book bag for Bella. I've picked-up books and a mountain of paperwork. I decided it would be best to 3-hole punch these papers and organize them in a binder. A simple solution, or so I thought.

I went to OfficeMax, and I was floored to discover the price of a 3-hole punch, $69. What? What the hell does it do? Then I noticed that there was a different model for each decreasing $10 increment. I purchased the $9 version. What could possibly be the difference?

At 1 a.m., when I decided to work on my little project, I discovered the difference. I sat on my bed with the pile of papers, an open binder, and my new 3-hole punch. I suspected, correctly, that the $9 version would only allow a minimal amount of papers to be punched at a time. I also discovered the lever would stick. But it was with chagrin that I had to face the third "punch," which also stuck - every time. This initially resulted in getting a 2-hole punch. So, I problem solved. I got a butter knife.

Armed with blunt cutlery, I made my way through the night pushing a stubborn lever and knocking the last punch with the handle of the knife in an elfin-hammer-like-tap to make it release.

Apparently, a butter knife is the difference between a $9 and $62 dollar hole punch.