chris has held on to this note from his college days at suny binghamton since 1990, which i believe makes this the oldest note to grace this site thus far.
the years seem to have given him some perspective on the situation, and chris fully admits to being the apartment’s “thermostat tyrant,” always nagging everyone to turn down the heat at night (to 55 degrees) and especially over holidays and long weekends. but this note from his roommate was apparently enough to show him the error of his ways.
after this, chris says, “i did relax with the thermostat nagging, i think.” (the hamster was unavailable for comment.)
EMAIL THIS POST TO A PAL!
139 responses so far ↓
#1 Sair
Yeesssssss! First!
That hamster’s health was fucking delicious…
Oct 24, 2007 at 8:48 am rating: 0
#2 Jay
Dad? Is that you telling me to turn it down?
We have one woman in the office who cranks the heat up into the 80s rather than put on a sweater. Facilities installed a fake thermostat control by her desk that she thinks is real, and now she’s happy and the rest of us don’t work in a sauna.
Oct 24, 2007 at 8:49 am rating: +6
#3 Sair
Although - I wouldn’t so much call this PA - more ‘hilarous and wry comment pointing out how much of a thermostat Nazi Chris was being’.
Team Let The Hamster Live (and it’s owner)
Oct 24, 2007 at 8:51 am rating: 0
#4 Mishee
Sair so nice to see you around….
I love this note! Yes, it’s not really P/A but it is clever…
Check yes or no!!!
Oct 24, 2007 at 8:59 am rating: 0
#5 saporro
kind of reminds me of those notes you pass in like 3rd grade, but even better because you know the hamster is left handed, and that phrase looks like it was written by a right handed person.
“Do you like me, check the Yes or No box”.
Team Save the Left Handed Hamster
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:00 am rating: 0
#6 southern girl
I can’t believe he still has this note from 1990. Yikes.
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:02 am rating: 0
#7 Writer, Rejected
Hamstercide is a serious crime. Death by freezing is brutal. I’m glad that the dude learned his lesson and eased off making everyone live in a meat locker.
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:08 am rating: 0
#8 Mishee
I am just wondering how the note writer decided that the heat being low meant that Chris actually knew not only the DATE, but the TIME that this roommate and his beloved hamster friend would expire…
Also, what college aged kid has a hamster?? Was he like, Doogie?
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:08 am rating: 0
#9 Team Cassandra
The Chris I know would have filled it out and sent it back. He’s totally the kinda guy that would be a Nazi about the temperature and he also would have enjoyed that little *nudge* about his weird behaviour. But only because he’d be allowed to kill the hamster for its misdeed.
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:09 am rating: 0
#10 Al Hanso
Team Hamster Death!
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:10 am rating: 0
#11 Mishee
Getting nostalgic for the days long ago when if you were pissed you not only had to write the note your damn self, leaving wonderful handwriting for us to analyze, but imagine having to actually deliver your own P/A note - no “Send” button for these!
I am TOTALLY on Team Keep the Note For 17 years! I would (I am pretty sure I have - I keep EVERYTHING)
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:11 am rating: 0
#12 Tarn
Mishee,
I assume the roomie left the date/time for Chris to complete on the assumption that Chris would be doing the killing - for thermostat infractions!
Damn, Chris must have been a scary thermostat nazi… and 55 is too cold, really.
Jay - I love that solution! And I know somebody who needs to be given one of those by her desk, stat.
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:20 am rating: 0
#13 A.A guy
Getting the hamster a cryogenics unit for the weekends would have been a good compromise.
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:25 am rating: 0
#14 Mishee
I just realized we haven’t seen lauralai in a while - I hope she isn’t in danger! Those wildfires look like they are just crazy!
I had to call the San Diego Marriott the other day to find out if a bill I had for them was paid or not, and they didn’t have time to deal with me cause they had a lobby full of evacuees - and I could hear a crowd in the background!
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:27 am rating: 0
#15 Wade
When I read the note, the first thing I thought of was alternate ways to keep the hamster warm, and Mr. Garrison and Mr. Slave came to mind.
I’m just sayin’…
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:32 am rating: 0
#16 Mitsu
LOL! That’s too much, a note that was written when I was 5… crap! You’ve got to keep the heat up, for the sake of the hamsters!!!
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:32 am rating: 0
#17 Katzndogz
That is the most adorable PA note EVAR!!! It’s like if PAN.com and Cuteoverload.com got married, this would be their offspring.
I love the little dashed lines used to create the box in the corner. I want to marry the note writer and raise hamsters with him.
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:32 am rating: 0
#18 Mitsu
Yes, the “kill hamster too” box was sweet. that’s what gave the note a special touch.
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:34 am rating: 0
#19 Mitsu
they could have given the hamster a little blanket to stay warm…just coming up with random ideas.
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:36 am rating: 0
#20 Wade
Hamsters’ natural habitat is Siberia!!!!
rofl!!
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:41 am rating: 0
#21 Troy McClure
Let’s hope the little darlings at Hyperspace Cowgirls never learn that their website was designed by a hamster torturer!
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:49 am rating: 0
#22 carmelo-rules
he should of gave the hamster energy pills so he could stay running on his wheel! he would have stayed warm enough with his body heat!
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:57 am rating: 0
#23 Black Bellamy
Team National Socialist Thermostat Party!
Why? Because pure Aryan hamsters can easily survive 55 degree temperatures, especially if you throw some extra bedding into the cage.
Now if you have some kind of defective pet, like a Gypsy or a Jew hamster, then yes, they can become sickly and die. Hardly a tragedy though, seeing as these are natural collaborators with the Bolshevik menace.
Oct 24, 2007 at 9:57 am rating: 0
#24 dawn
Team Hamster!
Maybe they wouldn’t have to run on those little wheels all day long if the heat was turned up.
Oct 24, 2007 at 10:01 am rating: 0
#25 Strideo
So what is the optimal hamster keeping temperature?
Oct 24, 2007 at 10:08 am rating: 0
#26 GhostWriter
Hamsters kept as a constant minus-50 degrees can be kept for many years without incident.
Oct 24, 2007 at 10:17 am rating: 0
#27 the sos
i have a mouse that i rescued from a cat last winter. he has no front toes due to frostbite. thought about tiny little prosthetics but i really don’t have the time to shuttle him back and forth to OT appointments.
i love the note - way to be PA and playful at the same time!
Oct 24, 2007 at 10:21 am rating: 0
#28 A.A guy
RE; Black Bellamy #23,
How would you circumsize one of those little suckers?
out of work moyle
Oct 24, 2007 at 10:37 am rating: 0
#29 GVI
I don’t know about you guys but 60 is kind of cold for me.
Oct 24, 2007 at 10:38 am rating: 0
#30 Mishee
60 degrees is almost dead of winter for me…
Oct 24, 2007 at 10:41 am rating: 0
#31 RockyCat
This note is great! I live in Binghamton, and trust me, it gets fucking cold here in the winter. 55 degrees inside? When it’s zero degrees outside? No thanks.
Oct 24, 2007 at 10:42 am rating: 0
#32 Mishee
What state is this in? I don’t even know where the hell Binghamton is…
Oct 24, 2007 at 10:49 am rating: 0
#33 GVI
It’s NY, I just googled it.
Oct 24, 2007 at 10:58 am rating: 0
#34 Lara
I like the fact that the note writer started to spell “please” wrong (probably due to frostbitten fingers), crossed it out and kept going.
The “suny” is a tipoff where Binghamton is. State University of NY.
I’m on team frozen roommate. The hamster probably had bedding chips to burrow into.
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:07 am rating: 0
#35 Mishee
Ahhh, if SUNY had been in all CAPs I might have gotten it then…
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:08 am rating: 0
#36 Sair
Helloooo Mishee, yes I’m back! Week in Marrakech (that’s Morocco kids) and then subsequent week in bed with dicky tummy (no that’s not rude, it’s a very nice cutesy English way of saying my guts were all to hell). Thank goodness for PAN aiding my recovery!
#17 I too love the note writer and want to marry him and raise hamsters with him (assuming it’s a guy of course) - but then again 60 degrees is a bit too hot for me so we might end up divorcing over the constant too hot/too cold battles… Remember, I live in the UK, we’re ALWAYS f-f-frrreezing here!
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:12 am rating: 0
#37 Coke-aholic
I want to hear from the note writer…where is he? Hey Chris! Give us the note writer’s email address.
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:18 am rating: 0
#38 WanderingPenguin
*sigh* First comment out of the gate and we get someone doubting whether this note is P/A or not. That must be a new record.
If you leave a note instead of confronting someone directly, it’s P/A. Period. It’s not that tough, really.
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:19 am rating: 0
#39 Mishee
Hey Sair I was bored and reading Memorable Quotes for Monty Python and the Holy Grail on IMDb and I saw something that made me think of you… it’s had me chuckling for about 15 minutes now..
moistened bint (The Lady of The Lake) LOL!
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:24 am rating: 0
#40 Sair
Hmm - generally I would agree with you WP #38, but I think the whole point of this missive was that it would only work when left as a note; saying it face to face wouldn’t have had the comedic impact, ergo it didn’t necessarily mean the person was being PA (intentionally or otherwise), just that they saw an opportunity for humour and took it.
Either that or they were being entirely serious and left the note as a final PA stroke of genius to aid the cops when the note-writer’s decomposing body was found in a shallow grave in the woods behind their house…
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:25 am rating: 0
#41 WanderingPenguin
re #35 - I don’t think anything is ever capitalized in the explanation notes (going on memory here) so don’t hold your breath on that one.
Also, #22 almost made me weep with the asymmetrical beauty of the phrases “should of gave” and “would have stayed” in the same post. Pure poetry!
What’s that? A comment on the note? Ok… who the hell has their thermostat set at 60 degrees? That’s hotter than anywhere on earth!!! Oh, wait. Is that Fahrenheit? Never mind, then.
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:26 am rating: 0
#42 Sair
LMAO Mishee! Ah, you can’t beat a bit of MP for some excellent English insults. One of my very favourites is ‘Your mother is a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries’ in a cod French accent.
Ooo, how topical for this post! Chuckle…
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:27 am rating: 0
#43 Sair
#41 WP I join you in your weeping over the poetic beauty of post #22. The only thing that could have made it even more beautiful? “Should of gived”…
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:31 am rating: 0
#44 Mishee
Sair, another of my favorites and it should’ve dawned on me that it would be a nice addition to this post… Son of a silly person is another great Frenchman insult from Holy Grail! hee hee hee!
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:35 am rating: 0
#45 shelly
#5 - exactly my first thought about the cute check boxes.
Mishee (#8) It might be hard to believe someone in college would have a hampster. It happens! On the first floor in my dorm hall there were two puppies, a kitten, and a rabbit! I guess a goldfish wasn’t good enough for anyone. It was ridiculous!
60 degrees is FREEZING to me, but I’m one of those people that carries a jacket around with me everywhere.
I’m glad he saved the note, but I kind of wish he’d responded. Then maybe we would’ve gotten a fun series of thermostat PA notes.
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:37 am rating: 0
#46 WanderingPenguin
I don’t know, Sair, I think “should of gave” is plenty wrong enough, since it should have been “have given” in the first place. If you add a word that isn’t even a real word, like “gived”, I think it would ruin the aesthetics of the error.
About the P/A note thing: I have always operated with the knowledge that any note left to avoid confrontation is a P/A move. The note itself doesn’t have to contain any P/A language, it’s the act that is P/A in and of itself. That may not be (apparently) the way everyone else views P/A behaviour, though. It seems to be a grey (Canadian spelling) area. However, in this particular case I would argue that the addition of the “Kill hamster too?” box is absolutely perfect P/A behaviour. No?
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:38 am rating: 0
#47 WanderingPenguin
I have a question for “chris” of a scientific nature: has that sticky note retained its sticky qualities for the past 17 years? I’ve never kept one that long and wonder if they are like twinkies and never break down?
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:43 am rating: 0
#48 todd
ha! i was 4 years old when this note was written. at least Chris’s roommate had finally decided to give submit to death and allow it to happen. from what i hear, that makes things much better!
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:53 am rating: 0
#49 Mishee
Why say “Chris” WP? I am pretty sure it isn’t a pseudonym - the note was written to a Chris, so I’m pretty sure it’s his name!!
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:54 am rating: 0
#50 lou fah
that frozen hamster was delicious with some velveta, crackers, and texas pete hot sauce.
Oct 24, 2007 at 11:54 am rating: 0
#51 KarenLW
Mishee - I’m in SoCal, near the beach. The fires are out of control. The skies are orange/brown, smoke-filled. I can feel it in my lungs, my eyes burn. Our cars are covered in ash. I can’t imagine being close the fires. Nice thing for me though, is my husband and I are taking a fishing trip to Cabo Friday - wooohooo ! I do hope lauralie is OK, tho. God bless her.
Oct 24, 2007 at 12:01 pm rating: 0
#52 WanderingPenguin
So you decided to go with “lou fah”, eh? Good choice.
Oct 24, 2007 at 12:09 pm rating: 0
#53 Mishee
Karen, my brother and his family are in Tustin - apparently they are safe, but you never know right now! I heard about the sky and the ash… that’s crazy!
#50 lou fah (love the name, where did you ever come up with it?) - did you happen to microwave that fucking delicious hamster?
Oct 24, 2007 at 12:10 pm rating: 0
#54 thedevilsadvocate
she didn’t say “Chris” she said “chris” … try to keep up….
Oct 24, 2007 at 12:12 pm rating: 0
#55 WanderingPenguin
Uh, thanks “tda” but this guy here definitely does not need your help. I’ve decided silence is the best option w.r.t. certain posts.
BTW I just noticed post #25 from Strideo. Sorry, “Strideo”. That was actually pretty funny - sorry I missed it earlier.
Richard Gere would tell you that the optimal hamster-keeping temperature is 98.6 degrees F. No, wait, that would be for a gerbil. Carry on.
Oct 24, 2007 at 12:17 pm rating: 0
#56 Zsa
No Mishee only possoms are microwaved. duh….
*smiles*
Oct 24, 2007 at 12:19 pm rating: 0
#57 Zsa
Is there a difference between hamsters and gerbils for that particular purpose… or in general? I thought they were the same animal
Oct 24, 2007 at 12:20 pm rating: 0
#58 Katzndogz
I think gerbils are a little smaller - perhaps better for first timers.
Oct 24, 2007 at 12:35 pm rating: 0
#59 Mitsu
Zsa: they’re different species, if I’m not mistaken. The big difference is that hamsters have no tail, where a gerbil has a big, long “rat tail”.
Oct 24, 2007 at 12:36 pm rating: 0
#60 Canthz_B
Chris…Dude, I know you don’t care if I live or die, but think of the hamster Dude!
Oct 24, 2007 at 12:43 pm rating: 0
#61 carmelo-rules
you guys crack me up! the way ya’ll (i’m from texas) switch topics is hilarious! the spell check nazis are scary!
Oct 24, 2007 at 12:44 pm rating: 0
#62 lola
this note was especially funny for me because my parents killed my hedgehog while I was on my honeymoon in much the same manner. c’mon, their habitat is Africa! nice wedding present BTW - Here’s your mail and your dying hedgehog…
those spiny little bastards are way better than any hamster or gerbil - let Gere shove that in his pipe and take an emergency trip to the ER
Oct 24, 2007 at 1:06 pm rating: 0
#63 Susu
Chris you suck! Hamster killer turned PA mewhore. So sad.
On a side note, aren’t rodents small enough to travel with their owners on long weekends? Pockets were made for that.
Oct 24, 2007 at 1:07 pm rating: 0
#64 Mitsu
Yeah, I always take my hamster with me when I go out of town. I don’t want him to freeze to death!
Oct 24, 2007 at 1:14 pm rating: 0
#65 lou fah
the people have spoken and lou fah it is!
Oct 24, 2007 at 1:15 pm rating: 0