Live and not-so-active roommate culture

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August 22nd, 2010 · 78 comments

Elana in North Rustico, Canada spotted this tart exchange inside her friend Shannon’s fridge.

Shannon, no doubt hoping to avoid getting called out for interfering with her roommate’s yogurt supply, wrote the first note. Her roommate Michael, perhaps taking issue with the note’s mildly patronizing tone, fired back with his own written retort. And as for the yogurts? Yup, still in the fridge.

related: Who’s the smartass?

FILED UNDER: Canada · fridge · most popular notes of 2010 · rebuttals · roommates · smartass · yogurt

78 responses so far ↓

#1 Rebecca

Honestly – yogurt can keep a long time past the expiration date.

Aug 22, 2010 at 9:49 pm rating: 17

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- #1.1 Maas
  
  So you’re saying that we should eat it before it eats us?
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 11:41 am rating: 19
- #1.2 Scribbles the Monkey
  
  The way I see it, yoghurt is already spoiled by the time it’s put in the tub.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 12:33 pm rating: 12
- #1.3 Lisap
  
  Agreed. And if I did think it was time to throw it out, a PA note telling me to do it would elicit the same response from me.
  
  And I’ve had roommates throw out perfectly good food on me because they decided it had been in the fridge long enough while they had food growing fuzz on the same shelf and it’s f***ing annoying.
  
  Aug 25, 2010 at 12:35 pm rating: 4
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#2 jen

I miss the good old days, when people would actually post notes that made me laugh on this site.

Aug 22, 2010 at 9:51 pm rating: 9

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- #2.1 Canthz_B
  
  I miss the good old days, when people who didn’t laugh at the notes posted on this site didn’t bother to comment.
  
  But I still vote for jen for editor-in-chief.
  
  Come to think of it, perhaps jen neglected to gigglebrax to #1, in which case…I stand by my statement.
  Though I am coming to miss the days when people remembered to gigglebrax.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 3:09 am rating: 29
- #2.2 kmd
  
  I think my self-referential meter just exploded. A passive aggressive note about the notes on the Passive Aggressive Notes website.
  
  Is this like the Klein Bottle of notes?
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 9:45 am rating: 17
- #2.3 anglophile
  
  Actually, kmd, if you would take a bit of time to read more carefully, you would realize that we frequently have passive aggressive notes about the passive aggressive notes on Passive Aggressive Notes. Hope this helps, and that you have a good day!
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 10:12 am rating: 16
- #2.4 Maas
  
  And if you wanted a truly self referential passive aggressive note, it would need to be objecting in a passive aggressive manner to its own passive aggressive nature.
  Like:
  “I wish people would stop complaining about things”
  or something.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 11:38 am rating: 4
- #2.5 infant tyrone
  
  I wish Douglas Hofstadter were here to explain all this convoluted self-referential stuff, not that most of us would understand it or anything.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 4:04 pm rating: 2
- #2.6 Canthz_B
  
  I had to look-up this “passive aggressive” stuff. I get it now, but in my family we just called it “dinner conversation”.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 8:30 pm rating: 26
- #2.7 Maas
  
  Hofstadter would probably tell us that the self referential nature of these comments has become the foundation for the PAN consciousness, then digress into a discussion on the energy levels of electrons in a crystal under a magnetic field.
  
  Aug 25, 2010 at 2:04 pm rating: 1
- #2.8 infant tyrone
  
  Dougie ranges far and wide don’t he ?
  And he sure knows his electron energy levels.
  
  Aug 26, 2010 at 6:04 pm rating: 1
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#3 Grunties

Wow, that made me laugh audibly. Sorry some people’s sense of humor is broken.

Aug 22, 2010 at 9:53 pm rating: 45

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- #3.1 The Elf
  
  Not broken. Expired. We should run for our lives.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 1:45 pm rating: 21
- #3.2 Passivley Aggressive
  
  I am sticking here till these “expiries” seize to exist!
  
  Aug 24, 2010 at 1:27 am rating: 1
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#4 infant tyrone

North Rustico (not quite Canada’s version of Acapulco) is damned near as far north as my old stomping grounds of Goose Bay, Labrador.
Back in the ’60s, Goosers would have figured if it was 12 August, well, we had about another 49 weeks before we had to worry about that pull date,
as long as we didn’t leave it outdoors and exposed to sunlight…sheesh.

Aug 22, 2010 at 10:01 pm rating: 3

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- #4.1 Edwina the Defrocked Nun
  
  So what you’re saying, infant tyrone, is that this is obviously an indirect form of foreplay between Shannon and Michael? Being that they are so far north…
  
  “Run for our lives” is arch and playful… yeah, the more I think about it, this note is not PA at all, it’s seductive!
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 10:51 am rating: 1
- #4.2 infant tyrone
  
  Edwina, you literary forensicist Spy in the House of Love, you !
  Twas over my head at first, but I think you’ve hit on some~~body~~thing here.
  Back in Labrador we had to make do with cartons of milk made up from powder, so the likelihood of the “roommates” having access to whipped cream is very slim. I’m thinking their PAN-like fridge negotiation is the prelude to a container of marischino cherries being popped open.
  That far North, “Take it off hoser !” may be taken more than one way.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 1:00 pm rating: 1
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#5 infant tyrone

Just wait for the container to grow a goodly amount of hairy-looking strands and then comply with yogurt’s prime directive: Yo, plait !

Aug 22, 2010 at 10:03 pm rating: 15

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- #5.1 Rebekah
  
  Run! Run from the creamy hair cup!!!
  
  Aug 22, 2010 at 10:50 pm rating: 5
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#6 ClearlyDemented

One person’s expired yogurt is another’s cottage cheese.

Aug 22, 2010 at 10:20 pm rating: 31

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- #6.1 mamason
  
  One person’s yeast infection, too.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 3:01 pm rating: 4
- #6.2 infant tyrone
  
  Aye, and in Gomorrah the infected could be plural.
  
  Sorry, Mr. Chip.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 4:08 pm rating: 0
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#7 Reggina

That looks like an extraordinarily large tub of yogurt to me. And agree with Rebecca, yogurt keeps after it’s expiration date, especially when the foil hasn’t even been removed like above.

PS: haters gonna hate, jen.

Aug 22, 2010 at 10:55 pm rating: 5

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#8 JungleJim

I think people are missing the most important thing here…

Just what is that on top of the eggs?

Aug 22, 2010 at 11:13 pm rating: 7

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- #8.1 Personperson
  
  That would be some wonderful orange chicken on top of the eggs, or beef and broccoli…
  
  Aug 22, 2010 at 11:51 pm rating: 0
- #8.2 catburglar
  
  My attention is on the bag of grubs on top of the cheese.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 12:21 am rating: 1
- #8.3 Janellionaire
  
  Looks like a bag of stew…
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 12:23 am rating: 0
- #8.4 jo's comment
  
  all looks a bit suspect
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 3:58 am rating: 4
- #8.5 eslinger
  
  I would like confirmation on what the chocolate concoction is in the bowl on the bottom left. Is it pudding? Is it cake batter? Is it frosting? These are things I need to know.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 7:09 am rating: 2
- #8.6 H for Toy
  
  Here’s my take. Its Tofu in a kind of sauce. Why, I don’t know. They’re not grubs, they’re carrots. And the chocolate? It’s chocolate! Who cares what form it takes
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 8:01 am rating: 5
- #8.7 mamason
  
  Bag o’ stew from the makers of Cup o’ soup. That stuff is sodi-yum!
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 3:03 pm rating: 5
- #8.8 Stinky
  
  I think the thing on the bottom is a rotisserie chicken.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 9:02 pm rating: 0
- #8.9 catburglar
  
  Carrots, huh? Strangely segmented carrots, methinks. And I like all forms of chocolate, too – except predigested, which the brown substance in that bowl may be.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 9:05 pm rating: 0
- #8.10 Silenced is Foo
  
  The brownish-orange stuff in a bag is a pre-mixed vegetarian stir-fry meat-substitute thing they sell at the PC chain of grocery stores in Canada.
  
  Aug 31, 2010 at 11:32 am rating: 0
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#9 Kay

I love both note and response!

Note is not bossy, and she didn’t throw out his yogurt — as I used to just throw out roommates’ grotty old growing food.

Response lets her know by virtue of any response that he is now aware of expired yogurt, should he care, and that she is living with someone who has a sense of humour.

Yogurt is in sealed tub so I still consider it his choice to pitch or keep until eating.

Two thumbs up.

Aug 23, 2010 at 12:04 am rating: 6

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- #9.1 Maas
  
  The “what should we do?” clause seems pretty patronizing to me, but I guess they might just be the sort of people who form committees to decide everything.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 2:36 pm rating: 3
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#10   FeRD

         ^^^^———————————
                                                                  |
Don’t worry, Kerry, at least one person appreciated “tart exchange”.

Aug 23, 2010 at 2:39 am rating: 5

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- #10.1 Canthz_B
  
  Two…working on it! Had to do a cultural thing first.
  
  Hard to clean up a leukorrheaic tart comment…takes time.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 3:51 am rating: 3
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#11 Canthz_B

Let us all bow our heads in a moment of silence for the expired yogurts.

We’ve lost the Maya and the Inca…now yet another rich culture shall be sorely missed.

Aug 23, 2010 at 3:12 am rating: 28

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- #11.1 pony girl
  
  Two thumbs up!!
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 6:00 am rating: 2
- #11.2 infant tyrone
  
  Dear Ms. Hankshaw,
  
  As your Avon rep for the past 15 years, I want to thank you for putting my kids through college.
  Please accept this case of Siskel & Ebert popcorn with my undying thanks.
  I’ll stop by next week to deliver your usual nail polish order.
  
  May St. Christopher watch over all your hitchin’s,
  Aunty Roan
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 4:19 pm rating: 1
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#12 Canthz_B

Yogurt is Middle-Eastern(ish).
Clearly, the correct course of action when confronted with yogurt abandoned in a fridge for three weeks is to contact the Department of Homeland Security (or the nearest Mountie).

They’re getting tricky, those people!

Aug 23, 2010 at 3:37 am rating: 8

reply to this comment
- #12.1 FeRD
  
  If you see Dannon, say Dannon!
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 4:00 am rating: 3
- #12.2 Canthz_B
  
  The ultimate message for the “See ‘n’ Say” generation…just pull their string, and they’ll repeat anything!
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 4:04 am rating: 2
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#13 Sandra

I love the Canadian Sense of humour.

Aug 23, 2010 at 8:29 am rating: 1

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- #13.1 park rose
  
  I love lactobacillus acidophilus. Just while we’re sharing our favourite things. Yoghurt, every girl’s tool for not sharing the less salubrious things of life.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 9:10 am rating: 5
- #13.2 anglophile
  
  I love another girl’s tool, not so sure about it being less salubrious, though.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 11:14 am rating: 3
- #13.3 infant tyrone
  
  rose,
  Per A. Jackson & J. Buffet (but 12 hours off from when they meant),
  It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere, so here’s KPAN’s Early Morning Dairy Report:
  
  Lactobacillus acidophilus is one type of bacterium use in yogurt making. The others are Lactobacillus delbrueckii bulgaricus and Streptococcus salivarius thermophilus. So, right off, yogurt is a multicultural feast.
  
  Who knew ? Not I, ere Wiki.
  (“I, Kiwi” and “I Wiki” would make nice palindromic andirons…
  something to play with on the ferry or plane if y’all go island hopping.)
  
  While we’re on the topic of Things Down Under, Wiki also says that L. acidophilus is part of the normal vaginal flora.[3] The acid produced by L. acidophilus in the vagina may help to control the growth of the fungus Candida albicans, thus helping to prevent vaginal yeast infections. The same beneficial effect has been observed in cases of oral or gastrointestinal Candidiasis infections.
  
  Lotrimin and other fungal antagonists used to treat vaginal yeast infections are often used to treat the fungal crises associated with “athlete’s foot”, which, since the condition of Candidiasis is also referred to as thrush, raises the question of whether the ancient aphorist who came up with “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” was “So close, but yet so far”, extremity-wise, or else grasping at metaphorical straws with respect to I-Ching body parts.
  
  The answer to the above may seem like the height (or depth) of triviality, but curious minds are aflutter with how it will affect the larger question of whether Tony Orlando’s hand was so severely injured from his hit Knock Three Times that he had to switch hands to hold the microphone when performing Candida.
  Science muddles along while mystics wait for a light to Dawn on them.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 12:50 pm rating: 2
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#14 Other Julie

Listen Shannon, are you a modern independent woman or not? Do you really need a MAN to hold your hand to help you solve this Yogurt Crisis? The question shouldn’t be “what should we do” but “what should *I* do”. Being a good roommate is about being a strong partner. How can he possibly respect you if you cannot draw the courage from within to deal with this difficult problem on your own?

Aug 23, 2010 at 10:15 am rating: 2

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#15 The Elf

The yogurt is also cursed.

Aug 23, 2010 at 11:23 am rating: 6

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- #15.1 Mark
  
  But it comes with your choice of topping!
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 12:48 pm rating: 4
- #15.2 The Elf
  
  The toppings contain potassium benzoate.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 1:47 pm rating: 2
- #15.3 much to my chagrin
  
  …
  
  “That’s bad.”
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 8:41 pm rating: 3
- #15.4 Stinky
  
  Can I leave now?
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 9:00 pm rating: 3
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#16 jason

toss it.

Aug 23, 2010 at 11:23 am rating: 1

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- #16.1 RP
  
  I agree. I’d rather someone toss something I bought that expired, even without warning me, than to accidentally eat something that’s gone bad later.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 12:59 pm rating: 2
- #16.2 The Elf
  
  You kids today with your sensitive colons. Back when I was your age, we ate expired food all the time. It toughened up our insides. AND WE LIKED IT THAT WAY!
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 1:48 pm rating: 6
- #16.3 MAMARILLA2
  
  Back in the day, we ate expired yogurt just before we began our 1 hour walk to school, in the snow, uphill, after milking the cows and feeding the chickens…
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 8:59 pm rating: 2
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#17 Madrias

I’d've put the expired yogurt, lid off, foil still on, in someone’s pillow. Lay down and get a head covered in expired yogurt.

Aug 23, 2010 at 3:16 pm rating: 0

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- #17.1 infant tyrone
  
  So, the chocolate mint laced with phenolphthalein gag is passe now ?
  I’m laying off hypnotherapy, just in case.
  Room service at the Bates Motel can be such a hazmat thing.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 4:53 pm rating: 2
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#18 Tiffany

Reminds me of college

XOXO,

http://outfitidentifier.com/

Aug 23, 2010 at 4:55 pm rating: 0

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- #18.1 Lurker
  
  Die.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 7:38 pm rating: 3
- #18.2 infant tyrone
  
  But, if you must malinger, can you tell me where to get a copy of that snazzy mask Anthony Hopkins wore in Silence of the Lambs ?
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 8:08 pm rating: 3
- #18.3 Canthz_B
  
  To be fair, this site does look like a billboard…oh, wait, no it doesn’t.
  
  Aug 23, 2010 at 8:24 pm rating: 2
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#19 Courtney

Michael’s contribution to the note is funny and just a wee bit snarky. I like Michael. Michael has a sense of humor.

Aug 23, 2010 at 5:54 pm rating: 4

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#20 Splint Chesthair

IF the yogurt’s not green then it’s still good.

Aug 24, 2010 at 7:05 am rating: 1

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#21 Lhyzz

Expiration dates are not MAGIC. Open the canister — is it growing a new lifeform? Is it starting to produce some kind of baffling pink liquid? No? Close the canister and put it back in the fridge. Money does not grow on trees, and neither does yogurt.

Aug 28, 2010 at 8:16 am rating: 1

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#22 Well, that seems (uri)logical enough. | PassiveAggressiveNotes.com

[...] The yogurt’s expired. Run for your lives! [...]

Oct 4, 2010 at 7:42 pm rating: 1

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#23 Sacha

Michael’s comment is from The Catherine Tate Show. Hilarious sketch.

Oct 31, 2010 at 7:29 pm rating: 2

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- #23.1 JetJackson
  
  Really? You think it is impossible that someone in the world other than the Catherine Tate show came up with the idea of saying “run for our lives” with sarcasm.
  
  Oct 31, 2010 at 9:42 pm rating: 0
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#24 Howie13

Bottled water has an expiration date. Yogurt is already rotten- you might have fewer live beasties but unless it’s green and fuzzy its not gotten any worse for you.

Nov 7, 2010 at 4:28 pm rating: 0

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#25 Mom, my flash drive is missing! | PassiveAggressiveNotes.com

[...] These yogurts are expired. What should we do? [...]

Dec 22, 2010 at 2:31 am rating: 0

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#26 Funniest notes of 2010 | PassiveAggressiveNotes.com

[...] Live and not-so-active roommate culture [...]

Dec 31, 2010 at 12:09 am rating: 0

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#27 Don't worry: Jamie Lee Curtis understands. | PassiveAggressiveNotes.com

[...] related: Live and not-so-active roommate culture [...]

Feb 16, 2011 at 12:42 pm rating: 0

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#28 A bitter butter battle | PassiveAggressiveNotes.com

[...] related: Live and not-so-active roommate culture [...]

Oct 11, 2011 at 6:14 pm rating: 0

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#29 One Night Stanzas » Blog Archive » Procrastination Station #85

[...] Best passive aggressive note of 2010! [...]

Oct 26, 2011 at 10:07 am rating: 0

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