Here’s how Carter in San Francisco tells the story: “It was my birthday, and after everyone else wanted to go to bed, I wanted to take an adventure. Being wasted, though, I didn’t make it past the second step. Instead, I fell down a flight of stairs straight into a plant, breaking off two branches.”

When he awoke the next morning, not only was he bruised and hungover, he was also an offensive vandal. As it turns out, however, an apologetic one — the pink note is his. He also shelled out $22 for a pretty new plant. (That’s something we don’t see too often around these parts…)

related: Arboreal abuse

“Apparently chicken legs can cause quite the hullabaloo in a small town,” notes our submitter in Iowa.

related: Sushi buffet rules

An anonymous submitter discovered this lengthy explanation on the door of a head shop in Waldorf, Maryland.

Not surprisingly, it appears the head shop’s owners take a fairly relaxed attitude toward keeping their store open, and instead put heavy emphasis on maintaining a flexible work-life balance.

related: Before you ask…

What’s an 11-letter word for “passive-aggressive tactic?” Well, it happens to be the weapon of choice at the Portsmouth Public Library in New Hampshire, where Persephone says there is some serious crossword-puzzle drama going on.

(Personally, I would have liked to see someone add: “Even if it’s only the Monday puzzle.”)

related: Shushing the shusher

Portland, Oregon is a city that takes recycling seriously. You might even say too seriously. (But hey, you said it, not me.)

Lacey found this blue tub o’ notes at a Portland food cart pod, where she swears, “I’ve never seen anything but straight-up recyclables in the bin.”

related: Are you proud to be an American (who recycles)?

extra credit: Sanitation Twins — Portlandia [youtube]

Molly said this ice cream shop on the Jersey Shore was filled with signs of the “You’re in New Jersey, bitch” variety, but this one was perhaps the most obnoxious of them all.

“As it turns out,” Molly says, “my imagination didn’t quite capture the essence of the Mocha Chocolate Crunch that I ordered. If I’d had a sample, I would have realized the nuttiness was just too much for my delicate palate.”

related: It’s not food, it’s ice cream!

Nathan says this sign has been up in his South Texas hometown for several years now. He’s checked back every once in a while, but so far, no updates have materialized.

Perhaps Jimmy should have sprung for this deal?

related: The Window of Shame

Writes Lesley in Los Angeles: “My friend owns a store in Downtown L.A., and he constantly gets people (mostly tourists) coming in to ask him where they can find a public restroom. I guess he finally got fed up.”

related: The town recommends you hold it.