Page 60 - Contrast2009

the one,abOtit the

rll,bber band balls

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Let me tell you'how I met·the guy with the world record for
biggest rubber band ball.

I 'was at a party, and a friend of mine said, "Hey, do
you want to come along with me to see ,this ,guy's new dog?"

"I ·don't know ..."
"He also made the world's, largest rubber band ball."
So I,went to his house. He didn't have just 'one huge
rubber band ball like I expected. He had several. He had
a coffee table t ha t used rubber band balls for its, legs,
and the stand for his fish tank was just four big rubber
band balls,' Come to think of it, most of his furniture

impl'emente~ rubber band ba lLs .

Big, round; ,rubbery table.
Arms of the love seat.
Slobber'ing puppy's
Awkward long legs
Le~;p ,over the, rubber. band bedside

The. party was for my friend Tim's birthday. He's the
main'programmer for an ~nternet coupon company he started
with his childhood best friend, Dan. At his party, I w~s
talking to Mark, who was telling me about how Tim and Dan
,have a rare situation where they can actually be happy with
their jobs, and that Tim is crazy to be so disappointed with
it. Then Dan came,up and asked if we would like to go see
this guy's new dog.

At the guy's house, nearly buckling under the weight
of his huge Great Dane puppy, who had leaped into my
arms inoments,earlier, I asked~the guy how he, had come· to
construct 'the world"s largest rubber band ball. He t oLd me
that he vwo rked in a mail room whe re..there were a Lot.:of
~.ubl?erbands and a lot of time. I let the puppy down' gent.Ly',

:but he stilJ.,slipped to his stomach on the hardwood floor.

The air in the office
,Where Tim goes to work
- Comes f r'om tiny ',holesin

The air h09key table and the

Wide, open space of financial security:

While the puppy wildly sniffed every hand and shoe in
the room, I brushed the dog hair from my shirt. I told the
guy that I had seen a kid on TV who was trying to break his
record. "I don't think he'll ever do it," He said with a
secretive smile, "but it's OK if he does."