#289 Finally finding the start of this stupid roll of tape

Neil Pasricha

You think it’s gonna be easy.

But finally finding and finger-peeling the start of this stupid roll of tape takes two focused hawk eyes, a sharp set of witch’s nails, and a soft and delicate touch.

If you’re missing these you’re outta luck.

But if you’ve got all three you’re

AWESOME!

Wow! The Book of Awesome paperback debuts at #1 on the bestseller list!

— From Twitter —

RT @lajohnson My day just went from great to AWESOME! Got my Book of (Even More) Awesome pre-order treats today!

Photo from: here

46 thoughts to “#289 Finally finding the start of this stupid roll of tape”

  1. I can’t even say how often I just give up in frustration and just throw the entire roll across the table. ESPECIALLY at Christmas. It’s like it purposely flattens itself to aggravate me. So at the rare instances where I am able to best it and triumphantly hold up the (very) tattered edge, I do a champion fist pump and look around for people to congratulate me :)

    Thank you for capturing the moment haha

  2. This moment is a fiiiiiiiine moment. A happy and joyous moment. A moment that is sometimes even worth a small celebration.

    Kudos to whomever decided it was a good call to put a colored piece of paper at the beginning of the roll. Of course, that only works for a brand new roll, but I’ll take what I can get.

    By the way, Freddo, guess what was on the stamp on my Awesome pre-order treats?? DUCKS! :D

    1. Ducks!?!? BWAHAHAHA! Nicely done, Neil.. getting Nina to buy a whole roll of duck stamps, just to rub it in everyone’s face.. What’s the matter? She wasn’t able to find stamps that just had a picture of your hand flipping me the bird? ;)

      Laura – I haven’t received my pre-order package yet, but I know that it’s in the mail soon. I haven’t decided which post I want to select as my favorite to get signed. I’m trying to decide if I should go sincere, or if I should go “Ducks”, just for the personal irony.. :)

      1. HAHAHA … not sure how Canada chooses postage stamp designs, but I’m thinking that “Neil flipping Freddo the bird” would be a great stamp, though probably not exactly family-friendly.

        Ducks are so cute, look at the picture! (Although the stamp is kinda small, maybe I’ll take a closeup just for you ;) How could you NOT like that?! Cold and heartless, Freddo. I mean, they’re baby ducks; you’ve gotta love BABY ducks right?? No?

        What would you choose if you didn’t go with your OBVIOUS favorite (806)? Just out of curiosity. :D

        1. Hmmm.. I’m not sure – that’s why I haven’t responded yet.. I’m still trying to decide what I’d go with if I don’t go with Ducks..

          Maybe #303: All the food that comes out of a pig?

          Nah – I’m just playing.. I was just hoping to start another flame-war in the comments! :)

          1. I know what you’re doing. You’re waiting to see if Nutella is gonna score its own post, aren’t you??

  3. i don’t wanna steal your thunder, but how about when you FINALLY get the needle threaded, or when you FINALLY get the windshield wipers to click off. i get frustrated when i do things like that, but then i think “if these wipers came right off, they’d probably fly off my car and impale somebody”. but the eye of the needle thing, i mean, i’m no seamstress, but i think that has less to do with my eye for fashion and more to do with how annoying it is to sew!

    1. Totally agree about the windshield wiper thing. I was taking my wife’s wipers off a few months back, and it was a pretty frustrating experience.. I came back into the house, and my shirt and hands were black from flopping around on the hood of her (very dirty car) for an hour.. I think I even managed to get some smeared on my face..

      My wife took one look at me and thought I looked like a mechanic who had just drained the oil and replaced the entire engine block, and all I’d done was replace the wipers. Sometimes I’m a pathetic excuse for a “manly man”.. :)

      1. Once my dad had to clear out a load a of debris left over from when we had our garage rebuilt. He’d been out there working hard for close to an hour, but unfortunately, the progress he’d made wasn’t easily visible. My mum came out and asked him what he’d been doing all this time, in a tone that suggested he was a lazy so-and-so, to which the reply was my dad, who is usually a pretty passive man, taking off his hat and throwing it on the ground, stomping about chuntering to himself, and basically getting a right strop on. All my mum could do was run inside and laugh at him helplessly from the kitchen window.

        1. 1) lol.. great story.

          2) “stomping about chuntering to himself, and basically getting a right strop on”.. this must be one of those cases where we are separated by a common language.. :)

          I found some of these words hilarious awesome.. Where are you from, Jenn?

          I hope you don’t think I’m teasing you! Please don’t chunter at me and work yourself into a furious strop.. (I’m not sure I’m doing it right)..

          2. I’m from Canada but my parents are English, so I speak a combination of the two dialects. Here are some translations:
            “Chuntering” means he was angrily muttering to himself.
            “Getting a right strop on” means he was in a foul mood.
            And don’t worry, I’m not doing either right now. I’m having a good laugh.

    1. To sing…
      “Doe, Ray, Me, Far, Sew, La, Tea, Doe…”
      and zen breathing will help you enjoy the art sewing…
      it’s seriously very relaxingly meditative and rewarding,
      once the needles are threaded.

  5. Especially, when you intend to be the helpful cashier and tape up that bag of sugar that they grabbed at the top, you know, where it says, “do not grab bag here”…
    and you have a full line and your 2 second intended fix turns into 30, 60, 90.. which may as well be an eternity to the people staring you down in the line.
    Yep, finding the end of the roll of the tape is very awesome.

  6. about the start of stupid rolls… how about toilet paper, when the start is sooo glued on the roll you might use a saw to find an edge, any edge?!?
    morning emergency solved, awesome! :D

    1. moisten your finger tips on the wet veggies in the aisle, VOILA! you get that annoying plastic bag open. First be sure you have the right end of the dumb bag. At the fish counter just touch the ice with your finger tips.

  8. Here’s a chance for someone to make that $store million in one year idea!!!
    Like the guy who invented the sweater de-piller when he leaned up against a brick wall…it’s a given!!!
    You’d think I got it by now since I’m the one who’s moved 65 times… try the gruelling Packing Tape game.
    Praise the person who came up with the gift bags!
    But to avoid this anxiety inducing incident, when I have to use tape, I turn a corner over at the end of use…
    For someone else, it’s yours for the taking…
    build it and they will buy it…you be money rich…can afford to hire out the wrapping… Simple:)

  9. Bwahaha! Awesome :) I keep forgetting to order tape for my lab so every time I need tape, I have to revert to the roll of clear packing tape that we have. I always do the fold-over-one corner trick when I’m putting it back in the drawer, but while I’m using it, I always think that I can just keep an eye on the edge and be able to find it for the next piece. Nope. Take your eye off that sucker for one second and the roll slurps the edge back up, never to be found again. Packing tape is the worst. And as UpGemini mentioned, toilet paper is a close second.

    1. As friend’s who owned a house-boat company taught their cleaning crews, the “turn corner over trick after use”, works for toilet paper too! Adds a touch of class, compassion and consideration for others as well.
      Any and/or all “sticky, anxiety provoking situations”, should be resolved here-in… supposed- to- be- stress-free Awesome Land… correct:)
      Besides, this sounds like a plea for assist in Nina, Neil and their mom’s “packaging plant!” see About Book 2
      Which reminds me to ask this:
      What will happen if several people buy 1000 books?
      I wish:)

  10. I find out this blog today listening to your TED’s talk…
    and I spent the day going from here to the 1000…
    Today it’s not a good day (my grandmother died yesterday night) and I wasn’t able to focus on work so I decide to take time and watch all your positive thougths…
    I would buy the book and of course…I will be here tomorrow too.

    Bye

    1. Look out for dragonfly who symbolizes faith in the circle of life and after-life. “She is not that far way.”
      Awesome-land is a good place to be for solace. Peace be with you.

  11. It IS a big relief when you *finally* get the tape to roll without shredding. I think tape manufacturers aim to have the beginning of the tape split and shred so that we will buy more tape.

    DB – sorry to hear about your grandmother. I hope you found some brightness here today. I know what you’re going through only too well, and my thoughts are with you & your family. *hugs*

  12. I always fold over the end of my packing tape so it’s easy to pull the next time. It doesn’t have to be much, just a teensy bit. I’ve got pretty thin nails, so I have a relatively easy time peeling up the end, but for some reason it’s hard to even FIND the end on packing tape.

  13. I am an EXPERT at the tape starting thing! I almost made a sign that basically said “if you got tape to start I’m your gal!” and yah know, it’s soo invigorating being able to do something easily that everyone else struggles with :P

    1. You’d need to be more clear with your sign, as that’s a bit ambiguous. If you leave it as is, you might get a lot of high school boys who are looking to make mix tapes for their current crush that sits next to them in Algebra class, who think you’ll help them come up with some great romantic tunes.. (here’s a tip.. always go with “Everything I Do (I Do It For You) by Bryan Adams”)

      It saddens me that a whole generation of kids will never get to experience the joy of #873: http://1000awesomethings.com/2008/12/16/873-finding-a-mix-tape-given-to-you-by-an-old-boyfriend-or-girlfriend/

      1. It was all about the mix cds when I was a teen, but mp3s have ruined the world if you ask me

        1. Oh come on! You can still make playlists for someone, or trade iPods! And you don’t have to suffer the embarrassment of having a song cut out at the end because you ran out of tape! And I still make mix cds and draw my own artwork on the top with Sharpies and White-Out cuz that’s how I roll.

          1. Im glad someone still gives mix cds as gift :( I haven’t gotten one in ages, and I know playlists can be sent back and forth, but it’s kind of like receiving an e-card instead of a real one, the thought is nice and all, but the fact it only took a few clicks, kinda takes away most of the face value! Bet your sharpie/white-out mix cd give a ways are pretty hot though

            1. I’m quite proud of my mix cds- not so much for the content but for the doodles on top :) Definitely better than playlists and e-cards!

  14. I had a good chuckle just reading the title of this one. So true, so true.

    On a completely unrelated note, I had my wisdom teeth out this morning, and, having had teeth out before and hearing that wisdom teeth are worse, am pleasantly surprised to find that I feel absolutely fine. No nausea, no dizziness, no pain, no being spaced out on the sofa with wads of gauze in my mouth, watching Fantastic Four and drooling on myself. Instead, I’ve been listening to Harry Potter podcasts, watching Doctor Who, making frequent fridge raids, and watching my cat chase the light reflecting off my laptop. If that isn’t unbelievably awesome, I don’t know what is!

  15. A little tip: Put a paper clip at the end of roll, it’s thick so you can find it easy and you don’t waste tape by folding it over then having to cut that first part over. I read it online somewhere but I don’t remember where but it’s great for packing tape and duct tape.

  16. I usually stick a pen under the edge of the tape so it doesn’t get lost. Other times I will cut the piece too long then crumple the end.

  19. When done with the tape, I always fold down a little bit of it so I can easily find it and easily get it off of there without breaking a nail or ripping the tape in half or only getting a little itty bitty piece of tape.

  20. Check out my blog! The Book Of Poo (a list of not so awesome things) inspired by this guy, but just on the other end of the spectrum! I wouldn’t look at it the way he has…..I would get annoyed over the fact that the sellotape always, always, get’s stuck down and it takes ages to find the little tiny flat piece of tape!

  21. I remember when I used to work nights and at the end of the shift we had to re-wrap our skids with, like, a huge roll of saran wrap (if anybody knows what this is called, I’m drawing a blank). Let’s just say the guys I worked with were impatient and had a tendency of trying to cut a new line to start the wrap up again and they would chip little dents which caused a headache, I seemed to have been the only one who had enough patience to actually take the time to make the wrap go the right way; in the right direction.
    ~Nym

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