The Musings of Peter DeHaan: The Box

The Musings of Peter DeHaan

Things that don't fit in Peter DeHaan's other four blogs!

The Box

Chris, our future son-in-law, is quietly amused by many of the things that he witnesses in our home. A prime source for his merriment is our flexible usage of the word "box." In our vernacular, "box" can be virtually any device that is electronic in nature:

The answering machine is the box.
The garage door opener is the box.
The VCR is the box.
The DVD player is the box.
The DVR (digital video recorder) is the box.
Each of our 5 remotes is the box. (We need all 5, because the universal remote is actually only semi-universal.)

I want to give full and deserving credit to my wife for initiating and propagating this simple, yet curious naming custom. Yet, to be sure, I have easily and unknowing adopted her minimalist identification convention. Strangely, there is seldom any confusion as to which particular box is being referenced at a given time or situation.

Sometimes, my bride is able to skillfully use "the box" twice in the same sentence, but referencing two different entities, as in:

"I need the box (universal remote) if I am to turn on the box (DVR)."

Although to my knowledge it hasn't happened yet, I can conceive of a scenario where "the box" could legitimately occur thrice in a single sentence. Consider the phone ringing while watching TV - an all too likely possibility.

"I need the box (universal remote) to pause the box (DVD) so that I can hear the box (answering machine)."

Yet with all of our boxes, we seem to get along just fine — and give Chris a reason to smile.