Yesterday, Rob and I ventured into a small bookshop and each picked out a few items to purchase, for which we attempted to pay with credit cards. The owner of the shop told us that she would rather not take credit cards (I do not believe it was a matter of capability, as there was a card-swiping terminal on the counter), and did we have cash or checks? As we are broke New Yorkers, we had neither.

So she gave us the books and told us we could mail her the payment later.

We were instantly transported to a terrifying world where plastic did not bring power and people trusted one another completely. The woman smiled as we left, reveling in her hold over two more Manhattanites.

As soon as I got home, I instructed my Internet bill-paying service to send her a check. That will show her!