I ordered from Lamps Plus a replacement bulb for my lamp. And though it was a three-inch florescent, the bulb arrived in a box big enough for a human head. Specifically, the head of whoever at Lamps Plus is in charge of PACKAGING.

At the post office -- same visit -- I saw a poster from Ebay. It showed a jumbo carton and the following caption: "Because six pounds of packaging is our way of saying I love you."

Is it just me, or are we starting to celebrate our downward spiral toward doing without? I know kids who, despite the drawback of having no income, generate their own weight in trash every day.

I'm not asking that we surrender our most valued principals -- comfort and convenience; I'm just saying that if we continue to gobble up paradise, there’s a good chance that our grandchildren will hate us.

We survived the Ice Age and the Dark Age, but only time will tell what becomes of the GarbAge.