Good Grief! I missed this epic battle last month, but it seems that a New York City research librarian, Stan Friedman, duked it out with fellow sloths to win a television-watching marathon. Friedman and his fellow Potatoes were required to endure a soporific blast of college football games while ensconced in a recliner. Unlimited quaffing of food and drinks was allowed, with the proviso that bathroom breaks were rationed out only once every eight hours. Naps were also verboten, and the camel-bladdered Stan was able to keep his eyes on the prize for 29 hours, winning the New York City Couch Potato Contest and parting gifts of a large-screen television, recliner and a potato-topped trophy.
Friedman was quoted as stating that he was not sure if his television prize would fit into his apartment, so one wonders what the allure of this contest was for him. He is also noted in the article linked above to be a baseball fan, so again, I marvel at his powers of alertness.
But I do have some questions to ponder: Does this win enhance the popular culture appeal of librarians and book lovers? Did Stan have a hidden book tucked into his chair? Will he swap his hard-earned booty for a bookstore gift certificate?
Off to find a corporates sponsor for my dream marathon-reading contest...
3 comments:
Thanks Rachel,
“Camel-bladdered” is surely the most poetic description I’ve read in any of the contest coverage.
Ask a silly question….
Does this win enhance the popular culture appeal of librarians and book lovers?
Librarian blogs seem to be running about 3 to 1 in favor of it enhancing the profession.
-Did Stan have a hidden book tucked into his chair?
Strictly against the rules. The only thing we were allowed to read was the ESPNZone menu.
-Will he swap his hard-earned booty for a bookstore gift certificate?
Nope, that recliner is a wonderful perch for reading!
All Best,
Stan
only 29 hours??
what a piker. i could have him beat...cept for that whole football part.
Stan: I'm flattered that you took the time to answer my queries. I salute your stamina in the recliner and agree that this is probably a good thing for librarians' and bibliophiles' public image. This proves we can be well-rounded in our interests.
J: I don't know about beating 29 hours in the recliner watching football. If the bathroom breaks were a little more frequent, I could see it, but 8 hours is too snooze-inducing. Every hour must've dragged.
-Rachel
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