Over on her blog (see above for link) SJ Rozan asks a very intelligent question about Tylenol and why if you’re supposed to take two at a time, they sell bottles of 225. My explanation is specious but accurate that it’s to provide enough for when you drop one. But then what to do with #225.

Tis a puzzlement. Why, as many of us have observed, do hot dogs and hot dog buns not come packaged in the same number? Who’s in charge of THAT one? It’s not as if most folks use hot dog buns for other things. Yeah, there are better rolls and we use those, but even those are packaged in 6-packs, or even 4 to a page.

Stayfree and Kotex have to answer this one too. Who decided the numbers here? 22? 25? 48 for the big bargain bag? Menstrual periods last from what, 3 or 4 days to 7. 22? Of course I’m sure there are women who find that a useful amount, just as there are those of us who’d find 21, 35 or well, whatEVER number you pick, to provide enough for 2 or 3 months. But it seems random. It’s not like we’re talking by weight or anything.

Most prescriptions say “discard by …..” and the date is 1 year from the date you filled the thing. Right. The pills were made weeks ago, so how is it they magically lose all potency exactly on the anniversary of your filling the prescription.

My allergy pills come in packages of 10 and 15; of course no matter how many I buy, I must show my ID to purchase pseudoephedrine because we’ve got a micro-mini lab in the kitchen cooking up bad drugs. RIGHT. It’s the ONLY decongestant that comes in a 24 hour version for gods’ sakes.

The folks who make imitrex, a migraine medication have decided that one gets 9 migraines a month. That’s how they come packaged – in a package, by the way, which I cannot use. I have to ask the pharmacy staff to tear it open and put it in a standard bottle because it is so difficult to get a pill out of the cardboard container that it usually exacerbates the stress, making it harder to tolerate the headache. Smart, huh?

But then why did one of my pills this month come in a teeny bottle that was still too big. I took the 3 months worth of teeny weeny pills and put them all in one bottle. I know, it’s not sensible to make pill bottles in every single possible size, right? But the amounts of “cotton” in the top of some of the over-the-counter pills that Stu gets….they use the same size for 30 that they do for 100. Duh?

It’s SO random. We mostly get why books are in signatures, in multiples of eight, right? Because the way they used to print them and fold and cut the pages was to use a sheet that would come down to the right size. Or something like that right?

Some things I can see. I guess. This water bottle is 16.9 ounces. That is apparently 500 milliliters. Yeah but I don’t drink close to 17 ounces of ANYthing in one sitting. I mean of my generation who does? We weren’ brought up thinking that slurpies from 7-11 were standard size beverages. (Winona Ryder, in “Reality Bites” considers them her main source of nutrients.) But then we don’t need EIGHT glasses of water a day either. Harumph. That canard is a misinterpretation of a report that states the human body needs something like that much (64 to 80 ounces) but what was ignored was the following sentence that more than half that amount it is found in your food.

And then there are seed packets. And talk about waste. I mean let’s talk about a regular seed packet of zucchini. ARE YOU JOKING?????? I mean thank the gods for Territorial Seed company that offers a “sampler” seed pack. And other seed companies do offer smaller numbers than the regular 300 seeds in a packet which would mean the earth as we know it would be consumed by squash….. I’ve often commented since I had my first zucchini experience that they should sell zucchini seeds at the register, by the “each”. Six each should do most home gardeners. Okay 3 or 4 unless you reallllllllly like zucchini bread.