Out of left field

You know Nielsen?  The company that’s been doing TV ratings since the invention of TV?  They sent us money.  In the mail.  I opened the envelope out of curiosity.  I would normally have just thrown it away, but we don’t even have cable – why on earth would Nielsen be contacting us?  Of course, it turns out they aren’t.  It’s addressed to “Providence Area Household”, which is technically us, but I feel like they don’t care about MY opinion.  And unexpectedly, two crisp dollar bills were looking at me from inside that envelope.  It’s an advance for the survey they’d like us to take.  Return the survey and they’ll send us an additional $5 in cash!  !!  !!!   There’s something weird about that.  Who mails cash?

Oooh, maybe I should fill out the survey and get the $5 just to have cash.  I hate going to the ATM.  So much so that I’m not sure I’ve been to one since we moved to Providence.  I don’t know where the nearest one is.  I don’t have anything against carrying cash (except that it makes my wallet bulky), but getting it is a pain.  Solution: put an ATM in my backyard.  Then I’ll have cash, and I won’t need Nielsen and their dollar bills.