Ninety Seconds Late Is A Scandal

The board flickered. Ninety seconds. A murmur of disbelief. In a country where you can set your watch by the 8:04, a minute and a half is not a delay, it is a betrayal of the social contract.

The recycling calendar is not a suggestion. My glass went out on a paper day, and within hours a neighbour had noted it, a note had appeared, and order had been, politely, restored.