TAPE 32 - "The Shared Reading Bulb"

Tape 32 begins mid-conversation as usual, with someone attempting to introduce the mayor before getting sidetracked by vague mouth-based declarations. The bulk of the recording centers on an impromptu town council meeting about real estate agents coming to Bootstuck and the possibility of building 50 new homes. This is seen as “good for business,” though what business that is remains unclear.

The meeting quickly derails into a spirited debate over Bootstuck’s communal reading bulb, a single light source rotated between residents so they can read a few pages each. As expected, the addition of 50 new residents would strain the bulb-sharing schedule, and Dave—who controls the town’s only power outlet—is mentioned as the logistical bottleneck.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 00 (00:01):
I want to bring in your mayor.
I'm recording when you and themayor were talking about
something here.
Do you mind if I...
That'd be real nice.
I'm going to cut to that.
Hang on a second.
I do lots of things with mymouth.
Oh.

(00:22):
One of the things that I do isI talk to you with it.
A couple of notes.
We had another council meetingthat you didn't know about, and
we talked about real estateagents coming to Boots, Doug.
That's going to be good forbusiness.
It's going to be great forbusiness, but we've got a couple
of problems, and that's what Iwanted to talk to you about.

(00:44):
Do you currently have thereading bulb?
Let me check.
Now wash out your foot.
Get out the sponge and wash outyour foot.

Unknown (00:55):
Get out the hose.

Speaker 00 (00:56):
Now wash out your foot.
Stick on the dirt.
Now wash out your foot.
Get your forks in the water,man.
No, ain't got it.
Wait.
Is it Wednesday?
It's Wednesday?
Yeah, Dave got it for Wednesdayand Thursday.
So two more days for Dave.
So here's the problem at handis that...

(01:20):
We could divide the property upand boot stuff into enough room
to put up about 50, 50 homes.
Wait a minute.
Hold on now.
You're going to bring in 50more homes?
Well, the houses are to inviteother people from other places
to come to us and to bebootstuck in.

(01:43):
I guess we could callourselves.
Well, I'm not going to work sogood for the reading bulb
because we kind of have a lightbulb that we share between us.
We like to just turn it on andread a chapter or two pages and
then rotate the book aroundupside down and give it to
somebody else.
And then they'll finish it off.
So we kind of share the goingsof reading around here.
Is Dave a around?

(02:03):
Dave right beside me.
Okay, what does Dave think?
I don't think the light bulb'sgonna make it too far with 50
more people.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
We'll have to have a plan.
We could solve the problem by,uh, one, getting more light

(02:24):
bulbs.
Only problem with that is thatthe only guy with power in town
is Dave.
Uh, we'd have to run it off of,uh, off of his kitchen outlet.
But I don't know if we canstretch it.
a cord long enough to go 50 newhomes.
I'm voting no.
You're voting no, okay.

(02:45):
Caleb's shaking his head yes.
He got a new axe.
Oh.
I've got the reading light fortwo more days.
How long before I get thereading light back?
I would appreciate if I couldincrease the time that I have
for the reading bulb because Ihave to read all of the

(03:05):
documentation for what goes onin the town.
So if I could get an extra twominutes.
every Wednesday and Friday.
Dave, what we'll do is we'lljust read in the kitchen under
the kitchen light.
That'll be okay.
Otherwise, I will have to readdocumentation at the Tuesday,

(03:27):
the Wednesday, and Thursdaybonfires.
Oh, am I inviting to thoseones?
Because you didn't invite me toany of the council meetings,
Mr.
Mayor, and I'm kind of upsetabout that.
Well, you've never actuallyofficially asked if you wanted
to be in council.
Would you like to be a member?
Not really.
I was just wondering if youguys had Lego nights, because

(03:48):
that's kind of fun.
Council Lego nights?
Yeah, you do that?
I don't know anybody in townwho has council Lego.
Well, that's okay if you letgo.
I'll catch you.
Did you sneeze?
You'll have to get two moreextension cords and two of them
six pluggers.
We should be fine.
It's just about time for me toturn off the bulb and give it to

(04:11):
Dave.
So I got to go.
I'm going to put my socks inthe microwave and go for a walk.
See you later.

Unknown (04:18):
Bye-bye.