My Virtual Reading Room

This was recently in the news: 
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Guys, be careful how involved you get with this season's awesome crop of video games. Your wife may try to sell you off.Kyle Baddley learned this the hard way earlier this month, when his wife Alyse got frustrated by his constant Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 playing and offered him up to the highest bidder on Craigslist.

"I am selling my 22 year old husband," the ad read. "He enjoys eating and playing video games all day. Easy to maintain, just feed and water every 3-5 hours. You must have Internet and space for gaming. Got tired of waiting so free to good home. If acceptable
replacement is offered will trade."

The ad, of course, was a joke. But that didn't stop people from replying.

One woman offered to retrain him. Another guy said he was willing to trade spots with Kyle, noting that he was both house-trained and preferred books to games.

"We didn't think we would get any responses at all, but we've gotten so many," Alyse said. "Someone even offered a blue bag of Skittles."

Some people, though, took it a bit too seriously. One person suggested she use the free time to go out on her own, while others wrote that they were concerned about Alyse's relationship with her husband.

Among the unconcerned was Kyle's mother. She not only encouraged Alyse to run the ad, she helped her write it.

Kyle, it seems, has learned his lesson and has pulled back a bit from his Modern Warfare 3 playtime. His father notes that the couple is headed to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with Kyle's sister.

Kyle's taking it in good humor -- but he points out for the record that his wife was in line with him when the game went on sale.    
"I love my wife," he says. "She supported me when I got the game.
We stayed until midnight to get the game when it first came out. It's just funny."

http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/frustrated-wife-puts-gamer-husband-sale-craigslist-192001926.html
And it brought to mind a song from the 1980s, titled, "No, no, anything but that!"
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Translation of lyrics:

No, no, no, anything but that!
(repeat x3)
The mistress of the house was walking to the market,
And she carried her merchandise in a sack,
It's a long way to the market,
The bag was heavy to carry.

The mistress of the house was walking to the market on a spring day,
And just imagine, what she was going to sell
Was not a turkey, a ram, or a bull,
But her own dear husband!

Please, do buy my merchandise!
He's not very old!
Girls, women, come on, hurry up!
I'm willing to sell him for just a hundred rubles!

Refrain:

No, no, anything but that! (repeat x2)

A crowd gathered around her,
Many people needed a spouse, very badly,
They looked at him, he looked pretty good,
Men are much needed these days!

However, there was one major flaw,
Unfortunately, he was very drunk,
"No, mistress, you can't deceive us,
We'll do without a man like this somehow!"

Please, do buy my merchandise!
He's not very old!
Girls, women, come on, hurry up!
Start a family with him if you like!
Eh all right, I'll give him away for free!

Refrain:
No, no...

And then the man sobered up and started bawling,
"Forgive me, please forgive me, my wife,
I'll forget the taste of wine!
And here, in front of everybody,
I give a solemn vow to remain sober for the rest of my life.
Please take me home!

Even to this day it's a mystery and a secret
Whether all this actually happened or not!
But the men in that village, come spring,
Often cry out in their sleep:
"No, no, anything but that! Anything but that!"