A.J. Klopp

Hawkeye, geek, hot yoga, biking, tennis, travel, music, & photography nut. IPv6 enthusiast & advocate

[NOBUNAGA🇯🇵🏯_夏樹蒼依 @japan_nobunaga]

In America, a warehouse store. A fully roasted chicken costs five dollars, the raw chicken beside it costs seven, and I stood between them like a man between two truths.

Golden. Hot. Seasoned. Spinning in glory under the lights, in a line of its brothers. Four dollars and ninety-nine cents.

I checked the raw birds. Seven dollars. Pale. Cold. You must do everything yourself.

This is not commerce. Commerce does not move backward. Somewhere in this building, mathematics lies defeated.

I asked the man at the counter. "How is the cooked bird cheaper than the raw bird?"

"Been five bucks forever. They keep it that way."

"But the store loses."

"Yep. On purpose."

On purpose. I held my receipt with both hands.

In my land, a lord who lowered the price of rice in a hard winter was remembered for generations. They built him a small shrine. This store does it every day, with chicken, and tells no one.

A woman behind me grew tired of my reverence. "It's just a chicken, sir."

It is not just a chicken. It is a wound the merchant takes on purpose, so that anyone, on any day, with five dollars, eats like a lord. The bird is the message. The price is the vow.

I will confess: I bought two. I did not need two. The second was not hunger. It was gratitude, and it was delicious.

Some prices are not prices. They are promises.

I return every week now. I take one bird. I bow toward the deli, briefly, so as not to alarm the staff. They have begun nodding back.

The vow holds. The bird turns. Five dollars.

Long may it spin.

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

A runaway sea lion is squatting in San Francisco and locals can’t get enough of the 2,000-pound beast they call Chonkers. https://t.co/MgLrCHmw39

[Iowa Men's Basketball @IowaHoops]

ICE IN HIS VEINS 🥶

[Iowa Men's Basketball @IowaHoops]

SO SWEET!

[A.J. Klopp @ajklopp]

@SawyerMerritt Get 3 months of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) or up to $1,000 off with my referral link. https://t.co/eC3TIylq4y

[Big Ten Network @BigTenNetwork]

Iowa’s Chit-Chat Wright beats the buzzer from half court 🤯🔥

[A.J. Klopp @ajklopp]

@davepl1968 Amazing story! Thanks!! Also curious how this does here v. YT.

[A.J. Klopp @ajklopp]

@CFBONFOX @HawkeyeFootball KF face says it all. WOW!

[FOX College Football @CFBONFOX]

Mark Gronowski goes out for the pass! TOUCHDOWN @HawkeyeFootball 😤

What a play for the Hawkeyes

[A.J. Klopp @ajklopp]

@NVIDIAGeForce GeForce Day

[A.J. Klopp @ajklopp]

@AppleSupport @tim_cook Shout out to Apple Support for help with a friend's MBP login issue this morning. Technician (Ganas?) was friendly, patient and effective. Very happy with the whole experience! 😃

[A.J. Klopp @ajklopp]

Weather rolling through.

[Univers Tennis 🎾 @UniversTennis]

ENCORE LUI : GAEL MONFILS ENFLAMME LA NIGHT SESSION 🤩🇫🇷

#RolandGarros

[A.J. Klopp @ajklopp]

@SawyerMerritt @barbaramerritt Congrats, enjoy the well-deserved break!

[A.J. Klopp @ajklopp]

A great read! Thank you J!!

[J(enna) Wortham @jennydeluxe]

At the top of the year, I took a ten-day extreme survivalism course to learn how to prepare for the end of the world. https://t.co/29YKtj7GkW

[A.J. Klopp @ajklopp]

@richardgrant4 I just finished this and enjoyed it thoroughly! Thank you so very much!

[Joel Stein @thejoelstein]

My @WSJ column about navigating the health care system's sticker departments:
https://t.co/WEuETtTjWz

[A.J. Klopp @ajklopp]

@MercedesAMGF1 @mattwhyman Excellent read.! Thankful @MercedesAMGF1 was so open and transparent to the project. Well done, Mr. Whyman.

[NBC Sports @NBCSports]

IOWA WINS IT AT THE BUZZER! 🚨

JOSH DIX JUST DID THAT!

[Iowa Men's Basketball @IowaHoops]

THE MAN.

@J0shDix x #Hawkeyes