Today's Bullets
• There is a new smoking tax on the ballot for voters under Oregon’s awful (don’t get me started) ballot initiative process which was created by people who apparently believe that people with no legal training, no way of understanding context, no conceivable way to become informed, who are astonishingly responsive to mainstream advertising and mostly apathetic about social policy are the best people to craft legislation for the state. (Oops, I guess I got started….) Anyway, there is a new tobacco tax up for vote and the campaign against it absolutely kills me (not like smoking would kill me, but still…). I mean the PR firm charged with defeating that initiative is fighting an uphill battle to be sure, but what they’ve come up with defines “lame.”
Basically, the only people on their side is a diminishing pool of smokers, many of whom don’t actually vote. Everyone else will likely fall into two camps: (1) I’m not sure why we should be taxing the bejeezus out of cigarettes, but hey more money for schools is more money for schools and I don’t have to be the one paying; or (2) I hate smoking and cigarettes and any deterrent (punishment?) is a good one and if we get some benefit out of it, great. So how do you convince those people that they should desire additional pocket money for smokers more than they should want more money for roads, schools and police? Tough one right? Well, the only answer is apparently to attack the fact that the new initiative would amend the Oregon Constitution. What? Amend the State Constitution? The horror!!! THE HUMANITY!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
That’s the general idea. So we now have ads where a nice looking couple is filling out their ballot and discussing with the kind of disgusted shock usually reserved for discovering a dead body in the back seat of one’s car, that someone has had the unmitigated gall to suggest that we actually amend the Constitution. Of course, there is no explanation for why that would be such a bad thing, but I guess they figured if the actors simply seemed outraged enough by it, then people wouldn’t notice that. Sadly, some people probably won’t. Great, great system.
Moving on….
• I think the craziest people are people who believe everyone else is crazier than they are.
• An uninvited software upgrade to my DirecTV DVR yesterday wiped my hard-drive clean. I had at least one episode of every show I was hoping to watch this fall and the season finales of two shows I was watching over the summer. I had specials on Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. I had my favorite episodes of Seinfeld and Arrested Development. I had the thing programmed to record everything just the way I wanted it. I had the menus and guides and filters and other options set up perfectly. In a split second, it was gone. It made me really angry. I am thankful there was no in-person customer service option available or I might be typing this from the prison library. When I cooled off a bit, I felt pretty foolish for getting so riled up about TV. So, to help avoid this kind of misdirected emotional response in the future, I am not reprogramming my DVR, at least not completely. I will reset the guides to make it useable. I will set it to record the shows my wife and kids like. Then I will also record the last two episodes of the Contender and 3 other shows. I will record Seinfeld and Arrested Development, because I frequently like to watch an episode right before bed and then probably Heroes since that is the one that is the most interesting to me at the moment. I’m washing my hands of everything else. We’ll call it an experiment and see how it goes.
• The best Philly Cheesesteak sandwich in the Northwest can be purchased from a cart in Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland. I’m having one now. Mmmmm, mmmmmm.
• My new favorite hobby is writing praise and worship music as some of you may know. I wrote another song this week mostly by humming on MAX. I wonder if there is a group of commuters out there who refer to me as “the crazy/annoying/weird humming guy in a suit”
• I’m pretty sure that my wife makes the best pumpkin seeds around and I am certain that it is the best part of Halloween.
• I am more excited than I should be that Brandon Roy is back in the Blazers’ starting lineup for tonight’s preseason game.
• The markings left on a silk tie by whatever juices come out of a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich are not temporary. I thought maybe you should know.
Ok, that’s all for today. Back to work.
Basically, the only people on their side is a diminishing pool of smokers, many of whom don’t actually vote. Everyone else will likely fall into two camps: (1) I’m not sure why we should be taxing the bejeezus out of cigarettes, but hey more money for schools is more money for schools and I don’t have to be the one paying; or (2) I hate smoking and cigarettes and any deterrent (punishment?) is a good one and if we get some benefit out of it, great. So how do you convince those people that they should desire additional pocket money for smokers more than they should want more money for roads, schools and police? Tough one right? Well, the only answer is apparently to attack the fact that the new initiative would amend the Oregon Constitution. What? Amend the State Constitution? The horror!!! THE HUMANITY!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
That’s the general idea. So we now have ads where a nice looking couple is filling out their ballot and discussing with the kind of disgusted shock usually reserved for discovering a dead body in the back seat of one’s car, that someone has had the unmitigated gall to suggest that we actually amend the Constitution. Of course, there is no explanation for why that would be such a bad thing, but I guess they figured if the actors simply seemed outraged enough by it, then people wouldn’t notice that. Sadly, some people probably won’t. Great, great system.
Moving on….
• I think the craziest people are people who believe everyone else is crazier than they are.
• An uninvited software upgrade to my DirecTV DVR yesterday wiped my hard-drive clean. I had at least one episode of every show I was hoping to watch this fall and the season finales of two shows I was watching over the summer. I had specials on Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. I had my favorite episodes of Seinfeld and Arrested Development. I had the thing programmed to record everything just the way I wanted it. I had the menus and guides and filters and other options set up perfectly. In a split second, it was gone. It made me really angry. I am thankful there was no in-person customer service option available or I might be typing this from the prison library. When I cooled off a bit, I felt pretty foolish for getting so riled up about TV. So, to help avoid this kind of misdirected emotional response in the future, I am not reprogramming my DVR, at least not completely. I will reset the guides to make it useable. I will set it to record the shows my wife and kids like. Then I will also record the last two episodes of the Contender and 3 other shows. I will record Seinfeld and Arrested Development, because I frequently like to watch an episode right before bed and then probably Heroes since that is the one that is the most interesting to me at the moment. I’m washing my hands of everything else. We’ll call it an experiment and see how it goes.
• The best Philly Cheesesteak sandwich in the Northwest can be purchased from a cart in Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland. I’m having one now. Mmmmm, mmmmmm.
• My new favorite hobby is writing praise and worship music as some of you may know. I wrote another song this week mostly by humming on MAX. I wonder if there is a group of commuters out there who refer to me as “the crazy/annoying/weird humming guy in a suit”
• I’m pretty sure that my wife makes the best pumpkin seeds around and I am certain that it is the best part of Halloween.
• I am more excited than I should be that Brandon Roy is back in the Blazers’ starting lineup for tonight’s preseason game.
• The markings left on a silk tie by whatever juices come out of a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich are not temporary. I thought maybe you should know.
Ok, that’s all for today. Back to work.
Comments
Peggy: Tim, do you care if they change the Oregon Constitution?
Tim: I could not care less.
Peggy: I feel like you COULD care less.
Tim: I assure you I could not care less.
At this point Tim fully reclined his recliner and began a round of protest snoring to further drive home his point of not caring.