Good Snow and Bad Snow

Good snow is wonderful. It is sculpted, cleanly bright, refreshing to eye and soul, decorating tree and fence and porch, hiding blemishes and dressing all in royal, winter jewelry. It closes schools. Kids climb on it and slide down it. They dig into it, pile it and roll it into imaginary forms. Adults dash away to it and then shush down it with various levels of elegance and skill. The world is pure and cheeks are healthy.

Bad snow is like heavy, grey oil, slippery to foot and tire. It closes schools. Hiding parking spaces, filling driveways, blocking walks and doors, it narrows roads to single lane canyons, hiding intersections and sapping the will to travel. Shopping becomes exertion, travel becomes extremely hazardous, routine is routinely disrupted.

How Stupid Can Tobacco Companies Be

I have been reading some of the educational advertisements that Phillip Morris is putting out trying to make believe that they are good corporate citizens and cannot help but wonder how stupid they are and how stupid they think we are. Tobacco is bad. Stop selling it. Period. No adds. No legal problems. No ethical problems. Just stop. Period.

They want smokers to quit so stop feeding their addiction. They don't want kids to start smoking so stop making cigarettes. Just say no to bad, unethical, immoral profits. Go find something that is more interesting, more benefical and move on. The tobacco industry has had its run now let's move on to something else.

Back to the Office

In contrast to my co-worker Suzanne, who spent the recent blizzard indoors on her couch, I have been nothing but outside, moving large mountains of cold, swirling, stinging water with balky cumbersome equipment dressed in a multi layered costume design to block both movement and vision. The children have done everything in their power to stymie my efforts, building collapsible forts in newly cleared areas and demanding heated chocolate drinks at inopportune times. I have rediscovered certain muscle groups although when the pain subsides I am sure my golf swing will have improved.

I cannot wait to be back to the office.