Who are these guys selling to, anyway?

Monday morning, raining and dark. Had the vineyard sister-in-law staying with us this weekend, which is always a treat. She heads home this morning, which isn't a treat, but we sure had a good weekend while she was with us. Maybe the vineyard brother-in-law can join us next time, too!

Another Sunday watching some football, which means muting or watching the same sorry commercials over and over again. If the voice-over is a deep slow-talkin' male voice with a folksy drawl and a Will Rogers attitude, it must be a truck commercial. A bunch of good looking sexually charged young folks enjoying the high life surrounded by all the trappings of successful consumerism: beer. The latter is also sold with Animal House-style all-that's-important-is-partying-and-keeping-the-beer-flowing hijinx. Yawn.

These guys would have me believe what I really need is a huge full-size pickup truck with a giant V8 diesel engine capable of dragging boulders around a gravel pit or hauling half a dozen horses up a steep mountain grade with enough spare power I could also pass a semi on a blind gooseneck bend while climbing up the pass. I wonder, though, what kind of MPG I'd get on my daily commute in exchange for those few times when I really might need to drag something so frigging heavy behind me. Also, accepting this commercial premise unquestioningly seems to include the subtle implication that I need that much power and tonnage just to haul my arse around town. I may still be working on loosing a few pounds, but I don't resemble that insinuendo (a wonderful blended word created by a friend of mine many years ago).

Then there is Microsoft with their two current marketing efforts, neither of which make any sense to me. They are trying to sell their OS by chanting, "to the cloud." Um, the point of the "cloud" is that it frees me from dependance on any OS or specific platform or device. Seems like maybe MS doesn't get it so much (not much new there) Then there is their new Windows 7 phones, which lack some of the features of other phones and offers nothing that is really new, so they are selling them by implying that a limited-feature phone will minimize the amount of time you spend on it and, as a result, the amount of "real life" passing you by. Funny commercial, but, to use their own happy phrase, "Really?"

And while I'm on the football game marketing rant here, what about the Braun electric shaver commercial? "Wear your face!" Interesting approach, but since I already do wear my face I don't feel even slightly compelled to run out and purchase their shaver. Any other reasons? I didn't think so. Who does this dreck actually sell to?

On a more useful note, this weekend I swapped the Miata's all-season tires out for the dedicated winter tires. At gives me a bit more grip and grab when the temperatures drop, and with the first snow showing up in the ten-day forecast, it seemed like a good time to make this swap. I like the wheels they are mounted on, so that's a plus, but the harder ride created by the extra rubber isn't.

A good playlist this morning, with two tracks from second Mermaid Avenue Billy Bragg/Wilco project albums. Both are a collaboration set in motion at the request of one of the daughters of the late Woody Guthrie. A voracious songwriter, he apparently left a ton of music lyrics behind with no music. She asked Bragg to set some of the songs to music, he recruited the other musicians and the Mermaid Avenue albums were born. Good stuff.

The full playlist:

- Billy Bragg & Wilco: Birds and ships
- Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: The Votes Are Counted
- Vega4: Life Is Beautiful
- Phil Keaggy: Morning Snow
- Billy Bragg & Wilco: Airline to heaven
- Bruce Cockburn: Slow Down Fast


- Posted via iPad.