Blogs about culture from Pew Pew Laser Blog

Americans Love Stuff.

Americans pay the storage unit industry bajillions of dollars a year to hold on to the stuff that they've run out of room for at home. When these folks stop paying the storage unit bills, the storage companies hold auctions where new people compete to buy the contents of delinquent units. Why such madness?

The human brain hates to admit that it was wrong. Getting rid of the stuff makes it seem like it was a mistake to acquire that stuff in the first place.

Over the past couple years, I've been on a personal crusade to get rid of stuff. The trick is to see the value inherent in jettisoning said stuff. I've considered the hours I save in not having to pack, move and unpack the stuff when I move. I've envisioned having a little space in my closet, and thinking of what else I could use that space for! I've changed lots of stuff into cold hard cash by selling it on Craigslist.

How about you? Just think how much simpler your life could be if you had less stuff. What could you use a little extra cash for?

Bewpubs and Bad Service.

Why is it that brewpubs often have the worst table service of any other restaurant type?

McMenamins is where the husband first developed a test for fine microbrews, and I have a well documented weakness for the Communication Breakdown burger. But going to a McMenamins always seems to be a 2 hour commitment.

While in Hawaii, we went to the Kona brewpub. While the beer was excellent (so says the husband), and the food was pretty good, we were "unattended" for some pretty long stretches.

Even Rogue's Issaquah Brewhouse has poor to fair service to go along with it's excellent beers (again, according to the husband) and mediocre food. But we'll continue going once a month or so because of their excellent location. (Near the glass blowing shop.)

Why? Are the typical patrons so enamored with delicious craft brews that the don't notice? Or am I, typically a non-drinker, just overly sensitive to not having my water filled? Is it because we choose to sit tucked away at a table, instead of at the bar?

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Seattle's Dog Culture.

Seattle has a very dog friendly culture. But some aspects are a little too dog friendly for my comfort. (I'm talking about pet dogs here, not service animals. I don't buy into 'companion animals', by the way.)

You can bring your dog on the public bus. I've seen some very big dogs crammed under seats on some very crowded buses. Those dogs looked pretty stressed - and that's when trouble can occur. Last month I saw a little dog 'mark' a corner near the driver's seat. The owner did wipe the area with tissue, but that just doesn't clear up the cootie factor for me. I doubt that Metro buses get a daily cleaning.

Lastly, I've seen a couple folks carrying their purse-pooches in the grocery store. The grocery store. There's clear signage against that, but what does it say about the local culture that people saunter right on in, and the employees don't say anything? I want the store employees to proactively stop pets in the grocery store; I don't want to have to be the bad guy. Is there even any way to say "I'm creeped out by your dog in the grocery store" effectively?

The Cost of Being Poor.

The Seattle PI Times published an article discussing the expenses of being poor. Little in the article surprised me; though perhaps it's surprising to many people.

The article was pretty interesting, but I would have like to see more examples of the costs of being poor. For instance, health insurance is expensive; but it's far cheaper than emergency room visits. An old beater of a car is cheap, but in a collision, the occupants of that beater are much more likely to be injured, and much more severely. Also, it is more expensive to eat healthy.

Twitters are no Substitute for Blogs.

Have you been considering putting Twitter (or something similar) on your blog? Because just sitting down to write a proper blog takes too much time? Twitters aren't quite an exact replacement for blogs. I suggest that you consider the following.

First, make sure that visitors will see your Twitters as new content. Put them in the main content section on your page, instead of the rarely noticed sidebars.

Your return visitors are expecting whole blogs anyway. Mightn't they be disappointed with the quick but often random thoughts coming out of your Twitter?

Consider how your visitors will comment on your Twitters. Hint: They won't want to go through the effort of signing up for a Twitter account to do so.

Lastly, you know all of those "@someoneelse" Twitters that comment on someone else's Twitter? They don't make a lick of sense to your blog visitors. Try to find some way to hide them.

All in all, if the problem is that you can't write a long blog, the solution might not be Twitter. Just write a short blog - just a little bit of fluff about what you're thinking. Or if you want to get daring; just blog what you would have Twittered.

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