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Saturday, April 16, 2005

Thoughts for the Day After Yesterday

Yesterday having been the day when all that tax money was due - or, depending on the situation, the deadline for finding out how large an interest-free loan one has made to state and federal governments - perhaps some humor is in order.

Two local observations:

First, there was a garage sale today in Pleasant Grove which advertised a "new wench" for sale - cash only, of course. I suppose it was probably supposed to be winch, but one wonders how many folks showed up and asked to see the wench. Ahem. The moral to this story is, always proofread.

Second, it is clear that the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite, which seems to be on its way to achieving local cult status, has penetrated the valley's commercial culture. I saw two billboards along I-15 today in Orem (between mileposts 273 and 274, to be more precise) which suggest this. Omniture, a local web analytics company, apparently is trying to hire some programmers and database specialists. One of the billboards lists as qualifications, "nunchuck skills," "C++," and "moon boots." The other is looking for "wolverine-hunting skills," "MySQL skills," and "tater tots."

If you've seen the film, no further explanation is necessary. If you haven't seen it, no explanation will do it justice.

I am reluctant even to imagine which piece of that particular art work will be next to become reality - outside Idaho, that is. The movie's world bears a disquieting resemblance to certain aspects of the Idaho in which I spent my youth (though it does not do justice to rural Idaho's virtues, nor did it intend to).

Copyright 2005 by David Rodeback.
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