Two Tidbits

1. So, the state of New Jersey is seriously considering banning smoking in public places … well, not ALL public places, but ones that are not considered casinos. In my mind, this is wrong on soooooooooooooooooo many levels. Look, I’m not even going to get into the damages that smoking can cause on the human body, because this has been well documented. And, yes, I know about the problems of second-hand smoke (so, please, don’t bring it up).

I think it should be the choice of an establishment on whether to allow smoking or not. If there are so many people up in arms about smoking in public places, there should be plenty of opportunities for them to open up their own places and make them no-smoking havens. And, if the government is so hard-up for this, why not offer tax breaks or incentives to these types of establishments?

Secondly, you start to understand what makes the government tick when you find out that Casinos are not a part of this ban. As always, the lesson here is that money talks. Man, the lobbyists and bribe-givers must’ve been working overtime on this one. How is this not an issue?

You know, if this keeps up, there will be a ban on drinking alcohol at bars eventually. Certainly, there will be a limit on how much beer or alcohol will be able to be consumed per person … except for at the Casinos.



2. Every now and then, a character on television comes by that just seems to steal every scene. It happened with Kramer on Seinfeld, Woody on Cheers, Homer on the Simpsons, and the Fonz on Happy Days. Well, let me introduce you to the next “guy.” His name is Dwight Schrute, and he is the assistant to the manager on a show called “The Office.”

Schrute’s mere face in a scene can make one wet his/her pants. He is anal retentive, a butt kisser, obnoxious, and a little bit crazy. He loves Dungeons and Dragons (a geek), Star Wars, and karate. People goof on him behind his back all of the time, but he thinks that he is well respected. The writers do a fantastic job with his character, but I think the actor himself (Rainn Wilson) adds something that nobody else can – kind of like Michael Richards did with the Kramer character.

Give the show a chance – it is on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. on NBC. I bet your favorite character will be Schrute as well.