PLSO Oregon Surveyor Vol. 40 No. 6

3 My apologies for those of you who are reading this article, that either through religious preferences, personal preferenc- es, dietary preferences, or any number of other preferences arising from your con- victions, find the subject matter contained herein offensive. I have no intention of trying, in any way, to change your mind. I don’t know about you, but I love bacon. Yes, though all the nitrates and such may be the death of me, I’m okay with that because in my estimation, I’ll die having tasted what my wife and I call “meat can- dy.” Some of you who are reading this may identify with that term. The smell of bacon cooking evokes somany satisfying memories for me that I felt I should take a stab at extolling the virtues of that life-ending sac- rifice pigs make for us on a regular basis. Maybe, after reading this, you’ll be able to understand the contextual leap I’m about to make using perhaps my favorite food as a means of expressing myself. When I smell bacon frying, my mind immediately wanders back through time to one of my favorite campgrounds in a remote part of Eastern Oregon. A black iron skillet over banked coals from a crack- ling fire, those succulent morsels of meat sizzling, snapping and popping whilst sending those amazing aromas straight to my hungry nostrils, reminding me of an old Disney cartoon where Goofy begins floating through the air as he’s transported by the goading hands of a fragrance reaching his acutely “dog” sense of smell. Of course, the smoke from the cooking fire is rising in the morning sunlight which is filtering down through tall Pines. The air is crisp with the coolness of a pending change in seasons requiring me to wrap myself in an old Pendleton shirt and old flannel pants as I split a few more pieces of wood to add to the fire. The bacon isn’t ready yet, but the an- ticipation urges me to sit by the fire and stare at the flames, let- ting my mind wander to other campfires and other experi- ences that have brought me to this sensory cornucopia. Greg Crites, PLS Editor www.plso.org From the Editor To begin with, I need to offer up a disclaimer. I shift my position around the fire as the smoke finds me and gets my eyes to water- ing. Stepping back, I find a stout limb and poke at the fire to see if I can stir the smoky offender into burning brighter. A coffee pot sits on a flat rock at the fire’s edge, so I fill my cup with another draught of “camp” coffee and daydream of chasing a few elk around the hillsides in hopes of lifting my camera to snap a few pictures of some monstrous herd bull in the prime of his life. The daydreaming ceases as the smell of bacon reaches my nostrils yet again and I suspend all thought of the day’s activities in favor of the great anticipation that my taste memories are sending to my brain. The PLSO is in the process of looking at rebrand- ing ourselves as a means of improving our image, making a connection with consumers regarding the value of the services we offer and hopefully attract interest from our youth in choosing this pro- fession as a career path. I think bacon could play a significant role in helping consumers to make the connection with the importance of our services. When we venture out into the public in our “pro- fessional” capacity, we could wear bacon scented cologne, causing everyone standing within smell- ing distance to perk up and look around for the source of that wonderful aroma. We could put bacon scented scratch and sniff dots on the back of our business cards and use bacon scented sta- tionery with all our professional correspondence. What could be more satisfying than having a pro- spective client sit back in his office chair and dream bacon thoughts while considering the need for our services. Of course, you know I’m kidding, but I’m also trying to get you to think about rebranding and what it means, not to mention how we might go about it. After all, we’re bombarded by advertisements ev- ery day frombusinesses seeking to have us identify with their brand through any number of ways. Why can’t we? Maybe, after reading this, you’ll be able to understand the contextual leap I’m about to make using perhaps my favorite food as a means of expressing myself.