I know - I'm getting a bit lax updating this page regularly. So sue me. Or better yet tie me up and Cathy me. I've been going through closets and drawers and trying to reverse the flow of entropy. Didn't find any skeletons to speak of. Had to rewire some things in the studio yesterday after another minor electronics failure. Learning all about shed construction so I make few or no mistakes when it's time to do that task. Progress on the yard has been slow, but at least some progress has been made. More trenches to dig - think I'll use machinery this time around. Chipping away at clay is brutal. Cleared away some more dead or dying vegetation with quite a bit left to go. Went shopping yesterday. Nothing major. Bought an oil mister, a cheese slicer, and a belt.

Passed on the $1600 jacket. What - is it made of rubidium or something? No it was made of leather, which contrary to popular belief is a plentiful and cheap commodity. We know what the workers in China are paid. So that means somewhere north of $1500 profit split between the vendor and the brand owner. I've got about 20 jackets; including several that I don't mind wearing in public - so no need to buy into this cartel. If I decide it's a good look for me (it does look pretty good) I'll take a trip south of the border and get a clone for a couple hundred. Same jacket, very likely made in the same plant but without the thousand dollar plus label.

Planted some rose bushes and assorted other flora out front. A couple of evergreen trees will wait until tomorrow after the ground softens a bit.

Decided to try out my Market Day theory today but got short-circuited by the Mtn. View Wine/Art festival which prevented me from driving further. Had a great time but not the same crowds (or more specifically gender) that I had hoped for. Wine/art festivals are dominated by 1) families, and 2) older ladies with poor taste but cash to burn, and 3) anybody else just wanting to get drunk in public. If I would've expected this diversion I probably would've waited until mid-afternoon instead of early morning to catch more of number three instead of heaps of 1 and 2.

The job prospects in the Sunday paper are pretty bleak. I remember when there were three or four sections devoted to software/tech jobs. Now pretty much all the hiring is in medical care and software professionals took up an amazing 1.5 columns on one page. The front page was devoted to H1-B workers going back to India in droves and the tough times facing day laborers. Everybody is in trouble. Think it's best to just sit this one out, though that's what I would've done anyway. It's gonna' be a long hard lonely cruel winter. On the plus side, a lot of these departing ex-workers are selling everything cheap so they can go home. Might be a few bargains to be found. On the minus side, any economic recovery is a long way off. Consumer sentiment index is due next week and the markets will tumble along with it. Will probably be a rally after that as everything has been beaten down pretty severely at this point. Scared? Nervous? Market meltdown? Must be time to buy again.