Didn't find the new music studios my customers reported. Perhaps it's obscured, but I suspect they might have mistaken the general direction and were thinking of the community school. Those are the only other studios nearby. As I mentioned yesterday, the community school is history.

I have to come up with a new answer for the most often asked question. How's business? Honestly, it's horrible. I've got prices slashed to try and sell something - anything. Only problem is, I've noticed that anybody I'm truthful with about the business climate - doesn't buy anything. Nothing. Not even a guitar pick. They give their condolences and hope things pick up, but walk out empty handed. Must be psychological. Can't really tell them with a straight face that business is great or even OK, but I need to tell 'em something different. How's business? The old business or the new business? The old one is dead. The new one - too early to tell. How's the wife?

This is how recession feeds on itself. You might have thought things were turning around, and were about to take a chance on a guitar. Hoping you'd be employed long enough to enjoy it. But here's somebody telling you that the retail sector is still in the dumps and even still going down. Might be best to hold off a little longer... Anyway, I'll have to brush up my sales skills a bit. Shouldn't discuss religion, politics, or the economy with customers.

The military aren't saying much. Well, yeah. We kinda' chased some jeeps into Syria. The Syrian border guards obviously weren't pleased about this and shot at us. We pretty much neutralized them as a threat. A half dozen wounded or some such. We took 'em for uhm, hospitalization. Yeah, that's it. Four days later, Syria wants 'em back. Uhm, we can't do that because, we uhm, shot 'em up pretty bad. How 'bout this? We were chasing a smuggling ring and these folks might know something about it. So, we're gonna' hold 'em like indefinitely because it would be a big PR problem if we sent 'em back right now...

Yet another small music store in San Jose. apparently closing its doors. Not renewing his lease. His guitar teachers are trying to find some new digs quickly. I shopped there. He's a lot like me, except that he's trying to sell guitars less than a mile away on the same street as the beast. You can only pity the guy for his sucky location. 'On the way' to Guitar Center. Sad to see it happen. A new location and he might do ok. If it's any consolation, I bought a guitar from him. I never, ever bought a guitar from Guitar Center.

Whoa. Hang on a minute. He's got an established dealership for a major cartel brand or three, despite the geographical impediment. I'm buying lunch. Let's talk.