Brushy Sage.

'BEND WONDERING WHEN IT WILL HIT BOTTOM" Today's Oregonian.

Because every town needs that 'other' town they can point at and go "Tsk. Tsk."

I did like, though, that there is a realistic tone to us Bendites mood, as quoted in the article.

"In my personal opinion, we will be among the last places to recover," Bend City Manager Eric King says.

Single family home permits down 90%....

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"Are you on Facebook?" Ginger asked, at the last writer's group.

"No...." I said, starting to explain....like I always have to explain why I'm not selling online or why I don't have a cell phone or all the other techie things that techies think I should do.

"I wondered. Because your blog is just like most Facebook entries."

You know what? That sort of made me wince, I'm not sure why....

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Liz said she found out of print games while she was inventorying, that are going for 75.00 on E-Bay.

One of these days...

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Looks like I've adopted that rapscallion Bilbo/Buster.

As the big guys say: "His opinions are his and do not necessarily reflect the views of management..."

I like his energy, and he often has something worthwhile to say if you can wade through it. He may be profane and I don't like a lot of his opinions toward minorities, but believe it or not he's actually toned it down a little. Which I appreciate.

I'd advise you to read him or not read him, you can usually tell it's him, rather than me muzzle him. But I'd ask him to keep it under control.

(Of course, this will probably just set him off.)

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Last Dollhouse on tonight? That is, if you're still keeping track.

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I bought my MacBook. I bought the aluminum one that costs a couple hundred more. The guy working in the place told me their mark-up on Apple and I just shook my head. That small a mark-up would barely pay the electricity in my store.

Liz helped me configure it. I already have wireless at the store because of the P.O.S. system.

I love the lightup keyboard, though I actually turned off the lights to make use of them. Heh.

Dangerous capability. Sitting on the couch in front of the T.V. with laptop on lap. Oh, oh.

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Obama's gone too far! Where do I go to join the Tea-baggers!!

He's canceled the moon mission!!!

Um....Tea baggers would be mad about that, wouldn't they?

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The ranks of the homeless grow ever larger.

Can't we find a home for the Bruce West sculpture? It's just so sad to see it abandoned, like that...

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Why do the deaths of J.D. Salinger and Howard Zinn seem so sycronistic to me? They were nothing alike....Old writers. Charismatic writers, one reclusive and one pretty out there.

Not sure.

Seems like the end of an era, somehow.

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Visiting economist, Bill Watkins:(Today's Bulletin.)

"Housing sales will remain low, there will be little construction and unemployment likely will stay at about 15 percent duing the next two years."

How much did they pay for that? Cause I would have told them the same thing for half the price!

"...retail sales will start picking up again, potentially as soon as this year."

Good to know.

"The construction jobs that Central Oregonians lost could be replaced by work in leisure and hospitality industries...."

Construction guy 20.00 an hour job, meet your new 8.50 'hospitality job.'

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Linda was wondering if she would need to take her new Rav to Toyota to get fixed.

"What't the problem?"

"It could have a stuck accelerater. People were getting up to 100 miles an hour and crashing and dying."

"Um.....put it in neutral?"

"That's what they're suggesting...."

"Well, pardon me....but duh! Maybe this is just a Darwinian way to weed out the completely stupid!!!!"

"But people panic," Linda says. Just then a woman comes up with some books, and hears the last part of the conversation.

"Well, you just slam on the brakes," the woman says.

"They tried that," Linda says. "It didn't work."

Linda and I exchange a glance. Case closed.

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