Friday fuds.

I have a full week of Bulletin's to browse through. I'm going to make little remarks here as I go along.

**********

"WHO OWNS MIRROR POND?" 8/12/12. Bulletin.

Well, if ever there was a case for imminent domain.

Unless we can stick someone else for the bill. Yeah, that's it.

**********

So here we go again. We're having a boom in breweries, and there are calls to ease the "regulations" concerning them?

No -- the boom is the time to enforce the regulations in full, and it's the time to charge for services.

Not after the boom busts. Because, sure a night follows day, that's when the breweries will call for 'help.' ('Cause then they'll be even more adamant they need easing and cost breaks.)

**********

Another brewery?

Oh, wait. This is a meadery.

That's different....right....?

**********

The hordes of humans at the Sunriver pool. So attractive.

People are weird.

The whole of Central Oregon is open to them; lakes, streams, rivers, ponds.

On second thought, having them cool off in a swimming pool is so much better for the environment.

**********

Slot cars are back?

Wow. Like Yo-yo's or trolls, they come back every ten years or so, eh?

By the way, we got trolls in -- the officially sanctioned ones.

**********

"BEND HOME SALES INCREASE, VALUES DROP." 8/12/12.

Sales at my store would increase, too, if I lowered prices by 40%. Of course, since I have a roughly 40% profit margin, that would mean I'd be working for free.

So, yeah. The article seems to be pointing in the correct direction, pointing out that it is new home building that really counts as far as the economy goes. 7 furniture stores went out of business? Well, I remember looking up furniture stores in the yellow pages and contrasting their numbers with the numbers of new houses and realizing that they were in a dire place. I seem to remember more stores than houses. (Even assuming that every new house needs new furniture.)

Anyway, I'm not expecting a construction recovery anytime soon. It depends on whether you believe that the Inventory is really being sold off -- like so many in the real estate industry seem to be touting -- or you believe as I do that there is still tons of shadow inventory to come...

**********

I feel for the kid who wanted to clean up the cinder buttes. My reaction was -- might as well take a teaspoon to a lake. Those places are beyond saving, sadly. I'm thinking they are sacrificial lambs to the yahoos.

**********

One of Linda's nieces was saying that she was going to buy the big ELVIS graphic novel online.

I hadn't heard of it.

Got home and saw it on the "SALE" list, originally priced at $200.00. So I ordered it, even though it was still relatively expensive.

Because she mentioned it. That's how I roll.

**********

When I first met Linda, she was driving a 1956 Chevy that her Mom had given her. At some point during our money troubles, we cracked the block, so we sold it to her sister and her brother-in-law.

During our visit last week, there was Sherman (because it drove like a tank) all abandoned like.

I offered to buy it back, but one of the nieces -- who is an old car aficionado -- is taking Sherman.

Just as well. I'm not a car person, I just hated to see the old guy rot.

**********

Say what you will, the U.S.A. doesn't throw punk rockers in jail.

**********

"Will Central Oregon Ever See a Professional Tournament Again?" Bulletin, 8/15/12.

I loved this quote. "I explained to (a potential sponsor) the success we had...."

Yeah, right. I seem to remember the turnout as being underwhelming, but maybe they have a different definition of success.

Face it, Central Oregon. We have a population of 200,000 people. Driving up I-5 from Sacramento we passed through county after county who had more people than that -- towns over 50K I'd never even heard of.....

We need either more people, or more money.

**********

City Club is having trouble raising finances? Well, again, there are going to be problems with lots of organizations and businesses in Bend who were established during the boom years, because that was their frame of reference. For instance, raising their highest level, 93K, but still spending 96K that year. oops. I bet they wish they had those numbers again.

The problem with booms is that everyone spends at their maximums.

**********

For the average person, the polls seem to be utterly useless this year. Contradictory and volatile.

Just like the media, you can no longer count on anyone being moderate or objective.

Bleh.

**********

We went from the relative coolness of central Oregon, to very humid hot California. By the time we were leaving, it was cooling off, and getting hot back here in Bend. We can pick 'em.

**********

Stayed home yesterday and buried my head in a book. I've found another good fantasy series -- Joe Abercrombie's, to join the Martin series, the Patrick Rothfuss books, and about half of the Lois McMasters Bujold fantasies, as satisfying reads.

That's about it. I've read, oh, I don't know, 30 or 40 or 50 other fantasy worlds -- the first, sometimes the second book in a series -- and given up. That's why I've been reading so many mysteries over the last couple of decades.

Good fantasy is hard to find.

**********

That's it. I'm halfway through the 15th, I'll continue tomorrow.