Yes, time to think a little. The premise of this blog has always been to record the best and worst of the day. Mediocrity just doesn’t play that big a role in my life, providing you overlook the women I've been meeting lately. If learning something becomes the biggest event, at least it happens once in a while over here. Examine a photo of what I spent 1.5 hours pondering. Different styles of switches. The $3 type I am holding does exactly the same job as [one pair of] the paper clips and brass pins shown along the bottom. (Why don't they open more brass mines?)In the eleven days it took my new supplier to ship a basic order, I improvised switches to keep the brain momentum up where it belongs. By the time the fancy switches arrive, I’ve got my own ideas of what works properly. It causes some people to stop and really think about why so many different switches are built when most users have no concept or need to go beyond your basic kitchen wall switch. They don't even think about how the fridge light works. But I see I'm going to have to knuckle down on this. Why? Because even if I never use the more complicated switches, I'd like to know why they exist.
The first band gig (we are ready to go after just seven weeks) is proving elusive. I had my doubts about the market for a four-piece. The band has agreed to price low as a buy-in. After all, it is the type of band that would draw a crowd. I’m an experienced manager and I know the longer it takes to find that first paying gig, the greater the chances of a rift. I’m knocking myself out. Bands need some reassurance that the new guy isn’t a waste of time. And I live in a town where 99% of the bass players they would have met are just that.
And that final stretch works both ways. I’ve noticed the band is decidedly conservative where my stage presence is gregarious even when I do nothing. They quickly rally when they find out the band income gets doubled in tips, but that is something they need proof, something they must see for themselves. I’ve exhausted my entire contact list without a single nibble. But the band is too good, something will turn up.
What is this thing on a Porsche? JP says it is a tow-ring. Yeah, on only one side with a fancy plastic cover? It makes sense if there were two of them. So many exciting mysteries as we shop for his new truck. His new used truck, the one he was supposed to buy before I left of Savannah. We spent some time at the car lots but there seems to be a real shortage of used pickups.Instead we saw copious 4-door trucks, the ones that make it easier for the thieves to break into. The ones that leave your tools in plain sight. This design also shortens the box unless you get one of those fold-out racks that sits on the open tailgate. No thank you. Otherwise the bed is too long to park at his place (his spot is near the main exit). Used in the 70,000 mile five-year old range were centered around $14,000. Still too much for a used truck if you ask me.
Who remembers the Dakota design? Small format, extended cab with room behind the seat and the box is about working height. The boxes on the bigger trucks are a good four feet off the ground, making it necessary to climb up there to get work done. In the end, I cautioned him against everything we found. Also, the salesmen these days tend to worship that sticker price. They may be the only ones.
ADDENDUM
I’m one of the sort who view Europe as “a breeding ground for reprehensible political philosophies”. There is no real trouble in the world until the Europeans get involved. The only thing more corrupt than their wars is their peace. The best of the lot is Germany and I would not want to live there. Every country in North America, Europe, and northern Asia has been in economic decline for years as successive governments reshuffle the deck. (That’s every country, no exceptions, they are all down the tube, Russia included.)
But what is “economic decline”? In simple terms, it is an overall slump in the value of goods and services from the previous year. Is this important? Yes, because not everyone realizes there is no happy point at which things level off. For the West to survive, there must be growth every year. If it declines or stays the same, trouble is brewing. Why? Because of debt levels, that’s why. Unless there is a continual rise, most borrowers can never hope to pay off the amounts they already owe. I cannot think of a single business that is not debt-based. Without growth, there will be a default and one is already long overdue.
That is why I watch Europe. If there was no such thing as money, the only thing that would interest me over there would be the young blonde women. Europeans can turn their customs and cultures on each other for all I care. Random crises, my eye. Who hasn’t noticed their wars and problems flow east-west? What industry? When is the last time you deliberately bought anything from Poland or Austria? I watch Europe because that is the most likely location for the next flare-up.
As usual, America will at first ignore it, then start rooting, then start shooting. This has never worked in the long run. Exported US money never goes where it is intended. It only buys a little more time before the next situation. My single prediction is that this time there will be a currency collapse. Like the dot com bubble and the housing bubble, there is now a money bubble. Bubbles only grow because people think it will go on forever.
The US stock market and housing market are indeed rising, but only because the government is pumping nearly $100 billion into the system monthly. Have you, or anybody you know, ever seen a dollar of that money? And you won’t because most of it is going to prop up businesses that could not survive on their own. Irresponsible banks, obsolete car factories, corrupt insurance companies, etc. The game plan is to keep these outfits in operation until things pick up again. And that is sheer lunacy. We are way too far gone for “spend and pretend” to make any difference now.
This time it will be different because for the first time in history, currencies are interwoven world-wide. All major rates are pinned on the US dollar, more so since the miraculous growth figures attached to China are proving to be about as reliable as their word on anything. I have no doubt more than one European country has been cooking their books for years and are about to be exposed. Followed by a flight for security in the form of silver.
