We’re in for it

(10:00 p,m) The Canadian Geese are in the creek, which is almost always a sign of trouble ahead. It’s uncanny (uncanady?) but these guys usually hang out in the Sound, until bad weather looms. How do they know? Stars are still out, but ….

Time marches on

Raymond James broker sentenced to four years for theft. Gotta give Bernie Madoff some credit, because prosecutors are finally focusing on stock broker crime. Now, this jerk actually stole money from his clients’ accounts, which is an easier case to make than the ones I pursued, involving churning accounts to generate commissions or putting clients into wildly inappropriate investments, but twenty years ago, I couldn’t begin to stir our Attorney General’s (hey, he’s our Senator now!) interest. These days, I suspect I’d do better.

By the way, Raymond James is, on the whole, a most excellent organization. They had a bad egg, they made good their clients’ losses (as required by law)  and I have found them to be, with very, very rare exceptions, a really good firm. I have no business relationship with them, nor do I have an account there, but they’re pretty good folk.

Storm clouds?

 Chelsea Clinton’s new husband quits job, ditches her in NYC and heads off to Wyoming to be a ski bum. He seems young to endure a mid-life crisis. Couldn’t he have just bought a fire-engine-red Miata?

On the other hand, here’s a story that illustrates what’s so grand about human beings

Cop tends dying teen in the street

Can you spell “disconnect”?

Donald Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts dared suggest that we have an oversupply of regional theatre and the people in tights have gone wild. 

“What does he mean there’s too much supply?!?” wrote Trisha Mead, the public relations and publications manager at Portland Center Stage in Oregon. “What does he mean we can’t increase demand?!? Who determines which theater companies are wheat and which are chaff?!?” In another post, Durango Miller, a playwright and director, said: “Why not just increase funding? “

Great idea, Trisha, let’s raise taxes to pay for yet another lesbian/transgender/I hate my parents play, that simply must be produced by the non-producing class, paid for by workers and seen by no one but your friends. That’s the ticket!

Well this isn’t very nice

Whistler, Canada – outdoor “adventure” business shoots, slits throats of 100 sled dogs after business slows. kind of makes Michael Vick look like a sweetheart. I think I understand dogs, it’s people who baffle me.

Sad

Bum caught grabbing half a ham and cheese sandwich. No bread, no mustard, but he got the ham and cheese, briefly. What’s sad is that he spent the weekend in our jail, unable to post $250 bail, and is probably now in state custody. I do understand that we can’t have a society where thieves are free to snatch and grab, and I surely understand that the police were merely doing what we expect them to do, so no criticism implied or intended, but what a waste of resources. No answer here – social services? They were surely available if he’d asked, but still, two weeks in jail for a slice of ham?

So tell me, exactly, how I’m better off knowing this?

State Department warns U.S. citizens that we’re terrorist targets, everywhere we go. And I’m supposed to do what with this information? Hide under my covers?

Ethanol and Newt Gingrich – the hell with both of them

A reader below mentions this editorial in today’s WSJ but I’d already read it over my morning coffee and dismissed Mr. Gingrich from any further serious consideration. I’ll forgive a stupid person from error because, heck, he’s stupid. But Gingrich is not, so when barnstorms Iowa, claiming that only pointy-headed-intellectuals oppose ethanol, you know that he’s pandering to the farm vote. Screw him, screw the farmers, who should be satisfied with the record price they’re already getting for their grain. Instead, they just got the EPA to increase ethanol content fromn 10 to 15%. How can 1% of the population stick it to the rest of us?

Just in time for the gloom of the impending ice storm

Home prices drop lower

A good house finally goes to contract

I wrote about 55 Londonderry when it came on 286 days ago and expressed my opinion that it was fairly priced at $2.750.  Well that shows how much weight my opinion carries, but it’s gone to contract today, after being reduced to $2.595. A nicely renovated house, with a pool and pool house, on two acres on a good street, I think someone got themselves a  very decent buy.

From the Tea Party to the whacko left, we’re a country gone nuts

Meter readers opposed in Northern California, Maine.

Oh, goody

Massive ice storm arrives tomorrow. First 5″-9″ of snow, then comes the ice, with blackouts. I couldn’t find a snowblower today, but it seems that I should have been shopping for a generator.

This is probably not good news for us

Obama administration believes that the Muslim Brotherhood has renounced violence and should be encouraged to go forward in Egypt. If you’re not part of the administration and want to know about these people who assassinated Anwar Sadat and sent Osama bin Laden on his way, you really should read The Looming Tower and then be afraid – be very afraid. We have idiots guiding us in Washington.

Sailing songs

A reader mentioned the great Gordon Lightfoot song about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, but here’s my favorite sailing song, from Lyle Lovett:

(trying a different version – if this still doesn’t work, you’ll just have to Google it on YouTube)

We’re due for a hell of a spring market

Because nothing is happening in this winter of our discontent. Have you seen that latest forecast? 3″ -5″ of snow tomorrow, then changing to freezing rain and then turning back to snow. Ugh. However, buyers really do want to find houses, so once this all ends and they can travel again, we’ll get moving, so to speak.

Gordon Lightfoot

WFUV just played Peter, Paul and Mary’s version of Lightfoot’s “In the early morning rain”. Great writer, and great trio. I did jump a few freight trains, back in the day, so this song’s lyric, “you can’t jump a jet plane the way you can a freight train” resonated. That, and waking up cold and drunk a few too many times back then.

Mary Traver’s daughter lived here (and she still may, so I won’t blow her cover) and I met her at a party, years ago.  I looked at her and said something silly (but sincere) like, “don’t I know you?” “Mary Travers is my Mom”. Spitting image. Mary died a year or so ago, and what a loss.

Colonel Sanders is kicking Ronald McDonalds butt in China

Okay, it’s not real estate, but if you like business news, this Bloomberg article is fun.

NYC’s teachers’ union

$100,000 a year for a pervert sitting in “the rubber room”.

Braised lamb shanks

I was at Stop & Shop with Ma yesterday and saw lambshanks, inexpensive, and imported from Australia. But when I got them home, they smelled “off”, despite their shelf date of January 31, and when I started browning them today, the stench grew pronounced. My menu was set in my head, however, so those suckers went out to freeze on the front porch (I’ll return them tomorrow for a refund) and I went to ShopeRite to procure new ones.These are American (and cost twice as much, which is why I prefer the Aussie’s, generally), but were bright pink and smelled sweet.

They’re slowly cooking as I write, in a broth of chicken stock, white wine, a couple of anchovy filets. salt, pepper, mushrooms, onions, garlic, lemon and mint. By dinnertime, they should be fall-off-the-bone tender. Serve them with garlic mashed potatoes and a salad, and life will be good. I’d make someone a wonderful husband, wouldn’t I?  After eight years off, I really should try dating again. : )