J-Dub!

it's catchy

You know that Bud Light Lime commercial with the catchy song that really makes you want to drink a cold one?  I finally found out what it is.  Lights out by Santigold.  Check it.

Light reading

What a wacky news day.  On top of our own tragedy, I found out a fellow master gardener died in a house fire over the weekend.  Police now think it was intentional. 

If you haven't read Matt Taibbi's latest column on the financial fiasco that is Goldman Sachs, AT LEAST read this excellent summary of it and why you should be outraged. 

On the lighter side, he's a great article on how to get your kids (or spouse) to eat more veggies. 

I've been delving into social media more at work, so it's on my mind a lot.  I don't think you can expect traditional marketing to translate directly to new media.  Here's an interesting interview with the director of emerging media at Southwest Airlines.  And while this article is about activism and how to avoid burnout (good reading in it's own right) I think the concept applies to social networking.  We want to measure everything these days, and while that's good from an accountability standpoint, I don't think it tells the whole story.  If we rely only on the numbers, we risk burnout, and may give up because things aren't happening fast enough. 

The game has changed.  We must be patient, persistent, open and honest.  It's about building relationships.  You gain trust one person at a time, and it's always valuable.

And a interesting take on grief - why we need it.

tragedy

My wife's brother was struck by a car today.  The woman who hit him is in jail.  Apparently she knew the brakes were bad, but drove anyway. 

I have a feeling this is just the start of a number of tragedies we'll see as a result of economic depression.  People have put off buying new cars, and when the money is tight, they put off making repairs or even doing proper maintenance.  This problem extends beyond the individual property owner.  You can assume that governments will soon engage in the same numbers game when budgets come up short - cutting services, deferring maintenance, not replacing equipment and vehicles.  Already, the state and county are showing lower tax receipts which is forcing them to make adjustments during the current budget year.  It's not pretty.  

In the meantime, we now have a victim of the economy in our family, and hope he'll be able to recover.  Life is getting tougher, for everyone.  

downhill from here

Here is one of the most depressing takes on climate disaster that I've read from the mind of the person who named Gaia.  One of the most pessimistic of us, James Lovelock says there's nothing we can do - climate change is in full motion and we can't stop it.  A large number of us will die, and what's left will hopefully preserve some kind of culture after we're gone.  

It's a tough assessment, but one that's not deniable.  The steps mother earth will take to clean up our mess will likely not be very favorable to us.  It makes the analogy of lifeboat communities so much more meaningful.  Don't think we're already seeing the effects of climate change?  Think again.   

media circus

Celebrities are dropping like flies in the heat of the summer.  First, Ed, then Farrah, Michael, the Oxy-Clean guy.  Now someone who made an actual contribution, Robert McNamara.  I always thought more people died in the cold of winter, but I guess it's a tie. 

Meanwhile, the coverage of Michael Jackson's death is nearing it's second week.  Today ran 15 minutes of PRE-FUNERAL fluff before getting to the real news.  MJ was a pop icon, but I'm amazed at how easily we get distracted when we have some many problems in the world. 

Speaking of watching a train wreck, Palin is definitely failing.  She's bowing out for who knows what reason.  She says she's not a quitter, but she couldn't make it through one term as governor.  And she thinks that qualifies her to be president?  Bitch, please. 

vanishing point

I had the pleasure of listening in to an investment seminar recently.  It was a reputable company and the presenter really knew his stuff.  He told us how every recession since the Great Depression has been a good time to buy stocks, and how the market will outperform over time.  I agreed with just about everything he said, except one.  He didn't think oil prices would go much higher and inflation wasn't likely because unemployment was so high.  That made me shake my head.  

We now know that it was the high cost of energy that got this recession rolling, which has been very similar to the start of the depression to date.  When the price of oil goes up, and it will again, it effects everything down the line - from farm production to pizza delivery.  We've been dealing with inflation in hidden ways, too.  We've been dealt stagnant wages and higher insurance premiums, while fixed costs like utilities creep higher.  The middle class is getting squeezed.  You can defer maintenance on the levy to a point, but when it breaks, it will present greater damage to a public without a safety net. 

Like the climate analogy of the frog in boiling water, the heat has been turned up on economic collapse and we don't seem to notice.  JHK pointed out today that the public went about business as usual over the holiday weekend.  I could tell by the mix of gas fumes and sulfur smoke at the lake that people are carrying on as they always have.  I love fireworks (it's American!) but nothing replicates burning cash like shooting fireworks.  It's gone in an instant.   

How long can we carry on?  The show's over, really. We're just holding on by a thread of credit and are a paycheck away from becoming another foreclosure statistic.  People will argue about the actual date of peak oil, but even if you think it's a few years away, is that enough time?  Richard Heinberg has written extensively about it and makes a good suggestion in his latest column.  He suggests that we use the peak price of oil in 2008 as the mark, and nominates July 11 as Peak Oil Day.  If we celebrated July 4 with fireworks, how should we celebrate Peak Oil day?  Maybe a bike race? 

Conventional wisdom says we'll recover.  The economy will pick back up eventually and we'll stumble headlong into infinite growth.  But something's different this time.  On the horizon is a storm of many proportions, the least of which is our need for cheap energy.  We'll do our best to prepare, but we all know it entails a shrinking economy.  I figure we can meet it half way, or get dragged behind.  There's probably an easiest way to stop the horses... 

Freedom Friday

An appropriate topic for the start of the 4th of July weekend when we celebrate our penchant for independence and freedom.  Sharon takes on the issue of drug policy and makes all the right points as to why our current trajectory is silly.  She makes it clear she doesn't favor drugs, but cares less for bad governance. 

Then, if you care about your quality of life, read on for this piece on how our hectic lives are killing us.  Our food is killing us, too.  The guest on TDS last night was the director of Food, Inc., a documentary I suggest you check out.  At the root of it all is energy.  We've got a lot to do. 

to school

JMG has penned another gem that captures the sum of our worries, from misappropriated fascination to a tragic disregard for economic certainties.  If you have doubts about what our situation is, read and be enlightened. 

marketing

So my wife hands me some new crackers she wants me to try.  They are good.  I look at the box to learn more.  It's a snappy package, neat logo called North Woods or something, claiming all natural indgredients.  It's exactly the kind of thing I want to buy as a consumer.  I'd be even more thrilled if they were made locally, but I'll settle for some elves in the North Woods.   

A little more investiagation tells me who made them.  Frito-Lay, Plano, Texas. 

Up until now, marketing has been about fulfilling an image.  And we were buying.  The game has changed.  More on this to come...

random thoughts

that have popped into my head over the last week. 

Another Michael Jackson story? 

Oil prices anyone?  It effects everything. 

I read a recent Krugman article in Newsweek on global warming.  This is serious stuff folks.  If we don't start acting a little more responsibly, our grandchildren will make surewe don't outlive our 401K. 

at peace

We went on a float trip this weekend.  It's the first since before Jillian was born and long overdue.  We milked it for every drop.  That has to be one of the great things about where we live.  It's just scant hours from a variety of rivers and outfitters.  We probably fit into that rowdy crew you might see and complain about, but it was harmless fun and nobody got hurt - badly. 

There's just something about being in the middle of the river on a hot sunny day with a cold one in your hand and no worries beyond making it to dinner.   

I'm just saying...

Jon and Kate plus eight.  Yeah, whatever.  They were freaks from the start. 

So a Republican governor goes AWOL and it turns out it's because he's having an extramarital affair.  Don't these guys learn anything?  On one hand, no one is a rock.  On the other hand, if you can't avoid taking a dump in your bed,  you deserve to sleep in shit. 

I will say this - I've been faithful to my wife, but I don't have the kind of tail thrown at me that athletes and celebrities get.  It's no excuse, but consider it increased pressure.  There is some awe that comes with power, a strong temptation for those with a proclivity to weakness.   

it's hot

I'm pretty sure I blogged that we had a real normal spring.  Well, summer is here and it's been less than average.  It's freaking hot.  If you ask me, a few degrees of climate change is an unwelcome development.  I hope it doesn't keep this up all summer.   

Captain's log

Happy solstice.  It's the longest day of the year, and I used it.  It's nearly 10:30 and I'm just cracking my first Natty. From here the days will begin to shorten, but it's a trick, since the hottest part of summer is just beginning.   I made some new rows in the garden where things had failed before, but it's too late.  We're into the heat.  Keep an eye to water.  Give the garden a soak in the morning if you haven't had a inch of rain in the last week. 

I got some cool bird feeders for Father's Day, but the time alone was most valuable.  Jennie took the kids to the lake and I was able to get quite a bit done around the house.  Good thing, too - we're hitting that streak we're we'll be busy all the time until sometime in late July.  I'll be traveling a lot beginning this week.  Then there's Fourth of July and our family trip to Cali.  I'll probably spend most of my time at home getting caught up in the yard and nursing whatever survives in the garden.  Before you know it, we'll have fresh squash and tomatoes. 

There's plenty to note in the world, but I'm keeping my head down and concentrating on getting through August.  Always in the back of my mind... sustain, sustain, sustain. 

Freedom Friday

Help save the earth - Time to subsitute hemp for oil. 

and then..

I like Dmitry Orlov's writing for his humor, but in this treatise, he does a fantastic job summing up the crisis and proffering a look at the future.  It will become evident this fall that energy prices are directly impacting our economy.  We're going to have to do some things differently. 

I find myself thinking a lot like Mr. Orlov.  I've already seen the benefits of a more natural lifestyle, and strongly believe skills are the most important investment we can make in ourselves.  We may have some time left (which we should use properly) but the survivors are going to be the adaptable ones with a sense of humor. 

Captain's log

It seems life is a series of lessons that I never quite confirm the meaning therein.  Challenge after challenge, for what?  I had to take some time off work to get a few things done.  Amongst some backlog, I was able to spend a full day in the yard, unhindered and unscheduled.  It was beautiful.  And it freed our weekend up for fun trips.  Good times.  But I'm back to the grind.  

Seriously, there are quite a few things I'd like to get done.  I have a lot of ideas.  In fact, I probably consider changing careers once a week.  I can't explain why really - most of the time I have to admit I lack any qualifications for them - I just see opportunities.  

So I think about jobs a lot.  It's interesting when you stop to consider all the various things people do for a living.  There's a million ways to work through life - you just have to find the one that fits you.  Beyond that, there's too little time to manage everything at once, so try to structure your life around the other things that you love - and then just dig in.  We all have to make compromises.  I've thought a lot about the ones we've made.  Sometimes that house in the city makes sense - less to maintain, close to schools and soccer practice, whatever.  But most of all it gives you the cushion you need to pursue those weekends that you live for.  

I suppose it comes down to deciding what's most important to you.  I have to say, after seeing Marc's garden today, a better piece of ground is rising up my list.   

Et tu, Bruno?

I'm a Columbia boy, and thus have an affection for the CDT.  I grew up reading that paper. I no longer live in Columbia, and no longer subscribe to the CDT, but I'm still loyal to my paper.  I read their offering online everyday and think about the town of my roots. 

Since I'm outside the delivery range ( I can find it across the river) I used to have the paper mailed to me.  But I didn't see the point in reading day-old news and showmenews.com was a pretty decent Web site.  I've always said I would pit our paper against any in the country. 

Of course, with success comes growth and change.  Newspapers are starting to figure out how to monetize their Web presence, and so we expect redesigns and banner ads.  I didn't grumble much when you went to a forum type classified listing, or required registration for comments because it was a nice addition.  But when I surfed to the classifieds today to check the want-ads (curiosity) I was greeted with a new registration page.  No more free ads? 

Now, maybe it's a harmless registration step like so many other "clubs" we belong to.  They just want to track our profile and potentially offer us things (gasp) based on our likes and dislikes.  But maybe a job search is one of those things I'm not willing to disclose (oops).  Besides, you just took one of the last profitable sales items you have, something people are willing to pay for, and made a step towards charging us on both ends at the risk of losing traffic.  Which I guess is what you've done all along.  

Maybe it's progress.  But my shining media knight is a shade duller today.   

UPDATE:  Back to normal today.  Must have been a slow connection day. 

fork in the road

Here's a pretty useful analogy when looking at the problems of societal collapse - peak oil, peak population, peak agriculture, climate change and economic depression. 

light reading

This is part 3 of a series describing the day in the life of a family post collapse.  It's an interesting read.