Six Degrees of Steve

I'm starting to think we're in a recession....

I've started a job hunt in two recessions...in 1992, then again in 2001.  Both times, they stunk.   There are a lot of indication that we're either heading into a recession or are already in one.  While there seems to be a million different indicators, I have felt the following two are leading me to believe that we're heading that way.

Indicator #1: Reduced spending on retail good and increased spending on bargain goods.

Okay, this may be just a guy thing, but recent news indicates that in February, retail spending dropped .06% vs. a .02% gain they were expecting. 

To me, when people actively start transferring their spending from big retailers to Kohl's or Aldi on a regular basis, it tells me that people believe that the money is tight and they need to curb spending in various ways.  Since I'm normally an Aldi shopper, I see it personally with the amount of increased traffic in the store each time I go.  It's almost disconcerting...

Indicator #2: I'm getting a lot of calls from my friends who are getting laid off....

I'm normally an optimist, but in the recent 6-10 weeks, I've been getting a steady stream of calls for help in their job search.  In the past, most of my friends find something quickly, but lately, the job market seems to be really tight.  That's not good for any of us.

Hopefully my indicators are wrong and that the recent stimulus package will kick start the economy once again.  If not, hold on to your seats folks because it's going to be a bumpy ride.

You think your mom is mean...

I remember getting grounded one time for crashing a rental car that my dad brought home.  I admit it, I did cause the wreck and it was totally justified and while I didn't like my punishment, but I took it and moved on.

However, in Des Moines, Iowa a woman self-deemed the "meanest mom in the world" took it multiple steps further.  She and her husband bought their son a car with only two rules.  1. No Booze  2. Keep the doors locked.  Pretty simple, eh?  Apparently, it only took 30 days for her son to break the rule....finding alcohol under the front seat.  As a result, she decided to sell the car.

The great part is that it wasn't a 2007 Porsche or Hummer, but a 1999 OLDS Intrigue."  I don't think they sell those any more...

But that's not all, her ad read like this: "OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."

As a parent myself, I think you rarely get someone who is willing to stand by their principles and follow through on a threat.  Especially one, if not enforced, could down the road cost someone their life. 

As for right now, she's gotten more than 70 inquiries, mostly of supportive parents who agreed with her decision.  Also, she's already sold the car and while her son is very upset, I think he'll get over it and hopefully realize how much his parents do care about him.

As one who has seen the effects of booze and teenagers, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Have a safe 2008!

I found baby Jesus...with my GPS

Well..this is a new way to say that you found Jesus?  Apparently, in Wellington, Florida, a community center placed a GPS device on a baby Jesus used in a nativity display for the holiday, because in the last two years it has been stolen numerous times.

At $400 dollars a Jesus, that a lot of money. 

Unfortunately, Jesus didn't reappear to anyone the last couple of times, so they went ahead and placed those new fangled GPS devices and waited like one does with a mousetrap.  It only took a couple of days, but just like the beginning of those "Left Behind" books, Jesus took off and not under his own will....

This time, instead of following a light in the sky, they turned on its tracking beacon, which led them to a nearby neighborhood.  I love how it was discovered...."Inside the house, a deputy found the baby Jesus lying face down on a pile on the living room floor, according to a report."

Face down?  What I wouldn't have paid to have a segment of COPS on this one....if not Reno 911.

I hope everyone has a great holiday and look forward to following up in the new year....

"Failte gu Alba" to you!

Would you wait 6 months and pay $258,000 for this new slogan for the country of Scotland?

I wouldn't, but I'd be happy to send a bill for it if I was the agency who created it.  If you want to know what it means, you'll have to click here.

Yup, that's what it means.  Endearing, yes?

I swear, somedays, I think I'm in the wrong business.

Well, the next time I make travel plans to Scotland, I'll keep "Failte gu Alba" in mind....

Have a good one.

You going to eat the whole bird????

If I can get over my cold, I'm going to suit up and attempt to run a Turkey Trot 5K tomorrow morning.  Part of it is to run with friends, however, a lot of it has to do with the fact that it allows me some justification of "pigging out" later that day on my Turkey Dinner at my in-laws.

But no matter how much I eat, I will apparently never be able to match the people who take part in some 80 eating contests held by the International Federation of Competitive Eating, including one on Thanksgiving.  This year, contestants will be attempting to eat 20 pound birds in under 8 minutes....yep, the whole bird.....and it'll be airing on Spike TV.

I'm not sure how you get in shape for one of these things.  I don't think size matters either.  For example, take a look at the perennial hot dog eating champion, Takeru Kobayashi, he's a wiry guy at only 160 pounds, but he is able to down 53 hot dogs in 12 minutes on a consistent basis.  Well, except this past 4th of July, when he upchucked on national television.

I love this quote from the article, "Brian Wansink, a food science and psychology professor at Cornell University, compared competitive eaters to other extreme athletes. "It's the same sort of person who, let's say, would train really hard and compete really hard in a marathon," said Wansink, author of "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think." "It has the same level of competitiveness and compulsiveness," he said. "One we label crazy and one we label as noble, but in reality it's the same sort of process that drives both these people.""

Wow, for the love of the game.

There are people who will do anything in today's age, including eating 8 pounds of asparagus in 10 minutes or five pounds of birthday cake in 11 minutes, 26 seconds...

...but whose counting?

Happy Thanksgiving...and make sure to pace yourself.

Monty Python Laws are in effect people...

Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, you know what I mean?

Apparently in the UK, there are laws on the books that are not only real, but surreal.  I know we live in a litigious society...full of rules, restrictions and restraints that are supposed to help us to maintain law and order, but in reality, make our lives miserable. 

However, they are nothing like what I found in a recent yahoo article, where they've listed some of the most crazy laws in the book over the pond including:

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27 percent)

2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down (seven percent)

3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (six percent)

4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day (five percent)

5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (four percent)

Like letterman, they have a top ten and I must say, I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it myself.

Just for kicks, I searched silly US laws and got this link.  Enjoy.

I'll be by later to use your John....