Won't take you long to just sing to me please,
Won't you whistle a tune.
The Kinks - Mr. Songbird
* Both Bo and Carrie were a bit boring last night, and it doesn't matter much who wins. I think Carrie would be a slightly better choice. But again, either way.
* From the Department of the Obvious, Federal Reserve Board Governor Ben Bernanke commented Real wages should be rising which would obviously make for better lives for our workers. Ya think? Falling wages wouldn't do it. Stagnant wages wouldn't do it. Ah, this must be it!
* I cut back on late-day caffeine the past few weeks, and have noticed that I sleep better but also that I'm more tired. Last night I made the mistake of having some iced tea. After going without for a few weeks, the late day surge kept me tossing and turning all night. So by the time I eventually nodded off and then woke up this morning, I was really tired.
* The stock market? Here's what looks like the first test for the bulls. We've had 8 days up in the Nasdaq. Did you realize that hasn't happened since 1999? Good grief! Lets play limbo and see how low the market will go before the frustrated shorts and folks on the sideline get in.
* Speaking of hindsight analysis, Rising Oil Prices Send Dow, Nasdaq Lower. Well, the Nasdaq is up over 8% the past week or so. The market always needs a little something to worry about to propel it higher.
* Have you done the calculator exercise on renting vs. owning a home? I'm seeing this pop up more and more, but an excerpt from that link "For a reality check, I popped a few numbers into our handy rent vs. buy calculator. It informed me that we would be $60,000 worse off after seven years if we buy rather than continue to rent. It also assumed we'd be comfortable putting more than 50% of our income on the line for a home payment every month and it assumed 5% annual appreciation in housing prices for the entire seven years. In my opinion, those are pretty bad assumptions."
* My dad is in town with some friends, so he calls me today and asks if I want to get together for lunch. It'll be him and me, because he said "the girls are going shopping." These "girls" are all senior citizens. I chuckled to myself over that. "The girls."
* One of my favorite old-time rock groups is The Kinks. I hated them when I was younger, but now I think their songs are clever, amusing, and downright catchy.
* Alright, duty calls...