California in February

A Blank Palate

I may be a bit late coming to these delightful little dolls but I have FINALLY discovered them ! A good friend recently pronounced them " creepy " but I see nothing but possibility here. A blank canvas in all of it's plastic-vinyl glory. I was thinking what a great creature a collaborative effort might produce. I may have to get something started on postcardx or somewhere. I have a couple ideas of my own, but I'd love to get into people's heads on this. The flickr galleries are FULL of amazing creations ...

Aside from a potential artistic pursuit, life is relatively quiet. You never really appreciate fully these times until some crazy chaos takes over your life and you long for the boring days. I wish I could " bank " these days and save them for later, when inevitably, something WILL become crazy and chaotic in my world.

We'll be taking a couple jaunts this spring that will liven things up. California this month, Las Vegas in April and Tampa in May. While I absolutely hate the idea of so much flying, I'm looking forward to doing some reading. I try to read at night but by the time I curl up in bed, I'm usually either too tired or wired to concentrate. I got a KINDLE from K for my birthday last year, so I have several books on there just waiting for my attention. It will be nice to travel without the bulk of a stack of books but I will always miss the feel of the pages.

The other day I lost another customer on my mail route. They'd been in business in that location for over 20 years. They closed the doors for the last time last week. It's haunting to see. Lots of emptiness. Another business in the same area is slated to close in another week. That makes about a dozen on my route this past year. There are others I worry for as the economy slips further and further. The restaurants are slowing down, retailers are nervous and it's a waiting game as we all wait and see what the coming weeks and months will bring.

Even the P.O is in the news. Five days of delivery is a very sound idea. The savings that could be realized are great. Gas, labor, building and employee costs. Seems like a no-brainer. Which is exactly why the P.O will find a way to " F " it up. If they eliminated DELIVERY on Saturday it would open the door to a new opportunity to capture the need. The employee situation is complicated, but CAN be managed. The USPS could create a premium service on Saturday, much like UPS has, to capture the need of the few that require it. It's a win-win. Which is exactly why the P.O will find a way to " F " it up. Hide and watch.

I also heard a lengthy piece on NPR about what Derek was talking about weeks ago ... commercial real estate. Seems those developers who bought hi-rises with hopes of high rent clients are feeling a big pinch. Citigroup, WaMu, and hundreds of others are abandoning their high rent offices. Awww, those poor developers. They are losing millions and it ain't looking good for a quick recovery.

So I wonder where we go from here. I suppose the safest thing to do is to just wait it out and try to be smart. Purchase smarter, consume smarter. We never really went crazy with consumerism unless journals and pens and glue stix count ... ;) But we can all move toward smarter living. I don't think we stop buying. I just think it's time to be conscious of where our money is going. KNOW who makes that clothing you're buying. KNOW where your food is really coming from. Reward the companies that treat employees well and think long and hard before you support the Walmart's who grew their business on the backs of hard working people who got screwed out of health insurance and other benefits. I vow to THINK.

Ok. Just checking in. It's a whole new world with Obama at the helm. I hope he can make a difference.

Anyone here up for a Munny doll project ?

Happy February ;)