Beauty and dysfunction…

Another week at the new project has passed and I enjoy driving past the bucolic wheat fields as they are grazed by herds of white-faced cattle. Soon the ranchers will pull them off and put them in pasture. The tinges of green appearing on the cottonwoods, pecans and oaks will obscure the nests of raptors and my five hours each day in the Jimmy (229,000 miles and adding 280 per day) allows plenty of time for thought, reflection and planning…

So, if things don’t improve at the salt mine I’m going to plan B. The next few days will give me the news I need.

Mars out.

“Hyperbolic”…

is the operative word in the near term for the masses. There’s an amazing lack of common sense in the public discussions and reactions related to money – public and private. 

The historical hypocrisy of entitlements, congressional junkets, pork barrel and earmark legislation vis-à-vis the populist rhetoric relating to “greed on Wall Street” is pathetic and scary. Greed is a human condition and affects humans whether they are preachers, Senators, bus drivers or bankers. In the business world making deals is one of the quickest ways to wealth due to the simple fact that income from working the deal is usually a percentage of the deal not a wage measured in hours. The skills of the deal maker can be relatively simple as in the case of the realtor or more reliant on brains, experience and education. 

One of my goals for 2009 is to continue to increase the two income streams which rely on my experience, knowledge and wit and decrease the ratio of the income stream which is based on salary.

 

Mars out.

transition…

I started the new position (QC observer) at the Wichita Falls project but decided to commute, for now. The gas expense is about the same on a monthly basis as the rent for the additional apartment in Louisiana. I plan on looking at a few cars this weekend – a basic utility 3 door skateboard 30 mpg minimum. The Hyundai Accent is on the top of the list.

Add to the mix a fraud alert on a debit card, the replacement card lost in the mail somewhere between Norman and Thibodaux,  nothing unpacked for a week (don’t need it – a good time for a modified purge) and working a few hours each night on the house and duplex and the plate seems full.

I’ll update this weekend.

Mars out.