Raining

It's raining tonight. It's a hard rain, the kind that scrubs the grime off this city and makes the blacktop sparkle with the glare of the streetlights. It reminds me of the nighttime view of the south basin off Mulholland drive. Driving in the city now makes me wonder what the world must look like from the inside of a diamond. When it's like this I think how, dare I say it, lovely this town truly is.

Kinda makes up for the Dodgers. Too bad it means I can't go surfing tomorrow.

Walls Came Down

Well, maybe not exactly tumbling. But we were hit by a good downpour last night. Thunder and lightening and a river flowing down the street taking the built-up grime of the past few months with it. The town has been thirsty this summer and I've come to understand why even a little rain can seem so unusual and special. It's something to celebrate. And LA loves the change. We put away our day clothes, get into something warmer, and hunker down in front of the TV (something I rarely do, even in this hollywood obsessed town).

That sets the tone for this holiday, although we (the Mrs. and I) are not observing it this year. Reflecting on last night, I think we failed to observe any of the prohibitions. But it is good to relax after a week of hard work. Though not atoning, I am reflecting. We (a very broad "we") have a lot to reflect on. (There are many places to go for words to fill in the gap I left in that thought. Here is one of the best here: for instance, and here for an even less subtle view by the same. From the "we could probably have done better with ... department we have this.

I'll have to figure out how to embed the links. Later (and I think I did)

Anyway, I tip my hat to those very sharp commentors. I don't really have much to add to the whole messy discussion that they, my betters and teachers, haven't said more clearly before. At least not this morning.

Although it seems to me that part of the problem is a lack of perspective and sense of proportion. My own sense is we have it largely wrong or that we at least could be doing things a lot better. Maybe we could have changed course early on if we hadn't put such an obviously wrongheaded person (and his choices) in place. But haven't we just gotten the leadership we deserve? Anyway, my thoughts now are more to how to avoid letting the momentum carry me and mine away.

Maybe it is time to invest in distressed debt. Or maybe claims to the assets secured by it. Hedging sounds like a good idea now. To bad about all that debt and no assets thing. And no, I didn't lose it all betting on a rise in home equity. I lost it all to edumacating myself.

The sun is coming out. Our Fair City mostly gets the better of other places in that regard. I'll take it as a sign that its time to get on with the day. One thing not often said about this place: if sunshine is a good omen - this is a good spot to stake a claim.

Just for Starts

Let's see, how do you get this here thing going? Ok? Roger.