Putting Congress into play.

Not to get all political and all, but it seems to me that Paul Ryan's selection puts Congress, specifically the House, into play in a way it wasn't quite before.

If you like Paul Ryan, then you like what the House did during the Bush years (he voted for most of the Bush Agenda) and you like what it's done in the Obama years (which by my reckoning has been most obstruction.)

So we'll all be thinking and talking about that.

Whoever gets elected might actually have mandate this time.

Or...not.

Downtown Comings and Goings. 8/11/12

Since both Bella Moda and Honey Threads have signs in their windows, I guess they've moved from the rumor phase.

And of course, Common Ground has closed.

My count: 103 Comings and 101 Goings.

NEW BUSINESSES DOWNTOWN

Earth*Fire*Art, Oregon Av., 7/10/12.
Pastrami Deli, Franklin Av., 7/10/12.
Bend Your Imagination, Minnesota Av., 7/10/12.
Paul Scott Gallery), Brooks St., 7/10/12
Natural Edge Furniture, Bond St., 5/10/12
Hola!, Bond St., 3/3/12.
Amanda's, Franklin Ave., 2/24/12
Barrio, Minnesota Ave., 2/12/12.
Rescue Moderne, Harriman, 1/12/12.
Letzer's Deli, Franklin Ave. 2/12/12.
Navidi, Minnesota Ave., 2/9/12.
Mazza, Brooks St. , 2/9/12.
La Magie Bakery, Bond St., 1/6/12
Brother Jon's Ale House, Bond St., 12/10/11.
What Lola Wants, Wall St. , 12/2/11.
Jackalope Grill, 10/12/11.
Gypsy Soul, Wall St. 10/12/11.
Colour N' the City, Tin Pan Alley, 10/12/11.
Lotus Moon, Brooks St., 10/12/11.
The Lobby, Bond St. , 10/12/11.
Ruby, Minnesota Ave., 10, 12/11.
Kariella, Lava Road, 8/24, 11.
Plankers, Wall St., 7/11.
Faveur, Franklin, 7/11.
Dream Pebbles, Minnesota Ave., 6/15/11.
Bend Yogurt Factory, Franklin/Bond, 4/26/11.
High Desert Lotus, Bond St. , 4/4/11.
Tryst, Franklin Ave., 3/11/11. (Formerly Maryjanes, **Moved**).
D'Vine, Wall St. , 2/9/11.
Let it Ride!, Bond St., 1/29/11.
Gatsby's Brasserie Bar, Minnesota Ave., 1/8/11
Tres Jolie, Wall St., 12/20/10.
Caldera Grill, Bond St., 12/7/10
Bond Street Grill, 12/7/10.
Perspective(s), Minnesota Ave., 11/20/10
Toth Art Collective, Bond St. 11/20/10
Boken, Breezeway, 11/20/10
Dalia and Emilia, Wall St., 10/3/10.
Antiquarian Books, Bond St., 10/3/10.
Giddyup, Minnesota Ave., 10/3/10.
The Closet, Minnesota Ave., 8/11/10.
Showcase Hats, Oregon Ave., 8/11/10,
Red Chair Art Gallery, Oregon Ave. 7/13/10.
Earth Sense Herbs, Penny's Galleria, 7/12/10.
Mad Happy Lounge, Brooks St., 6/2910
Common Table, Oregon Ave. , 6/29/10.
Looney Bean Coffee, Brooks St. , 6/29/10.
Bourbon Street, Minnesota Ave., 6/22/10
Feather's Edge, Minnesota Ave., 6/22/10
The BLVD., Wall St. , 6/13/10.
Volt, Minnesota Ave. 6/1/10.
Tart, Minnesota Ave. , 5/13/10
Olivia Hunter, Wall St. 4/5/10.
Tres Chic, 4/5/10 (Moved to Minnesota Av.)
Blue Star Salon, Wall St. 4/1/10.
Lululemon, Bond St. 3/31/10.
Diana's Jewel Box, Minnesota Ave., 3/25/10.
Amalia's, Wall St. (Ciao Mambo space), 3/12/10
River Bend Fine Art, Bond St. (Kebanu space) 2/23/10
Federal Express, Oregon Ave. 2/1/10
***10 Below, Minnesota Ave. 1/10/10
Tew Boots Gallery, Bond St. 1/8/10.
Top Leaf Mate, 12/10/09
Laughing Girls Studio, Minnesota Ave. 12/7/09
Lemon Drop, 5 Minnesota Ave., 11/12/09
The Curiosity Shoppe, 25 N.W. Minnesota Ave, Suite #7. 11/5/09
Wabi Sabi 11/4/09 (**Moved, Wall St.**)
Frugal Boutique 11/4/09
5 Spice 10/22/09
Cowgirls Cash 10/17/09
***Haven Home 10/17/09
Dog Patch 10/17/09
The Good Drop 10/12/09
Lola's 9/23/09
**Volcano Wines 9/15/09
Singing Sparrow Flowers 8/16/09
Northwest Home Interiors 8/5/09
High Desert Frameworks 7/23/09 (*Moved to Oregon Ave. 4/5/10.)
Wall Street Gifts 7/--/09
Ina Louise 7/14/09
Bend Home Hardware (Homestyle Hardware?) 7/1/09
Altera Real Estate 6/9/09
Honey 6/7/09
Azura Studio 6/7/09
Mary Jane's 6/1/09
c.c.McKenzie 6/1/09
Velvet 5/28/09
Bella Moda 3/25/09
High Desert Gallery (Bend) 3/25/09
Joolz
Zydeco
900 Wall
Great Outdoor Store
Luxe Home Interiors
Powell's Candy
Dudley's Used Books and Coffee
Goldsmith
Game Domain
Subway Sandwiches
Bend Burger Company
Showcase Hats
Pita Pit
Happy Nails

(List begun, Fall, 2008.)

BUSINESSES LEAVING

Common Ground, Oregon Ave., 8/11/12.
Honey Threads, Minnesota Ave., 8/11/12.
Bella Moda, Wall St., 8/11/12.
Giddy Up, Minnesota Ave., 5/10/12
Pottery Lounge, Oregon Ave., 5/17/12.
Boondocks, Newport Ave., 3/27/12
Game Domain, Oregon Ave., 3/27/12.
Toth Gallery, Bond St., 3/27/12.
Letzer's Deli, Franklin Ave., 3/22/12.
Clutch, Minnesota Ave., 3/22/12. (Moving to Tres Jolie).
High Desert Gallery, Minnesota Ave., 3/22/12.
Tart, Bond St., 3/3/12.
El Caporal West, Franklin Ave., 2/24/12
Bo Restobar, Franklin Ave., 2/9/12.
The Lobby, Bond St. , 2/9/12.
Arts Central, Brooks St., 2/7/12.
Typhoon!, Bond St., 2/5/12.
Gatsby's, Minnesota Ave., 2/5/12
The Dog Patch, Minnesota Av. 1/9/12.
Bend Mapping, Bond St., 1/9/12.
Lotus Moon, Brooks St. 1/9/12 (Moving into Tres Jolie)
Bond Street Grill, Bond St., 11/20/12.
Mad Happy Lounge, Brooks St., 10/11.
Azu, Wall St., 10/25/11.
Showcase Hats, Oregon Av., 10/11.
Bourbon St., Minnesota Ave. 10/12/11.
Curiosity Shop, Minnesota Ave., 7/11
Luluemon, Bond St., 8/26, 11.
Shear Illusions, Franklin Ave., 7/11.
Crepe Place, Wall St., 7/11.
Pita Pit, Brooks St. , 6/28/11
Smith and Wade Salon, Minnesota, Av. , 6/3/11.
Perspectives, Minnesota Av., 6/1/11
River Bend Art Gallery, Bond St., 5/5/11.
Donner's Flowers, Wall St. 3/11/11. (**Moved out of downtown**)
Maryjanes, Wall St. , 3/11/11. (new name, Tryst, moved to Franklin.).
Di Lusso, Franklin/Bond, 2/9/11.
Earth Sense Herbs, Penny's Galleria, 1/2/11
Marz Bistro, Minnesota Av., 12/20/10.
The Decoy, Bond St., 12/7/10.
Giuseppe's, Bond St., 12/1/10.
Ina Louise, Minnesota Ave., 11/3/10.
Laughing Girl Studios, 10/21/10
Dolce Vita, Bond St, 10/21/10
Diana's Jewell Box, Minnesota Ave., 10/15/10.
Lola's, Breezeway, 10/8/10.
Oxygen Tattoo, Bond St., 10/3/10.
Great Outdoor Clothing, Wall St., 10/3/10.
Volcano Vineyards, Minnesota Ave., 10/3/10.
Subway Sandwiches, Bond St. 9/2/10.
Old Bend Distillery, Brooks St., 6/19/10.
Staccato, Minnesota Ave. 6/18/10.
Showcase Hats, Minnesota Ave., 6/1/10 (Moved to Oregon Ave., 8/10/11.)
Cork, Oregon Ave., 5/27/10.
Wall Street Gifts, 5/26/10
Microsphere, Wall St. , 5/17/10.
Singing Sparrow, Franklin and Bond, 5/15/10
28, Minnesota Ave. and Bond, 5/13/10.
Glass Symphony, Wall St., 3/25/10
Bend Home Hardware, Minnesota Ave, 2/25/10
Ciao Mambo, Wall St. 2/4/10
***Angel Kisses 1/25/10 (Have moved to 'Honey.')
Ivy Rose Manor 8/20/09
***Downtowner 8/18/09 (moving into the Summit location)
Chocolate e Gateaux 8/16/09
Finders Keepers 8/15/09
Colourstone 7/25/09
Periwinkle 6/--/09
***Tangerine 7/21/09 (Got word, they are moving across the street.)
Micheal Cassidy Gallery 6/15/09
St. Claire Coffee 6/15/09
Luxe Home Interiors 6/4/09
Treefort 5/8/09
Blue 5/2/09
***Volcano Tasting Room 4/28/09** Moved to Minnesota Ave.
Habit 4/16/09
Mountain Comfort 4/14/09
Tetherow Property 4/11/09
Blue Moon Marketplace 3/25/09
Plenty 3/25/09
Downtown Doggie 3/25/09
***King of Sole (became Mary Janes)**
Santee Alley
Bistro Corlise
Made in Hawaii
EnVogue
Stewart Weinmann (leather)
Kebanu Gallery
Pella Doors and Windows
Olive company
Pink Frog
Little Italy
Deep
Merenda's
Volo
***Pomegranate (downtown branch)**
Norwalk
Pronghorn Real Estate office.
Speedshop Deli
Paper Place
Bluefish Bistro

(List begun, Fall, 2008 )

Creative destruction.

Not to tease anyone, but I'm hearing a number of rumors about local businesses who are getting ready to quit. But, because they are rumors, I can't tell you.

A couple of confirmed. Fox's is closing, after 3 years. This opened with great fanfare, but then I didn't hear much.

And of course, Common Table. I was talking to someone involved, and he said that he thought if it was a "for profit" business, the owners would probably try to stick it out and turn it around, but because it was a non-profit business, there was no real margin for error.

Something I never thought about. Certainly, there were a number of years where any outside party who didn't have the motivation I had in keeping my business going, might have looked at my numbers and closed the doors. But I just bulled through the rough patches, daring them to lock my doors.

I was talking to someone at the store, and told them: "Notice. A business will always have a reason for going out of business that doesn't involve how well they are doing. Always. Just look for it."

For Fox, it was increased rent. For Common Table, it was further renovations to the building.

Well, of course they had other reasons for closing. But it think they are the symptoms, usually, not the cause. Not always, I suppose. But almost always. Very few of us get to the point where we want out of a thriving business and move on. Either we don't get that far, or if we're truly thriving, we can keep the business going by other means, or we'll keep on doing it.

'Quimby' was commenting on how impressively extensive my list of "Openings and Closings" has become. Now, people are seeing what I've always seen. That businesses come and go with great regularity, but very few are there for the long run. (Over 10 years, certainly over 20 years.) There was a point in my business where I wondered if ANYONE really succeeded.

Lots of churning cash. People benefit, somewhere, from all the creative destruction. But man, it's impressive to watch how creatively destructive it is.

Doing some traveling has made me think that Bend has a much higher turnover than other places. You can get that sense by how long businesses have been in business in other towns. If they think nothing of having been open for 15, 20, 30 years, then you know it's more normal there.

It's impressive how hopeful new entrepreneurs are, despite all the evidence.

ew....sappy.

You rarely get sappy posts out of me (I think.)

So pardon me for this one.

I was thinking how thankful I am for having these pills I can take for my phobic reaction. I almost never use them, but I know they are there and they save me weeks of anticipatory anxiety for events I'm required to attend. (Family functions and such. It isn't the family that causes the fear, but the settings...)

Anyway, while I'm on a Thankful riff. (It goes without saying that I'm knocking wood with each of the following entries:)

I'm thankful my health.

I'm thankful for this blog.

I'm thankful that my business has finally seemed to stabilize. That I can have time off. That I don't have to worry as much about paying bills.

I'm thankful to be in a business where I am surrounded by comics and books and games and toys and movies -- all things I love.

I'm thankful that we started the Bookmark, and that Linda also has a very copacetic workplace.

I'm thankful that my depression went away, and hasn't returned.

I'm thankful for my house and my garden and my cat.

I'm thankful to be living in Bend; and Oregon; and the U.S. of A.

I'm thankful that I'm able to write, and have fun with it.

I'm thankful that my siblings and I get along.

I'm thankful my two sons are doing well.

Hey, this could probably go on forever, eh?

Most of all, I'm thankful for Linda, who I still love madly, who I gain greater and greater respect for as the years go by, who's so much fun to be with, and so easy to be with, and ... well, this is sappy enough already.

I don't want to talk about it.

Yesterday's post went over like a led balloon. Hey, you no like the Crusades?

Anyway, today's subject will be worse. It's something no one wants to talk about, young or old. Leave it be.

But it's on my mind, and this blog gets what's on my mind.

I can't believe how old I look in the mirror. I know, everyone says that when they get older, but still. I don't FEEL that old -- again, I know everyone says that.

(Younger people are scrambling for the exits, older people are rolling their eyes and hobbling toward the exits.)

But there it is.

I can't say I'm really prematurely gray, since I'm nearly 60. Linda (though older than me) has hardly any gray.

What brought this about was that I had let my hair get pretty long. So yesterday, I got it cut, thinking it would improve the old man look. But no, still looking old. (More a groomed gray, than a scruffy gray, and I'm feeling squared-away, as it were.)

It is what it is.

Ironically, I'm having burst of energy, because I've lost 14 pounds, and my clothes are fitting better. I'm trying to walk at least an extra hour every day. I'm letting myself have plenty of time off, and I'm sleeping good. Finances are better than I ever expected.

I've just read that people currently have about an 80% chance of getting to 66 or 67 retirement age. I'm assuming that Linda and I have higher odds since we're getting close. And then an average of 14 years beyond that.

So finances become a very big deal. When and if to retire. How much to put in until then. How much to take out after. All, very, very complicated.

Anyway, I don't even like to talk about it, but you know, it's the big fat, wrinkled elephant in the room.

The Fourth Crusade, in the Name of God.

This is a little out of left field.

I've been reading, THE FOURTH CRUSADE, by Jonathon Phillips.

It's interesting to read these accounts, because strangely they seem to be somewhat pertinent to today. Especially the misunderstanding of who or what Islam is.

At any rate, this Crusade set out with the best intentions, right? (We can argue today about whether Crusades to "free" the Holy Land were a good or bad idea, but they thought it was a Holy mission. The fact that they hoped to make some loot was supposedly secondary....)

So they make a contract with the Venetians to ferry them across the waters, only they overestimate how many knights will show up and their ability to pay them. Soon, they are deep in hock to the Venetians. So right from the start, are the seeds of their destruction.

They are convinced by the Venetians to attack another town, a Christian town, under some very dubious pretext. Some of the Crusaders object, but they are starting to starve, they are at the mercy of the mercantilism Venetians, and they reluctantly agree.

They are excommunicated by Pope Innocent. Nevertheless, they justify it because they need the resources to continue their Holy Mission.

Then comes the son of the former Emperor of Constantinople, who promises anything and everything if they'll help him regain the throne. Including turning the Orthodox Church back under the leadership of the pope.

Again, they reluctantly agree. After winning the throne, (after setting a few devastating fires) they squeeze the new Emperor for more and more, until the people of Constantinople rebel.

The Crusaders sack and pillage Constantinople. Rape and murder and vast destruction.

All in the name of God.

(Contrast this to Saladin's retaking of Jerusalem. He let the Christians go, letting them even take their possessions.)

So, if you had asked the Crusaders if they would do such a thing at the beginning of their journey they obviously would have been horrified by the thought.

But one decision after another, of saying to themselves that the Ultimate goal of the Crusade was more important than whatever smaller evil they are currently doing. Leading them step by step in the most Unholy of behaviors.

It's interesting for the biases shown by the Europeans (they trusted the "Greeks" as little as they trusted the Muslims.) So many small, but wrong steps leading to the final desecration.

All in the name of God.

Apropos to nothing, but that's what I've been reading this week.

Monday mopes.

I'm glad we all can still be excited by a Mars landing. It seemed incredibly intricate, and the more pieces you have the more that can go wrong. But it looks like they did it.

My brain tells me we probably don't need to send real people to Mars, but my heart says, yes.
We should do it.

**********

And so it begins. Was writing notes on the Epic fantasy, and they turned into a scene.

It really is a cool feeling when a scene takes shape, and it feels right. I really missed it, this creative buzz, without knowing it, and I'm glad I'm back to doing it, no matter what happens.

I've done a lot of what I'd now call Preliminary writing over the last 30 years, especially over the last 5 years or so. I can now see those efforts as practice, as experimentation. I tried different genres and formats and styles and tenses and points of view, but it all circled back to what I think I'm most inclined to write -- fantasy.

Writing fantasy is like coming home.

**********

Every year, the car show downtown is my store's worst day of the summer. I don't understand the need to move the cars away from the park. That seems like a good place for them.

Sorry, cars do nothing for me. (Neither do bike races -- of which there seems to be one every weekend.)

**********

Linda and I turned off the T.V. and watched and listened to the thunder storms last night. There is nothing like being cozy in your own home while nature rages outside. Well, at a distance, while a gentle rain falls on the decks.

**********

I've lost 14 pounds, so I have another 5 or 6 to go.

I'm pretty rigorous about calorie counts, and the math works out exactly the way it is supposed to -- in spite of having a plateau where I didn't lose a pound for 8 days; and then a spurt where I lost 3 pounds in 3 days. The results, calorie and exercise wise, are exactly what the math says they should be.

(Need cut 3500 calories to lose one pound, eat less than 1500 calories, with an average expenditure as a relatively inactive middle aged man of 2700 calories -- one pound lost every 3 days.)

As I say, I don't know why this is relatively easy for me, once I set my mind to it. I always thought I was weak-willed and lazy.

"Won't do any good if you just go back to what you were doing before," warns Linda.

Well, I don't intend to. No sweets, no cheats. No salty snacks. No fast food.

I'm going to try to keep up the steps, and otherwise just be moderate in my eating. If needs be, I'll start counting calories again.

That should do it.

Going to reward myself with some t-shirts at the store, in the L size, instead of the XL size.

**********

Went to see Total Recall. Liked it O.K. Lots of action. Lots of Blade Runner set design.

But why the remake? Why the Spider-man remake? Come on. There are hundreds or thousands of worthy S.F. ideas out there.

Make a movie of Tunnel in the Sky, by Robert Heinlein!!!

************

Not to be flip.

But people are always telling me I should put up more signs in my store.

But people don't read them. Hell, they don't read them when they are rafting on an unfamiliar river and there are WARNINGS!!!

We seem to lose one or two people every year to clearly marked rapids.

People tailgate and talk and text on their phones, and they do drugs that ain't good for them.

People are willful sons of guns, combined with inattention, and that's a lethal combination.


LATER: I'm going to add this comment about Common Table to the end of today's entries, because I don't feel like writing a whole post on it.

I was somewhat dubious of Common Table's business model. (I still believe non-profit should be non-profit and profit should be profit and never the twain shall meet.) But then it turned out I knew some of the people involved, and I felt they had only good intentions, so I guess I hoped for the best.

Still, I'm not terribly surprised. I think Bend probably just isn't big enough for this -- when I did some research, almost all the restaurants who were doing this were located in much bigger metro areas.

Still, it would have been nice

Mars landing.

Turned on the T.V. at 10:30 A.M. hoping to find coverage of the Mars landing.

Instead, some gunman has shot up a Sikh temple. Not to jump to conclusions, but I wonder if this is some complete dunderhead psycho who thinks that because Sikh's wear turbans, that they are Moslems? Like I said, I may be jumping to conclusions.

How sad is it, though, that there isn't a dedicated channel to the Mars lander. Or is there? Anyone know? I swear we used to have a NASA channel, but now I can't find it.

Zombie magazines.

I like the New Yorker, but simply don't have time to read it.

So I quit paying for it.

So I get a notice, that says something like: "Last Chance to re-subscribe."

Two months later: "Last Chance, for reals...."

A month later: "We really mean it."

A month later: "No, really. We really, really mean it."

A month warning: "We're warning you!"

A month later: "Don't make us do it!"

Meanwhile, I suppose, they can continue to tell their advertisers that they have a customer in Bend, Oregon.

The expert on Steampunk.

I was watching a CNBC show about Costco, and in the interview with the C.E.O., he talks about how Sears and Montgomery Ward took their eyes off the volume discount idea, and tried to raise their margins, and it's nearly destroyed them.

And I just imagined a million potential small business owners getting the wrong idea.

Because, as a small specialty store, you simply can't do it that way.

Not that anyone will get the message.

I was talking to the owner of a small business here in town, who sells something that I can't believe a store can make a living off of -- but there are, in fact, two stores selling this odd thing.

Anyway, it's an extremely specialized product line.

He was telling me that he was trying to "beat Walmart" in his prices. I was sorta shocked.

"Look," I said. "People are going to come to you because you are the expert in what you sell. You have a unique selection and knowledge and service. You shouldn't be afraid to charge a little bit more for that."

"Oh, no," he said. "That wouldn't be fair."

"Well, at least charge the SAME as Walmart. You can't be faulted for that!"

"I'm making enough money on the prices I have. I'm happy with them."


So here's the thing. I guarantee you -- absolutely will bet you the farm -- that the day will come when someone will come along and think they are going to beat him by being even LOWER in prices.

The day will come when his margins will shrink even further -- Walmart will lower their prices, or the supplier will shave the discount, or...a million reasons. Make your store special in everyway you can. But don't make price the selling point.

An example:

So here I am in my store. I have two shelves of "Steampunk" books. I know Steampunk, I've read a lot of Steampunk. I went out of my way to track down a selection of Steampunk, and gave the category its own valuable space in my store.

And, yes, I charge retail. The price that is on the cover of the book.

Now it may will be, that Barnes and Noble has a good half of these books, though you'll probably have to have a good idea of what you are looking for, because they are likely mixed in with all the other speculative fiction. But, they are there. They might be cheaper.

Without a doubt, Amazon has all these books, and maybe more. And cheaper.

But, here in my store, I have them right in front of you, and a flesh and blood person is enthusiastically telling you about this great Steampunk novel he just read called, THE HALF-MADE WORLD, by Felix Gilman, and he's showing you the range of stuff, and talking about the connections between the Weird Western category and Steampunk, and isn't it cool that this category has emerged and where did it come from and who was the first person to write it, and does ANUBUS GATES, by Tim Power count as a Steampunk, and isn't it really just nostalgia for a time that never existed and.....

And really, if customers aren't willing to pay the cover price to a book now and then, when you are making such an effort and taking a risk --- is there anything more you can do?

More to the point, being cheaper isn't going to be the selling clincher, here, usually. And if it is, then you are going to be eternally vulnerable.

I'm pretty sure I'm the only store you can come into this town that has its own Steampunk section, where the owner has read a significant portion of them, and has specialized knowledge of them.

But I am not the only person who sells them, and if I was discounting them, I wouldn't be the only person discounting them.

As I always say, sell to the customers you can have, not to the customers you can't have.

Beating last year.

We've been beating last year pretty handily. Nearly 20%. For 12 months straight.

July was the 13th month. It was the first month where we had to beat an earlier increase, so it was a real test.

Overall, we beat last July by 16%. Up until the last week, we were well over 20%, but had a significant drop. No explanation. (Olympics? Hard to believe, but...)

Anyway, I'm thinking that about half the increase in business has been through the fortunate and lucky (and perhaps not totally sustainable) increase in comic sales.

The other half has been due to the still improving book and game sales, as well as more recently, improvements in all the other categories. (As I turned my attention to the laggard categories -- toys and cards -- they began to get better.)


COMICS: +22%. In another couple of months, we will be reaching the beginning of the "New 52" effect, so it may be harder to maintain these increases. We might even see a drop because the newness of the venture has faded a bit.

USED BOOKS: I include these in the overall BOOK category, because I only separated these stats at the beginning of 2012. However, we saw a pretty good month in these, more than double our average. It helps to have them on the sidewalk, I think.

CARDS: Triple last year's sales. This category is pretty erratic, and relatively small. (5.6% of the months sales.) It can be swayed by just a couple of box customers. Still, I'm encouraged that I've gotten a response to my efforts to carry a bit more of this stuff.

CARD GAMES: -1%. This is turning into one of my most steady categories -- and yet, I'd say a large percentage of customers off the street (or reading this blog) still haven't really heard of Magic - the Gathering.

GAMES: -15%. I admit, I'm disappointed in seeing any kind of drop in sales of these, but I am definitely getting the sense that these are showing up in places like Target. I'm still happy with this category, but it bears watching.

BOOKS: +10%. These had the biggest drop off that last week of the month, which would tell me that we had fewer tourist in the store, for some reason. Still growing, though.

TOYS: +17%. As I said, I've been focusing on this category (and cards) more this year, and am seeing steady improvement.

GRAPHIC NOVELS: +32%. O.K. Not sure why I had a big increase in these. I keep this category stocked to a very high level at all times, so it's just a matter of who comes in and buys, I guess.


I was hoping for 'only' a 10% increase, (because we had a higher bar of beating a previous increase) so we did a bit better than that. July has turned into my second best month of the year (after December), and for some reason August has really dropped to third, maybe even fourth. Last year, there was a 13% drop between July and August, so I'm hoping I can continue my streak of beating last year into the 14th month.

Friday fuds.

"Olympics called a 'Complete and Utter Disaster' for London Businesses." Business Insider, 8/3/12.

I wonder, did they know this was going to happen? Were they sold a bill of goods?

"Hey, it will be good for you!"

This is, you know, like the Ultimate Street Closure. I could have told them.

To me it's interesting how the public is all, "Leave business alone, big government!" until it's events they like, and then there is a big fat silence.

**********

IdaTech sold "...its product lines, nonexclusive technology licenses, name and trademarks." Bulletin, 8/3/12.)

Notice, nothing is said about the physical infrastructure or the employees.

We talk a lot about trying to get high tech industry in Bend, but even when we do, we seem to lose them when they get big enough.

**********

The whole Chick-fil-a controversy is just dumb. From both sides.

Please.

**********

Ho hum. Another day, another brewery.

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You know, I think there is an aesthetic element to higher education. Ivy covered walls, if you know what I mean. I used to take my speech classes at the U.of O. in the oldest building on the campus. and I can still remember the old wood smell.

It felt like I was following an older tradition, and a higher calling.

So, we've got the makings of a beautiful campus up at C.O.C.C.

Let's stick with that.

(Or is there some reason two year students and four year students can't mix?)

**********

Real bad guys.

Most of the crime reports around here, seem to be baby criminals. Stupid kids who haven't thought through consequences. People who have meth-scrambled brains.

So it's noticeable when a couple of hardened criminals rob a jewelry store. These aren't people who strayed off the straight and narrow. These guys are hard core.

Fortunately, I think they probably just wandered in Central Oregon by mistake. I'm trying to imagine them trying to blend in out at Metolious....

"Pardon me, ma'am. This tattoo? No it's not a severed heart, its a broken heart, ma'am. This bulge? I'm just happy to see you."

**********

"Health Insurance Premiums Will Rise..." Bulletin, 8/3/12.

Hey, I hate to tell you -- they've always risen. Relentlessly. Hoping you'll quit extremes, actually.

My reading of the health care bill is that they now have to JUSTIFY significant increases....

So. Bullshit on the scary headline.

The Big Questions

I've started to really contemplate what it is that makes a certain type of story work. I may have tried to do this when I was younger, but mostly from the aspect of what made it more salable, more commercially appealing.

What I'm looking at nowadays is more the core elements.

I was talking to a friend about Prometheus. I've talked to a number of people who didn't like this movie. Well, I like the Science Fiction world they've created in the Alien universe, and the special effects extravaganza.

As I keep trying to tell younger people, when I was younger, all they offered were sci-fi movies with giant ants. Lame. Of course, they immediately say that "like" that kind of campyness. I was surprised that Cameron thought the Batman T.V. series was cool. Hey, maybe as an ironic take 50 years later, but at the time I hated it.

Anyway, other than plot problems and character problems (why the hell did they make Guy Pierce an old man with lousy make-up? Couldn't they have hired an older actor?)

But the big problem, I think, is that the movie tried to deal with the Big Questions, and used a blunderbuss to do it. Most science fiction authors know better -- they approach the Big Questions with a more humble, and certainly a subtler attitude.

Because what happens, I think, when you try to deal with the Big Questions so literally in a S.F. universe is that you reduce them. Make them kind of silly.

"Whoops. The Plague."

It's weird.

After a couple of years of trying to figure out the future, I seem to be settling into some long-term projects. The garden I envision is probably years in the making, maybe decades. The "Epic" fantasy I'm daydreaming about, ditto.

I'm settling into the notion of continuing the stores, just as they are. No moving or expansion. No buying a building. Just continuing on continuing on. My guess is, I'll probably always own a bookstore of some kind, though I could imagine selling the store and moving into a smaller space and making the whole workspace simpler.

Anyway, the last two or three years were somehow unsettling. Why?

Because, by god, I had options.

That was new. I had choices, I could go in more than one direction.

At the same general time period, I was watching loved ones fall victim to fate. Which had me wondering -- should I be trying to fit more -- activity, vacations, spending money -- into my life now?

After all the dust has settled, I think I've decided to keep doing what I was doing, but be willing to take on long-term projects. To try to fit some of that "living" into a framework of my current life, instead of trying to change everything.

Mostly, that entails taking time off from work, and trying to fit in some longer vacations.

I can't know the future. But I can start trying to shape the future, while being aware that all my plans could by waylaid by fate at anytime.

But you can't wait around for that to happen.

I'm reading a history of the Fourth Crusade. (The one where the Crusaders sacked Constantinople, a fellow Christian city). And watching a documentary on Netflix about the English Kings.

So this is maybe a reach, trying to relate it to my life. But, basically, it was interesting all the big plans these medieval characters had, all the ambition. And how often they were knocked off young by disease and war and accidents and...short and brutal lives, but they just kept living them as if they weren't going to be knocked off.

"I'm going to be King of England! ... Whoops. Dysentery...."

Because, you know, what else can you do?

You call that art?

It was funny watching Colbert interviewing Jeff Koons last night, and barely restraining his skepticism.

I'm usually a big defender of Modern Art. It isn't something your six your old child could do -- not really.

Koons talked about context giving meaning to what looks silly or lazy on the surface. But speaking of context, an interview like this can make such 'found' art look pretty ridiculous. It didn't help that when Colbert made his usual joke about liking the shiny surfaces because he could see his own reflection, that Koons a little too quickly agreed that that was his purpose.

Really?

Maybe. Maybe not.

His explanations seemed a little too glib. It's probably better for an artist like that to simply raise his eyebrow mysteriously, as if to say, "What? You don't get it?"

Modern Art has probably always been as much about publicity as substance, and this interview didn't help much.

It was odd. Here you have what is almost completely an IRONIC art form (there's your context, in a nutshell) being interviewed by a completely IRONIC interviewer, and attempting to be sincere and authentic, and instead, coming across as patronizing and dull.

Very strange.

Who killed the rock chuck?

Linda and I were walking around the "wild" side of our backyard, and stumbled across the dried corpse of the fat little rockchuck that had been eating my garden.

"Did you do this?" I asked our cat, Panga, who was following us around.

She clammed up. 'You can't prove nuthin', her body language said. 'But you best not mess with me....'

I wonder if my neighbors poisoned the critter. Our far corner is a four corners, and I'm sure all of us were being victimized by the little rodent.

Still, I could help but feel sorry for it.

We were walking around, trying the envision the paths, and the gardening islands between, that we wanted to create. I've been sort of working on it, little by little, but it will probably never really be finished unless I hire some help.

I might do that. Get a couple of dump truck loads of dirt, and create the paths. Start creating the gardening sections.

I've made one decision, for sure. The "wild" half is going to consist of "native" plants, only.

**********

Meanwhile, the following was written a couple days before:


I've discovered I'm not the gardener my Mom was.

Well, of course not. Not even close.

But I'm beginning to wonder if I inherited any of her green thumb at all.

I basically want to install the plants and be done. But you really need to do followup. Certain plants just never do well for me, even plants that everyone else seems to be able to do. Phlox and lupines always crap out on me.

Anyway, I had decided to not do a lot of moving around or subdividing of plants this year. I wanted to let all of them establish themselves, and then see which ones do the best and in what areas of the garden, and then subdivide.

I weeded the entire garden today, in which I usually also turn up all the soil while I'm at it. I finally got around to actually fertilizing the plants (may be why I don't have a green thumb, eh?) I'm going to put some time release pellets around the plants tomorrow, since we still have a couple months of growing season left.

I was driving by a neighbor and asked her if I could dig up a couple of her plants, assuring her that she wouldn't notice the gap. She agreed, so I went by this afternoon and did the deed.

I wonder if people ever steal plants from other gardens. I'm not normally a thief, but I do covet some of the luscious spreads I see. Surely, they wouldn't miss one little itty bitty plant?

Monday mopes.

Finally saw Dark Knight Rises.

They certainly didn't skimp on the production qualities. It's impressive, no matter what else you might think about the movie.

Was talking to employee Matt, who said he was the only person he knew that didn't like the movie. I haven't asked why yet, because I didn't want any spoilers.

I liked it. The second movie, with Heath Ledger's Joker, will probably always be the highwater mark of this series. But still a monumental trilogy.

**********

Finally hit my low weight again, after a week of hovering above it. I've mentioned that it's always been easy for me to lose weight, once I decide to do it.

Well, apparently not this time. I'll be doing a second month, just like the first month. But I may have to do yet another month after that, at this pace.

**********

H.Bruce was saying it was my Calvinist tendencies that makes me say "I've been good" about dieting. That it has nothing to do with being "good."

Well, it sorta does.

But I was talking to Linda about "parental tapes" that run through my head. The biggest, I think, is my Mother's voice: "Get out and do something! Don't sit around reading (watching T.V. , daydreaming, etc. etc.) all day!"

"I don't think I have any "parental tapes," Linda says. "Except, I remember my Mother saying, 'Be Nice.' But I never had any trouble with that."

"No, you never have, have you."

The biggest 'tape' I got from my Dad was: "If you don't know something, you need to learn it."

This was not so much, learning How to do something (which would have been useful), but knowing About something. Which is more like Trivia, and doesn't seem to be as useful in the Google age.

**********

Speaking of which -- I've stayed away from Reddit for almost a week. Not because I don't like it, but because for someone like me, who likes to collect information, it is a Ginormous, Endless Time-Suck!!!!!!!

**********

This just in.

Peter Jackson is going to make a 3rd Hobbit movie.

I actually believe there is enough material in the appendices to do this: But I really wonder how he is going to craft it all into a narrative.

Hunger Games is a remake of Death Race 2000.

I'm quite serious.

Bear with me now.

For some reason, neither Linda or I had ever seen the sublimely silly Death Race 2000, starring David Carradine. We intended to watch the first five minutes but got caught by it.

Anyway, about a third of the way through Linda turns to me and says, "I know this sounds ridiculous, but you know what this reminds me of?"

"Hunger Games," I said, immediately. I'd had the exact same thought a few minutes before.

SPOILERS.

The biggest similarity is the blowsy blond mouthpiece for the totalitarian regime, a "close personal friend," of all the competitors. She dresses kind of flamboyantly, and her make up
makes her look a bit like a Kewpie doll.

But the more I watched it and thought about it, the more similarities there were. The futuristic populous dresses colorfully (you know, the year 2000. It was made in 1974.) The thugs from the government wear purple suits and purple ties.

There is a distant and pompous dictatorial 'president' who uses the races as a way to the distract the populous. Breads and circuses.

The competitors are wined and dined luxuriously while the games are going on. (In Hunger Games, it's just before the games start.) The crowds are taking sides, like football teams. (As an aside, I'd forgotten how much nudity there was in mid-70's movies. More than today.)

There are the weasel commentators who play up the drama, and play down the rebellion. (One of them does a really bad imitation of Howard Cosell...)

There is an underground discontent and rebellion. To the point where they rise up to support the winning competitor. While the discontent is rising, there is an attempt by the government to blame other factors. (Hilariously, in Tea Party fashion, they blame the dastardly "French.")

The main competitor has a secret agenda to bring down the government.

The race itself seems to have arbitrary rules, with rulings that help some and hinder others, but is mostly used to hide what's really going on.

I'm sure there are some other corresponding features.

I know you all probably think I'm just trying to be clever, but really, the similarities are there.

Really, really.

You have to watch it, to believe it.

Dog days of summer. (no dogs).

Going to ignore the Olympics again. I've gotten out of the habit, though it was a tradition in my family growing up. It got way too sappy and manipulative, for me.

Linda has mentioned that she'd like the watch the ice skating, but since neither of us are paying attention, that may not happen.

**********

Still stuck at my weight. Despite being good. The Fates are Bitches, I should've said.

By the way, it's calories in, calories out. That's it. All the rest is magical thinking.

**********

My wife let slip a spoiler in Dances With Dragons (Game of Thrones 5th book), and then tried to cover it up with evasions.

But had a customer in a couple of days ago, who confirmed the spoiler.

I howled. His face turned red.

Come on, people! Not everyone reads a book right away!

Meanwhile, I've been fending off spoilers about the Batman movie. Our schedule keeps putting off the viewing another day, but we'll probably see it this weekend.

**********

I'm trying something new this second half of the year. Trying to stick to budget.

By this, I don't mean playing around with when I order something, or when I pay for something.

It's very easy to pretend I'm making a profit by not ordering evergreens, but the evergreens will eventually be ordered, so that's an illusion.

It's very easy to hold off paying a bill for a week or two, but that bill will eventually be paid, so that's also an illusion.

As a result, my savings aren't currently spectacular as they have been in summers past but they are more Real.

By the way, I'm assuming that a lot of corporate reports of results do exactly those two things, so always take them with a grain of salt. They wait for the moment to dump all the negatives -- some excuse -- and meanwhile extend and pretend whenever possible. Just saying.

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I can't believe all the talk about school starting up I'm hearing already. It isn't even August yet! Come on, let me enjoy the summer business a little longer!

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Found a phrase I came up with a few years ago about the "real estate market turning the corner." I think it's original, and I kind of like it.

"The real estate market has more corners than a M.C. Escher drawing."

Of course, someone probably has probably used it, already. There really seems to be nothing new under the Google sun.

I was watching a documentary last night, and the narrator talked about a "crownless king" and I said to Linda, "That would make a great title to a book."

Googled it. Someone has already used it. Doh.

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Not a scintillating series of observations. Hey, it's dog days of summer....