It was 70 and cool in Portland. It will be 101 today in New York. Hot and humid. Con Edison is cutting its voltage, which means New York City’s airconditioning will suck today.
My friends search for the bargains in commercial real estate. But with little success, so far.
The banks have grabbed buildings from busted loans, but aren’t selling them at the prices they’re worth.
If they did, they’d have to recognize many of the assets are really worth much less than what’s on their balance sheets. Hence they’d have to raise capital (to meet regulatlatory requirements). Better to live in fantasy land and follow what I can “The Egypt Strategy” — denial.
Making things hard are the pension funds and other institutions which need to invest their constantly rolling- in money. Many are buying properties at prices last seen in 2005 and 2005. Which is insane, of course. But 3% or 4% return for them is better than treasures, which give suckiness a whole new meaning.
My real estate friends are waiting this one out. Saying NO requires huge discipline.
Fortunately, there is the marionberry:
You haven’t been to Heaven until you’ve tasted the marionberry, an Oregon invention and the most common blackberry grown in Oregon, accounting for over half of all blackberries grown there.
You will never get rich with one tiny store. But you can make a nice living, feel comfortable and have control over your own destiny. Small, neat shop in new trendy part of Portland:
Borders “going out of business” sale begins today. Might be some cheap books for summer reading and future presents.
Harry’s Travel Checklist.
1. Take nothing. If you must take clothes, take old ones and throw them out after you’ve worn them.
2. Make a list of what you have and check them. . Count your bags at every transfer. Check. Check. Check.
3. Don’t leave your laptop at Airport Security, like everybody else does.
4. Don’t eat. You don’t need all that food. For prooof, check out the monster who just sat next to you on the plane.
5. Exercise every day. Walking is not exercise.
6. The Internet is free — at least in America. Every dinky coffee and sandwich shop seems to have it. Even in rural towns in the Wilamette Valley in Oregon. I was surprised.
7. Don’t take books. An iPad or a Kindle work just fine. Susan took her iPad2 and spent more time with it than with me. Jealousy is my middle name.
8. Take a travel pillow. I prefer Duxiana. Click here.
Mom goes Portland. Michael took this photo of Susan last night. Whoever heard of vegan ice cream? Sounds positively sacrilegious. Remarkably it tasted OK.
Portland is heavy into vegeterian, local produce (which is execllent) and bicycling (with stands everywhere). It’s a nice laid-back lifestyle. I wouldn’t sell women’s mackup there, but tattoos … they make sense.
Favorite recent New Yorker cartoons:
Harry Newton who landed on a red eye at 6:15 AM this morning and is rueing returning to New York and the gigantic pile of begging letters for causes and products I’m not interested in. Do I really need to know that I’m now a “pre-approved Member of our National Hunting Gear Field Test Panel”?
Would someone please explain to me Microsoft’s onlline “strategy”?
Just for the twelve months ending June 30, 2011, Microsoft’s online division lost $2.6 billion. Is Steve Balmer totally nuts? Enough already…Oih vey.
Microsoft is one of the most mismanaged company in the tech sector. It's stock has done nothing for years and improved customer satisfaction relative to delivered value is even worse.
No wonder Apple is doing so well.
Maybe Microsoft is just brilliant – less taxes this way!
The biggest traveling hazard for me is my running gear, particularly the shoes. So your advice to take what you can leave behind is exactly what I frequently do. The same occasionally applies to books and mail to be read, etc. Read and toss.
I like suggestions 4 andf 5 :
4. Don’t eat. You don’t need all that food. For prooof, check out the monster who just sat next to you on the plane.
5. Exercise every day. Walking is not exercise.
Harry, did the whole family go on that bike race with you or just you? I think it is so neat how you have integrated exercise into you like. I so need to do that.