A smelly clump of mashed flowers and dried fruit.

I have clear sinuses for the first time in years.

I broke my nose skiing when I was 19 years old, and I believe I've had a low grade infection ever since.

I got two flu shots this last week, and the nurse told me my immune system would kick into overdrive.

Amazing to be able to breath out of both nostrils. I doubt it's enough to kill the bug completely -- and I've never had a severe regime of antibiotics; I'd rather save those for when I REALLY need them, thank you.

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Thing I've come to understand about California transplants, is that because they come from a place that has had it so much worse than Bend, that they therefore think they understand Bend.

No. Usually they don't get the isolation part, and they don't fully understand the population and seasonality of Bend. But they say they do.

Because Bend is smaller, they somehow think the problem is smaller.

For Commercial Real Estate, they think because California has so much more commercial real estate, that I must be joking to think that Bend has an even bigger CRE bubble.

They don't get the proportionality part. The difference in income. The 'island' nature of the
Bend economy. The glass ceiling of there being just so many people. If your business plan doesn't work here, there isnt an overflow from the next town over, or from the interstate, that can bail you out; no matter how good a job you do, you can't pull customers out of sagebrush high desert and pine forests.

But I've often wanted to say; "Have you ever considered that, after enduring a huge drop in housing and commercial real estate, that you are moving to an area that is JUST BEGINNING the same process?

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Huffington Post is reporting that 1 out of 5 men are unemployed.

Linda and I was just talking about that; it seems like people our age -- 50ish -- if they lose their job, simply CAN'T find another job. Too far from retirement.

And we feel lucky to own our own businesses, and have our fate in our own hands....

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Zine update. I had two people coming in to buy Rachel Lee-Carman's zines, which is a pretty good result considering Pegasus wasn't the primary or even the secondary focus of the article...

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'New' Coke. My immediate reaction, "What the f$%k is wrong with the old coke?"

Warner Brothers merging with AOL. My immediate reaction after hearing the news conference about the merger. "What the f$%k did they just say?"

Jay Leno on primetime. "Who the f^#K would want to watch Leno five nights a week on primetime?"

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