Again, with the B.S.
Bend Oregon Real Estate Blog: "The Recession is Over. Existing Home Sales Move Up in August."
Except, if you dig a little deeper, like over on KTVZ:
"....August"..." the second-worst month for sales in more than a decade."
"Sales were down 19 percent from the same month a year earlier. July was the worst month for sales in 15 years."
That's nationally, of course, which probably bears little resemblance to Bend, Oregon.
It's like saying, "Hey, I think that corpse just twitched!"
I mean, I could see muttering to yourself, while quivering in the corner, that "things are better.....it's better than last month....really, I think things are getting better......"
But to go on Bend Blogs and trumpet it, is just stuff and nonsense.
Technically, true. And totally false.
**********
There seems to be a ton of things to comment about -- none of which are of earth-shaking importance. So I write an entry, then ask myself if it has heavy enough content to post. If not, I move on.
So today, I'm going to post a bunch of these little posts into one and hope that all together they say something.
**********
The Bulletin editorial about minimum wage. Well, here's one employer of minimum wage employees who isn't worried at all about the .10 increase. In fact, I start my employees at 9.00 an hour, anyway.
Really, either you can afford an employee, or you can't.
**********
There is a whole lotta gloom in the comic biz these days. 20% drop in comic sales nationwide in August. There's a whole lotta gloom in the book trade, too. There's a whole lot of gloom in the game business, for that matter. Hell, cards and toys have already suffered Armageddon.
But string them all together?
We gotta winner!!!!
**********
Talk about lowered expectations.
I went into September expecting very, very little. In fact, if you had told me in March of this year, that I'd be expecting the kind of numbers I'm getting today, I would've been shocked. I guess that's what happens when you have four down months in a row.
Basically, we're back to 2008 numbers again.
Oh, I could put a shine on it. "I'm doing my projected numbers," I could say. But what the hell does that mean? I can project any old numbers I please.
Still, it does mean something. If I 'expect' and 'project' lowered numbers, and I adjust my spending accordingly, we can come out the other end just fine. I've always said, it isn't what you make it's what you spend.
So I've been totally relaxed this month -- in fact, rather pleased with the sales level. Which just seems weird, when I think about it. But it's true.
It's expectation that can be disappointed. As long as the expectation is realistic, I'm just fine with it.
As I mentioned before, once I realized -- about mid-August -- that we weren't going to come even close to the kind of profits I was hoping for, that we were probably only going to break-even, it totally removed the pressure. Breaking even is a much easier goal, a much easier expectation to meet.
It's the Great Recession, after all. And the W of the double dip is starting to look more like a little squiggle tailing off at the end.....
To put the biggest cliche of the last few years to work: "Breaking Even is the New Black." I use it because it's true.
**********
Bend Oregon Real Estate Blog: "The Recession is Over. Existing Home Sales Move Up in August."
Except, if you dig a little deeper, like over on KTVZ:
"....August"..." the second-worst month for sales in more than a decade."
"Sales were down 19 percent from the same month a year earlier. July was the worst month for sales in 15 years."
That's nationally, of course, which probably bears little resemblance to Bend, Oregon.
It's like saying, "Hey, I think that corpse just twitched!"
I mean, I could see muttering to yourself, while quivering in the corner, that "things are better.....it's better than last month....really, I think things are getting better......"
But to go on Bend Blogs and trumpet it, is just stuff and nonsense.
Technically, true. And totally false.
**********
There seems to be a ton of things to comment about -- none of which are of earth-shaking importance. So I write an entry, then ask myself if it has heavy enough content to post. If not, I move on.
So today, I'm going to post a bunch of these little posts into one and hope that all together they say something.
**********
The Bulletin editorial about minimum wage. Well, here's one employer of minimum wage employees who isn't worried at all about the .10 increase. In fact, I start my employees at 9.00 an hour, anyway.
Really, either you can afford an employee, or you can't.
**********
There is a whole lotta gloom in the comic biz these days. 20% drop in comic sales nationwide in August. There's a whole lotta gloom in the book trade, too. There's a whole lot of gloom in the game business, for that matter. Hell, cards and toys have already suffered Armageddon.
But string them all together?
We gotta winner!!!!
**********
Talk about lowered expectations.
I went into September expecting very, very little. In fact, if you had told me in March of this year, that I'd be expecting the kind of numbers I'm getting today, I would've been shocked. I guess that's what happens when you have four down months in a row.
Basically, we're back to 2008 numbers again.
Oh, I could put a shine on it. "I'm doing my projected numbers," I could say. But what the hell does that mean? I can project any old numbers I please.
Still, it does mean something. If I 'expect' and 'project' lowered numbers, and I adjust my spending accordingly, we can come out the other end just fine. I've always said, it isn't what you make it's what you spend.
So I've been totally relaxed this month -- in fact, rather pleased with the sales level. Which just seems weird, when I think about it. But it's true.
It's expectation that can be disappointed. As long as the expectation is realistic, I'm just fine with it.
As I mentioned before, once I realized -- about mid-August -- that we weren't going to come even close to the kind of profits I was hoping for, that we were probably only going to break-even, it totally removed the pressure. Breaking even is a much easier goal, a much easier expectation to meet.
It's the Great Recession, after all. And the W of the double dip is starting to look more like a little squiggle tailing off at the end.....
To put the biggest cliche of the last few years to work: "Breaking Even is the New Black." I use it because it's true.
**********