Travels and Images

WEEK 39 2008

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Saturday 27 September 2008

Saturday - warm, in the 90's. My brother and I went up to look at property in Tehachapi. I was looking for land, and the parcel I chose to look at turned out to be a hillside of scrub brush along a dirt road. My brother wanted to look at the Golden Hills area, so I drove around there for a bit and we looked, from the curb, at a few properties. He likes the area, but is uncertain about the longer commute to Edwards AFB.

Apparently there was a run on the bank that holds my mortgage, Washington Mutual, it collapsed and was bought by somebody (JP Morgan). All unbeknownst to me until D mentioned it late on Friday afternoon. It has no direct effect on me, but it's strange times.

Via a blog post at Marginal Revolution:

The Washington Mutual "speed bankruptcy" seems like a good model for the rest of the industry. The FDIC took over the bank, wiped out the shareholders, and immediately auctioned it off to JP Morgan who paid $1.9 billion. Depositors are secure.

Then there are pro/con comments that are pretty interesting:

Con:
"The speed liquidation was impressive indeed. Amazing how easy it is to sell a bank that you don't own. The fact that this entire action was done without consulting with the board of directors and executive management sets a pretty frightening precedent. "please invest in our capital markets" (only we may selectively nationalize them overnight) Didn't work too well for cuba."

Pro:
"What the hell? What's with all the polyannas in this thread who claim not to believe that WaMu was already seriously hosed? If you invest any serious money in this company, you SHOULD have known about the huge problems with their Alt-A portfolio; their concentration in the sinking markets in Florida and California; their poor lending standards; and their very large percentage of non-performing assets.
You might also have wondered why their stock declined from the high 30's into the low single digits over the course of a year. Or, why their credit was rated as junk status (with one of the raters setting out a very clear opinion that the company was insolvent). Or, why the CDS prices showed an overwhelmingly high probability of default. If you missed these signs, you are simply an idiot and you do not deserve the taxpayer's help."

Friday 26 September 2008

Friday - another warm day, but we (D & I) started a new reach, and that's always a pleasure. Heh.

This one started near a school, and it was interesting - I had never noticed that the sounds of a schoolyard at break time resemble the crying of gulls fighting over scraps at the marina. Other than than, slow going. Old messed up channel. Finished up at sunset, with sore feet and ankles.

Then, on the road back to Lancaster. The cats were happy to see me, as always.

Fowl Friday picture:

Bird on a branch.

Thursday 25 September 2008

Thursday - a shortish day, 9.5 hours or so, but reasonably productive. Hot though, in the mid to upper 80's and in the late afternoon I was in the wind shadow of a hill. I could see it blowing, out in the fields, but it was muggy and buggy where I was. Bah.

Then again, it's good to count my blessings - I could have a job like these guys: wearing a bunny suit in the middle of a hot field, shoveling sh*t from the back of a tractor::

Now there is a miserable job-

Home by 5:30pm, remarkable.

Tomorrow I load the car up with laundry and various bits of bric-a-brac and head up to Lancaster for the weekend. I understand that we are due a warm spell up there :-(

Then again, my ambition is to lay on the couch and watch teevee, so it doesn't really matter.

Wednesday 24 September 2008

Wednesday - I was talking to my Dad and he received the tapes I sent him, so that's good. I never got a reply on my offer to bet on the Rangers' against the Athletics. Of course it was 6:0 Rangers' in the 5th, but still, a polite response is called for...

There was a nice fog in the morning, then it burned off and got warm, then it got windy and cooler. Nonetheless, a long day.

For years I've been afraid to varnish on the boat. Boats, really. I don't know why, but it intimidated me terribly. Now that I've taken the plunge, and done some, I feel more confident. I freely admit that it was a lousy job, 3 or 4 out of 10 maybe, but I know that with more time, better brushes, and better prep - and practice, lots of practice, I can get better.

I understand that boating gives lots of opportunities for practice.

Tuesday 23 September 2008

Tuesday - back to work, not a lot to say there. I was trying out some 'new' GPS gear - eh, about the same as the old. It felt like a Monday, all day.

Recharged the camera battery, and downloaded the sailing pics. Too many and too big to email, I'll have to send them via a CD or something.

Early to bed tonight!

Monday 22 September 2008

Monday - took the day off, for various reasons. Mostly I just slept, but I also picked up some gear for work and did a bit of shopping that needed doing.

My brother had to take off in the morning. He seemed rested and raring to go - I was completely beat. I'm not that much older...

Started on Stephenson's Anathem, and stayed up too late reading. Oh well, I got plenty of sleep during the day.

Sunday 21 September 2008

Sunday - Sailing. Out to Anacapa Island, around, back through the Anacapa Passage, and then home to Channel Islands Harbor. Something over 30 miles of sailing. The weather was good, a bit of marine layer that would break often enough to keep us warm, decent winds, and only a mild westerly swell.

The boat went beautifully, moving along steadily even when on the ocean side of the islands, even when the course was nearly aligned with the waves. As before it was difficult to make Arch Rock at the east end without tacking, the set and wind always want to push you to starboard, but we managed.

The 'steel jib' was needed - there just wasn't enough daylight and speed to get the whole passage done by dark. I have running lights, but also have unfond memories of zooming up the Sacramento River at night in a boat, and how horrible it was trying to figure out where we were. A GPS will help, but why spoil a beautiful day with that sort of tension?

Anyway, a great day.

Picture of the Week

Photo Notes: Sailing the Marie Virginia out to Anacapa Island, Ca.

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