Boom2Bust.com

Back To The Trenches

After an extended Memorial Day Weekend, it’s good to be blogging again. And guess what? Boom2Bust.com turned one this past weekend!

Altered Images, “Happy Birthday” (1981)
YouTube Video Link

Unfortunately, you won’t find my very first post from that 2007 holiday weekend, as my girlfriend left a comment that I later tried to remove, but instead ended up deleting the entire post. Thanks honey…

Regrettably, being so immersed in my financial research and other projects, it’s sometimes impossible to disconnect myself completely from the work at hand. With that in mind, here are some pertinent observations “from the ground” this past weekend:

Friday- To beat the holiday traffic from Chicago, I decided to leave for Wisconsin (a favorite vacation destination of Northern Illinois residents) a little after rush hour ended. In recent years, this wouldn’t have made too much of a difference, as the area roadways got pretty busy in the days leading up to the weekend. This year, however, traffic was DEAD. Even with all the construction and lane closures. Think this might have something to do with a slowing economy and high gas prices?

Speaking of gas prices, after arriving in Burlington, Wisconsin, I watched the Chicago news while putting together a new gas grill. A TV reporter was broadcasting live from a gas station in downtown Chicago. Even though it was a holiday weekend, there was no one at the pumps. However, they did interview other drivers in the area. While everyone complained about the high price of gas, one individual in particular stood out. Angrily, this motorist claimed that the whole situation was due to rampant price gouging. If it were only than simple, I thought to myself.

Seeing that I didn’t have enough dishwashing liquid to perform a leak test on the new gas grill, I stopped by the local Menards, a home improvement retailer similar to Home Depot and Lowe’s. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been to this particular store that many times, but it sure seemed DEAD for a Friday before Memorial Day Weekend.

Saturday- With too much going on back in the Windy City, I hit the highways once again that morning. Even though I was driving in the opposite direction of holiday traffic, it still looked light in the opposite lanes. The lane closures were still in effect too. Where is everybody, I thought? Well, I was hoping they’d stay off the roads at least until I got back to my pad in the city. Thankfully, I got my wish.

Sunday- I dropped in at the local Barnes & Noble bookstore with my girlfriend. As it was located in the middle of a major mall, this place is usually hopping. Not today. As soon as we stepped inside the store, my girlfriend pointed out the small number of patrons inside. As a matter of fact, while browsing the bargain books section near the registers, I happened to overhear two store clerks talking to each other. One clerk remarked how the bookstore was so quiet today. The other one suggested that most people were probably at home working on their gardens, or at home improvement stores buying supplies. See Friday entry…

Monday- Spent my afternoon at a wake. No financial or economic observations here, although I did have an interesting experience. While downstairs in the guest lounge having some snacks and a coffee, I was looking at a nice-looking grandfather clock at the top of the stairs. About a minute after I started observing this timepiece, the glass cabinet door of the clock mysteriously came ajar and opened wide (with no human help, thank you). Surprised, and not the least bit curious, I put down my coffee, walked to the top of the stairs, and observed the clock. I noticed that the door opened and shut very easily— but I still wondered why it opened when it did.

Creepy. Which could also describe this past Memorial Day Weekend…