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Friday, January 26, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/26 - Growth & More

I'm disheartened that fourth quarter GDP came in at only 2.6%. I expected it to be twice that. 3% is moderate growth, 4% is good. The annual rate for 2017 came in at 2.3%, better than the average in any of the Obama years but nothing to brag about. The economy still has a long way to go. The news wasn't all bad. Third quarter growth was revised upward to 3.2%. I let the microcosm of unusually brisk package delivery to my building get my hopes too high. If the first quarter number is bad, we will not have advanced from the doldrums of the previous eight years. Maybe I just want too much too fast. Here's a chart that goes back to 2012:


I'm not sure if there'd yet been an entry for the lamest story of the year prize before yesterday, but the NY Times reporting that President Trump, a year ago, wanted to fire special prosecutor Robert Mueller zooms to the top of the list. With the Russian collusion hopes having completely fallen apart, I guess the Grey Lady was hard pressed for anti-Trump news.

From Yahoo's Odd News: Brawls broke out at a chain of French supermarkets when the price of a two pound jar of Nutella went on sale. At least chocolate is something worth fighting about.

For the first time in more than a week I was back at my regular book nook. Even though I left the apartment 35 minutes before the expiration of the alternate side regulation, I did not get a favorable parking spot. I was about 75 yards from the corner, so I had to do a lot of back and forth with the crates and boxes. Although the sun was shining, it was colder than I'd anticipated. Fortunately, the wind had died down. My thanks to the sweet elderly woman who bought four books in Russian, and to the middle age one who purchased another, and to the gentleman who selected a Jay and the Americans compilation on vinyl. I caught up with folks I hadn't seen in a while. Dave, a cook at a hotel in Manhattan, is optimistic about the economy, despite the disappointing fourth quarter. Matt sliced a bit of his left thumb off while cutting an avocado. Gary, retired, raved about his trip to Australia and New Zealand. Barry, Professor of Criminal Justice at John Jay College, spent his month-long break in El Salvador, the Netherlands and London. As I was packing up, a man who reeked of booze asked if I had The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. I didn't. I heard a beep, looked up, and saw his buddy pressing his loins to a fancy car, pretending to be humping it while the female driver waited for the light to change. Then suddenly the other was taking a leak against the side of the dumpster at the corner of East 13th. They addressed each other by the N word. I was relieved when they were gone. Rather than repeat the back and forth with the wares, I piled them at the corner and drove the old Hyundai up to them. I was blocking most of the crosswalk and got a dirty look and a grumble from a guy passing. I was gone within three minutes. Just another day.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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