cupid's the one to blame

If you were in my head on my commute today, you would not be surprised to know that I feel rather pessimistic about world affairs. I spent most of the commute thinking about what I would pack and how I would stage my journey if everything collapses and I need to get out of a rioting coastal city. Also, my Ann Arbor counterparts joined a videoconference just as I was expounding to the people in my conference room on the virtues of stocking up on canned goods (which I have not done yet).

I've made a sort of conscious decision, which may not be the right one, that I need to disengage from the internet news sites and focus on the things in my own life that I can influence/change. I really do wonder how much of our economic woes right now are because of the echo chamber of the media -- doesn't it feel like they caused the run on gas prices a few months ago? And then they started reporting more heavily on the mortgage 'crisis', with the effect that it became a crisis. I'm oversimplifying -- but the people who bought houses with zero down and adjustable rates are the same sheep who will enter/exit markets based on a feature news story rather than true research into the consequences for themselves. If I thought that either presidential candidate could actually change matters, maybe I would be less annoyed -- I will say that I am so angry about the state of things that I would consider voting for the other team, particularly after the Sarah Palin debacle. But I think that anyone who believes that Obama will really be able to turn things around is in for a disappointment -- neither party is in touch with what really needs to change in this country, and I don't think he's actually strong enough to stand up to his base.

Anyway. Maybe I'm annoyed because my calendar for this week is completely booked. If you want to meet with me, I'm free from 11-11:15 and 11:45-12 on Thursday. Otherwise, you'll have to take a number. Terry pointed out that I'm on the verge of completely regressing, which worries me; my workload went from 0-60 in the past ten days, which took me completely by surprise, and I need to figure out what to do about it.

However, I did spend a few minutes working on my website tonight; nothing visible changed, but I installed Google Analytics so that I can start getting info on how people find me. Not that anyone will find me until I add content, but at least it's there. Now, though, I should go to bed -- I have an eight a.m. meeting tomorrow, which promises to be tons of fun. Goodnight!