EIA weekly, 4/17/09

Crude oil in storage is up to 370 million barrels. US consumption of oil is down over 10%, to just over 18 million barrels a day.

Aint got no more room. And 10,000,000 additional barrels a week need someplace to sit.

So this is still here

And I haven't had anything to say for almost 2 years.

Still don't. So I'll look back at the oeuvre.

I was wrong on natural gas- we were just about to ramp up into a new era of increasing production, & a major price crash. Looks like that era is going to end fairly quickly, because the increase was built on really expensive production.

I was right about the market about to crash. Big woop.

Tax seasons haven't gotten any better. Custodians just don't give a shit anymore.

Looks like 2006, or maybe 2007, was the peak for holiday traffic. 2006 was the last time we took a long car trip. Might take another in 2012.

I think I'll turn this into a cooking blog. Dinner today is a chicken & chickpea stew that'll take at least 2 hours. It also requires a lot of wine, a small amount of which may end up in the food.

Rock of Love. cold sober

I let the house go dry, forgetting that tonight is the big finale.


Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Assessment time

The start of second grade for the little one is proving to be a very weird time. The class is getting lots of tests, & there's a plan to install some sort of math rich environment.

The weirdness is that her teacher has already decided that shes about 2 years ahead, and is haing her do multiplication & division instead of the addition & subtraction on the papers. It makes for for very weird homework.

At least there's lots of reading time. Harry Potter, what else?

No learning curve

So when my ankle was feeling better we went to Salisbury Beach. It's September, so I can't burn, right?

Wrong, but that was the minor issue. The big one was that I shouldn't be getting into competitive hole digging. Should be able to stand up stright in 2 or 3 days.

Today's PSA: Browns on 286 has gone downhill. Get your clams elsewhwere.

Still, yesterday was a fine day at the beach.

Move-in day

This is the day every small truck & van in the world converges on Boston. Best ever! The little one & I spent all morning tooling around on bikes. We hit 4 yard sales & the school garden. Nothing but smiles. Our loot was OK - tomatoes, hot peppers, parsley, 750 pc puzzle, paper doilies, a bowl, & a really bad Ray Charles cd.

Back to growling in a few days.

First the embarrassment

Then the pain then the nuisance. I'm way too damn old to be trotting thorugh subway stations, but cant help it, so when I made a loud show falling on the stairs, there was nothing to do but get up & show the stiff upper lip.

Looks like the ankle will be messed up for a while. No serious damage.

Its my birthday, dammit

Suggest a topic or something

Parental potlatch

Local customs involve gifts for teachers, extavagant birthday parties, etc.

Every time we think we're catching up with the way things are done, somebody comes up with a new level of generous. This season the soccer team was given a post season feast by the back up coach, and flowers by the regular coach.

Its getting to be impossible to say anything nasty about people.

The library booksale is today!

& yes, I'm really excited. Hope to see Arlene & Max there.

Open Studios

There are 100 stops on the Somerville Open studios tour this weekend. I only did 5 yesterday, plus a yard sale. Didn't get any art, but did manage 7 beanie babies & a Groovy Girl for $2, total. The little one will be at a birthday party most of the afternoon, so I can run through about 40 - go in, say Hi, eat a cracker, leave.

40 crackers - I won't need dinner. We're most likely going to Mikes or whatever they call the Hometown though, so maybe not.

They're dying, I'm working

This is about the most depressing post-tax season ever. Instead of pushing out all the returns that came in at the last minute & went on extension, its all estate, all the time.

On the positive side, I'm healthier than ever. When I was 12, I got horrible headaches, a lot. Over the years, I learned the triggers, avoided them and they stopped completely.

For any teenagers reading - some helpful health advice:

Sleep regular hours, but not too much.
Don't get too much sun. Sun & beer don't mix.

Don't wait for nocturnal emissions.

I'm just full of PSAs.

& it's over

For 6 weeks I havent even read this thing. Gotta restart now to get in the new subway trash paper. Soooooo.....

Everythings falling apart now, idnit? The economy, the administration, Iraq - all according to plan.


Or didn't you realize Blofeld was running things?

Tax season

Our beloved custodian bank decided to fuck us over good this year. Into March, & we still don't have everything we need. Going to have to extend almost everyone.

Could be worse. Could be on the investment side, with the long expected meltdown just cracking the ice.

The Middlesex Fells

A couple miles from me there's a big woods full of rocks & a couple of ponds. Went there yesterday & the ice from a storm had coated the shrubs & weeds.

In the past year there we've climbed rocks, picked bluberries & mushrooms, skated, been to the zoo, hiked all over, slid on mud road, & hauled blocks of ice.
When I was a kid we had relatives who owned farms. None of those left.

After things collapse, there'll be more space, but whoevers left will be too cold, tired & hungry to enjoy it.

Name that tune

Toasted oats & shredded wheat,
I have covered you in milk
for you'll soon belong in me,
your box will be back on the shelf.

January 26 - 4 degrees

I haven't posted for a lot of reasons, most of which are some form of nothing to say.

January 7 - 69 degress

I just want it to be recorded that I got some sun.

Cheap lunch out

Why are foods that can be called breakfast so cheap? An egg, bacon, cheese bagel is barely more than my cholesterol count.

The Iraq Survey Group

From the moment I read the first recommendation from these clowns, solemnly telling Iraq how to run its affairs, it seemed strangely - well, stupid is the best word. (Arrogant & clueless would also be good)

Today we learn that their experts were passing around and chatting about - year old spam e-mails. http://p200.ezboard.com/fnfisgetoutthevotefrm3.showMessage?topicID=4941.topic

Oy!

Two guys walked into a bar to get warm

US Natural gas production is still declining from its 2001 secondary peak.
This year's lack of hurricanes might bring it in above 2005.


use back button to return to prior data -->
U.S. Dry Natural Gas Production (MMcf)
(By year)
1930's
1,903,771
1,659,614
1,541,982
1,548,393
1,763,606
1,913,475
2,164,413
2,403,273
2,284,863
2,464,637
1940's
2,654,293
2,778,061
3,026,694
3,393,743
3,672,156
3,882,066
3,987,488
4,393,439
4,938,512
5,195,404
1950's
6,022,198
7,164,959
7,694,299
8,056,848
8,388,198
9,028,665
9,663,910
10,246,622
10,572,208
11,547,658
1960's
12,228,148
12,661,579
13,253,006
14,076,412
14,824,027
15,286,280
16,467,320
17,386,791
18,494,523
19,831,680
1970's
21,014,229
21,609,885
21,623,705
21,730,998
20,713,032
19,236,379
19,098,352
19,162,900
19,121,903
19,663,415
1980's
19,403,119
19,181,261
17,820,063
16,094,461
17,466,472
16,453,857
16,059,030
16,620,581
17,102,621
17,310,645
1990's
17,809,674
17,697,802
17,839,903
18,095,460
18,821,025
18,598,679
18,854,063
18,902,389
19,023,564
18,832,232
2000's
19,181,980
19,616,311
18,927,788
19,098,544
18,757,477
18,243,554

Tax extenders for Christmas

Lots of minor tax stuff got passed after the forms went to the printers. Not a big issue - its all breaks & goodies.

The most interesting is a refundable to $5000 AMT credit for people who paid tax when they exercised Incentive Stock Options way back when, & haven't been able to get it back when the stocks tanked. Also the most complicated - I may have it figured out by February.

F'real Christmas, I'm looking for about half a dozen stocking stuffers to round out the pile for the little one. Idears?

C'mon, they say the average blog gets one reader. Granted, this one is below average....

The sillies struck, relentlessly

Who could have imagined that a bunch of elementary school kids in an afternoon chess program to keep them away from their parents would lose focus?

We're having a 4 round swiss the next 2 weeks to try & at least keep them in the room.

So I'm assistant chess coach....

For the little pup & 15 3rd-5th graders. They're better behaved than I expected, but they have no idea how to checkmate. One kid will be left with a naked king & the other one, with half their pieces left, will just wander around.

Time to channel Fred Reinfeld.

Is this a crappy blog or what?

I only created it to make fun of Sara. There may be content someday. Don't hold your breath.

Labor Day Traffic

For what its worth, this year should be the worst ever. Next year, a bit less.

That's not good news, but if you need an excuse to stay home this year, use it.

IRC Sec 104(a) - Non-physical damages

A court has ruled that the provision taxing compensatory awards for damages other than personal physical injury is unconstitutional. They say its not income, so it can't be taxed.

File your claims for refund soon, kiddies. This ends the public service portion of this blog.

Nevermore.

Well, hardly ever.

Imagine champagne & stuff. I have to get to work, but needed to put this up so the robots could find me.