Ela Practices Running In Place

this is Shilpa and Anu's baby at age 2 1/2 mos. Thought she was too cute to keep to myself.

O', ye'll never, never, never thrive, lying in yer bed!

Haiku for Scotland:
Land of lakes and hills,
Stunning historic castle,
Thinks he should be king.




Haiku for Beast:
Furry orange bull stares.
Used to have hair like that but
Mom made me cut it.









Haiku for Piper:
Play yer pipes fer me
so that I can dance n' not
have to pee so bad.













Haiku for Peter:
The carpenter mulls,
"Land o' castles, beasts, pipers.
Why shouldn't I go?"

Is L.L. Bean still relevant?

The Making of an American Icon? The company seems at once old and out-of-style. Are they chic anywhere? I supposed in Seattle or in New England maybe. But for the rest of the world, L.L. Bean seems to have lost it's luster. A friend recently accidentally left his Christmas gift ideas list in a conspicous place and his girlfriend saw that under her name, he had written, "L.L. Bean clothes."

That did not stand. "Do you know me at all? Is there anything in this magazine that you would like to see me in?!"

Certainly, not too many people in there 20's or 30's are buying L.L. Bean. They're buying J. Crew, Gap, American Eagle or the like. Even for outdoor gear, Columbia or REI is a better option than L.L. Bean. Not to mention the numerous popular companies making jackets, hats and shirts like Burton or Patagonia or Oakley or DC who have trascended the snowboard community. I don't think I would even buy L.L. Bean for my parents. Oddly enough, they have a decent website and some of their stuff isn't too horrible but...still. Has my style just changed that much or does the L.L. Bean brand just not carry the same whipping stick it did in the 80's and 90's?

It's been said that there's a 1st time for everything

I've never order groceries online before. I always thought it not-so convenient and a little gratuitous . After all, for a busy person like myself who doesn't really spend a ton of time at home, waiting for a deliveryman to come during a 5 hour window doesn't really seem all that convenient to me. And I'm mostly grocery shopping on the fly (which come to think of it, isn't really a convenient strategy). But now, with a broken foot, it seems quite the accomodating service. Just placed a $50 order with peapod.com. The website was very easy to use. Navigation-wise it was simple and technology-wise, it was actually refreshingly fast and easy. The screen refreshes quickly and doesn't bog down or pop up random errors or special offers. It also doesn't have any quirks that you come to expect from random shopping websites. Overall good experience.Well, let's say overall good ORDERING experience. We'll see about delivery and timing, etc etc. For the record, I can go back in and edit the delivery times if I so choose. Interesting set of possibilities with the service. As a bonus, I did a quick google search for "peapod coupons" and multiple sites popped up showing a code "AFFL3"for a $10 discount for new customers. Also, you can put a friend's email in and get them $10 as well for referring you there. This might become a regular affair. Me and Peapod.

24 Shopping Days left...

With all the chat about Christmas lists, I thought it would be a good time to remember the gift that represents the highest standard of Kearney Christmas Gift-giving of all time. Part Spoof, Part Wish-Fulfillment, a Fantastic Joke where noone got hurt. (Mary laughed all the way to the tennis court.)

For inspiration, for nostalgia, for posterity....

Post T-giving blues.

I have loads of work to do. So that explains exactly why I'm posting.
What happened with the market today? It's so interesting to see that a day after Black Friday weekend (the biggest spending day of the year), investors start pulling their money. Are people cashing out after weeks/months of a strong market? Spend money, sell stocks, spend more money.
On the same day, Ford, incorporated in 1903, announces that they are borrowing against their assets for $18 billion in financing. A 100 year old American company is on the fritz and they have to resort to some fairly desperate measures. I wonder who will buy them out of bankruptcy in 15 months? Or will a few private equity firms swoop in and take it private. Now that might be interesting- and not out of the question. Why is it interesting to a non-finance person like myself? It just is. Don't ask me to define "interesting."

I'M SHIPPING UP TO BOSTON!

I'm a sailor PIG!
And I lost my LEG!
Climbing up the TOPSAILS, I lost my leg.

Shipping up to BOSTON
Shipping up to Boston
Shipping off...to find MY LEG!



M.O.T.Y.