Departures and Progresses

 I saw the Macaroon Tea Room in Bview closed.  This is sad -- not only was it a nice local business, but I never got to go there, and it was on my restaurant list!  To be sure, unemployment put a dent in that, but... given that as I am working now, there is no reason why I cannot hit some places, especially if the weather is not so crappy.  Also closing:  my local Rite-Aid.  I got a sense it was happening when I went in there yesterday to get a prescription, and it looked like any New York City/San Francisco retail establishment (ha).  I sort of liked the place; close, convenient -- walking distance, even! -- and they were fairly nice.  I think they are NOT part of the new insurance plan for 2024, so... still, one does not like to see closures anywhere.

Quite the commute this morning.  Funny; I woke up at 6, saw nothing, watched the weather and traffic, went to take a shower, and when I looked outside...it was coming down pretty hard.  The weather people -- for all we may bitch -- got this one exactly right.  Anyways, the trip up 77 was slow and steady -- if a bit perilous -- but once I got onto 480 for a bit the snow...stopped.  Completely.  Now, the roads were still quite sketch (and I am NOT blaming ODOT here; heavy snow during rush hour is a catastrophe for them) but at least it was clear.  Now, 90 was...very meh.  One lane clear, and it was the far left one, which was a problem, because half of the commute...well, Lakewood and the near west side are like the East Side, full of Hope and Changers who can't drive, and there were plenty of people who driving far slower than they should in a left lane, clogging up the highway.  Oi.  Cops never do anything about these people, no matter the weather.  Sigh.  Anyways, I was only a few minutes and made all three of my morning meetings, joy.  Actually, I was full of foreboding and dread, and the ones today were... quite good!  

Comments - Most Americans are better off financially now than before the pandemic (substack.com)
I think this is largely true, but this begs the question:  why are so many people hitting up food pantries and such?  I would argue that one reason is that the wage gains are fine...for those who are working.  As we all know, there are many people who can't, or won't, work, and thus they are excluded from wage gains.  Indeed, the cut in SNAP benefits and such doubly hurts them, as they are less-well equipped to deal with the food inflation.  I am not sure how I feel about this -- let's face it, all these benefits have played a role in driving inflation, and given the hiring signs one sees out there, there is ample demand for people to work; if our clients will not do so -- and I know there can be valid reasons why -- I am simply not going to lose sleep over it.