Cars, Carpets. and Sharing

I had lunch at “New Generations” with Rick who has been through it all with me. Food was great- thats my lunch you see above – and cheap-$5.99. NOTE THE CHEAP- GET SMART.
Rick is another corporate/development guy. We discussed what has hit us in the economy. Over sushi and green tea we both agreed their is nothing new under the sun of the market place of marketing. We have been through recessions. But we both agreed this one is different.

Rick talked about consumer confidence- and personally cutting back and I dusted off my thoughts on capitalism and the marketplace. Then we left splitting the bill and looking at the storm clouds. He has a family and a mortgage and I have a uncertain future. We parted with a guy thing a handshake and a recognition this event is a solar eclipse in the making. It seems greed was going to come to roost.

I love Rick. He is what Australians and South Africans call a genuine mate. A genuine friend He sticks by you. New Generations with Rick was a classic. He was supportive with no BS. As we left it was a classic between us. I headed for my bike and he headed for his beloved beamer. He loves his ” BMW” and me well I am recent bike lover and not so recent tree hugger- I love my bike.
PS He has not a clue about ‘carbon footprint”
WE ARE GOOD FRIENDS-FIGURING IT OUT

Peak Oil and the Economy

I spent a night worrying about the news on economy and nearing of peak oil. Tackling those topics on a wintry night is not a recommended mood enhancer. But we cannot avoid them.

“Understanding depletion is simple. Think of an Irish pub. The glass starts full and ends empty. There are only so many more drinks to closing time. It’s the same with oil. We have to find the bar before we can drink what is in it.”

This morning I needed to shake off the cloud of gloom so I went up to my local grocer to clear my head. The grocery is a palace of food that has a global cornucopia of product from around the world. But, what caught my eye was a new rack displaying vegetables from 100 mile radius, 200 miles, 300. You get the drift. I tackled George the head merchandiser to find out was this a fad or trend. His comment “Dude the customers want it”. Good enough reason for me.
Seems the public is way smarter than I thought. They are making choices for the environment and to get off of our oil dependency.

In an ocean of product those four tables gave me hope. Now we just have to figure out how to maintain a global economy without oil. I do love items from many cultures like Persian Rugs, Cheese from France and a lot more. How the heck can we maintain a global economy without frying the planet and ourselves. I will worry about that tonight. Tonight with a Persian rug under my feet I will feast on Squash and carrots, winter fare from Ontario all bought within 100 miles .