Dad~ma, Sail.

So we left the house at 10am this morning to test drive the 2012 Accord at a dealership about an hour away. When we got there, we learned that it had just been sold, though they had tried to call me and let me know (unlike the Hyundai dealership) I just never heard the phone ring because we were already on the road. At this point I was 2-for-2 for having cars sold out from under me.

We wandered around the dealership's lot with a salesguy for over an hour and looked at a lot of different vehicles, but nothing was really what we were looking for. (The boy had a lot of fun climbing into the back hatch of the Forrester we were looking at.) We thanked the salesguy for his time and headed back into town and grabbed lunch before driving 30 minutes in the other direction to look at a 2013 Honda Accord that I'd just found online last night (It was only posted sometime this week.) The mileage was higher than I would have liked (75K) but it was in really good shape and the price was comparable to the other Accord.

The wife and I both test drove it and eventually decided to purchase it. Which ended up being a 2+ hour process in itself, though it didn't help that my wife and the finance guy were both very chatty (I married an extrovert. What can I do?) during the process which probably added another 30 minutes to affair.

I finally pulled into the driveway with my "new" car at nearly 6pm. I am completely exhausted. But we have one replacement car done. We need to wait for the insurance payout and my annual bonus at work to figure out what we can afford to buy my wife and then do the whole thing all over again.

And fabric! If I was rich I would be all over that place.

Having been there just last month, I can report that their fabric department is not everything I had hoped it would be. But it's still a gorgeous, fascinating store.

Having been there just last month,

I hope they were properly thrilled with you.

I'm quite surprised that markets haven't fallen since the election. I've seen two suggestions: first, they're betting that whatever Trump said on the campaign trail, he'll wind up governing like a normal Republican. (Not so sure that should be comforting, on past performance, but there it is.) Second, that they're just relieved that the transition of power will be orderly.

As far as I'm concerned, this allows some breathing space to take a more defensive position. Whether or not he winds up jettisoning most of the crap he spewed on the campaign trail, two constants are going to be: he doesn't have the temperament, and he doesn't have the experience. Sooner or later, that's going to tell. At the very least, markets are going to be more volatile than under Obama. I tend to believe they'll also be less profitable.

Some months ago, I shifted my pension fund to a more defensive allocation. I mean, it's tough recommending any investments in the current environment, but in terms of limiting how much one could lose, that might not be such a bad idea right now.

~ma for your dad, Sail.

I just found out that my mom spent 3 days in the hospital this week with bleeding ulcers. She's home now and on the mend but I had to scold my dad for not calling me. This is the first time since she turned 21 that she's missed voting in an election.

health~ma to your dad, Sail.

This afternoon I went out to feed the yet-again pregnant mama cat and found out that Sméagol (the father of my girl cat) had returned! Despite being away for months he was as friendly as ever, and looks to be in good health. It's hilarious, he's a huge 15-16 lb. alley cat and meows like a little kitten.

Much ma for family, aurelia and sail. Adulting sucks.

Billytea, that sounds very sensible. I'm glad I reallocated Dad's accounts last spring, too a much more conservative posture.

Dad ma~~~

I walked quite a bit today, over 3 miles, and shopped.

now am cooking. roasting beets, did the chicken with a bunch of garlic thing into the oven thing you all discussed, did more chicken in a butter chicken simmer sauce, and put even more chicken into the crockpot with BBQ sauce. 2 thighs each way. should get me through most of the week.

I ate none of that for dinner. For dinner I had Boston Chicken mac & cheese and now gonna have Ben & Jerry's EmpowerMint.

I have not decided what to do about donations. Holiday donations I know I will make are: Everytown for Gun Safety, NPR stations, National Parks Service, Donors Choose

My cynical feel is that markets are back up and doing so well to get all they can before January.