Left Coast Thoughts....

Arrived in Sacramento 10 minutes late for the earthquake. Timing is everything....

When I'm on the left coast, I always try to get up at the same real time I would at home--thus I'm up here between 3:30 and 4:00 local time. Which gives me some quiet time to write, think and read. And, of course, to watch stupid news programs...which I waste far, far too much time on.

Thoughts:

Why Can't We All just start Paying Attention?: In my book club work, I'm reading tons of management wisdom. The same wisdom (packaged differently) that I read 5 and 10 and 15 and 20 years ago. Different books, different authors, same stuff. This makes me somewhat nutty; we read and read and read and read, but don't appear to take what we're reading to heart. Too bad, but then the business book business would take such a hit if we "got it" the first time. (Apologies to Rodney King for mis-quoting him)

Everything is local: I'm in a hotel in a commercial area, mixed in with residential. A bit scruffy here and there, so I asked the person at the desk if walking down to a set of restaurants about 400 yards away on a major street was a safe walk in the evening. She looked at me like I was a rube, and said "Uh, sure, they're not that far away. It should be fine." This from a person who works in a hotel behind a 8 foot high metal fence. (Actually the fences around every single property is what prompted my question in the first place. So I walked. 400 yards, commuting hours, daylight. No mugging, no driveby shootings, no mayhem at all. No big deal.

I walk back after my meal. Greeted at the hotel gate by a 300 lb security guard who wants to see my room key and tells me I really shouldn't walk around.....perception is really reality. Is it safe or not? Are we in financial trouble or not? It depends.

Off to Lake Tahoe, one of America's iconic places that I've never seen.