Tuesday

With daybreak in NYC, the nets are showing visuals of the damage in Manhattan and other NY/NJ areas.  This is a shot that pulled from the Internet showing a "street in Manhattan".  In addition to getting power back on, what are they going to do to get rid of the water?  (From Squawk Box CNBC reports, 3 and 3.1 must still currently be without power.)  Another day of working from home for 3 and 3.1.  4 worked a full night shift and they have her in a hotel close to the broadcast booth.

They're talking about another "high tide" within the hour which will keep up the pressure on shorelines. So do tides get higher with full moons?

Weather reports in the QCA are including the edges of Sandy in our forecasts.  The clouds were noted even yesterday.   What a system!

I'm giving 2 Daughter of the Day status.  She's got some exciting employment news that will get publicized in the next week or two.  Definitely a move "up".  Its local.  With a very highly regarded organization.  4kDays is very proud of her.

My pal Roy had an appointment yesterday morning at a business that he owns down in Fairfield, Iowa, and he asked me to go with him to the meeting. (Turns out the operator was basically looking for more money.  Roy had me along to give a critical eye to the proposals.)  Since my schedule was clear, I agreed.  We took a small prop engine plane with seating for the pilot, co-pilot and four passengers.  (There was a single pilot and Roy and I on the plane.)  It took maybe 25 minutes of flying time to get to the Fairfield airport.

(I remember my first flight in a small plane when I would have been in college.  An Ottumwa businessman (father of a high school classmate) was a pilot and asked me to go up with him on a leisure ride.  I did so, and was very uncomfortable!  Small airplanes have always made me nervous.)

The business in Fairfield was/is an open quarry, not unlike this one.  After the meeting, the General Manager took us for a ride around the grounds in his Ford F-250 crew-cab (with me sitting in the back).  The up and down.  The bumps over the quarry roads.  I was glad to get back to the plane.  For a very bumpy ride home!  I was glad to get back to my desk for the afternoon and do some IRS work.

I have the sense that the campaigns may have welcomed this break for the hurricane.  I know the electorate is worn out.  (Mitt did have an appearance in Davenport yesterday, and Mrs. O was in the state as well.)  Unless there is some totally unexpected development, both sides are now just focused on getting their voters to the polls.  Usually, the last weekend before the election, all parties to the contest and those reporting on it have reached the point where what's done is done, let's take the vote.

I never gave recognition to the SF Giants for their sweep of the World Series.  This thing went mostly under-radar with the East Coast press corps giving it no play, and the weather and the election dominating most of the news.  The basic finding: good pitching shuts down good hitting.  Its always been the case.  And I still have almost no idea who plays for the Giants.  At least they don't use the DH.

The business news shows are really stretching to fill their time with the markets closed for another day.  I can't stand Jim Kramer on a regular day (I go to Bloomberg for Betty Liu...still on mute), but giving him a couple hours to just ramble is really punishing viewers.  The shows are now reduced to reporting how much of the Jersey Shore is gone, how many ConEd customers are without power, and how many flights have been cancelled to and from the NYC airports.

I'm hoping that air travel going South and West from here stays on schedule.  My weekend trip to San Antonio begins Thursday evening.

Hope life in The Big Apple is getting better.  Let us know.

BCOT