Mad World

Does anyone else think the world's gone nuts? I'm sure many thinking peole must do. I find it absolutely depressing what continues to happen in the middle east, how heat waves and tsunamis are killing people around the world, and, closer to home, our real estate values have more than doubled in four years, the largest of the increase to come in the last 8 months or so, to the point now where, if you're lucky (like us) and got in before the big boom, you thank the dear Lord for your good fortune daily, but if you're one of the unlucky ones looking for a place to stay, you're sol. Businesses are shutting down because there is such a boom we can't find near enough labor to fill all the jobs; other business must move on or fold their businesses because of skyrocketing commercial leases. A yoga studio I used to go to has had their monthly rate increased from $5,000 to $17,000 a month. There is no way they can afford this and are looking into options. I feel very badly for them. It is a beautiful studio, and they will unlikely find anything comparable that they can afford. Probably their best bet is to move to another city. There is a homeless crisis in this city, too. What is available to rent or buy is so inflated in price that many simply can't afford it. People move here because the jobs are so plentiful and when they get here they end up in homeless shelters because you can't get an apartment. The other day we were at our usual grocery store. They were out of so many things and this is an ongoing pattern. We asked at the customer service desk (though we knew it must be staffing problems) and sure enough, they said the warehouse had the truck all loaded ready to go out to the store, and there's no one to drive the truck. It all feels, very, .... I don't know .... sort of spiralling. It has a an out-of-control feel. Lastly, let me mention the magpies that live around here. I don't hear any right now, but generally they're all you hear anymore. You don't hear the robins, the finches, the sparrows, and other songbirds anymore. All you hear is the squawk of the magpies. Where are all our songbirds going?