Election Hangover

With the hullabaloo regarding the election subsiding, many people are wondering now what. It is the equivalent of all of a sudden having an extra 5 hours/week for me. I did not devote that much attention to politics with strict accounting, but I think that is a reasonable estimate for mind share when I consider watching the debates, listening to advertising and engaging in conversation.

Personally I have fallen behind on my weekly television programming and have even become TiVo competent in order to keep up. Thank goodness for Comcast on Demand or I would have had to upgrade our player.

An exciting resurgence is my physical training. In the July-August timeframe you may recall my tarsal coalition experience. I assume it still exists, but I have become accustomed to the orthotics and have started exercising again in earnest this month. It is not extravagant, but a few miles on the bike, hopping in the pool once/week and jogging along on the treadmill occasionally have done wonders for my psyche. Of course I still need to contend with the 10 pounds I gained.

The weight cannot be attributed to exercise alone. In lieu of active pursuits, I found myself cooking more at home and snacking quite a bit as well. I need to get my diet back in check as the winter usually keeps my outdoor hobbies at a minimum.

Along with the national election, Colorado Amendment 50 passed, which means next July the casinos could be open 24 hours and offer craps and roulette in addition to higher stakes poker. The timing is interesting as the World Series of Poker concludes this week with the two last men standing being from Denmark and Russia. For those of you who don’t follow tournament poker, you are not missing much. It is a very tedious spectator sport.

Finally I would like to touch on the economy. The downward trend has nothing to do with the election. A democrat in office was already priced in. The trend has to do with worse than expected earnings across the board and the rapid response of corporations with layoff announcements which could fire up a downward spiral. The government would not be able to react until after the holidays. Most retailers may not get to enjoy a “Black Friday” and will remain in the red through the calendar year. If this occurs you can expect to hear about more Circuit City’s as retailers throw in the towel and reach for Chapter 11 protection.