Got what I came for: glassware!

Stood @ the bar for like a half hour and never got a drink.  It was so busy.  Absurdly.  Good times for the dancing/party crew, though a lack of swiftness in drink service was frustrating many, as they screamed at the bartenders and stood aghast as they were "ignored" by any of the five bartenders trying to serve drinks to a cycling swarm of 300 or so people surrounding this particular gigantic bar.  The bartenders were doing a good job, all things considered, but it did suck to not be able to get a drink while standing right at the bar for 30+ minutes.  

Mr. Cormier was there, kicking his groove, and the beats were laid down by "DJ Bis" as you are no doubt already aware.  I saw some other people I know, from across the rooms, but for the most part had zero chance of talking to anybody because it was just absolutely packed.  

I enjoy a good bout of the ole "people watching" so I could have stood at the bar all night just lookin, drink or no drink.  But Betty wasn't having any of it, so after 45 or so minutes of drinkless "packed like sardines in a crushed tin box"-edness we decided to make our way to our secondary destination.  Before walking away from the bar, you know I grabbed the two dirty glasses pictured above to add to my collection.  Having completed my mission, I was happy to move on, though before leaving I also grabbed a sweet (what I thought was free) Spark/Newark Co-op shopping bag.  The prizes inside indicate that it might not just have been there for the taking, but whoops!  It was sitting there on the coat check table, there were a number of them, and they were also giving away CD's (which to my shagrin [maybe], I did not get ahold of), so I figured I'd use it as a place to hold my newly acquired glassware.  While most of the contents of the bag were promotional info from sponsors, there was a sweet "prize" that made Betty's night, and all were happy.  

I WANT A T-SHIRT!

Back in August 2008, more than a month before Mr. McCain's catastrophic "Fundamentals of Economy Are Strong" and before the real start of the current financial calamity, this is what Billy D. had to say about the economy and election....

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

8/4/2008

Employment Instability may affect November Election
Job Security in Swing States May Be Deciding Factor for Voters


Scorelogix, a firm specializing in job security analysis, reports a continuation of the downward slide in National Job Security that began in November 2007. After a slight surge between March and April of this year, when national unemployment prospects seemed to brighten, the company reports a precipitous drop in the past two months.

The variability of this drop can be seen by examining two states projected to play pivotal roles in the upcoming presidential election. They are Florida and Ohio. Nationally, the company’s prediction of future employment, based on the Job Security Index™ or JSI, dropped by 7 points in June. The Florida drop was identical, while in Ohio, the JSI saw an 8 point drop.

Before November 2007, the nation’s Job Security prospects were steady, even rising. Since that time, a slow and steady drop has occurred, predicting a dimming employment outlook over the next twelve months. Ohio and Florida, relative to the nation, tell very interesting, very different stories.

In the past year, the Job Security trend in Ohio has been virtually identical to the national trend. As the national Job Security Index increased between June and November, Ohio’s index rose at a pace slightly better than the nation as a whole. In November, as the nation’s predicted job security dimmed, Ohio too began to experience an overall drop.
This does not tell the entire story, however. While the Ohio trajectory parallels the nation’s as a whole, the state’s numbers are significantly lower. The national Job Security Index ™, or JSI in July 2007 stood at 145.3. Ohio’s index, on the other hand, stood at at 125.6, a full twenty points lower than the national average. So while the trajectories have matched, Ohio’s remains a good deal lower than most of the country. Both the national JSI & Ohio’s JSI have dropped by approximately 15 points since November 2007. Ohio’s JSI, initially much lower than the nation’s, remains that much lower today. By way of comparison, Ohio’s highest recent JSI, 133 in November 2007, is only two points above the national low of 131.1 recorded in June of this year. Ohio’s lowest score, also recorded in the most recent data, is 114.8, a full 16.4 points lower than the national average.

Florida’s JSI pattern is different but no less worrisome. In July of 2007, Florida enjoyed a JSI of over 155, surpassed by only a handful of other states. But even as the nation’s index rose in the middle of last year, Florida began a slow decline that has picked up speed. Florida’s numbers dropped initially, and then remained steady through the end of last year into March 2008. Since March, however, Florida has seen a significant drop in Job Security. In the past four months, Florida’s JSI has dropped by over 15 points, losses that took nine months to accrue in Ohio and across the country. Since July 2007, Florida’s JSI has dropped over 23 points, leaving it just one point above the national average.

Worsening job security has accelerated in Florida over the past twelve months. Elsewhere in the country, as in Ohio, drops in Job Security have been troublesome, but not nearly as severe. While Florida’s JSI remains better than the nation or in Ohio, a continued acceleration into the next quarter and beyond could spell real trouble for the state.

These projections, at 85% accuracy, are evidence that the workforce in both of these critical states could be significantly more hard pressed than elsewhere in the country. The experts at Scorelogix therefore believe that predicted unemployment will play a major role in the November election outcome in each state.