--HOPE THEY NEVER END THIS SONG

…I'm in Portland/Vancouver having fun crony time with friends that make me happy, that make me laugh.

Presently I'm at a hipster coffee shop where you pay $3 for a drip coffee and they bake their own bread products in front of you.  The place is packed.  Apparently we don't mind throwing our money away.

Why is it that espresso bars only sell fattening scones and over-sized muffins?  Is there nothing healthy to eat?

…I missed the debates last night.  I heard Biden was a bully and expected as much.  I'm a democrat, but he's a little full of himself.

…I think it would be horrible to live you whole live alone.  That's one of my biggest fears.  I guess I have abandonment issues.  I don't know how Thoreau did it.

…Your weekend is going to be fantastic, I just know it. 

Here are some things to think about:

…Through September 23rd, 391 people have been murdered in Chicago, more than in NYC and more than LA (212)

…American income is done almost $5,000 per year from its peak of $54,900 in 1999

…Auto insurers saya 1 billion extra gallons of gas were burned each year from 1960-1999 because Americans are weighing at 20 pounds heavier.  (Yikes.)

…Teens birth rates fell 8%:

2010 -34.2%
2011 -31.3%
 

…Percentage of households with outstnding student debt:

1989: 9% -$9,634
2000: 19% -$26,682

…Highest paid celebrity couples:

#1 --Beyonce and Jay-Z
#2 --Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen
#3 --David and Victoria Beckham

…After 30 years of marriage, Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman are divorcing

…Lil Wayne had his 109th top 100 song on Billboard, besting Elvis's record of 108

…Facebook now has 1 billion monthly users, double the 500 million it hit in July 2010

…The longest running Broadway shows:

#1 -The Phantom of the Opera
#2 -Cats
#3 -Les Miserables (my fave)

…The nation's most promiscuous cities:

#1 -Portland, OR
#2 -Seattle
#3 -Pittsburg
#4 -Miami
#5 -San Francisco
#6 -Dallas (Really? Yep.)

…20% of all Americans have more than 4 credit cards

34% have 2-3
26% have none

…While Facebook is valued at over $110 Billion, My Space was recently bought for a paltry $35 million by Justin Timberlake and group

…There are 46.2 million Americans currently living in poverty

…There are 11 million illegal immigrants already living in America

…Last year 163 police officer were killed in the line of duty

…Last year Americans spent $370 million on Halloween costumes…for their pets.  (Really.)

…In 1991 there were 93,000 knee replacements surgeries.

243,000 operations were performed in 2010

…Walmart, Target and Kmart all opened their very first store in the same year, 1962

…When did you start saving for your children’s college education?

59% -Within their first year
17% -Ages 1-3
17% -Before they were born
7% -After age 4

..Where Social Security payments go:

70% -Retired workers
19% -Disabled workers
11% -Survivors of deceased workers