Saturday, September 06, 2008

Randomizer Volume IV: Series III

  • We spent two hours in Ikea and all we got out of it was a power strip, some light bulbs, Lingenberry heartburn, and a newfound respect for deodorant. That place amazes me.
  • The Dollar is regaining ground against the Euro. I have been following it closely ever since planning for our Italy trip and it is at its strongest point since February. Just to illustrate the need to follow currency fluctuations here's an example. In early Feb the dollar was trading at .68 per Euro, by March it became .65. That small difference meant $200 lost in our vacation budget. One needs to be an expert in arbitrage in order to travel to Europe these days.
  • Costco is the ultimate microcosm of 'America'. If I was from another time and another place and I was seeking to understand the inner workings and motivations of early 21st Century America I would spend a few hours at my nearest Costco on a Saturday afternoon. No store better defines the heart of America then that place.
  • BYU is at best a top 15-20 team this year. A BCS bound team needs to have a better defense. Even if they run the table I don't know if they are truly deserving of a BCS game. Regardless of the BCS ramifications it would be unbelievably cool if Utah and BYU could go into their rivalry game undefeated.

3 comments:

Wendy said...

Hey Ryan! It's Wendy, your long-lost cousin! I emailed you a while ago, not sure if you got it. Tom (my husband) said he was going to email you, too, since you were both in marketing, but different areas of the field and he thought you guys could help each other out a little. Did he ever email you? Congrats on your wedding, by the way! (Better late than never!) It was fun reading your blog and catching up with you! If you're interested, here is our blog address: tomandwendymontgomery.blogspot.com. Take care and email me back when you get a second!

Norm said...

I love the randomizer comments. I've actually had the same thought about Costco. When I got home from my mission I walked into one of those places and was overwhelmed. It is a truly unique experience that we Americans think is normal but it isn't.

I recently went out with a girl from Switzerland (yes she is a Federer fan) and she said one of the first things she did when she got to the United States was go to one of those "super Wal Marts". She couldn't believe how big it was and she thought it was just an old wives tale that stores in the United States were open in the middle of the night and so she went shopping in the wee hours of the morning just for the experience. She couldn't believe that she could buy orange juice at 2 in the morning.

Ronifer269 said...

Norm, you hold on to that girl. The mere fact that she is Swiss is reason enough.

Dude