Wall street panicked as rescue bill failed to please congress. Ironically Dow tumbled by 777 points – a number representing jackpot. It was more of the opposite for the US investors.

Great timing .. I was wondering if this was intended to be a joke – the following email was sent a day after WaMu disappeared into thin air. Holiday all the way!

On a serious note, the episode was a shock for the stock holders. Everyone knew that WaMu was in trouble. But was it bad enough to force a closure? That too on a Thursday. The entire episode seemed suspicious. The theory is that FDIC closed WaMu to avoid paying insurance to WaMu banking customers (in case WaMu went bankrupt), and then sold the assets to chase for $1.9B. If not for FDIC intervention, Chase could not have acquired one of the biggest banks in US for peanuts. A smart play by Chase indeed. As for the stock holders it was a daylight robbery by FDIC. Unlike the banking customers whose funds are insured and safe after the transaction, the stock holders did not get a penny.

So people go to Amazon thinking ‘hmm, I need a scanner pen’ and then figure out it is a lot more practical to buy a toothbrush instead.

 

They are eye-openers .. literally… unless you are deaf or live on 10th floor.

If you think that is my frustration talking, you are wrong. I am beyond frustration now. There was a time when I would get terribly upset if somebody dared to wake me before my 8 hrs quota was over. I need at least 8 hrs of sleep to behave normally … And anybody who doesnt believe it would get a long lecture on adverse effects of inadequate sleep. Being able to sleep peacefully is not just a privilege, but one of the fundamental rights. When I moved in my own apartment in Pune, things were under control. There was nobody to wake me up and life was beautiful… till i came to US.

When I first landed, I loved those lush green lawns on the side of the pavements. Little did I know that these very lawns were about wreck havoc in my Life! Earlier I was on the second floor and away from the road. Life was still good. Next semester I moved to an apartment on the 1st floor and bedroom was facing the road – that is when things got too loud for comfort! I used to attend classes during day, work and then study till late. After one tiring day I went to bed at 3am .. hoping to catch just enough sleep to be able to stay awake during the lecture next day.. dreaming about the weekend when I would makeup the sleep-quota ..

Few hours into the night and an insanely deafening “drrrrrrrrr” woke me up .. I woke up .. rubbing my eyes ..”who .. whatt .. .. WHHHHHHHHY NOWWWWWWWWW ??” I stumbled to the window ..a dutiful latino worker was blowing the leaves off the sidewalks .. AT 6 AM!! .. Well, I know this country is cleanliness-freak, but 6 AM ?? And wait, this is los angeles .. there are hardly any trees .. only palm trees if any. So there are so few leaves on the road that you just cannot justify spoiling my precious sleep!!

I waited at the window patiently for the worker to finish blowing from the front of my apartment. I was hoping he would be done in 5 min. He did .. and THEN he came inside the apartment complex. I watched in horror .. so he plans to clean the ENTIRE complex ??? This cannot be happening ..

I managed to find some cotton from my first-aid kit and plugged it in my ears .. trying to lessen the intense noise … the flimsy cotton was completely useless .. I tried closing the windows, bedroom door, pulling pillows over my head …. sigh ! I am not destined to sleep today – Destiny is one thing you cannot help … I reminded myself ..there are people in Bombay who sleep on pavements and on the railway platforms .. that too of the western line (there is a train every 3 minutes as against every 3 hrs on central).. and here I am complaining about a meek Leaf blower. I am too fortunate to have a roof over my head and must appreciate that… I become philosophical when I cannot do anything about the situation. Oh God ! Why are you doing this to me ? What did i do? All I want is my 8 hrs of sleep. The “little voice” in my head told me .. you gotto be more tolerant …and this is good for you” … “Good for me?? HOW CAN WAKING UP WITH ANNOYING DRRR can be good for me” .. “It will build your character!”

The worker moved from side to side cleaning every sq. inch of ground !! There was no way this was getting over in next few minutes. I got up and made breakfast … “DRRRRRRRRR…” At least I can have breakfast … the poor guy blowing the leaves .. he must wake up at 4am .. and may not have the money for two meals …. “DRRRrrrrrr ..” .. and he is out there in the chilling cold blowing the stupid leaves …. “drrr….. ” now started fading as the guy walked away to the next building .. the noise went away .. phewwww … he was gone .. I went back to bed to catch some sleep.

That was a couple of years ago. Yesterday I remembered that first ‘eye-opener’ as the all too familiar drrrr .. woke me up. Now I live on the first floor and there is a HUGE lawn in front of my apartment. I did not even TRY to hope that it would be over any soon!