I just read that Seattle, my hometown, is now enduring its 22nd consecutive day of measurable rain. I can only speculate what "measurable rain" means on an average, daily basis, but I know it must be miserable for Seattleites. I know, because I lived there for many years. I’m sure that Vancouver and Portland residents are experiencing similar misery. Cold, wet rain isn’t much fun, especially when the day is windy and blows it in your face. Umbrellas are rendered useless, and rain ponchos are a last resort. The weather in Seoul has been cold but mostly dry. It snowed a couple of inches last night, and driving was a bit slick this morning. It warmed up though and melted away by the evening. Lately the temperatures here have varied from frigid to bearable when the sun shines. I often tell people I miss the Seattle weather, a seemingly oxymoronic quip I must quickly clarify to mean that I miss Seattle summers. I don’t really miss Seattle winters at all. During the summer, there’s no place like Seattle. The weather is balmy, and when the sun is out, it is an absolutely gorgeous place in which to live. The quality of life can’t be beat if you’re a fan of nature. Of course, you only have to bear nine months of moisture-laden Winter and Spring to enjoy it. Fall weather is mixed. I am still waiting for the worst days of winter in Seoul, when the temperatures here are absolutely frigid, making you thankful you’re not a soldier exposed to the elements. So far though, this winter has been relatively mild.
Today our community association’s new business center opened. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to the opening ceremony. Our general manager was there representing the association. The business center is the second of three openings this month. The first was the cafeteria, which opened last week. The second is the business center. The third will be our coffee shop, which will open later this month (keeping fingers crossed). It’s been a busy month for us, to say the least! It will take the business center awhile to attract a strong customer base, but I think it will ultimately be successful.
Note to Skobb77: Thanks for your comment and for reading World Adventurers. I appreciate it. It’s true I don’t write too much about what I do for a living. I have to be careful what I post online, so I’ve steered clear of too many specifics and details about what I do. The trade-off is that I can write about whatever crosses my mind on a given day. I do try to avoid discussions about politics and religion because they tend to be very sensitive topics. I also try not to be too critical of my host country (currently Korea).
You asked whether Sun Microsystems is a good investment as a result of its alliance with Google. No, I don’t think so, and here’s why. As of yesterday’s close ($4.58 per share), Sun was close to its 52-week high of $4.85. Its share price since mid-2002 has hovered between $3.00 and $6.00 per share. The recent run-up in Sun is largely the result of a hot stock market. The Google-Sun alliance announced late last year barely budged Sun’s share price, because the announcement did not offer any significant technology advances. In my opinion, Sun must capitalize on a breakthrough innovation in order to reignite its business and boost its share price. Apple did it, and Hewlett Packard is doing it now, so maybe Sun could too. Unfortunately, Sun CEO Scott McNealy is no Steven Jobs or Mark Hurd. He has too strong a grip on his company and is much too set in his ways to instantly become an innovator in the mold of Steven Jobs. Sun’s share price could spike if Sun is acquired, although it is not often mentioned as takeover bait. It frankly is not very attractive to many technology firms beyond some of its software patents, notably Java. I expect Sun to continue floundering for a long time. That said, you could make money by shorting Sun stock or wait until it drops below $4.00 and accumulate some shares.
Yep 22 days of measurable rain and counting… 🙂 Forecast for the the next two weeks is pretty simple… "rain, rain, and more rain." 🙂 We have a good shot a breaking the number of consecutive days with measurable rain record. Record for Seattle is 32 days, and looks like we will break it.Would you rather have 2 months of Monsoon, or 9 months of rain?
Measureable…Miserable…same difference. If only it didn’t slow up traffic so much. It’s been a bit windy too…as I had to avoid a downed tree on my way to work this morning. I’m about ready for spring I think….at least it will be warmer and rainy.
sooooooooooooo tired of the rain but I don’t mind the grey. As long as I dont’ get caught up in a mudslide I’ll be alright. PS. My condolences regarding the sad news.
下雨的确能让人们的心情发霉，但地球大概是唯一下雨的地方了吧。
It is rainy season in Singapore, too…and it is so cold – like in an air-conditioned room.. although we do not have the four seasons.Angeline
Seattle does not have "4 seasons" either, it is more like two seasons… "Rainy Season" and "Sunny Season", and the "Sunny Season" is usually much shorter than the "rainy season"… 🙂