I think it's official. This story is now so slow that we can safely say it's halftime. With the exception of ATT and a handful of others, the y2k bug is still "on schedule" to be eradicated, but not yet eradicated. In the paraphrased words of another, "Our hopes and dreams are in the hands of complete strangers," and apparently will remain that way until the "on schedule" mantra is changed to "finished".

Schools are getting out, the weather's beautiful, the summer movie schedule is starting, crops are in the ground, the stock market is still rocketing, gold is falling and . . .

. . .y2k has become a laughingstock of sorts. That ESPN commercial with rollover anarchy and the guy doing the Lord of the Flies imitation with the necktie-headband and the war paint ranting "Follow me to Freedom!" about made me fall out of my chair. The KIA commercials are pretty funny too. I particularly liked the Senator standing in line during the bank run. (By the way, KIAs might be a collectors' item this time next year. In a way that's the most twistedly humorous part of that particular commercial.)

At any rate, it's clearly vacation time . . . unless you're a newbie. In that case, it's last call. If you haven't prepped yet, you're in the best of all worlds. The folks in the market around the first of the year (me for instance) paid a premium for things in short supply. Now many prices have come down and availability of many things has gone up. (Not universally true, for example, generator prices have gone way up, but there is a good supply of certain models.)

Vacation ends in August. October is always an ominous month for maddened crowds. I wouldn't want to wait until October for any Y2k related stuff. If you wait that long you'll be part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Good luck. Have a nice summer.

PS-If you're thinking about laying up some firewood, you really should have done that weeks ago. Do that immediately if its in your plans. For firewood newbies (as I was) don't do what I did and simply order it over the telephone. Go to the wood lot and inspect it first. Take someone with some experience with you if you have absolutely no idea what to look for.

I ended up OK, but I got wood that was a little punky (at least that's what I call it.) In other words, it had a little rot around the rim just under the bark. There were mushrooms growing on the bark. Had I taken an extra hour to visit the guy's woodlot, I would have specified higher quality wood. The stuff I got is OK, but I'd estimate that 10% of each log is not high quality fuel.

Also, I got stiffed a little on one of the "cords". The guy dumped it in my driveway and when I stacked it, it was about three-quarters of a cord. No big deal, but you need to know exactly what you're getting to shop prices accurately.

If you've waited this long for wood, make every effort to get wood that is already seasoned.

-- Puddintame (achillesg@hotmail.com), May 13, 1999

Answers

Puddintame - I'm not so sure it is officialy halftime until the Budweiser frogs join the commotion. Thanks for depressing me (and hopefully kicking me into action) on my procrastination about ordering more firewood - it's the last major detail I need to take care of. *Really Not* looking forward to stacking the stuff. (Thought I was "compliant" since I was "on track", but mebbe not so on track as I hoped...)

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), May 13, 1999.

Hey Puddintame,

I haven't been watching TV much lately so I saw my first KIA commercial last night. It was pretty funny and very creative. Kudos to the shop that created it and KIA for taking the risk of running it.

Don't be too deceived by the funny sales message, these spots will do more to create awareness than many other more direct and serious ads have regardless of the parody.

Everyone of my advertising friends seems to become a GI very quickly -- perhaps because it's necessary to think in more than 2D terms. And the simple fact that a car company (and it's an import car at that) has gone with a campaign like this is really interesting. I'm really curious to see how this campaign plays out a few months from now.

As for the thoughts of vacation lull etc. I think you're right on. Have a great summer!!!

Mike (who lives in the land where doom and sun seem to go together...got earthquakes?) =========================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), May 13, 1999.

Puddintame..your experience with firewood caught my attention..we have ordered firewood from the same gentleman for over 10 years here..called him last week to order extra,figuring we better lay in as much as possible early in the summer,to allow it to season.. he said he is over 200 orders...yes, 200...behind in his deliveries. The only reason he would even consider us is because we were such regular customers,and even then,he could only promise us a pickup load of wood,maybe 2 weeks from now... claimed it was insane,his phone rang constantly with people calling for "y2k wood deliveries",his words... we are trying to find another source, as well as waiting for this promised load,but no luck so far...we'll keep trying...Cynthia

-- Cynthia Yanicko (yanicko@infonline.net), May 13, 1999.

KIA's would make good strawberry pots -- punch a hole in the floor for drainage -- push 'em around the yard to follow the sun...

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), May 13, 1999.

Hello Puddintame! Just thought i'd share some good news with you. I decided to talk to my neighbors a second time on the y2k issue and they were very receptive this time. They have an empty large plastic tank beside their barn and are filling it with well water for us to share. I have also been invited to pick from their large strawberry patch whenever i like. But the mother load came when he told me his friend was thinning out his woods and giving him the wood for free. It is being dumped into his yard by the truckload and i was told to take whatever i thought my family could use. Being neighborly and trying to help them prepare has blessed me and mine beyond belief. I never would have been able to convince my DGI spouse to cut all the wood i think we will need. And the neebies keep marching in!

p.s. Does anyone know how much wood i should have for at least 4 months for one fireplace ? Thanks in advance.

-- kitten (kitten@vcn.net), May 13, 1999.

Kitten,

somebody has probably already told you this, but fireplaces are *very* inefficient sources of heat. If at all possible try to get a fireplace stove insert (this is a woodstove that's designed to fit in a fireplace). If that's not possible try to find a good cast iron or steel grating for the fireplace - one made of hollow open ended tubes if possible.

my goodness but that wood was a real blessing.

Arlin

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), May 14, 1999.