State of Confusion

State of Confusion

Woke up in a panic,
Like somebody fired a gun
I wish I could be dreaming,
But the nightmare's just begun.

There's flooding in the basement,
There's water all around.
There's woodworm in the attic
And the ceiling just fell down.

I'm in a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).
I'm in a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).

All the dirty dishes
Are still in the kitchen sink.
The tumble dryer's broken,
Now the telly's on the blink.

My girlfriend's packed her bags
And moved out to another town.
She couldn't stand the boredom
When the video broke down.

Don't know why I feel so bad.
Is it the weather, or am I going mad?
Don't know why I feel this way.
I don't know whether I'm coming or I'm going,
Can't cover up 'cause it's obviously showing.

It's a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).
We're in a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).

I don't know whether I'm coming or I'm going.
Should feel happy, should feel glad.
I'm alive and it can't be bad,
But back on planet Earth they shatter the illusion,
The world's going 'round in a state of confusion.

Standing on an island
In the middle of the road.
Traffic either side of me,
Which way will I go?

I should've stayed at home,
I should have never come outside.
Now I wish I never tried
To cross the other side.

I'm in a state (state)
State of confusion (whooooh).
It's a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).

Lyin' awake in a cold, cold sweat,
Am I overdrawn, am I going in debt?
It gets worse, the older that you get.
No escape from the state of confusion I'm in.
State of confusion I'm in.

Ever have a day like this? I had one today. As anyone who knows me understands, I like to have a slow start to my morning; I kind of ease into my day. That means that DH gets up before I do, showers, and goes downstairs first, while I sit on the computer and check a few e-mails and blogs before meandering downstairs. (Meandering isn't in this blog title for nothing).

But this morning I was rudely jarred from my routine because DH realized that he hadn't put out the recyclable cardboard and newspapers last night, and the truck was already out there trolling around in the neighborhood. He called upstairs to get me to come down and help.

So while he was putting out the cardboard, I fed the dog, and then he returned to the kitchen to start getting breakfast ready. Already our routine has been disrupted and once that happens, confusion reigns. We bump into each other in the kitchen, get in each other's way and generally become cranky.

All of a sudden we heard a funny noise, and looked over at the coffee machine, which was finishing up its brewing process. The only problem was, the brewing took place without a carafe underneath collecting the coffee.

Not only had the coffee spilled all over the counter, but because it had overflowed its little cone-shaped filter, the coffee grounds were overflowing along with it. Apparently DH had gotten distracted by the cardboard emergency and forgotten to put the coffee pot back after he had prepared the coffee to brew.

After a few choice words, as everyone can imagine, so we won't repeat them here, the coffee machine was turned off and I sent DH out with the dog to walk her while I tried to repair the devastation. I was just finishing mopping up coffee from under the microwave when he and Diva returned. Breakfast still had to be made and time continued to slip by so that we both were quite late getting to work today.

The day progressed somewhat better from that point on but I did not feel quite right all day!

In fact, between this and the general disarray of the economy, I am just out of sorts. Yesterday when I heard the stock market had plunged 250 points, it was quite depressing; and today's rally is not encouraging me much.

The other day DH did an interesting exercise using Yahoo Finance's ability to graph the stock market index over a very long period. He printed out a chart showing the Dow Jones Industrial average index from 1929 to the present, and then made a straight line along the trend from that time forward, to see where we should be right now if that earlier trend had continued. The result falls around 2,000, about 5,000 points lower than where we are now. He did another version where he took the trend from the early 1980s on, and that projects out to somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000.

You see, the problem is, the stock market went along very nicely at a certain general level for years and years, back in the days when a stock was valued somewhat more for its long-term yield in dividends and general value, as opposed to using it as a gambling chip. But all of a sudden, around 1985, the curve drastically changes. The index starts skyrocketing. And the descent that is happening now seems hell-bent on getting back down to the original trend line. If it does, we're going to be in a bad place economically for a lot longer. I couldn't copy the chart that he used but here is a similar one that doesn't go back quite as far but whose creator took the same approach - and this was BEFORE the most recent meltdown.

The interesting - or perhaps scary - thing is, when you look at it from the extreme long-term perspective, the Crash of 1929 looks like the tiniest little blip. What's happening now looks more like a roller-coaster ride.

So, not only am I in a state of confusion, so is our country. Let's hope tonight's speech by President Obama may calm people's nerves.

And in the meantime, here are the Kinks again - singing "Low Budget." The song was from back in the '70s but is so pertinent again now.



Low Budget

Cheap is small and not too steep
But best of all cheap is cheap
Circumstance has forced my hand
To be a cut price person in a low budget land
Times are hard but we'll all survive
I just got to learn to economize

I'm on a low budget
I'm on a low budget
I'm not cheap, you understand
I'm just a cut price person in a low budget land

Excuse my shoes they don't quite fit
They're a special offer and they hurt me a bit
Even my trousers are giving me pain
They were reduced in a sale so I shouldn't complain
They squeeze me so tight so I can't take no more
They're size 28 but I take 34

I'm on a low budget
What did you say
I'm on a low budget
I thought you said that

I'm on a low budget
I'm a cut price person in a low budget land

I'm shopping at Woolworth and low discount stores
I'm dropping my standards so that I can buy more

Quality costs, but quality wastes,
So I'm giving up all of my expensive tastes.
Caviar and champagne are definite no's,
I'm acquiring a taste for brown ale and cod roes

Low budget sure keeps me on my toes
I count every penny and I watch where it goes
We're all on our uppers we're all going skint
I used to smoke cigars but now I suck polo mints

I'm on a low budget
What did you say
Yea I'm on a low budget
I thought you said that
I'm on a low budget
I'm a cut price person in a low budget land
I'm on a low budget
Low budget
Low budget

Art takes time, time is money
Money's scarce and that ain't funny
Millionaires are things of the past
We're in a low budget film where nothing can last
Money's rare there's none to be found
So don't think I'm tight if I don't buy a round

I'm on a low budget
What did you say
Yes I'm on a low budget
I thought you said that
I'm on a low budget
I'm a cut price person in a low budget land
I'm on a low budget
Say it again
Low budget
One more time
Low budget

I look like a tramp, but don't write me off,
I'll have you all know, I was once a tough
At least my hair is all mine, my teeth are my own,
But everything else is on permanent loan.
Once all my clothes were made by hand,
Now I'm a cut price person in a low budget land.

I'm on a low budget
I'll have you all know
We're on a low budget
I'm on a low budget....