How Loud Was It?
There's no place like home.
There's no place like home.
– Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), "The Wizard of Oz"
Marginal Requirements
Retail Spending- According to Morgan Stanley economist Ellen Zentner;
1) Spending on recreational vehicles has raced higher since April and is on track to double its growth rate in 2012
2) Spending on jewelry and watches is on pace for the fastest growth since 2004
3) Among nondurable items, spending on portfolio management and investment advice, as well as air travel grew the fastest in 2013.
The bottom line; if you owned stocks and real estate during the recovery, you’re flush. If you’re just collecting a paycheck, you’re shopping at Target. Oops.
Marginal Musings
Retail- According to a report titled “Retail Views: Are Today’s Challenges Cyclical or Secular?”, Goldman Sachs stands by their forecast for a cyclical recovery in sales trends in 2014, and that retail stocks appear close to a “trading trough.” Troughs are for pigs, and according to Goldman, that’s what you are if you stay short the retailers.
Just Plain Marginal
The Big Mac Index- The Big Mac Index was invented by The Economist in 1986 as a lighthearted guide to whether currencies are at their “correct” level. For example, since the average price of a Big Mac is $4.62 in American versus $2.74 in China, the yuan is undervalued by 41%. Burgernomics isn’t very accurate, but it does make exchange rate discussions easier to digest.
Views From the Cheap Seats
“How loud did it get?”
That’s what everyone really wants to know. After expressing their condolences over the passing of the 49ers season, the first question I’m asked about my attendance at the NFC Championship game at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field has to do with the status of my eardrums. How loud was it? Was it what you imagined? Did you have to wear earplugs?
Here are my answers; very, no, and yes.
Here’s the first thing you need to know. You don’t actually buy a ticket for a seat at CenturyLink; you get to rent a piece of real estate for a few hours. No one sits during the game. Anyone who has the audacity to flex their knees and place their hind quarters on a blue and green-colored piece of plastic would immediately be tarred and feathered, or at least have a locally-brewed ale spilled on them. I can understand staying on your feet for an entire game if you were 20 years old and you wanted to show your support for Alma Mater U, but I’m 54, and I must rest after needing to pee during every television timeout.
Here’s the second thing you need to know. When the Seahawks have the ball and are on offense, it’s so quiet you can hear the wind blow. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was at church. It was Sunday, after all.
After Seattle fumbled away the ball on the game’s opening play, the 49ers huddled up for their first play. The crowd went to full-throttle before the play even began. By the time Colin Kaepernick got under center, the noise was so loud my pants began to vibrate. That hasn’t happened since my wedding night.
I managed to make it through the first quarter, but by the second quarter I needed to reach into my pocket and pull out the earplugs. They helped a little, but the muffled noise reminded me of my nights trying to sleep with a pillow over my head when I lived next to O’Hare airport in Chicago. When halftime finally arrived, and the Niners were leading 10-3, I excused myself and ran to the concession stand to get some hot tea. My throat was killing me, not from yelling in support of my team, but from trying to talk to Robo’s sister…who was sitting/standing right next to me.
I manned up for the second half and ditched the earplugs. The reason I had an itch to come to this game was to experience the full-throated lunacy of the Seahawks crowd. Though the decibel level didn’t reach the heights of setting a new Guinness Book of Records, plenty of fans told me after the game that the noise during the fourth quarter, and in particular the final 49er drive, has never been louder. Wow, and I was there. Now that’s cool.
So how loud was it? Get yourself a radio and find the most static-filled band on the dial. Then turn the volume up as loud as it will go. Then pick up the radio and put the speaker right up against your ear.
Then keep it there for three hours.
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