...Ken Burns made about Mark Twain.

Mark Twain is out of a job at a paper in San Francisco, he can't afford food, drink, or to pay his rent. He walks the back alleys avoiding friends and collections. This amazing imagine is used at that moment. I think it's beautiful, haunting and sad, all at once.

I miss SF terribly. I feel I could live there again if I happen to win a big lottery. It was a happy friendly city to me at the time I was there, but it became too expensive and my income was sliding down. I should have fought harder to make it work. It's a beautiful city! 

At lunch with two of my brothers yesterday, the talk of course was about America, the economy and job loss. I wondered in my head how long this depression would last. I know it's nothing like the Great Depression, but to those without money or jobs, the comparison is pointless. The people I know who are still hanging on to their jobs find they are making less money and doing the work of several people who are no longer employed. Many people, if not most are in complete denial about the situation.

There are people I know who are making more money now than they ever have before and to them the economy is fine. The restaurants are pretty busy, the movie theaters are fairly crowded and almost everyone has an iPhone. 

When the talk turned to a "What are we going to do?" I thought, and said, "Well, I can donate plasma and get $50 a week, so if I can cut all my expenses down below $2600 a year, I'll be okay!"