The Economy and Wardrobes

I was just rearranging my closet a little bit. For years I have pondered on how my closet should be arranged: This outfit, complete with top; or, tops together, pants together, jackets together, subcategorized by color. I picked up two inexpensive tops today (on sale at Target, who could resist?). From my sewing, I have plenty of pants. So for the first time I have decided that each pant pair could have it's own designated top. That led me to ponder why I am not so enthusiastic about this year's SWAP over at Artisan's Guild. I am so set in my ways that I prefer each separate to have no more than two combinations. The idea of multiple combinations is beyond the decisions I want to make when I reach into my closet. Now if I traveled more, I would be more inclined to think of SWAP as an excellent idea. But with my lifestyle today (boiled down to one word: Simplify) I just want to reach in and grab two hangers for the outfit I will be wearing.

Regarding the first part of the title: I had lunch today with an old friend, Paul, who blows into town from time to time. He's someone I greatly admire, and his advice has always been reasoned and sage. He is of the opinion that the world is headed for an economic meltdown even worse than the Great Depression. His money is in U.S. Treasuries and some shorting of the market. His prediction is that Ecuador is heading for a bust by December 15. When I asked what that meant to me, his answer was that all the world is so tied together now that it will be the first domino to fall. So I'll be watching the news about the middle of the month to see how correct he is about that, which will lead me to pay more attention with regard to the rest of his predicition. He said he was thinking about finding a little place off the road, by a lake, in Arkansas. Y2K type scenario, and scary because of my high regard for him. For my personal situation he strongly advised against my moving to Baltimore. Hmmm.