I got up this morning -- as is the norm -- To go drop a line for an hour or two at th local mud hole -- As is the norm

While waiting for my Son In Law -- As is the norm -- I looked at emails

An eBAY survey was waiting there --

Now it is not often that I complete a survey -- Normally I assign the task to one of our bright young stars -- I pull a work schedule - Pin it to the walll - and toss darts until -- At Last one actually finds it way into the 11 by 17 inch green bar paper and punctures somebody's name.

I am very careful to have only bright young star names on this list -- the twosome and I had a series of meetings to decide just which of our part time high school helpers would qualify for the special list of bright young star eBAY survey takers. It was a tortuous process that left out some who likely deserved the title -- and maybe included one or two who could be perhaps viewed as questionable. But in the end we arrived at the list we use -- We are satisfied that they are bright young stars at the least in the making. They can all pronounce three syllable words and some even know what a few two syllable words mean without asking for clues --- We have a committee of eBAY survey clue givers to ensure that the bright young stars will not be clueless when embarking on the journey through one of these surveys.

This morning as I applied two sided tape to the back of the Bright Young Star roster I noticed that there were already THREE names that had been punctured -- The schedule is posted on Saturdays so that means that this is survey number 4 this week. The current Bright Young Star schedule was beginning to look the reticulated hood of a 57 Chevy it seemed, and I thanked the Lord of the weekly schedule that we would have a new one to double tape to the wall in another day. This one was looking alot like an excuse from the days my younglins were more directly under my thumb -- You know full of holes.

After reflecting for a bit on the state of the Bright Young Star schedule I decided not risk further damage to it. We never know when one of the Bright Young Stars will think we are a bit dim -- They will not come to work and offer the excuse that they were unaware they were on the schedule. I thought at this time, in view of the reticulation, that the Bright Young Star schedule should be preserved in case we needed to prove that they were indeed derelict at the worse and illiterate at the best.

So I did this survey while in wait of my running late -- as is the usual -- Son In Law.

It always disturbs me that he is late for these occassional outings by the way --- He asks to be included -- and his tardiness makes me wonder -- Does he think it necessary to humor me with an impression that he prefers my company in the early mornings over the company of half the terrible twosome -- or -- Did he forget to set an alarm clock -- Perhaps he thinks I should not be left unattended so early in the morning -- or is he off the side of the road in a ditch with four wheels pointed to the moon -- BUT -- I digress

This survey took 20 minutes --- It covered astronomy -- It questioned the value I put on store format -- It covered FP and it touched auctions.

The survey left me with the impression that stores are in for some serious changes -- or are at the least being reviewed for serious change. It also left me with a feeling that FB will be undergoing an overhaul

Nothing concrete -- and it is of course just a survey, one of many of late -- BUT

Carl