Carpe Diem: Economy is So Good, It's Almost Like Another Country

NOTE: If you came here looking for the Bakken, I would skip this post. It's mostly idly rambling about my sorry life and it's not worth reading. I guess this is a note to the grandchildren without calling it that. 

But back to the story at hand: the North Dakota economy is so good, it's almost like another country.

Link to CarpeDiem. com.

At the link it's more fund to read the comments. So a bit of a digression. The winter in North Dakota is said to keep the riff-raff out.

One comment talks about all the snow North Dakota gets. Western North Dakota gets very little snow, interestingly enough. Snowmobiles sit idle most of the year. No one is "digging themselves out" of snow in the oil patch. Not to the extent implied by those who do not know. Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Denver, etc., are incredibly worse.

Cold, remote? I used to think the same thing. Then I read about Calgary. As in Canada. Calgary sits on the plains also. Cold, remote. Calgary didn't grow because tourists wanted to see the grain grow.

But I digress.

While making my cross-country trip from San Antonio to Los Angeles, I had similar thoughts about North Dakota: it's economy is doing so well that it's almost like another country. This morning, I'm sitting in a cyber cafe/coffee shop up the street from Starbucks and there are three of us here, on one of the busiest streets in this part of south Los Angeles. Earlier in the week, I was going to Starbucks and the same thing: half a dozen people. I honestly don't know how these folks are staying in business (and a lot apparently are not, in southern California). But in Williston, it's standing room only and waiting everywhere for almost anything. When visiting Williston I plan my route before I leave the house to eliminate all left turns.

As long as I'm digressing, I can't remember if I posted this. In Boston where I now spend most of my time taking care of our granddaughters, I frequent the Starbucks on Harvard Square. It's a very large Starbucks, two floors with two "bars,"  and hard to find a place to sit if one does not get their early. Forget about the weekends. It's all young folks and everyone -- literally everyone -- has a computer or table or mobile device -- and almost 100% Apple/Mac. 

In San Antonio, in a busy part of two, a "normal-size" Starbucks and maybe half-filled, and maybe have the folks are connected, and about 2 out of 3 or maybe 3 of 5 have an Apple.

But here, in south Los Angeles, San Pedro, I am the only one with a computer, and most folks are my generation (age 60 or older). Right now, two of us are sitting here. Two at the counter. One outside smoking a pipe. Earlier, the conversation between two were typical of the conversations I hear all week: social security, medical problems, how to get more disability, new taps for the kitchen, remodel the house. I told my wife that the Los Angeles suburbs are one step above Miami, Florida, with regard to retirees. At least based on what I've heard. I've never visited Miami.

I told May that I'm not sure I could live in southern California. I suppose some day my conversation will be mostly about social security, medical problems, how to get more disability, new faucets for the kitchen, remodel the house. But not yet.

I wonder what they're talking about at the coffee shops in Williston? Probably the Irgens Rexall wells northeast of Williston, #21068, you know.. the CLR well that reported an IP of almost 5,000 bbls -- I just checked the NDIC website. It has not been corrected yet. We will see if the daily activity report corrects it. If not...