Reason #163 Why I Love To Blog; Natural Gas Fill Rate -- July 31, 2014

Yesterday I posted a link to a story on the natural gas "fill" story.

That post will take you to this link over at Investor Village. (This will save you one click).

Until this week, I had no idea how much natural gas was injected into storage every week, and if the truth were known, I did not care.

But now that I am following the "Road to New England," the natural gas weekly fill rate has become very, very interesting.

It appears, that in round numbers, the industry needs to inject 100 billion cubic feet of natural gas into storage every week to meet this winter's expected demand. Don sent me the number for the most recent week: 88. That's the net change: previous week plus newly injected minus withdrawal.

I don't know. Is "88" good? It's less than 100.

Dynamic link here. 

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Warning: graphic, probably R-rated.

I can't view this at the moment due to technology issues, so I really don't know what's all in the video. Parental discretion advised.

Crazy 88s, Kill Bill
*************************************  A Note for the Granddaughters  

This is really cool. Four of us went to a very nice Japanese restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway last night. It's a most genuine Japanese restaurant. It has all of six tables, if that, and seats maybe 16 people at tables (another 8 at the sushi bar). It could probably seat one or two more but it would feel really claustrophobic. There were about eleven people at tables plus six at the sushi bar. 

We go there at most once each time we visit Los Angeles. 

I had forgotten, but was reminded, the hostess speaks no English (or very little English -- perhaps as much English as I speak Japanese). The waitress is, I think, fluent in English. Hard to say. 

It reminded me of the real deal, the real mom-and-pop restaurant when I visited Japan many, many years ago. 

When we left the restaurant, I noted two little mounds of what-appeared-to-be salt on small little round dishes, one dish on either side of the door, outside the restaurant. I had not seen those before, and surprisingly none of the others I was with had noticed that before despite frequent visits there. None of us knew the significance.

Google to the rescue: the third paragraph at this link.

Another example of salt in the daily culture was shown to me by our local sushi man when he was cleaning and prepping his restaurant for the day. Standing in the entry way by the sliding door under the noren, Japanese awning, he was splashing water and sprinkling salt liberally on the sidewalk.  I learned that this is an act of purification.  A practice still common today is the little cone-shaped mounds of salt on little dishes on the ground by the threshold of a restaurant, shop or even a residence.  It means the place has been purified and it hopes to attract customers.  This can often be seen at Japanese sushi restaurants not only in Japan but all over the world.  Next time you go to a Japanese restaurant have a look to see if they practice this tradition.  If so, you will know they are authentic!