North Dakota Oil Production Falls To 31-Month Low -- September, 2016, Data

Link here.

• North Dakota’s crude oil output in September fell to the lowest level in more than two years, staying below the 1M bbl/day level for the second month in a row
• production fell 1.1% for the month to 971K bbl/day in September, the most recent month for which data is available, 10K bbl/day less than August and the lowest level since February 2014, when output was 952K bbl/day
• natural gas production in North Dakota fell 1.7% in September to 1.61B cf/day, the state also reports

Director's Cut is here.

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The Culinary Page

We've all seen the articles: how difficult it is to cook for one person. Or two. Hogwash.

The "national" story I enjoyed most last night was the story in which Donald Trump and family left the press pool behind and went out to eat. As a family.

Can you imagine? All the work yesterday, putting together policies, and programs, and people, and then Don, Jr, saying, "Hey, folks, it's time for dinner. Let's take a break." Three adult children, a son-in-law, his wife, who knows who else -- after all, the press was not there to report it -- enjoying an evening at the "21 Club" in Manhattan.

I can enjoy that moment vicariously.

Years ago I had a close friendship with a woman who had never remarried after her marriage ended in divorce some forty years yearly. I talked to her about relationships. She said she could enjoy relationships vicariously. I never thought about that before. She enjoyed watching couples -- and putting a story together in her head about their circumstances.

For me, hearing about the Trumps going out to a family dinner was just as rewarding. They could have had dinner in the penthouse. But they chose to go out.

I hope Donald Trump enjoys the presidency. I hope he takes his family out for dinner often. I enjoy his lifestyle vicariously. I enjoy him because he's not a phony.

For me the Italians had it right. Pasta. After my daily bike ride I came home to an empty refrigerator. In less than fifteen minutes a huge pot of spaghetti, most of which will be saved, but with a bit of Kentucky bourbon, the spaghetti was incredible.

All those articles about how difficult it is to cook for one person. Or two. Hogwash.