Loving the lull before the recession storm

Nearly a decade ago, I moved from New York to Lincoln, Nebraska. In that new land, I observed many strange things. For instance, workers showed up the same day you called them and usually started the job the day after . Later, when I moved to a tiny house on 12 acres on the city's rural outskirts, I had a landlord who regularly called and thanked me for paying the rent.

I've been thinking a lot lately about that four-year interlude in nirvana, mostly because I've been detecting traces of it in Los Angeles. This is quite perplexing, since even just six months ago most people I know, especially the ones who carry toolboxes, were booked as far in advance as tables at Matsuhisa.

Not so last week, when a series of highly irregular events occurred. First, when I called my plumber about a leaky bathtub faucet and a clogged garbage disposal, he actually answered the phone. Second, he came over the next day. Third, he finished the job right then and there.