One financial number, one not.
First, the not financial. The end of the semester is totally miserable, especially if you work at a heavy teaching-load school as I do. Sometimes I think I should resort to scantrons, which are instantaneously and automatically graded by machine.
Anyway, too late for that. You may recall that I reported that I had 240 pieces of work to process. I have now crossed the 100 line: only 98 left. Believe it or not, I find arithmetic very soothing. I love to compute grades and do it on paper, just like I did back in grade school. AHHHHH. (For a different view, see Funny About Money's tale of misery with an on-line convenience method of recording and computing grades. NOT ZEN.)
My other number is financial. A long time ago, I wondered if I should buy Talbots stock, as it was trading at $1.60 a share, but the company had just hired a snazzy new CEO named Trudy. I SHOULD HAVE. And SHOULD HAVE sold it when it reached $16.00 a share.
I received a danger signal when various on-line bargain sites reported that Talbots was having an incredible sale, with items as low as $2.00--less than yard sale prices. I took a look at the site and decided not to spring, since sale items are not returnable and I am trying not to succumb JUST because something is a bargain. (Probably not much left now, since this has been all over the internet for a few days.)
The sale was so extreme that I--unsophisticated about finance and naive as far as the workings of big business go--got a distinct GOING OUT OF BUSINESS vibe. The stock is around $5.00 a share, so I would still have made a profit.
So there you have it: my semester's work is going down, down, down, as it tends towards a welcome end.
As for Talbots, i wonder if that venerable business is nearing its own UNwelcome end.
Back to the papers!
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5 comments:
It would be a shame if Talbots went under. Though I had to travel to London to shop there, it was one of the few reliable places to find petite sized classic styles. I still wear some of the jackets I bought there ages ago, the colours are so lush. On the other hand, it's been ages since I was prepared to travel to London (I don't like buying without trying on first, so catalogs and online stuff doesn't appeal to me); also, they don't do much in the way of casual clothes, at least not casual like I do it.
I wonder about Talbots, too. They have angered and lost many of their original customers, and they are angling for a customer who has lots of other places to shop (Banana Republic, J. Crew, and who knows what else). I used to buy lots of Talbots clothes. The last few times I've been in there, I left with nothing. I had a hard time spending my last rewards certificate, and I probably won't be getting any more. Also, I've started to see their clothes in T J Maxx and Marshalls. I never saw that in the past.
Best part of being a librarian in higher education - no grading!
Coulda/woulda about investments is one reason I leave it to experts. But when I worked at Apple in its non-glory early 90s, I did buy stock and hold it.
I'd be sorry to see Talbot's go under, not b/c I find the clothes so wonderful, but b/c they are one of the few companies to make many of their styles in specialty sizes, from petite through plus, and available by mail.
You think Talbot's is crashing in flames? Dang... Well, it's not surprising. Their clothes haven't been very satisfactory for the past two or three years. I've found their outfits no longer fit well (they used to be perfect!), and much of their stuff seems to be cheaply made.
LOL! Thanks for the plug. I'm sooo glad to be done with grades this semester. I will NEVER use Blackboard again. After this, it's strictly Excel. If students want their grades, they'll have to ask me to send them an individual spreadsheet.
@Duchesse--Not really a could/woulda--just a thought. I'm not saying they will go under. I just caught the whiff of desperation.
@Funny--Ditto above. A whiff of desperation. I am not an expert on such things. OMG--sending hundreds of students individual spreadsheets????? Sounds like a nightmare to me.
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