The Oppenheimer Report 5/10/10

Lately it seems that when I think we are done with Dad’s estate matters, a year after his passing, something else crops up and there are still more accounts to close and more papers to sign. I’m down in Buffalo now, hopefully to finish with these affairs and to attend a Pearl Jam concert on Monday with my pal Bob. I keep telling myself that I’m only as old as I feel. I never wanted to be one of those “old guys” at a concert, but music is the great unifier, right? Anyhow, I like the band, and the last time I saw them play, back in 2003, they put on a great show. There was an article in The Buffalo News last Friday which suggests that Pearl Jam was the only band from the early 90’s Seattle grunge movement that endured the test of time. Many of the original Seattle bands have fallen prey to the disease of rock stardom, and the wannabes and copycats have none of the authenticity of bands like Nirvana or Pearl Jam. While grunge rock is not one of my favorite genres, Pearl Jam has grown on my over the years. With so many phony rock bands out there, these guys are the real deal. They are one of the few contemporary bands that I can turn to when I want to rock out. Before going to see them in 2003, I bought a couple of their albums to familiarize myself with their music, and the more I listened to the songs, the better they got. Their anti-establishment resistance to the money-grubbing, MTV-Ticketmaster-appearance-obsessed music industry is refreshing as well. The other day I went to a record store and purchased their latest CD “Back Spacer”, and was surprised that it was priced as a double album but included only one CD. As it turns out, the CD comes programmed with two free concert downloads from the internet. Naturally, computer ignoramus that I am, I am having trouble getting those concerts, and in fact, every time I hear the word “download” I cringe. I don’t want to have to call tech support when I choose to listen to music!


Last Thursday the Dow free fell about one thousand points early in the trading session before closing down about 340 points. I heard it reported that, at one point during the plunge, Proctor and Gamble’s share value dropped 50% in a matter of minutes. That’s a bit unsettling. Market jitters over the debt crisis in Greece and fears that the bad news would spread to other countries in Europe are credited with causing the plunge, but whatever the reason, it was the wild west on Wall Street last week. Let’s hope cooler heads prevail this week.


The BP oil spill is still out of control and now the plan is to try and drop a four storey concrete cap over the ruptured pipe. That shouldn’t be much harder than finding a needle in a haystack. What a hose job for the Gulf states … just getting back on their feet after Katrina, they now face yet another devastating blow to their economies. Another rogue terrorist tried unsuccessfully to set off a bomb in Times Square. Faisal Shahzad the “Firecracker Bomber” can take his rightful place in the “Keystone Terrorists” hall of fame, alongside the “Shoe Bomber” and the “Underpants Bomber.” Of Pakistani decent, Shahzad may have had links to the Pakistani Taliban. Sooner or later one of those boneheads is going to bumble upon a successful detonation and then it will be no joke. Once again I have the fitting punishment: tie him to a chair, pry his eyelids wide open and make him watch Dr. Phil shows 24/7 until his brain turns to the consistency of spoiled fruit. Let’s show these guys we mean business.


As I finish up this report, it’s Mother’s Day, the Hallmark holiday of all Hallmark holidays, and at least for the first part of today I’m not sure my mother knew who I was. By dinner time she’d rallied a bit and we had a good meal together, but it’s strange to measure my relationship by good moments. I’ve had more than half a lifetime with this woman as my mother, and now that woman is all but gone. It’s very odd, but now I’m thankful for a few lucid sentences, ten minutes of normal communication (whatever that is). My Mother’s Day plan was to plant some flowers outside off the back porch. She likes petunias because they’re hardy. Unfortunately, the winds have been strong and there’s talk of snow; so flowers may not survive. I have no choice but to deal with the forces of nature.



Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED