Bob Cramer's Blog

For those invested in the stock market or who care about our country’s reputation worldwide, the anticipation this weekend for a breakthrough in the debt ceiling negotiations was palpable.  Sunday, while hanging out in the warm waters of beautiful Lake Blue Ridge, without a care in the world except if I used enough sunscreen and if my kids would sustain concussions from flying off the largest plastic “tubes” every seen, I found myself reaching for my outdated, dilapidated, not very “smart” phone for updates on the congressional proceeding, pleased to first read about optimism in the talks, then a deal was close and finally an agreement.

This script had been highly anticipated, like some episode of the old “24” where you know that Jack Bauer would escape somehow, but wanted to watch just to see how it would happen.  While at this particular moment I still have worries that House members might ruin the storybook ending, vote against the deal and then create a real melodrama, this summer’s (multiple) night dream is ending just as school ramps back up, NFL training camp is back and perhaps, as we suffer through one more heat- drenched month, some positive things will be on deck as roll on into August and the rest of the year.

Speaking of anticipation, last night on the way home from the lake with a car full of sun-drenched and water-logged teenagers, we spotted a brand new IHOP just off the highway.  Breakfast for dinner never sounded so good and I don’t know if you have ever experienced this, but the anticipation of getting your food after ordering at an IHOP is one brief period of time where your hunger increases by 50% and time moves at a snail’s pace.  I don’t know if it all the delicious pictures on the menu where you wish you could order at least two meals instead of being restricted to just one, or if it is the multiple kinds of syrup on the table (strawberry looks odd, blueberry OK, and old fashion the best) or the bottomless cups of coffee, but our group was about to jump out of their respective chairs just anticipating the food delivery.   And we were not disappointed.  Full and content just minutes later, a sweet meal completing a fine day, we got back on the road thankful that we as a country finally had our leaders break bread together, seemingly averting a financial meltdown, and starting us all on a path to better futures.