Jumpin' Anacondas!

I'm not at my contract gig today, it's a doctor visit/ car servicing day. They're not at the same place, in case you were wondering.
   However, only yesterday I was commenting on how things are going be changing with the world and the economy more than people realize. Well, my prediction is already coming true.
   I was gearing up to take my truck in for its 100,000 mile servicing - yet another post from a while back - to the dealer where I have been taking my truck since I moved out here to SoCal eight years ago. I got online to check for coupons, and when I clicked the dealer's link I saw a message from Chevrolet 'The Chevy dealer you selected is no longer in business.' Say what?
   Nah... can't be, I thought. I was just down on that part of Colorado Blvd. a month ago and the place was still open. Must be some sort of mistake, I've been going there for eight years. The service writers knew my name, the shuttle driver remembered me. That place couldn't be closed. No way. One of GM's IT guys must have been asleep at the switch and screwed up the web site. Yeah, that had to be it. Battling with my disbelief, I got in the truck and rolled East.
   Sure enough, the place is vacant. Empty. A tumbleweed factory. Blank. Uninhabited. Deserted. Abandoned. Locked up and swept up. Cleared the f**k out.
   Like I said, I know for a fact this business was open four weeks ago, all the banners, cars and activity I saw weren't illusions. This wasn't even one of the Chevy dealers who lost their franchise a year or so back. This was a going concern, at least it seemed to be. Although... I had been getting coupons in the mail for $12 oil changes, which has to be below cost considering you have to pay for mechanics, equipment, and supplies. It's always a sign of desperation when a business starts giving away the stuff it's trying to sell.
   The media and the government are trying to tell us that things are turning around, that recovery is just around the corner. I find that hard to believe when a major employer like a car dealership with at least 100 employees, maybe more, closes up shop overnight.
   To bring closure on this anecdote, I just continued a little further East, to the GMC dealer where I bought the hot rod, and I'm getting my truck taken care of there. It's all going to be okay...

COMMUTE: blissfully, none, no driving nowhere today
CONTRACT COUNTDOWN: 57 days