It's a Movie Thing.

I've never uploaded a movie before, but since we've purchased a Flip camera, I thought I should give it a try. Here goes...

And the Malls Went Silent.

It was more than eerie the other night as I walked through a nearly-empty Standford mall in Palo Alto, California. The lights were bathing the walkways in soft light, the right music was gently oozing out of the hidden speakers and the store doors were still inviting shoppers to come inside.

The only thing that was missing were the shoppers.

Palo Alto sits smack-dab in the middle of Silicon Valley - and therefore in the middle of young, fast money. With the storied investors of Sand Hill Road less than a mile away, this is a place that offers up anything you want in the classiest of fashions.

But on this night, there was no one there except the shop keepers and one or two shoppers in the whole mall. Nordstrom was empty. So was Crate and Barrel. I spoke with a salesman at Smith & Hawkins where nearly everything was on sale, but no one was buying. He said it's been that way for weeks. Lots to sell and no one with wallets that are open.

Maybe it's good that the consumer's appetite for anything and everything has finally subsided for a while. The trickle down effects from that should be obvious in the coming weeks and months.

About the only thing that hadn't changed were the snobby attitudes of the employees at Ralph Lauren Home store, that still wouldn't give me a sniff - even if I was the last person in the world to enter their store! But then again, a guy in shorts and a hoody normally doesn't buy leather covered pillows.

It's All in the Shoes. And the Outfit.

We're a bowling family. There. I've said it.

Not that we go all that much, but when we do, we go all the way. For instance, last night we went bowling with some of our good friends and Steph showed off her new bowling outfit that she received for Christmas. (I'm not going to spoil it by showing pictures. You'll have to call her up, invite her to the lanes and she what she shows up wearing.)

So you'll know, I've determined the very best way to jump into bowling is by starting with the shoes. Once you own a pair, you're half way to making it on the pro bowlers tour - or at least looking like you want to join the pros.

But beware. Once you get the shoes, the domino's fall quickly. It won't be long until you're shopping for bags, balls and finally the über-cool bowling outfit and then patrolling the b-alleys in your own hood.