The vultures are circling

Photo NOT taken near A. Winehouse's London flat

I found myself in a situation earlier today where the metaphorical vultures were circling.  Let me first say, though, that I am not in London.  I'm nowhere near the vultures flying over the late Amy Winehouse's Camden flat.

A word or two (ok, let's face it, it will be more than a couple of words) about Ms. Winehouse's death.  How this comes as a surprise to anyone is the shocking part.  She was swimming in the Celebrity Death Pool for far longer than anyone had expected.  She was incredibly talented but I take a hard line on the lamentation about her death being tragic.  A tragic death is one that more than 90 Norwegians suffered yesterday at the hand of a crazed madman.  A tragic death is a young child dying of cancer.  A tragic death is the healthy father who dies suddenly, leaving behind a family.  Drinking and drugging yourself to death is not a tragedy.  It's a waste and it's self-inflicted.  While the exact circumstances of her death are still unknown, her addictions were of her own choosing and were well-known and well-documented.  She, like so many other talented and far less famous/notorious people who have died in a similar way, didn't have to die this way.  It is not a tragedy.  It is a complete and utter waste.

Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging - so did I ever see the metaphorical vultures descend today.  They swarmed our local soon to be liquidated Borders today.  Like the British train wreck singer referenced above, Border's doom was of their own doing.  Multiple business writers have documented their slog to liquidation and now it is here.   was a regular at that store and it was a bit sad to see it filled with bargain-hunters today.  Few bargains were to be had as the liquidators returned all prices to their list price, eliminated the card holder discounts and then reduced prices about 10 to 20%.  Two days ago when I was in the store before the liquidation pricing kicked in, I could have bought a new hardcover book I'd been eying for 30% off as a cardholder.  Today, it was 10% list price.  So I quickly determined it would be far cheaper to buy it in my Kindle.  It's that very logic that helped kill Borders.  I'll keep going back to the store as it slowly dies.  I need to buy a bookshelf.  I think that makes me a vulture, too.