I was listening to the local AM radio station -- KFWB -- on the way home, and heard a business reporting mentioning the mess over at Jabil Circuit (NYSE:JBL) today.

Reporter Laura Gregory noted that Jabil is a "chipmaker," which of course it isn't. It's a contract manufacturer that mostly assembles printed circuit boards that go into everything from cellphones to high-end routers. This alone would be fairly inexcusable for a financial journalist, given how well-known this company is in business circles, how much attention it's gotten over the years and how easy it is to get a simple profile from Yahoo! or any number of other sources.

But then, the kicker: "And I own 350 shares."

Great. As a journalist you should know what this company does. As a shareholder you'd better know what this company does. As both, you should have enough information and experience to realize how deadly it is to own something you are completely clueless about.

Sadly, I see this all over. Not quite as bad as 1999, but a long ways away from where I fear we have to go before the markets can have any real long-term sustainable strength.

-btc

The most annoying thing about working in an office again:

No mid-day purr breaks for stress relief. In the almost-a-year I have had him, The Big Cat In The City has become quite the lap cat, always there on my desk for a quick purr session when desired.

The second most annoying thing about working in an office again:

The need to own some presentable clothes and launder them often enough to keep them presentable.

The best thing about it:

Having the opportunity to meet new people. I even got a date just from standing on line at the Starbucks across the street, which is the kind of interaction you don't get when your office is in your garage, you're wearing ancient jeans and have a cat on your lap.