If you think a recession is bad, think twice. Stagflation is even worse! The last time a recession paid us a visit was when all the Silicon Valley dot.coms started imploding. Suddenly, I found it easier to commute to work and find parking at Cupertino Village. This time around? It’s worse. Over Memorial Day weekend, I visited Los Angeles and noticed a number of large Chinese restaurants that had closed down. People aren’t eating out. The drive to L.A. was also surprisingly light. I thought I had to leave early to beat the traffic but, as it turns out, there wasn’t any traffic to beat. So, with fewer people driving around, I experienced my first bout of sticker shock when I pulled up to a gasoline station this morning. Gulp! $4.19? Why, I just filled up for $4.01 about a week ago. If retail gas prices go up 20% more, we’ll be at $5.00. And just last year, I was complaining about gas at $3.09/gallon. Those were the days.