Back to 'Normal'

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- It's back to "normal" today, at least in the sense that the markets re-opened Wednesday after a two-day hiatus following Sandy's devastation.

For many, though, especially along the coast, the cleanup has not even started, and the damage was breathtaking. I was ever thankful the past couple of days for several things, not the least of which was our safety and the safety of family and friends.

Times like these put life into perspective, a perspective that is often muted by the hustle and bustle of our daily lives.There is much taken for granted.

We were without power for just 24 hours, but even that short amount of time demonstrated our addictions to technology and comfort. I was thankful to have a fully charged and working BlackBerry (thanks to Research In Motion (RIMM)), and an extended life battery for my Dell (DELL) laptop, the combination of which allowed us to keep tabs on the plight of the Jersey shore and those who stayed, primarily Long Beach Island, which has been a part of our family for generations.

The Oreos, and Hershey (HSY) chocolate bars also came in handy. It's a funny thing when there's no power -- the art of conversation takes on new life. It was a joy to just sit in a candle-lit room and talk, with no distractions. But we had it easy compared to many.

Now it's back to work today, and time to catch up on what we missed the past couple of days. With the markets closed there were several notable earnings releases on Monday and Tuesday that were not yet digested.

On Monday, Plum Creek Timber (PCL) announced better-than-expected third-quarter revenue ($354 million versus $347 million), and in-line earnings (36 cents a share). Plum Creek is one of the timber names I'm keeping an eye on as a potential inflation hedge.

It was primarily good news from the restaurant names that reported on Monday and Tuesday. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (RRGB) reported better-than-expected revenue ($213.3 million compared to $211.7 million) and earnings per share (24 cents against 16 cents), and gross margins improved 0.80 basis points. But you can add Red Robin to the list of restaurant chains that are expecting commodity inflation for 2013; management expects a 5% increase in costs. RRGB data by YCharts

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