This Week in the Mercury
Friday, October 10, 2008
News Overheard In The Coffee Shop
Posted by Matt Davis on Fri, Oct 10, 2008 at 3:57 PM
The news team has been swamped with endorsement interviews this week, which may have been the best place for us, to be honest, because the national news is all about the crashing economy, meanwhile we've been in an election-focused bubble of optimism, hearing people dropping terms like "healthcare" and "education," more often than "slash" and "budgets."
But I did want to share a conversation I was rampantly eavesdropping in the coffee shop just now, on my way back in for our last interview of the week.
Guy: "I'm just going to focus on raising my daughter for the next six months without a salary."
Girl: "It's just such bad timing."
Guy: "But what can you do? There's nothing else out there right now."
Girl: "You could always move back to Michigan with your folks."
Guy: "And kill myself?"
Girl: "I just wish this could have happened in our 30s, you know? When we're more established. Not in our 20s when we're just barely scraping by."
People are being fired all over the place! People with daughters, who might have to move back to Michigan! The end of the world is coming! Aghhhhhh! If you've heard similar stories, I'd be interested in hearing them. Or of course, if you've got something more uplifting to share, I'm all ears.
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Absentee ballots were sent out this week to voters in NY with the name Barack Osama on the ballot. And if you cross out the name and write Obama it's automatically disqualified because you're not allowed to mark on the ballot except for the spot where you place your vote (and remember, don't go outside the lines!). So you're forced to just check the box next to Osama.
That's uplifting, isn't it? No, I guess it isn't really. Never mind.
Have a good weekend, everyone. Even you, Matt.
Wait, wish what would've happened in her 30s? A stock market crash when you have assets, retirement accounts and a mortgage?
I'm confused.
And I hardly think the ruins of Detroit would offer anything better.
Portland's becoming 'lil' Michigan anyway. Buh bye.
The conversations are everywhere. The woman who cuts my hair wants to know what happened to "math." The guy behind the deli at New Seasons is talking to a guy who is worried about is 401(k) who says the country's plan for retirement and older workers? KEEP WORKING!! (he wasn't bitter). A job I just started at a non-profit is now in the middle of hiring freezes, no pay raises for merit or cost of living, and are going through a line item review of where we might be able to cut costs.
I hope those who are speaking to you about their stances politically realize that we need honesty, leadership, and tranparency in all levels of government. Well, as much as they can muster, anyway, they are running for office...
However, here is an uplifting website.
http://www.whitewhine.com/
One of my favorites...
Complaint #260
“God I hate washing the salad spinner.”
I'm 26 and feeling like this recession has come at a pretty good time in my life. People twice and three times my age have a lot more to lose in this economy than I do, and they have to do it without the benefit of youthful health.
Not to brag for doing okay, at least for right now, but really, this exchange is surely nowhere close to the saddest to have happened around town recently.
Guy: "I'm just going to focus on raising my daughter for the next six months without a salary."
He was getting a salary for raising his daughter? And he's giving it up? The fool!
Or is it his daughter that has the salary?
Grammar is so hard!
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