This Economy Sucks
When we first moved to the bay area, we briefly contemplated trying to buy a condo instead of renting an apartment. With sub-prime mortgages we could have pulled it off, at least initially, but we knew, even though our understanding of these financial matters was limited, that it didn’t seem right given our income and the cost of housing here. Even though we could have gotten a loan, it seemed the wrong thing to do, even though we really didn’t understand why. After watching the housing market tank this year we now know understand how people like us were getting loans they couldn’t afford and what that meant for the market and now the economy as a whole.
We moved to a vibrant neighborhood, full of upscale shops and nice restaurants. Over the last year the economic down-turn has been chipping away at the businesses here. A few newly constructed spaces are still standing empty after more than two years. A couple shops closed a while back, but new shops moved in to take their place. Citibank closed their mortgage office. Then Starbucks closed, which I have to admit didn’t break my heart, considering we have at least four independent coffee shops within four blocks of one another. Then a restaurant closed, and a fancy baby store. Though not in our neighborhood, we found out that they’re halting production at the chocolate factory that used to give tours so you could see how the chocolate was made, they’re consolidating production to a new plant in Illinois (perhaps a little ironic). Now it’s our pharmacy that has fallen prey to these times. It’s only a block from our house, very convenient, if a bit on the expensive side because of its focus on organic practices. There was no notice, it just closed; a victim of the shrinking credit market, unable to get the capital needed to continue operations. This has left me very sad. Despite being pricier, we often went there because it was just up the road, and when you’re sick you want your medicine fast. Also, the upscale brands they carried were usually less expensive there than elsewhere. They had a video section where rentals were just $1 a day, that’s how we watched The West Wing while I was spending so much time nursing Jocelyn. I’m harboring hope that they’ll find some way to pull it together, or a new investor or owner. I should have known something was going on, it seemed like they hadn’t restocked quite a few items but still it was a surprise. Now we’re joining the rest of the districts in our city with more and more defunct businesses standing empty since no one can afford to take the chance of opening anything new. I have to say in part that I blame the city. We happen to live in a town that is hostile towards business; with rents and the bureaucracy here it’s a wonder any shops survive.
I know that a lot of people are affected much more deeply by what is happening in the world than we are. People are loosing their homes, their jobs. But we are also loosing a lot as a culture, as small businesses close we loose more than just jobs in our community, but we also loose our sense of identity, our resources. Boarded up windows as you walk down the block make things a lot less inviting and actually lead to trouble. We know we should spend our money locally, but when you’re stretched thin, it’s hard to justify spending extra to keep it in the neighborhood as you barely scrape by. We’ve watched our bills go up dramatically as our retirement accounts have shrunk alarmingly. I’m afraid things will get worse before they get better, that’s what the economists keep saying.
I have somehow managed to contract a cold. I’m wondering if I should blame the woman at the supermarket who I heard talking to people about her pneumonia but then came and stood thisclose to me while I was looking at something (I tried to discretely back away). I was even wearing Jocelyn in her carrier at the time. I know you need to do your grocery shopping even if you’re sick, but maybe you could try not to breathe on people, especially not people with babies. I’m not a germophobe. Getting sick is actually good for your immune system, if you’re an adult. So far Jocelyn seems more or less fine, maybe a little runny nose. I’m glad I’m still breastfeeding because she should be getting antibodies from me for whatever it is I have. But I feel pretty much like crap right now. I tried to nap with Jocelyn earlier but didn’t rest well. Of course Jocelyn seems extra-cranky today (though it’s probably just my perception). I’m not sure what cold medicines are safe to take (though I could pretty easily find out). I’m sticking to motrin, which I know is safe, and lots of hot tea. The inability to get a full night’s sleep is probably not real great for my immune system. Time for some more tea and vitamin C.
