Random recent observations around town...

Yesterday I saw a young woman at the corner of Parkman and Sunset here in Silverlake, obviously coming from yoga class, sucking down a cigarette as if it was the last one on earth. That cracked me up. So tragically hip in her gigantic Brett Somers sunglasses and her brunette choppy do clipped up off her neck in the back, yoga mat sticking out of her silk screened canvas tote bag. I couldn't see her feet, but I'm sure she had some kind of 80's throwback ballet flats on.

This one was out of my usual haunts...at a small park in La Crescenta, a Mom in a full size (H2?) bright white Hummer had pulled into the handicapped parking spots to drop off her son for Little League, and was yelling out the passenger window for him to hurry up and get himself through the gate so she could leave. Offensive on so many levels. I just stared.

We were leaving a little Moms Club gathering that Rebecca had invited me to. I had let Dexter play in the wet sand/mud area, which I guess was not the "right" thing to, by the looks I was getting from some of the other moms. Rebecca was in full support though, and reminded me that these moms had taken their kids to a park with a wet sand play area. What did they think their kids would want to do? Sit nicely on blankets on the grass? Dex had an awesome time, and dried off enough by the time we had to leave.

The downturn in the economy is really bumming me out. In the last month it has become 1973 again. I cannot believe how much the price of everything has skyrocketed. It's a domino effect I know, but I wonder how much of it is just get what you can. I know I've raised the rate I'm charging for work. I don't want to, but I'm sure if I pull out bills from this time last year my jaw will drop. It's not just that we've added a new mouth to the grocery bill either. I'm buying almost the same things, but getting baby yogurt instead of low fat "grown up" yogurt, for instance, and the bill has got to have gone up 25%. Our internet went up $6 last month. The cable keeps edging up. Gas is literally $4/gallon here. All in the past few months. It's kind of crazy and bizarro.

I'm not sure if it's just the media whipping everyone into a frenzy, and I'm falling for it this time. I don't usually pay attention to that kind of crap, the fear mongering that Dateline and 20/20 traffic in. But rumors of killers on the loose and internet predators are one thing, and actual $4 gas and grocery bills through the roof are another. Hence the 1973 comparison. War is dragging on, the country hates the president, and gas prices are rising. It's all very depressing to me.