From the day
Perspective: The Anxious Local · Sound
The heavy bass from Joe and Mystikal’s "Stutter" rattles the trunk of the sedan idling next to me, a deafening sound that makes my teeth ache as I nervously watch the gas pump tick past forty dollars. I flick through the morning edition, nearly crying out a little "squee" of frustration at the headline about how **Papers Struggle With Slowdown and Investor Expectations**, because if the news itself is failing, what hope do my dwindling savings have? The air smells of exhaust and cheap coffee, a loud, grinding reminder that everything is getting more expensive while the tech bubble keeps hissing air. I just need to get home and drown out this noisy world with a movie, provided I can even afford the power to run the TV anymore.