From the day
Perspective: The Anxious Local · Tactile
I gripped the box of this new Bratz doll, the hard molded plastic digging into my palms as I calculated if I could still afford a loaf of bread now that it’s spiked over a dollar. My thumb absentmindedly traced the smooth silk-blend of my flared trousers while Janet Jackson’s "All for You" blared from the store speakers, the upbeat rhythm feeling completely at odds with the grim news of those massive airline mergers collapsing overseas. Everything feels so volatile lately, from the price at the pump to this cutthroat world; I suppose *the tribe has spoken* and it's expensive just to keep up. I adjusted my scratchy wool blazer, worrying that even these tiny plastic toys are becoming a luxury I can no longer justify.