From the day
Perspective: The Anxious Local · Sound
The radio is blaring "Bootylicious" so loud it rattles my teeth, but all I can think about is the $1.51 per gallon price tag flickering on the gas station sign. I’m huddled over my desk, eyes stinging from the Windows XP glow as I try to wrap my head around this new Wikipedia site, though the rising cost of bread has me too on edge to focus on "free" knowledge. My neighbor's kid let out a high-pitched squee when he saw the Xbox ad in the circular, but I’m just staring at my empty wallet and wondering if that sleek new iPod is even a dream worth having. Between the roar of Saturday traffic and the news that street vendors are now flooding the sidewalks without permits, the world feels cluttered, loud, and way too expensive.