From the day
Perspective: The Anxious Local · Sound
The bass from T.I.’s "Whatever You Like" rattles the windows of my rusted sedan while I idle in this endless line for the pump, praying the price of gas doesn't spike again before I reach the nozzle. Everything feels sketchy lately; even the grocery store is a battlefield where I just stared at a loaf of bread, stomach turning as I realized it's climbed to a staggering $1.37. I try to drown out the talk radio panic by focusing on the click-clack of people texting on their new iPhones, but the atmosphere is heavy with the threat of a market collapse. Between the neon glare of the 24-hour pharmacy and the cold autumn wind, the world sounds like it's vibrating on a frequency I don't recognize anymore.