mothers on the verge

Dear Kate, What-to-do-with-yourself-itis is plaguing me as well over on this side of the world. Although I am trying to fill it with random tasks. By now Swine Flu fears have swarmed North America. I don't know if real cases have hit Dubai. The U.S. is definitely on alert. Our local CVS is out of surgical masks. Even the neighbor wonders if she should be nervous with her two young children. I went out an bought a few extra cans of soup, some Mucinex and tissues. Today I'm going to buy some antibacterial stuff as well, but I'm trying not to think too much on it. Still, it's a diversion from the economy — and hey, it's getting me to buy stuff. However my sense is that even with worries of a pandemic, the recession is still playing front and center. Sure most of the media outlets— as well as the government — are trying to make it seem as if the downturn, while not exactly over, is not in free fall anymore. But my own profession continues to be decimated, practically da...

My latest post up on TwitterMoms.... (And yes, I promise to respond to Kate's letter shortly!) Do Charities Test Your Limits? They're testing a lot of people in today's economy....

Dear Kate, Dubai. Still wrapping my head around your living there. Such another world, and yet I imagine the constants are true — children go to school (!), families try to meet for dinner, light switches turn on and off, people Google. I'm imagining the mood there has to be better than in London. Certainly better than in New York. It's as if the layer of cushion that everyone had wrapped themselves in after the election, following Obama's inauguration, has finally worn. New York has never been known as the city of warmth and joy — but it feels even darker still. The economic reality has finally kicked in, and as stores shutter, as the neighbor loses her job, people are biting at each other. I'm just waiting for the 'better you than me' attitude to appear. I'm afraid it actually will. I see it so keenly in the moms — it's quiet, but there. Ice-skating outings with young girls and their mothers, now means a brown-bag lunch instead of a bistro after for ho...

Cell phone fees are the bane of our existence, yes? Sure, that may be putting a little too much emphasis on them. But I do actually believe they are a terrible way to run a business, and an assurance that the person paying them will never forget, and may likely never use that company again. As I write this $200 check to a cell phone company I will never work with again, I am thinking of all the outrageously bad customer service, and bad business practices, I have suffered through this year and wonder if the current recessionary climate might change some of that. When consumers have less to spend, like moi, consumers are going to go for bargains — but also where they're appreciated. Case in point. I recently ordered a book for an interview I needed to do. One online service promised me the book, because I live in Manhattan, the next day. It was cheaper than the bigger named online store I normally use. But I am searching for some bargains right now. I ordered the book. I got an emai...