it's the economy, stupid

have you heard that the recession is over?!?

seriously.

or, so says this recent article from slate. i'll let you read it for yourselves (teach a man to fish, and all that), but it basically says that the most trustworthy economic forecasters out there (like, the ones who accurately predicted we were going into a recession in the first place) are saying that the whole thing is on its way out the door. (it is true that retail sales are still down and unemployment is still going up, but the people who know say those two things don't actually matter much. who knew?)

(expensive) party time!!

the article was particularly timely for me because, just the other day, i was thinking about how i never think about the recession anymore. (i guess i should say, i never think about the recession anymore unless i am thinking about how i never think about it. with me?)

i used to be totally stressed out about the economy and the R-word. i was pretty much always worried about gas prices, stock prices, food prices. i was pretty much always hearing about lower company profits, hiring freezes, salary freezes and lay-offs.

and then, it just went away.

initially, i think it had more to do with my circumstances than THE circumstances. i don't drive anymore. (sorry, honda.) i don't work in a dying industry anymore. (sorry, journalism.) i don't pay rent anymore. (thanks, uncle bob!) my salary is finally higher than my age. (thanks, obama!)

i'm not going to lie. it was a big relief to leave all that economic angst behind. and it's super exciting to think that everyone else can start leaving it behind, too.

what do you think?

are you still worried about the R-word?

are the clouds of economic woe parting?

or is there still gloom and doom in the forecast?

(also, what do you think of that analogy? i think i could probably think of something better. but i am going to order some shoes online instead. you're welcome, recovering economy!)