Sorry, We're CLOSED.

It Tuesday of spring break. I've seen all of my immediate family, had a couple drinks with friends, watched movies, gone to the diner, watched TV, etc. It has been nice to relax and see everybody, but all and all this will be remembered as a rather troubling spring break.

For the past few months, I've been hearing bad economy this and bad economy that. Up in Boston, we seem to be living in a bubble--where the stores generally stay open and the restaurants still have weekend crowds. In a way, coming home has been coming back to a reality that I wasn't aware of. My mom told me the day I got home that "the entire Island is depressed." Bellerose itself, my little town in Queens, has its own troubles with a disturbing amount break-ins and muggings. My mom said that the whole island is depressed, though, and so far that seems as though it is a pretty accurate description. Everywhere we go, there are vacant store fronts and restaurants.

Fortuneoff is closing. I always forget whether this is a national chain, so a quick clarification--Fortuneoff is the store where every decent couple from Long Island and Queens registers for their wedding. It is a huge department store with everything you can imagine for the home. The store had an air about it that said You just stepped into Fortuneoff. We're better than Macys and Bloomingdales combined.

My original title for this post was going to be "Where am I supposed to register for my wedding?"

My other title for the post was going to steal a title from a David Gray song: "Everybody's Leaving Town." The thing is, nobody is actually leaving town. Instead, everybody is returning to their homes jobless.

Fortunoff has closed, along with the Circuit City next to it, and presumably "The Fortuneoff Mall" will follow.

My mom and I had this conversation yesterday:

"Mom, you're really old. Do you ever remember things getting like this?"
"Actually, no. You're father and I are kind of scared that this is just the beginning."

So that was uplifting.

My mother and I also discussed, though, that the sun has not shown itself for more than 5 minutes since I have been home, making everything not only look desolate, but haunted. Ah well.