Economic gloom & doom part 64

Fish is in for a busy night. It's Pay It Forward Wednesday where you have the opportunity to make a contribution and learn about our featured non-profit, Louie's Kids. And, for you Charleston history buffs, Danny Crooks, author of On the Eve of the Charleston Renaissance: The George W. Johnson Photographs, will be reading and signing books. The reading begins at 6:30 and our neighbor, author and bookseller, Jonathan Sanchez of Blue Bicycle Books, will be on-hand to introduce Danny and facilitate the discussion.

Thoughtful piece on the Upper King Design District in today's City Paper. You know, I'll be the first to admit how easy it is to get sucked into the frenzy that is the "bad economy mindbender." If you pay attention to any sort of media, it's nearly impossible not to. A dear friend of mine who lives in New York City, has a good, well-paying job and recently purchased a co-op called me this morning in a panic, the gist of which is "what are we going to do?" We talked about it for a while: the layoffs, the bailout, the great pressing American need for a quick fix. How we do begin to fix all of this? What sort of sacrifices are we all going to have to make? Big questions. And neither she nor I had the answers. But, we did manage to make each other laugh, which is a plus no matter what you're going through. It's a strange time. People are anxious, but the streets aren't empty. Lots of folks have lost jobs or closed businesses, but some have changed careers for the better; some are just opening businesses. For the record, a little break from the media never hurt anyone. That's my short term advice: a brief, enforced break from the media. Crank up a long-forgotten favorite on your iPod. For that matter, bust out an LP on your stereo. Find a good recipe for something comfort food-ish. Make a lot of it and invite your best friend over. Bring the leftovers for lunch. And take small, mindful steps.