My brother works in the Chicago office of a New York financial services firm, one of several that have received funds from the Big Bailout, a.k.a the Troubled Assets Recovery Program.

For months he’s been increasingly downbeat about the nation’s economic outlook and about his job in asset management, the decisions for which have been largely taken out of his hands and reassigned to some muckety-muck in New York.

So when I heard he was up for a job review, I held my breath. With heads rolling all over the country, his job security didn’t sound all that great. I frankly expected the worst. (more…)

A recent Jim Sollisch column in the Wall Street Journal drolly suggests HGTV bears responsibility for the housing crisis by making dual bathroom sinks, updated kitchens and walk-in closets appear so necessary to happy home ownership that there are few among us who would deign to inhabit a lesser house.

Suddenly no one but the most slovenly and unambitious were satisfied with their houses. It didn’t matter if you lived in an apartment or a gated community, one episode of “House Hunters” or “What’s My House Worth?” and you were convinced you needed more. More square feet. More granite. More stainless steel appliances. More landscaping. More media rooms. More style. You deserved it.

I’ve been an apologetic HGTV junkie for years, despite my frustration at watching 20-somethings embark on their first house search with a list of expectations and requirements most people twice their age have long since learned to live without.  And comfortably. (more…)

“There is life and there is book club.”

That’s how a friend sums up the connection that exists between woman who meet once a month to share their thoughts on literature and much, much more.

There is daily existence, with its constant press of family, friends, work and responsibilities, and there is that single evening of conviviality shared month after month, year after year by women who may not socialize at all in their day-to-day lives.

If it isn’t exactly a text-book definition of friendship that binds book club members, it’s something equally valuable and just as strong. (more…)

Perhaps as a testament to how much racial prejudice has subsided in this country, I had to remind myself that it was a black man taking the oath as president yesterday.

Like many Americans, I looked at Barack Obama and saw a smart, charismatic leader. I saw his wife and daughters and admired their beauty and confidence.  That their skin color is different than mine seemed to barely register in the pomp and precision of the day.

This isn’t to detract from the satisfaction black Americans must feel to see one of their own sons finally installed as leader of the free world.  Rather, it’s to underscore the subtle change that has taken place  in the last generation. (more…)