There is a recession.

On Friday during lunch there are two women ahead of me in the express line at the Tribeca Whole Foods - or as the boys call it, Whole Paycheck. One's in jeans, the other's fancy. "I'm on quarterly review," says the fancy one. "You know what that means," says the one in jeans, "it means you're on their list. They put me on quarterly just before they let me go." When her fancy friend wells up, she tells her," Don't worry, you can still turn it around, just don't give them any reasons. And if you can't, well, at least you can buy time."

On my way back to the office, I eavesdrop on two men walking behind me. "The waiter brought three plates," says the first man. "And as soon as they landed on the table, Mitch said, I guess I'm eating. My brother said, What did you say? I'm eating, repeated Mitch. I said, So now the waiter decides who eats? You don't order, you don't eat."