Our own private 2001

In Argentina, everyone we met to a person, was deeply marked by the country's economic crisis of 2001. Shopkeepers hoarded small change to the point that they would rather not make a sale than have to part with it. Turn up with a 100 peso note ($33), and you were like a leper everywhere except for the largest of hypersupermarkets or fancy restaurants. Turn up with a 2 peso note (75 cents) even, and depending on the circumstance, you could be turned away. We entered a society where even the smallest of coins could be trusted as real currency, but the bigger stuff was held in suspicion.

It looks like 2008 will be the United States' own private 2001. On a personal level, I worry for friends, family, ourselves, but on the whole, it is probably the ass kicking we needed. Much of the decade has been about living well beyond ones' means and living as if the bubble would never burst. I am grateful that the only debt we have are our mortgages - yes, I did say it in the plural. We bought Matt's Mom's house and office last year. We stopped contributing to our IRAs (but still contribute to our employers' retirement programs) so that we could have a wee bigger stake in the town we love so much. We are grateful that the rental market in Bishop is pretty stable....