Ihired a relief veterinarian to fill in for me today so that I could get caught up on some personal business. When I stopped in at my usual morning coffee place wearing blue jeans, the counter clerk seemed shocked not to see me wearing a tie and khakis on a Tuesday. I told her that I had the day off, and immediately a worried expression crossed her face. "Oh, no!" she declared. "An unexpected day off! That's bad! Your job isn't laying off, is it?" I assured her that all was fine, but this morning's coffee experience brought home to me once more how the fragile economy has caused many people to look differently at circumstances that a decade ago would have seemed routine. Five years ago when everyone's house was worth double what it was really worth,convenience store clerks viewed a day off as a blessing.
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