Wheew, I’ve been gone for some time but you haven’t been forgotten. Spring is in the air, a new beginning.

It’s been a few tough months. Lots of folks are struggling. Many friends have lost their jobs. Others struggling with the aftermaths of natural disasters. It is a time to recognize and come together.

Here in New York, sometimes it’s difficult to recognize that we are in a depression. The restaurants are busy, theaters are full, tourists are shopping. But, if you pay close attention, it’s not hard to notice that something is amiss. There are more and more “For Rent” signs on storefronts. The much loved and needed mom and pop shops can no longer survive. I lost so many of my favorite spots last year due to rent increases. The local coffee shop in the West Village, where students, local neighbors and low key celebrities would congregate over yummy pea soup and burgers, my healthy food market, my fave bistro for Steak Frites, the hole in the wall bar with the awesome jukebox…all gone. Unfortunately, these spaces will be replaced by big corporate retail or fast food chain restaurants. They are the only ones that can afford the exorbitant rents.

We have a “new” President that promoted change. He has been in office just over a year now. We are still in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are still arguing over health care, we still have same sex marriage conflicts. According to Politifact, Mr. Obama has delivered on 96 campaign promises, compromised on 33, broken 16, and is working on 272 of the 500 promises he made during his campaign. I have my fingers crossed that he won’t let us down.

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