Travelogue

We just returned from a whirlwind trip to NYC and have sufficiently recovered to talk about it. It was an incredible 3 days. Besides logging at least 30 miles (give or take 20) by foot and seeing the major items of interest (the Met, International Center for Photography, Strawberry Fields and Dakota, etc) we made it to the two galleries where I have photographs hanging. The opening at the Paula Barr chelsea gallery was a blast. My sister Cathy and her guy Nick stopped by, as my brother Mike's sister in law Sheila and her friend. Met a lot of nice people, and got a lot of compliments. This is a pic of us in front of Madison Sq Garden relaxing after a long day....

My best man

So here's a pic of me and my best man, my best friend, the godfather to my son and just all-around way cool guy...Bill Schlatter. And, oh yeah, this was taken by C2 in NYC last week!
: )

Here's a better pic.

I hate that picture. I look huge.

Come on, honey-you know how vain I am. I look like a puffer fish.

Turning Corners

Yes, indeed, it's been a week of Big Stuff. Cindy got her well deserved promotion, and in doing so beat out a crop of very top flight candidates. There is just no stopping this woman when she decides to do something. I am learning so much from her about the power of determination. I'm so proud of ya honey!

I had a very good meeting this week with a book editor in my effort to publish my landscape photos. There is much yet to be done, and we are far from any decisions being made. But it's nice to know that the project is striking a chord with the right people.

Oh, and this wedding thing we've been talking about.......
We are zeroing in on a facility that so far seems like everything we've been looking for. We are going to tour the place on Monday and try to get all of our answers questioned. If we like it, we will then be able to set an OFFICIAL DATE. That will be the first major hurdle of many, I'm sure. So stay tuned for further announcements!

I got it!

Whew. I got the job as Executive Secretary. Now the fun really begins...

Life is kinda rough right now.

I am so lucky to have the love and support of C2. It would be so difficult to keep on every day without him. The love and constant, unwavering support I get from him is very precious to me.
Thanks, honey.
I love ya.

I should start posting pics of my family and friends since it seems they're all reading this now.

The Price to Be A Princess

I found the following on one of my favorite all time sites: Feministing.com
You should check it out.


The price to be a princess.
Oh, how I hate these.

The title deceived me into thinking this piece is going to be a critique of the wedding industry, yet ended up being anything but.

Apparently in our “post-feminist” world, women aren’t giving up their identity by having a traditional wedding, but are in fact demonstrating their wealth and independence.

While I obviously agree with the contention that wedding culture is obsessed with consumerism, the article is saying that this somehow negates the belief that it’s a sexist industry. Rebecca Mead’s argues this in her book One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding.

Getting married used to mark the bride's transition from the parental home to the marital home; from adolescence to adulthood. But today, brides are no longer demure virgins in white lace quivering at the altar; rather, they are professional, self-supporting 30-somethings - more often than not masterminding the operation.
...this fairytale fantasy doesn't make a wedding anti-feminist, says Mead. On the contrary: ‘This is the moment where women can enact this Cinderella fantasy - but it is a safe enactment,’ says Mead, ‘You can look like a virgin princess, but no one expects you to be a virgin, and the next day you can go back to being your strong, liberated self.’ She argues that the modern wedding is not a repudiation of feminism, but partly a result of it.

But why would you want to look like a virgin princess? Shouldn't we be talking about why that's still appealing to people rather than welcoming it with open arms?

I’m not trying to knock on people who want to have a traditional wedding, wear the white dress and even spend a lot of money on it, but to not only downplay the history of a sexist ritual (the bride’s “transition” should actually be "ownership") but say feminism is partly behind the consumerist-driven wedding industry because women are now capable of being self-sufficient?? Please.

Let's also not forget that not all women make enough money (or have the "right" partner, for that matter) to afford the fairy tale wedding. All this looks like to me is an extravagant way of telling women that the more they spend on their weddings, the more empowered they are. Blegh.


Amen, sista.

Here's what makes me happy. Besides C2.