Go Maine!

It’s been a while since we’ve updated here at WSH, but I wanted to note how proud I am of Maine and my friend Emily Cain who is an elected official in the state  and a huge supporter of the Marriage Equality Act (LD 1020) there! Now if only we could get the Jersey folks off their butts!

Housewives-of-Blank-County-ization of Our Media…

I don’t know if anyone saw the article in the NY Times on Thursday entitled, “It’s the Economy, Girlfriend,” about a support group (and blog) called Dating a Banker Anonymous, which was ostensibly founded in November to help women dating so-called financial captains-of-the-universe cope with the inevitable relationship fallout from the terrible economy. The blog is “billed as ‘free from the scrutiny of feminists,’ that invites women to join ‘if your monthly Bergdorf’s allowance has been halved and bottle service has all but disappeared from your life.’”

The whole thing was pretty gross and the story spread like wildfire. But only NPR asked the question, “Did the New York Times Get Punk’d?“

It turns out that the blog appears to have magically popped into existence on January 16th, and it looks like the three women that Times interviewed may be getting a book deal. However, the most damning bit of evidence, in my opinion, is the fact that there does not seem to be a single comment defending the blog/group since the NY Times article was published. And, as Linda Holmes at NPR writes:

…there’s no group of thirty people on the internet where nobody gets defensive.

I’m ashamed to admit that I, like the rest of the main-stream media, totally bought this story. And I am grateful that NPR was there to throw some much needed skepticism on the whole thing. And, if it is a hoax, what does it say about our society that so many of us were so willing to believe these ridiculously over-the-top stereotypes about women (have we all been Housewives-of-Blank-County-ized)?

I leave you with another favorite quote:

But this phenomenon hasn’t been reported with a particularly robust degree of skepticism, probably because it’s such a deliciously awful story. Spoiled, awful, hateful gold-diggers feeling sorry for themselves…there’s an eagerness to buy into this tale, to believe that people are like this — that women are like this — that’s disappointing. Because yes, it might be a tale of spiteful gold-diggers, but it might also be a far more interesting tale of women who know exactly what buttons to press, and what stereotypes to feed, in order to get themselves a lot of attention. And if that’s what it is, then the boat’s been badly missed.

-asauerkraut

P.S. I’m sorry I haven’t been keeping up with the blog, but I promise to check-in for updates for frequently from now on. It looks like I’ve missed some good posts!

Food Porn and Good TV

Cross-posted from my LiveJournal:

Earlier this week, I went with a friend to a free chocolate tasting at Vere, a newish company dedicated to promoting the flavors and health benefits of pure dark chocolate.  All of their chocolate creations contain at least 70% cacao.  They have a bunch of amazing products (many of which are vegan – big bonus!), and I got to sample a few of them.  I like dark chocolate, though I’m used to eating the semi-sweet variety (which is usually about 54% cacao).  The vere chocolates I tasted were definitely not as sweet – it produced something more akin to a caffeine buzz than a sugar high.  I also picked up on various flavor notes – the way you would when sampling wine or coffee – which are usually obscured in chocolate that has a high sugar content.  I also found out that they host chocolate and wine pairing workshops   Anyway, New Yorkers, they have free samplings every weekday from noon to 5 (and 6 on Fridays) at their factory in midtown – if you’re a chocolate lover, definitely try to make it over for a taste. 

On another note, did anyone see the premiere of the new TV series United State of Tara this weekend?  It’s a Showtime series written by Diablo Cody (the screenwriter for the film Juno, which I haven’t gotten around to seeing yet), and starring Toni Collete as a suburban mom with multiple personality disorder.  I don’t watch much tv, but there are a few Showtime series that I like, and I’m a fan of Toni Collete, so I thought I’d give it a try.  I think I’m officially hooked!  There were a few pricelessly clever comedic lines that still have me cracking up.  I won’t mention them here in case you’re still planning to watch it. 

-fiercefemme

One more thing to be thankful for….

I received word yesterday that my former employer laid-off four people what used to be my building yesterday.  2 people from my department, 1 from a department with which I worked closely and the 4th from operations.

Of the 2 laid-off from my former department, 1 was my replacement. Had I still been there, there is a real chance I’d be unemployed right now.

The remaining staff members were told they had to take 5% pay cuts and, of courses, salaries are frozen for the forseeable future.

This just adds to my gratitude that I’m no longer working there (and of course, compounds my anxiety about the current state of the economy).

Sigh.

Happy New Year!

Hi All,

Happy New Year’s!

I hope everyone had a healthy & happy holiday season with minimal stress and drama.  RK & AK, I saw some pics from your holiday party and it looked awesome! RF, you rock out the wig in your Facebook pics. MB, were you able to enjoy the holidays or were you locked in the hospital somewhere? LEW, I can’t wait till you’re back so I can see pictures! And LP, how was the West Coast?

I was lucky and was able to ring in the New Year with a yoga class. A close friend of mine is a member of a yoga center in Chinatown, and she invited me to participate in a class that went from 10-11ish which was followed by a guided meditation  (the leader of the class rang a gong at midnight). When the meditation ended, there were snacks and what I like to refer to as a giant yogi dance party (seriously, they put on Indian pop and everyone started busting a movie, Bollywood style). My friend, her brother and I ate some snacks then went to a bar and got a beer and went home.

I thought you’d all appreciate knowing that in the process of trying to clear my mind, repeated images of pancakes, red wine, poached eggs and miso soup kept floating through my head. Mostly pancakes, to be honest, lemon ones with raspberry sauce.  Sigh.

Anyway, this is mostly a post to say hi; I haven’t been good at posting on this blog, and one of my new year’s resolutions is to be better about it (falls under the category of strengthening meaningful relationships).

Ok, much as I’d like to deny that I have to, I’m going to focus on work now.

Much love.

INTRODUCING…

PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA!!!!!

What an amazing day for America. I am so proud today. And it’s about fucking time!

Election Day 2008 (we finally made it to the finish line!)

Asauerkraut here:

Well, it is officially election day. Polls open in Pennsylvania at 7am. B and I hope to be there at 7:30 to beat the crowds (please, please, please). I was originally planning on being there right when the doors opened at 7, but, who am I kidding? I’m drafting a blog post after midnight!

I will be working from home part of the day tomorrow and then participating (as I believe I have mentioned before) in our local, non-partisan voter protection program as a legal volunteer. I expect things to be absolutely insane (there is no early voting in Pennsylvania) — what with those crazy high turnout projections for Philadelphia.

And, remember to bring your cell phone with you when you vote. If you have any problems on Election Day or witness anything that doesn’t seem right to you (machines broken? people being turned away? illegal requests for ID? refusals of provisional ballots? no access for the disabled? opening late and/or closing early? etc., etc.), please CALL IT IN: 1-866-OUR-VOTE (this website also has great basic info about voting rights in different states, etc.).

Unplanned Pregnancy – the new demographic

Fiercefemme here. 

Time Out NY Kids (interestingly enough) did a feature on the high rate of unplanned pregnancy among “older” women (as compared to the usual suspects – teens and women in their early 20’s).  The cavalier attitude exhibited by a lot of the women and couples interviewed kind of irritated me – I just feel that something as potentially life-changing as a pregnancy should have more thought put into it.  Maybe I’m just more type-A than most, or maybe it’s easy for me to talk because I’m not currently at risk of pregnancy.    I’m very curious to hear others’ take on it.

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/kids/articles/features/68251/unplanned-parenthood

Womens Rights Are Human Rights (and a bit about the Phillies)

As if we didn’t have enough proof that policies that are good for women are policies that are good for people: this article from the NY Times establishes that women trying to find health insurance policies pay a huge premium (pun intended) over men, even when they are buying policies that do not provide maternity benefits!  Some insurance reps defended this practice with statistics that women use more medical services than men, but others just admitted that this was mostly about the cost of maternity services.  Yup, yet another way in which women are punished for bearing children, but it also reflects how little public policy and the good of the community come into play in our current health care system.  Because, this is just one of the many ways in which our society is keeping women, and men, from accessing affordable health care.

Disgusting, discriminatory and just bad policy (but, I guess, good for profits — which is really all that matters, right?).

- asauerkraut

P.S. THE PHILLIES WIN THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!

One glorious day!

The first of many photos of Laura and J’s fabulous wedding! Congratulations Laura!  Wishing you a lifetime of happiness!

A rare event- everyone in the same place!