Tuesday, December 18, 2012

A Displaced Person...

It's holiday card season! I love holiday cards, and our recent marriage means that the Grige and I have gotten a LOT of them for the first time on our own. It's very exciting. However, I have an observation to make:

There is a thing, with addresses, where people send things to us as "Mr. and Mrs. Grige E. Fisk". I would really like someone to explain this to me. Is it just a convention that has hung on for no real reason? Is there a good reason that we can't just abolish it? Why do sane and reasonable people whom I love still do this?

It doesn't make any sense. I'm perfectly comfortable receiving mail as "Mr. and Mrs. Fisk", that is a good way to shorten us to our married titles. I'm not going to get up on my high horse and complain about the fact that no one cares that I would prefer to use Ms. instead of Mrs. But, if there is room for the Grige's middle initial, there is sure as hell room for my first name.

I'm sure the people who address things this way don't mean to upset me. But if no one ever says anything about the passive subversion of women's worth - my worth - that it implies, they'll never know how much it offends me. Choosing to take the Grige's last name was a hard enough decision for me, and one I'm still not wholly comfortable with. Receiving mail addressed to me as "Mrs. Grige" is like getting slapped in the face. It makes me feel like I no longer exist.

At first, I wanted to justify my anger by saying that I am and always have been the higher earner in our household. Paired with the Grige's debt and my lack thereof, higher earner has been equivalent to "breadwinner" for the last few years, way before we were married. Ergo, I deserve to have my name on the envelope, and maybe people should just start sending things to us as "Mrs. and Mr. Emily Fisk"

However vindicated that argument might make me feel, it's just another layer on the problem cake. Any wife, no matter what form her contributions to the household come in, deserves to have her name on her mail. The end.

So, I'll be spending the remainder of my funemployment contemplating a good way to address (ha! pun.) this with my loved ones. You know, feminist baby steps. 

Monday, December 17, 2012

A Song

Because it's been a sad weekend, and I don't have a kid to hug.


This is Tiger Mountain Peasant Song. Originally done by Fleet Foxes, and covered beautifully by First Aid Kit and less beautifully by me. But, you know, self esteem! and stuff.

Also, I kind of wanted an excuse to try uploading video via blogger. It's a total miracle that my dinosaur of a computer will do this at all, but pardon the quality anyhow. 

I could have...

Flown to the east coast myself and delivered my gifts personally for what I just spent on shipping. Sorry friends, you'll be receiving gifts that can be sent with Amazon Prime from here on out. Otherwise, UPS costs will make us ho-ho-homeless.

In other news, the Brentwood Target is sold out of Pandora One gift cards (Hey Pandora! Sell those at more than one retailer next year, OKAY?). They are also sold out of wrapping paper and Christmas themed gift cards (I had to buy Valentines day ones) and people in the toy section will literally ram you with their carts to get the last pink iPod shuffle. To top it all off, as I was leaving (rather disgruntled, as you might imagine) two people literally got out of their cars to fight over my parking spot.

Game, set, match. You win, Target. I am staying safely inside for the duration of the holiday season and praising the lord for Amazon Prime.

God Bless Us, Every One.


Sunday, December 16, 2012

On the 16th Day of Christmas...

I realized that my true love might need a little help with ideas about what to get me.

The Grige is still knee deep in grad school, so I'm mostly just hoping that he remembers to get me anything at all at this point. In any case, here's what's on my list this year:

1. New boots: In DC, improper footwear was like my winter calling card. After living in Michigan my whole life, I never really felt like the weather in DC merited more than a pair of ballet flats or rubber flip-flops (you know, when it rained). I was wrong then, and it would be wrong now. I need some winter boots that are both warm and hip, and these two fit the bill.

The Sperry Hikerfish boots
The North Face Snowtropolis series boots







Pro-tip - I chose lace-up boots because my calves are huge. If you're buying for someone else, knowing this can be helpful. North Face makes some beautiful lace-less boots in this same style, but I'm sure they'd never fit around my tree-trunk calves. Laces also make it easier to fit your jeans into your boots, if that's your style.

2. Jewels. I always love to get "fun" jewelry for the holidays. I like pieces that aren't too expensive but really make a statement. Anthropologie has some beautiful necklaces which are uncharacteristically reasonably priced this season. I'd suggest checking them out. Of course, the one I'm in love with is priced right around $250. Tears of an emily :-(

 

3. New Skis. I've been riding a pair of men's Fischer race tune giant slalom skis the last 7 years. They're in excellent condition because I've been tuning them myself before and after each outing, but the fact remains that they are extremely aggressive, rigid, really, really long men's skis. They're fast as heck but not much fun outside of a race course. Since I haven't really raced in at least 5 years, they're not really a great ski for me anymore.  

Here they are!
So picking a new ski is something I should really do for myself, but volkl has a few models I'm quite fond of. Mostly, I need something that's flexible, built for a woman's center of gravity, wide enough to handle powder but mostly focused on shredding somewhere between 160 and 166 cm long.  I'm not going to speculate on what skis I should buy, but it would be nice if someone took me out for a demo day...

So that's my list! What's on yours?


Thursday, December 6, 2012

On the 6th Day of Christmas

The Internets gave to me....

This amazing tumblr and a partridge in a pear tree. Thanks, McV.

I don't think that the Grige is going to build me a table this holiday season, but I am attempting to get him some fun gifts. Here's a little round up of some fun things I'm wanting to buy my bearded man.

1. A plaid shirt, to make him look like a lumberjack.

2. This way cool drafting chair in mint green by Humanscale. The architect needs somewhere comfy to rest his buns during those late nights in studio.


3. A beard comb, like this mansome handmade tortoise one from Swissco. His beard has gotten very long, and while I love running my fingers through it's multi-colored luxuriousness, he needs something more professional to deal with it.
4. Clark's Desert Boots. These are the original, and I adore this pebbled suede. Warm tootsies are definitely the key to a happy Grige

5. Cool, new prescription sunglasses from Warby Parker. Their prices can't be beat, and my be-spectacled gentleman will love some extra protection from the sun. Their virtual try-on feature will help me find the perfect pair.


6. A little something to help him relax...


So what's on your list this year?