You are not what you own
E-word,
I’m writing this entry on the train. I’m guessing that when I get to work I’ll be good and upload this.
Sorry for being out of the loop so long. Life has been good if a little busy. Our green card interview went very well. We tried to cover all of our bases, bringing in a carry-on full of files, El’s laptop (which had wedding photos and dvd player), our wedding dvd, wedding albums, and our camcorder which had recorded evidence of our wedding and honeymoon.
As it turned out, we didn’t have to bring almost any of it. She took a copy of our tax return, and bank statement, and made a copy of one of our wedding proofs, asked us some basic questions such as what are your parents in-law’s names, what’s your wife’s birthday, what day did you get married, etc. El was actually very nervous, and blurted out the wrong date for our wedding, which I very gently corrected. We ended up being interviewed for all of ten minutes, and our interviewer recommended that El is eligible for a green card. Whew.
Work has also calmed down significantly. Last week I presented for part of a 4-day preliminary design review, which went very smoothly. No more 50+ hour weeks for a while, though being paid overtime is pretty sweet. Also, El got a new job. She’ll still be located in NYC, but her new company seems much more relaxed and humane than her old company.
Onto more topical things, El and I spent the weekend in New York. El joined a gym, so we worked out together in the morning, which was a first for us. It was overall a good weekend, but I have to say again, no matter how much I love New York, it is a city of envy. The rich are beyond rich, and I find it impossible to keep myself from turning green, which is a bit weird for me. I can’t help but think that these people are no better than me, but why do they have so much more? I swear it’s a land of robber barons or something, of lazy housewives and decadent children, and overpaid old boy bankers. It’s also a city where everyone seemingly knows everything about luxury, and wants to swaddle themselves in it no matter their means.
On Saturday we went to the Hermes store in the Upper East Side on Madison, because El has been wanting a leather wallet made by them. We were guessing that these wallets were going to be pretty darn expensive, around 600 bucks, but it was something we wrapped our minds around, and were prepared to pay. El starts looking at some wallets, and we find out that they don’t cost $600, but $1700. For a wallet. We’re stunned. I don’t even think we can hide the shock on our faces. Sure the handbags they make are coveted by women across the planet, and the most popular models cost $9000 or more, but we weren’t expecting those prices to be reflected in the wallets as well. El also wanted to buy me a Hermes belt, but even those were between $600 and $1800.
We walked out there feeling pretty dejected, which doesn’t quite make sense. The rational side of me thinks who gives a fuck if I can’t afford a $1700 wallet, it’s not something that I want anyway, and what the fuck does luxury mean really, how is that wallet any more functional than one from target, etc, but then the other side thinks, gosh, I really want that!
It’s something that I need to reflect on, I think.
Eh. It was a good weekend nonetheless. E-word, how you doin, man? It’s been a while since we’ve talked, I hope things are going well in the hot and humid Midwest, and that the mosquitoes aren’t eating you alive.
Take care, bro.
Toe
posted by Toe Jaleo @ 4:50 PM
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