Sunday, June 07, 2009

-A commenter to Nicholas Kristof's latest column asks, "Why should real Americans be like Asians or Jews?" I didn't realize there was still unselfconscious use of the adjective "real" in reference to some Americans and not others, but we have, perhaps, the anonymity of the Internet to thank. (And since when do "real Americans" know how to play ice hockey? Doesn't the commenter mean real Canadians?)

-Goodness. The featured NYT wedding this week resulted from the woman proposing to the man. Alert the presses! (Although I guess technically, the presses have been alerted.) How did it all happen?

"She said she thought that it was undignified to drop hints to get him to propose, and she doubted that he would volunteer to be legally bridled. So she decided it was time for some rule-breaking of her own, and it was Ms. Emerson who got down on one knee as they hiked in the Catskills last April."

Hmm. On the one hand, good for her. On the other, it's worth pointing out that even here, the assumption is first that the man will propose, and only once that's ruled out as a possibility does the woman take the initiative, as a last resort.

-For some reason, probably the corrupting influence of fashion blogs, I've become fixated on the idea of 'nude'-colored shoes. These, for instance. Yes? No?