Choosing the Possessive

Some days are just better than others. Some days music sounds better, you want it louder, you sing along and maybe you even dance. Some days when I think of starting the next dress I feel genuine deep-seeded excitement and that’s really good. It makes it easy to work. And on those days, it doesn’t matter that Dr. Soothe’s promises turned out to be false; he is MIA.

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I didn’t do any dress work Monday though—except source some materials for the sculpture dress. Instead, I went the liquor store to replenish my wine cooler and it had demi-liters of Gaston Chiquet champagne so I’ll be going back today to stock up on some more.

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There’s an aspect of award shows I don’t like at all in acceptance speeches it’s the tendency of winners referring to creative collaborators in the possessive: “I’d like to thank my cast,” for example. How insanely and transparently egotistic is that?

I have always called out guys who introduce “my wife” instead of simply introducing the woman by her name. People don’t belong to people.

When I was a child I saw a cartoon in which Goofy, who’s a dog, got a dog and another character in the cartoon says to him, “But you're a dog. Dogs can’t own dogs.” And then one day, my Dad introduced me as, “my son, Chris.” and I told him that it should be “Chris, my son;” the person first and the relationship second.

That’s when I learned that in law, children are considered as “chattel” of their parents. In law, there have been three types of humans defined as the chattel of their owners: slaves, women and children. Ever since, I’ve been disinclined to the use of the possessive when introducing people.

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We are in the penumbra of Christmas; social engagements slow right down, stores and restaurants are sparsely populated. I love this time of year. Last night, at Ancora, we were one of two tables. Yes!

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I’ve decided to go to City Hall and fill out the necessary forms to defer my taxes. Why not? I’ve been eligible for four years but haven’t done it. Now, with the huge increase in my assessment, the time seems right.