Two Dicks... Wow!!

Whitley From Ravenswood would understand that title perfectly and I don't feel like explaining it in detail. If you have the patience to listen to sports talk radio you'll get an inclination.

I don't. But I get it.

Anyhoo, I was reading the Sun-Times as I usually do in the morning. I separated the March Madness pullout and Auto Times section from the main part of the paper, which gave me full access to the teaser headline on the main paper.

"The Boyfriend Becomes The Fiance"

I was given full warning that Mark Brown's column would be pre-empted by Debra Pickett's engagement announcement- an event, even in the narrow confines of her column writing, does not constitute as news (a sentiment echoed by the fine folks at Sun Times Watch.)

Still I felt compelled to read it, like slowing down to inspect the carnage of an automobile accident. And I was particularly drawn to this pssage:


"I was supposed to be the moderator of a panel discussion on how "Women Change America," a big Women's History Month event at the Cultural Center. And, somehow, it didn't seem that wearing the shiny, sparkly ring that made me grin goofily whenever I looked at it was appropriate to the occasion. I didn't want it to seem like my greatest accomplishment in life was finding a brilliant, fabulous man to marry me. Even though it might, in fact, actually be my greatest accomplishment.

So, as I walked up to the podium to begin my remarks, I slipped the ring off my finger and into the pocket of my black blazer."

Three thoughts after reading that passage:

• If Gloria Steinem could to find a way to marry a man and still further the feminist cause- and she's a woman who changed America, by most accounts- then maybe Debra Pickett could have kept the engagement ring on her finger while moderating that panel discussion. Unless she was afraid of breaking out in the fits of goofy grinning she described while moderating the panel. "I'm so sorry, hee hee, I got engaged!"
• Wonder what the man thinks about that?
• Finding a brilliant, fabulous man to marry isn't such a great accomplishment. Some women do it many times over. Hell, my mother did it twice!! And after a couple years her tone on the second man changed dramatically.

I'm only grateful that there wasn't a Paige Wiser column today to really dumb me down. As it stands Pickett's column only cost me two minutes of my life I'll never get back. I can only hope someone refers her to this post so that I can return the favor.