Monday, June 6, 2011

Weekend Update

Ah, Gaga! I shouldn’t feel jealous that others are comparing themselves to and with Lady Gaga. Naturally, I am eager to cultivate my emerging “Cat Lady Gaga” persona, but I know I must keep an open mind.

This past weekend, when I noticed that my bedside table was about to topple over, I grabbed some of the magazines stacked on top. I realize I date myself by still reading publications in print, but after five days a week of staring at a computer screen on a full-time basis, I gravitate mostly to paper on weekends.

First up, The Economist. The “Schumpeter” column in the June 4–10 issue titled “The angel and the monster” hinted at possibilities. Sure enough, Schumpeter’s subhead reads “Mother Theresa and Lady Gaga are the latest icons of the leadership industry. Don’t laugh.” For all of you Cat Ladies who are following Lady Gaga, this article about “leadership projection” and star power is a must-read (even though there is nothing explicit about rescuing stray felines).

Next stop, Vogue. How did Penelope Cruz go from cats to Bardem? According to the cover story in Vogue’s June issue, Ms. Cruz was a Cat Lady before she became a famous actress. When she moved from her native Spain to Los Angeles, she did not know much English and quietly took up residence in a tiny hotel room. There, she lived with cats, not with hunks such as Javier Bardem. “Ms. Cruz clarifies: “I was very lonely. I wound find cats in the street and take them with me. I raised a lot of cats in that period.” “Cats, plural,” emphasizes Vogue’s writer.

No one would mistake me for Penelope Cruz (or Gaga, for that matter), but I can certainly relate to the blissfully simple two-word sentence “cats, plural.”

Query of the Day: Do you relate to “cats, plural,” or do you have a singular affection for felines?

1 comment:

  1. I must admit that at present I cannot relate to cats, plural. Growing up I was the notorious pet nurturer, particularly of cats, bringing home as many strays as my parents would allow. However, now that I am in my 30's and not currently accompanied by a catman, I do secretly fear the title of cat lady. I love that you own the name and are changing the sterotype; however, I turn the question back to you. Do you think if there were no catman in your life you would have become said "cat lady?" Just as it is generally more acceptable to have ten kids in a partnership, do you think that it is perhaps more acceptable to have ten cats as a couple?

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