The first thing anyone asks when introduced to someone is, "What do you do?"

I think this is a fairly common first question no matter where you are.

If the job doesn't have the right cachet or is too many degrees separated from a power source, the offending person is discarded and left to commiserate with the rats.

This reaction, however, seems more DC-y to me. I get blank stares from people about my job but that's because it's in a very niche industry that most people don't even realize is an industry.

I don't get why saying it is the wedding of the year is saying it is a great marriage - I read it as saying that it is getting the most media attention.

I see the Trump marriage like some of the old Hollywood "dating couple" and marriages that were more about studios demanding the relationships from their contracted stars than real relationships. Well except I don't think she is protesting at all, I think she is a knowing and willing participant.

It's tacky (as is everything he does), but as an unknown whatever she is, all the coverage certainly won't hurt her. It's what the public wants.

my career path would be very different if I had understood, at 19 or 20, that unpaid internships = connections = future jobs. It honestly never occured to me.

I think I did know this, but didn't know it know it. And, on some thought, it's probably just as well. I'm not ambitious enough to care.

Yeah, DC has it's own way of looking at things.

We watch awards shows and talk about the dresses and stuff.

In this day and age, the vast majority of the population is suckered in by notoriety, rather than high society. Look at the hubub one breast revealed at the Super Bowl caused, yet I'll bet you no one outside of the cities of origin (and us) can name an old money family.

But we all know Tara Reid doesn't care if her dress falls off.

My folks live in SC . one of thier neighbors - into the whole society thing.

Right now, netflix is winning the money game - because I have had three movies in my house for months. but it was a great deal for us. esp since they have a lot of music programs on DVD that DH enjoys. Blockbuster or hollywood video - doesn't have them ,nor does pay er view. I know a number of people that have no cable - 70 dollars for cable without pay per view, netflix to the house for 20 a month... pure economics.

however today - i have a cat that is willing to destroy things if I ignore him. Really , that is what today is about.

And how is that not whoring, then?

I was saying that it is whoring, but that there seems to be a polite fiction that it is not. Being a trophy wife is much more acceptable to people in general than being a call girl. (There's a group of Republican women in D.C. who call themselves "Trophy wives in Training." I'm sure they'd be shocked, simply shocked, if one suggested they had anything in common with a streetwalker.)

I'll bet you no one outside of the cities of origin (and us) can name an old money family.

only because I got a free 6 month perscription to W when I bought something.

But did they read the papers and talk about the dresses and stuff? Nobody does that now.

Nope. We watch awards shows and talk about the dresses and stuff.

Right. Now it's movie stars and not debutantes. Nobody cares about the debs besides their own society anymore.

If the job doesn't have the right cachet or is too many degrees separated from a power source, the offending person is discarded and left to commiserate with the rats.

OH MY GOD YES. A friend of mine used to be a Salon editor, and so when there was this shindig in DC that Salon sponsored, she invited me down. It was a political wonk thing. I remember Arianna Huffington was one of the people. Anywho, it was like a pack of ravenous tigers. And I was peas. Completely and utterly uninteresting to people once they ascertained that I was not a lobbyist or something. Which they'd do within 5 seconds. They didn't even talk to me. My editor friend usually managed to get a couple sentences in before we were rudely ignored. Luckily, there were other vegetables there, so I wasn't bored silly.

My friend started implying she was sleeping with various people. It drew quite the swarm. That was hilarious.