has anyone else seen the current commercial for the perpetual furniture sale that is Art Van ^[1]? it starts by telling us, the viewers that they “know what we’re thinking” then elaborates to point out that when a female says she likes the furniture she really means that she loves it and must have it. they then go on to decipher the man’s view point which is a haphazard agreement but is really wondering how he’s going to afford it. i’m annoyed by it on a few different levels but primarily because it depicts women as simple “wanting machines” who point and demand without regard for the financial outcome. the male, on the other hand is seen as nothing more than the poor, style-less sap that plays no part in the decor of their house and seems to be good for nothing but figuring out ways to fund the ol’ ladie’s spending sprees. she seems just so delighted while he’s seen rubbing his head, but thanks to the Art Van generosity he won’t have to come up with the dough for six whole months! yep, by then he’s sure to be in a much higher tax bracket and paying off something like a simple house full of new furniture just before Christmas, when expendable income is at a high, will be a breeze. i don’t know about you guys but almost everything in the iHom (International House of Max) has been agreed upon by the both of us from the art on the walls to the pillow on the sofa. if something is purchased while on a solo mission we know it’s open to veto. i understand that i am in the minority but there has to be more couples that have equal say in home fashion, right? i also understand that i’m taking this way too seriously because it’s nothing more than a commercial for a locally based, mid-grade furniture store that has to be a bit more inventive when confronted with a large-ish gap between holidays and i’m reading it like it’s a frickin’ psychological expose’ in the New England Journal of Medicine. plus, the “really, really, really post 4th of July & pre, pre, pre Labor day Sale” just seems a bit wordy.