The Man Purse
Monday, September 5, 2011 at 6:00AM 
Should one let practically or fashion or culture determine what accessories us manly men use? I am referring to the "man purse." Of course the name itself tells us manly men that we should not use it. The sneer of Jerry Seinfeld, whenever it was mentioned was enough of a code that tells us all we should not use it. "Not that there is anything wrong with that" is the phrase that occurs to me when I think of the Seinfeld Show, the one or two times I saw it. What he really said on the man purse was: "It's not a purse, it's a European Wallet"
A lot of truth in this as it is common here in Russia. Of course you cannot tell a man's sexual orientation by looking at him, most of the time anyway. The men who carry the man purse here in Russia seem normal enough. Well there was this one guy, but other than him they looked normal. He had "long" hair, very unRussian. The height of Russian men's hair style is a crew cut. Should I buy a "European wallet" while I am here in Russia? I have not decided yet, but it helps that the name here is Russia is "mini-valise." If I can find a thin one that is still big enough for an iPad, I just might. I am not one to let cultural standards to get in the way of practicality.
The mall here is a series of independent shops on multiple levels. Some of them are interesting like the Beauty and Toy store. Or the mechanical tool store. There is even a “religious Icon” store, but I have plenty already. (Note that I do not use them in a religious sense, I just like them. George and the Dragon is my Favorite.)
I am not enjoying shopping any more in Russia than America, but the $1 CDs are tempting. (A store is going out of business, the normal price is $5). My tastes in music are rather eclectic. I bought the Chemical Bros, Benny Benassi, and the KraftWerk. Some of the DVDs were tempting, but I had no way to play them because of region coding and the differing video standard.
My wife has complained that she needs to go without me next time, but how will I get my man purse without her help? This may only remain a dream.
Russia 
Reader Comments (2)
As long as a guy's high heels matches his purse, then why would there be a problem?
Eddie H. Nessul
Amboy, California
I get my $1 CDs at garage sales, but they've been rather scarce lately. No purse, but I have a fanny pack. I keep tools in it, to de-sissify it.