this morning i was called to do a survey by the Governor's Budget Office. One of the first questions was:

are you

a. single
b. married
c. divorced
d. separated

this comes up over and over. Actually Gi and I were just filling out a survey at Breitenbush and were amazed that they too had these same categories. You'd think a new agey spa or even the governor's office would understand that in 2006 people who are not married are not necessarily single, divorced or separated.

i am so sick of this question and the confusion that it causes when i say i am neither of these things. the surveyor starts frantically searching for another option, then uncomfortableness follows and more confusion and then the slow realization that I have a partner and then even slower, it's a same sex partner and then the silent accusation of me being a trouble maker or me feeling bad for embarrassing the surveyor when they likely did not write the questionnaire. i do it anyway and also complain about it. it's my little act of resistance.

other recent places that posed the same options to me:
doctor's office
car insurance
bank

places that gave partner as an option:
none