MJ: It's men who started carrying handbags. The oldest known purse found is 5,000 years old and worn by a man, Otzi the iceman mummy he was nicknamed. He was found in 1991 in the Otztal Alps.
Katherine: Purse-cicle
MJ: The name handbag first came from the hand luggage men carried when train traveling in the 1800's. Later women started carrying more intricate bags too and the name stuck with those.
Katherine: How about contemporary men, and Dads - Our guest today is Maeson's proud father, Andrew Van Ness. How do you like fatherhood?
Andrew: Fatherhood is great! It's kind of a weird mix of always being tired with frequent punctuations of absolute joy. Maeson recently had his first birthday and he's crawling, walking with assistance, and loves gabbing in the adorable way that babies do.
MJ: Maeson is the cutest! Happy Birthday wishes! Tell us about some of his favorites - games, stuffed animal, toys, food, picture book . . .
Andrew: Maeson has so many favorites. He is a big fan of playing peek-a-boo. He loves to throw a blanket over his head then ripping it off again. He also really likes playing with pots and pans and we give him a wooden spoon the he uses to hit the pots with. He's like a little Ringo Starr. Maeson can be a bit of a picky eater but he always loves to eat his yogurt. He laps it up as fast as he can. Every night we read a few books as part of Maeson's bedtime routine and his favorite book seems to be Good Night Sleepy Moon.
MJ: Ringo, what a drummer! He's one of my four favorite Beatles. Maeson is off to a great start with his music. And after the Beatles, Ringo wrote a super children's book Octopus's Garden. Maeson might enjoy that one too. Like Ringo said, "I like kids. I used to be one."
Katherine: Such an active baby means you have lots of stuff to carry for him. What baby bag are you and your wife rocking? What do you like most about it?
Andrew: We use a PiPi Bear diaper bag. It has a good amount of space within the bag, and lots of pockets inside to help keep everything stored and organized, which when you need to find a new diaper ASAP, is a real life saver! It also has an insulated pocket for putting bottles or any snacks that you want to keep cool while going out and about.Katherine: Love the sleek lines. How does Maeson take after his dad? Like father like son?
Andrew: Maeson and I have quite a few similarities. Some simple things are we both like scalp massages, we're both pretty laid back individuals, and we also both enjoy a good cuddle. So we're both pretty good cuddle buddies. My wife would also point out that we're both pretty stubborn. We both like to do things in our own time and in our own way and you'd be hard pressed to get around it.
Katherine: Sounds like the apple falls close to the tree. You're not just a busy father, you also have a challenging job. Tell us about your interesting work.
Andrew: I'm a Business Analyst at Symetra Financial. It can definitely be a challenging job juggling all the tasks that we handle every day. We're updating contracts, helping launch new products, and doing various other forms of research every day. But I genuinely couldn't ask for a better team to work with. I feel like everyone is really close and equally interested in hearing about what's going on outside of work as helping each other during the day.
Katherine: Symetra's reputation for financial and insurance products is excellent. They're dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion. They're committed to giving back to communities too. Andrew, you have a lot of responsibility. I understand you are also able to work from home, but when you do go into the office what do you replace the baby bag with? I mean men have a lot to carry - maybe a laptop, ipad, phone, and that's just for starters. What bag do you like to carry? A messenger bag? Backpack? Something else? Or are you strictly a wallet and pockets man?
Andrew:Well on a normal day where I'm not going to work, I typically just rely on my pockets. But when I go to work, I actually use a briefcase. I have tried messenger bags but the load you get on one shoulder really starts to take a toll as your bag slowly gets more and more items added to it. Then I switched to using a backpack and that was a lot better. You have more equal support and backpacks are typically larger so you can fit more into them. But one big issue with backpacks is when you ride the bus, like I do it is easy to bump into folks. I also have sensitive skin so I noticed that after months of using a backpack every day, I was getting dry patches right where the straps would go. That's why I moved to a briefcase. It's smaller but it's nice because you can switch hands easily, it doesn't get in people's way on the bus, and it doesn't irritate my skin.
Katherine: Ytonet is known for an Italian design style. Very nice. I always like to hear a good debate between a messenger bag and a backpack. In our mystery book Kat Out of the Bag I gave my sons messenger bags as gifts. Jason, one of our Bayside cops is strictly a wallet and pockets man. Other men characters make other choices. Actually, when looking at suspects, what people carry often indicates aspects about their personalities that can provide clues. People carrying a briefcase like yours value style and organization over spectacle. These are people with a subtle, but great sense of humor too. Yet they have a practical side and are focused and determined. Does your wallet have RFID protection? RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification Device and it can prevent unauthorized readers from stealing data off wallet contents like ID cards, and credit cards.
Andrew: My wallet does not have RFID protection. I use the same wallet that I have used since high school and just can't convince myself I need a new one.
Katherine: Stop by our Purse Museum gift shop in Bayside anytime and maybe Amber's inventory can tempt you. And so many men's bag designers have great products and give back to the community too. One example is DamnDog that gives back to the SPCA for the prevention of cruelty to animals. What are you and Maeson looking forward to on Father's Day this year?
Andrew: Well we are still only in phase 2 of the quarantine where I live so it will more than likely be my wife and I staying home and trying to find a moment to relax while still chasing Maeson around the house.
Katherine: That sounds just as it should be, filled with love and laughter. Here's wishing you and all the fathers a very happy day with their families. You are so important in future generations' lives.
MJ: And a very happy play time for Maeson too!
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