I don't know if I should be angry or intrigued by the marketing ploy that was just pulled on my household. I can tell you that right now the overwhelming feeling is ANGER.

Yesterday in our mail was a handwritten envelope addressed to my husband - no return address - neighboring town cancel stamp.

Like every self-respecting wife would do in my place - I held it up to the light. Okay, maybe not every woman would admit that - I suppose I should be ashamed, but that isn't the point of my story. I didn't open the envelope but I could see there was a pink "While you were out" message slip in the envelope.

I put in on my husband's desk and then today when I was cleaning, I saw the pink message slip on the top of his pile.

Right there for anyone to read. So I read it. Here's what it said:

For: My husband
From: Martin Curry
Of: First Union Bank
RE: Your mortgage Please Call

I pay all the bills and so clearly this message was for me, but 1st Union doesn't hold our mortgage. When there is a question about the most important bill in your household - your home - it suddenly becomes your top priority, right?

So I called.

IT WAS A SALES CALL!!!!!!

Okay, I suppose it was clever. It got my attention. Right?

Trust me- it didn't get the attention Martin wanted and here's why.

The mortgage is in MY name. Was my name on the envelope? No. Was my name on the message?

NO.

Some chauvinistic-hoofed animal made an assumption that only the MAN needed to hear the sales offer.

Let me tell you something you should never assume - the wife isn't necessarily listed on the mortgage as a gesture. In our case, although my husband is a nice man, he is a librarian and if you think teachers are under paid - they've got nothing on librarians.

So the next time you want to send a marketing message from a listing that you purchase, make sure you use ALL OF THE NAMES and not just the first one or the male one.

Because if 1st Union offered me a 1% interest rate - I wouldn't listen. Okay, I'd listen, but right now that is what it will take to get my attention again.

So - help me down off the ledge. Am I totally off base? Okay, yes, maybe about holding the envelope up to the light - you've got me there - but I mean about totally leaving me off the marketing message. How hard would it have been to write Mr and Mrs?????