Friday, May 18, 2012

Relaxation Gone Wrong

I was stressed and having trouble unwinding from the day. It had been one of those days where I couldn't stop myself from alphabetizing something that probably could have existed in the state it was in without the world ending. For those of you who are scratching your head because you have never been overcome by the need for ABC order, it is just my brain's way of working out a lack of order in things I can not control by inflicting order on trivial things that I can control. It isn't as crazy as it sounds, I promise.
Anyway, I was on Pinterest (shocker) browsing through the "pets" section as a way of relaxing. That board is filled with adorable fuzziness. I was starting to feel very mello as I gazed at tiny kitties, fluffy bunnies, and other assorted squee worthy animals. Then it all went wrong. Someone had pinned a refrigerator under the heading of pets. Next came a shoe, a wedding invitation, and by the time I scrolled down to the furniture made from palettes, I was more stressed than when I started. I was exasperated within minutes.
This has taught me that on days I need order, it is a bad idea to look at the public boards. Also, that some people should not be allowed to pin things unsupervised. I wonder if I could get a job fixing wrongly categorized pins for Pinterest? That would be relaxing. Maybe I am as crazy as I sound after all.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

A Question and a Plea

JD had his end of school year awards the other day. We are very proud because his "everybody gets a trophy" prize was for being the nicest and most caring student. It is always nice to hear your child's good character is their defining characteristic. However, after it was announced, one of the kids pipes up and says, "He could also get skinniest kid because look how skinny he is." I don't know if the kid was trying to be mean or if he just has no manners. The teacher put a stop to it by saying, "Yeah, and you're short, so be quiet." That didn't really sit right with me, and I'm wondering if it seems off to you? On the one hand, I'm glad she stopped the boy from teasing my son, but on the other, I don't feel right about her fighting fire with fire. I noticed that she wasn't shy about jokingly telling all the parents what the different kids' faults were. She said nothing but good things about my kid, and some of the other boys were obvious handfuls, but do you point that out in front of everyone? It hasn't been a secret that this has not been our favorite year, but it is over as of next week. Beyond making sure he doesn't have her again next year (she is also moving up a grade), should I say anything?
Now for my plea. Many people see "skinny" as a compliment. I understand that, however, for me, it was used repeatedly as an insult when I was a child and even occasionally in a mean spirited fashion as an adult. I'd like to ask you all to think twice before commenting on another person's weight. If you wouldn't say it to an overweight person, don't say it to a thin person. For example:
"Oh, you are always so thin, I just hate you!", tends to be a socially acceptable phrase.
Now let's turn it around:
"Oh, you are always so fat, I just hate you!"
You can probably see how that one is wrong, and would probably get you slapped.
Just make sure you really know a person before you make any kind of comment on their weight, and no one gets hurt.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The Guy in the Powder Blue Tuxedo

Nix is being inducted to the Junior Beta Club this evening. I'm very proud of her achievement. Now I just have to figure out what to wear. I wish these things came with picture instructions. I'm fairly sure the geek shirt and jeans I am currently wearing won't cut it, but do I go full dress and heels? At times like this I am reminder of a great old family story.
My mother's cousin is a trail lawyer. Early in his career, he informed his client that he needed to dress nice for court. When he arrived at the courthouse he spotted his client immediately because he was the guy in the powder blue tuxedo. Since then, he has learned to be much more specific in his instructions.
My mom always says that you don't want to be the guy in the overalls or the guy in the powder blue tuxedo, which is really just a silly way to say, "Dress to the middle".
I'm not good at this. I've never pulled a full tuxedo moment, but I do tend to err on the side of fancy. If someone is going to look at me funny, I'd rather them think I just came from working in an office instead of working in a corn field.
Nothing makes me more anxious than the term "business casual". What does that even mean for a woman? For a guy it means khakis and a polo shirt, but that is too casual and not enough business when you are a girl. It's like "semi-formal". All that means is guys get to wear a regular suit, but girls still have to wear something formal with maybe a short hemline. How is that fair?
For tonight I've settled on a somewhat casual black dress with no jewelry, and low heel sandals. It is a little dressy, but when I'm not being a geek, I like to pretend to be fancy.
Update: Nailed it! I totally fit in. Well, in dress anyway.