Let's Be Real #6

I'm all for encouraging kids and helping them grow up in a positive manner but let's be real, there really is no point in pumping up a kid for their preschool or kindergarten graduation. It's not like they had a choice of major or whether to drop out or not. They don't pull all nighters to study or work on their thesis papers. If we're gonna celebrate them, let's make it for something real rather than conditioning kids to expect Pomp and Circumstance every time they pick their nose and don't wipe it on their shirt.

Don't be mean on Memorial Day

Yay! It's Memorial Day! For lots of people in America, that simply means a day off from work, closed banks and time to barbecue & drink. For others, it's a time to reflect on the many men and women of the Armed Forces and any other service branch such as Police, Firefighters, etc. who have made the choice (and sometimes the ultimate sacrifice) to defend our great nation. Which ever thought process mimics your own, enjoy it however you feel necessary (as long as it doesn't endanger anyone else or infringe on other folks happiness). This brings me to the point of annoyance that led me to my computer to discuss such a holiday; people are allowed to have their own thoughts and feelings therefore, they are allowed to express themselves in many different ways.

Some people choose to express themselves by retweeting or posting a simple Facebook status saying "Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to all the men and women who serve our great country!" Others may choose to volunteer at the local Vet Center, commit to helping with a program like The Wounded Warrior Project or even visit veterans in a hospital or convalescent home. None of these choices are wrong, they are personal preference. With that said, why are so many people condemning others for posting well wishes on a social media site or saying that whatever offers or tokens of appreciation are not enough? Some people don't even acknowledge the day, why aren't you angry with them? Think about that. It's not required for anyone to acknowledge our country's service men and women (that's a whole different topic for another day) so why not consider any acknowledgement as icing on the cake? How many times have you ignored the little birthday indicator on Facebook? Yeah, uh-huh. Sucker.

I'm not saying, err, typing any of this to ruffle any feathers (because honestly, I don't really care if you get upset. No one is forcing you to read my blog.) I say this because it seems like its far too easy to find something to nitpick and tear others down when the action was well-intentioned. Some people are offering a genuinely nice gesture and are getting ripped apart for it. To me, that's not cool. If you're one of the people doing such a thing, take a moment and evaluate why the idea of a gratitude offering makes you fly off the handle and become unnecessarily rude to someone who is attempting to be emotionally supportive in their own way. Not everyone is going to swing a hammer with Habitat For Humanity to build a home for veteran. Not everyone feels comfortable sitting in a hospital and talking with a stranger about his or her war experiences. Not everyone has the same comfort levels and expectations as YOU might have so don't judge them based on what YOU might do. Go thank a serviceman/woman. Offer them a beer, a rib, a Slurpee, a cupcake, a helping hand at the market, a warm smile, a kind gesture or maybe a cookie. In turn, be kind to those who recognize the struggle/sacrifice and DON'T BE RUDE! So, if someone says Happy Memorial Day, just smile and say thank you. It's the polite thing to do and it takes less time and energy that chewing folks out with a bitter, political rant. Now go, your barbecue is getting cold.

EDIT: For the record, I know that that Memorial Day is to remember those that served and died. But honestly, they can't hear you. The living veterans that fought and served with those we remember can hear you and appreciate your gratitude for their partners.

What did you just call me?

Some people use terms of endearment to express well, their endearment, which leads me to wonder who decides how dear one person is to another? I have friends who call just about everyone they have ever met some pet name or form of nickname. (Hello muffin, anyone?) I have some friends who don't call anyone any kind of pet name ever. I get that it has to do with personalities, types of relationship (personal, professional, family, etc) and how comfortable the people may be with one another.

Call me strange but i'm kinda picky about who can call me something aside from my commonly used name and what they may actually call me. For example, one pet name that stands out in my mind is Baby Girl. There are four people on this Earth that can call me that name without immediately putting me into a fighting stance. If you're unsure if you're one of the four, you probably are not. Other than my mother, my neighbor/second mom Robin, my aunt Cecile and my Parallel, any other person calling me that will definitely get a death glare at the very least.

There is another term that some people use as a title of status (usually self-imposed) while others use it as a somewhat derogatory description or even an insult. For a while, lots of females, young and old, were wearing bedazzled and glittery t-shirts with this one word as if it was necessary to follow the trend while trying to declare one's status. There are keychains, license plate frames, car decals and bumper stickers emblazoned with this one simple collections of letters. What is this detested word that I have hyped up so much in the last few sentences? Well, since you asked, I shall share it with you. Are you ready? Here it goes. The word is PRINCESS.

Ugggghhh, just typing that made me gag a little bit. I've heard a lot of people refer to their daughters, granddaughters, nieces, neighbors, etc as princesses and sometimes I think that may build up a person's mindset to the point that they evolve into a diva and continue to be described as a princess with a negative connotation. When motherly figures refer to a girl as a princess, it usually means that said girl is absolutely amazing in her eyes and deserve any and every good thing that life may bring because she is somehow elevated above the rest. In my experience, when just about any other person describes a girl as a princess, it means that heffa is a snobby, elitist twatwaffle that many people find annoying because her "I'm better than you just because my daddy says so" attitude has less standing than a peg leg pirate in a termite infestation. I was called princess this morning by one of my mom's friends and i'm sure she meant it in a positive light (at least I hope she did) but I just can't stand being called princess.

Considering that I like to be thorough, I should mention that it's also quite awkward when people call me any kind of term that I might use when talking to my boo thang and said person is in fact NOT my boo thang. An example of this would be calling me sweetie, honey, baby, sweetheart, cutie, etc and you don't know my full name, what color my car is or most importantly, if I want you to call me such things (especially if it is accompanied by a creepy leer like the ones Steven Tyler dishes out to the underaged female contestants on American Idol) . In short, pet names are cool if you're close enough to a certain person. I personally don't mind them if we're close enough and you use the right ones. Just know that if you call me princess, there is gonna be a misunderstanding.

Well, that was interesting

So, I just had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine. This friend just narrowly escaped falling into the "Missed Connections" post from a few weeks ago. Anyway, I digress. This conversation had to do with our compatibility and bad timing. We had our moment but since he was leaving town for a few months and I was moving out of state, nothing came from it. (I have my reasons for believing that it wouldn't have worked but that is a completely different topic.) Tonight, about a year from our moment, the subject came up again. This conversation was much shorter and directly to the point than it normally would have been and I just realized why; i'm in a relationship. 


I'm usually the ultimate single friend. Before this one, my last relationship was in the beginning of 2008. In case you've been writing the wrong year on your checks all this time (Kidding, who writes checks?), you should know it is currently 2012. If I were single and available, I would have pursued the conversation a bit more. Since that is not the case, the "almost doesn't count" hoopla just didn't matter to me. I was hit by the realization/reminder of just how much I really do care about The Boy. In that instance of reminiscing about something that happened a year ago, I thought of his feelings. I thought of how much things have changed in that time. Not really sure what has happened to me but now I constantly think of the thoughts and feelings of this other person. When did I become the mushy girl with the stupid grin on my face when I get a text from him or encounter something that reminds me of him? I don't get it . Darn it, i'm sprung, huh? 

For The Record

Yes, there was a post where I spilled my guts.
Yes, some people got to read it.
Yes, I removed it for my own reasons. It's my blog and I can do that.
Yes, The Boy and I got past our moment of temporary insanity.
Yes, I do like making lists. ;)