dona_sol

dona_sol

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Hmm...

[Sep. 6th, 2010|10:34 pm]

[	Current Mood	\|	relaxed	]
[	Current Music	\|	U2, Discotheque	]

A few months back, Rick and I went to the movies together. The theater we'd chosen is one of the type that serves food and beverage to you while you watch the movie, so it's sort of like the Palladium in Birmingham (for those of you who would need a Michigan equivalent). There's also a full bar in the front of the theater, and you can order drinks to be delivered to you while you watch the movie.

While we were standing in line, we heard a man in front of us approach a woman who was standing nearby and demand, "Could you please watch your language? My kids don't need to hear that." The woman protested but I don't recall exactly what her response was. The man then threatened to get the manager of the theater if she refused to comply with his request. The woman then went to find her husband, who approached the man that began the entire exchange and asked him if they had a problem. The man's wife, who was standing next to her husband piped up, "Your wife is using language that isn't appropriate for our children to be around." At this point, everyone around them was staring quite openly, and I think they realized they were creating a scene. The lady who was supposedly cursing went to the bar with her husband and the situation blew over.

This hasn't exactly been bothering me a lot, but I have pondered it a few times since then and it does kind of stick in my craw a little. As Rick pointed out that day, they weren't exactly in a family oriented environment. They were in a bar. It also happened to be a movie theater, but I don't think that any place serving alcohol is someplace you'd bring kids to with a reasonable expectation of everyone being perfectly behaved.

Furthermore, their children were actually not in line with them. I don't know where they'd gone, how old they were, or how much they heard of that woman's supposed cursing (not that I doubt she used bad language, I just didn't hear it). However, unless those kids are home schooled and have very limited exposure to other children their own age, I'm pretty sure they're likely to hear language like that from their peers or other people in their lives.

What shocked me the most is the audacity it takes to approach a total stranger and chastise them for their language. That woman was a grown up. Granted, she was in a public place, but she was having a discussion which had nothing to do with that other couple or their children. To ask her to modify her behavior for their sake was at the very best self-serving and at the worst, an incredibly rude invasion of her evening.

Finally, my opinion of parenting is that it is YOUR responsibility to protect your children from undesirable influences. I bet that couple thought that's what they were doing, but the fact is, it was not a stranger's responsibility to censor herself for the benefit of this couple's unseen children. If they didn't like it, they could have quietly removed themselves (and their kids) from the situation, or better yet, been more thoughtful in their choice of venue. A theater with a full bar is not the most obvious choice for an evening of family fun.

I'm troubled by this trend of 'families first' which I perceive in many aspects of the world today. Having offspring should not entitle you to special privileges or give you the right to suggest the world should bend to your will. There are terrible things in the world, and every good parent should protect their children from those things. But not at the cost of affording other people basic courtesy and appreciation for (if not agreement with) their point of view. To me, that is an equally important lesson to impart to your children.

What do you think?

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(no subject)

[Nov. 26th, 2009|10:55 am]

[	Current Mood	\|	grateful	]
[	Current Music	\|	Silence	]

Today is an interesting day for me. It's the first Thanksgiving in a long time (I think since I was living in Spain, actually) that I haven't been with my immediate family. In fact, I'm at work.

I didn't mention that to garner sympathy; I volunteered to work today. Each person on our team has to work one holiday each year, and I hadn't chosen mine yet. So I took Thanksgiving because I wanted to avoid working on Christmas Eve. Since my brother and his wife are staying in California for Thanksgiving this year (and poor Steph actually just found out she has H1N1), my parents weren't making big plans anyway.

But still, it's weird to be here. It's dead quiet in the office and but for the fact that my team is located on the same floor as our call center, I would be completely alone. The quiet is a sharp contrast to my family and our usual raucous celebrations.

Thanksgiving Day usually begins early with my family. I can remember several years where my dad would be the one cooking the turkey, and he would get up super-early to prep the bird. His favorite thing to do is play "Alice's Restaurant" at full blast to coax my brother and I out of bed - and when I say coax, what I really mean is that the walls of the house would be shaking with the volume at which he would play that song. And for those of you who've heard it; it's about 20 minutes long. So there really was no other choice but to get up early. We would drag ourselves out of bed and down the stairs, only to be greeted by my dad, stubbly faced and elbow deep in turkey, grinning from ear to ear.

Watching my dad cook turkey is hilarious. One year, we came downstairs to find him drinking a beer at 9:00am and thus in a particularly jocular mood. I couldn't really tell if it was the beer, delight in having his two kids around for the holidays or amusement at waking us up early. He had deep conversations with the turkey about how delicious it would taste and apologizing to it for needing to remove its innards to make room for the stuffing.

My mom would usually return from the Thanksgiving Day parade later in the day, red-cheeked from the cold and cheery from being outside. They'd put Charles and I to work cleaning the house, setting the table or even accompanying my mom to the cemetery to visit my great-grandma (and, in later years, both of my maternal grandparents and great-aunt). We'd all get dressed up and our guests would begin to trickle in.

Despite the fact that there would always be some little drama with my family, there was always a sense of warmth and affection and genuine appreciation. We all, despite our flaws, love each other.

That is the biggest blessing of all. It's not something that goes away with time, either. I may be physically removed from my family today, but they are with me still. I take them, and their love, with me wherever I am.

To my friends and my family, I send you all my love. Know that you are my biggest blessing, and I thank God for you all.

P.S. My dad just called me and played Alice's Restaurant. :-)

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HD cable, the auto show and why I think Mother Nature hates me

[Jan. 18th, 2009|12:27 pm]

[	Current Location	\|	Mi casa	]
[	Current Mood	\|	good	]
[	Current Music	\|	What About Now, Daughtry	]

This weekend has been...interesting.

Since my company got a clue 3 years ago and started giving us MLK day off, I generally like to spend my three day weekend doing something relaxed yet fun. This year, I'd planned to hang with my friends, hit the auto show with my parents and see a movie or two.

Yesterday I woke up and it appeared to be snowing again. I thought "no biggie, it's too damn cold for it to snow too much." Then I thought "the snow shouldn't throw a monkey wrench in me getting my HD cable installed." Finally, to complete my trifecta of stupid thoughts, I mused that "I'll be done with the cable guy in plenty of time to go hang at Nicole and Jim's."

Sigh. Mother Nature, I don't know who pissed you off or what they did, but is it really necessary to punish all of us?

My cable guy was supposed to arrive between 10:00am and 2:00pm. He got there at 4:00pm. He was there until almost 8:00pm. Nic and Jim were cool enough to come over to my house and I figured we'd have some cocktails, maybe order a pizza and it'd be fun.

Then my aunt, who's a nurse at Beaumont Hospital, calls and asked if she could crash at my place overnight as the roads were bad and she had to be back at Beaumont at 7:00am today. So, yeah. It was kind of a random assembly of people but we did wind up having a nice evening in spite of it.

This morning, I woke up super early for the auto show (my parents were, for some reason, insisting that we get there when it opened) only to have my mom call me at 7:30 and tell me that my uncle was sick and they weren't going. I was a bit annoyed I'd gotten up early for nothing, but happy enough to go back to sleep. Then my mom called me again this afternoon and told me that she and my dad had decided to go to the auto show anyway. Normally I would be annoyed by that, but I enjoyed sleeping late so any complaint I could have would be a bit half-hearted.

Later today I'm going out with Andy, Katie and Manda for dinner. Then we're all going to stare at my lovely new HD cable and ooh and ahh (big fun, right?).

Tomorrow I think I'm going to check out Slumdog Millionaire. I'm dying to see what all the hype is about.

Hope everyone has had an awesome weekend thus far!

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Merry Christmas!

[Dec. 25th, 2008|09:34 am]

[	Current Location	\|	La casa de mis padres!	]
[	Current Mood	\|	content	]
[	Current Music	\|	The Holiday (movie in the background)	]

Hello, my nearest and dearest!

Hope you're all having a lovely day, however and wherever you're spending it.

I'm currently ensconced at my parents' house, snuggled cozily in my dad's oversized recliner playing on my brother's laptop. Charles and Stephanie went to her family celebration, but they'll be back later. We opened gifts earlier and my dad made everyone a delicious breakfast. I'm still in my jammies and plan to stay that way all day.

I got lots of nice presents this year:

- Dark Knight DVD from Steph (mmm, Christian Bale) and gift card to Lane Bryant
- $75 Lush gift card from Charles (YAY!!!)
- Two pairs of boots and two pairs of shoes from Mom
- Three sweaters (one cashmere one from my dad which feels so gorgeous)
- Money from my grandma
- Money from my parents (which will be used for a new flat screen tv!)

I'm looking forward to shopping tomorrow! I'm trying to convince myself to behave and just spend the gift cards and buy the tv. I hope there are lots of fun sales.

I wish everyone a lovely, happy day and a merry Christmas. Spend lots of time with your loved ones, relax and count your blessings.

I love you all!

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Bored at work

[Dec. 19th, 2008|02:33 pm]

[	Current Location	\|	Work, work, work	]
[	Current Mood	\|	bored	]
[	Current Music	\|	Circus, Britney Spears (Oh, yes, I did)	]

(Stolen from the lovely Kleinzeit)

A is for
Available: Sure.
Annoyance: The snow (specifically, that I had to come to work in it).
Animal: I like lots of animals, but my favorites are my kitties.
Actor: I have a thing for Columbus Short.

B is for
Beer: Corona, if I must.
Birthday/Birthplace: April 26, 1980. Born in Dearborn, MI.
Best Friends: Amanda & Andy.
Body Part on Opposite (or Same) Sex: Hands.
Best Feeling in the World: Being with my loved ones.
Blind or Deaf: I’m not either, thank goodness.
Been in Love: Probably once or twice. ;-)
Been Bitched Out: Almost daily at work (people don’t love insurance personnel; go figure).
Been on Stage: Yep, a card carrying member of International Thespian Troupe # 586.
Been Beaten Up: No.
Believe in Yourself: I do.
Believe in Life on Other Planets: I think it’s possible.
Believe in Miracles: I think the truest miracles are the actions that love inspires some people to take.
Believe in Magic: Define magic.
Believe in God: Absolutely, yes.
Believe in Satan: I believe evil exists. I don’t believe in Satan.
Believe in Santa: Not since I was 8.
Believe in Ghosts/Spirits: I’ve never seen one, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility.
Believe in Evolution: Yes.

C is for
Car: My car is a Contour (how alliterative!).
Color: I tend to like blue and green. And of course pink.
Cried in School: Probably.
Chocolate/Vanilla: I love to eat chocolate, but the scent of vanilla is one of my favorites.
Chinese/Mexican: Los dos!
Cake/Pie: Probably pie.
Country to Visit: I’ve always wanted to go to Egypt.
Comedian: Katt Williams (I AM A BOY DAMON!)

D is for
Day or Night: I’m a night owl.
Dream Vehicle: BMW 745ix in dark blue
Danced: I do silly dances all the time.
Dance in the Rain: Been awhile, maybe when I was in high school.

E is for
Eggs: Scrambled.
Eyes: Bluish-gray, with a freckle in the iris of my left eye.
Everyone Has: A good story to tell.

F is for
First Crush: This boy in my kindergarten class. He kissed me on the cheek when we were playing house and I was a goner after that.
Full Name: Let’s not go there.
First Thoughts waking Up: Today it was “Fuck, I have to shovel that damn snow!”
Food: I love sushi, Mexican, Chinese, chocolate, all kinds of junk food.

G is for
Greatest Fear: Death.
Goals: I want to get my MBA one day. Apart from that, in the words of Sheryl Crow, “it’s not getting what you want; it’s wanting what you’ve got.”
Gum: I agree with Dana, Orbit Bubblemint is the best.
Get Along With Your Parents: Yes!
Good Luck Charm: My diamond stud earrings.

H is for
Hair Color: Naturally it’s dark blonde, but I have highlights and lowlights for fun.
Height: 5’ 8 ½”
Happy: I am happy.
Holiday: Thanksgiving, Easter and my birthday (you didn’t know that was a holiday?).
How Do You Want to Die: I don’t.
Health Freak: Uh, no.
Hate: I hate when people underestimate me, when they make me feel unimportant. I hate willful ignorance, racism and people who drive slow in the fast lane.
Heart Broken, When/Who: More times than I care to admit. But I’m hopeful this just means there’s something really good in store for me in the future.

I is for
Ice Cream: Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey, Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Chip Cooke Dough. Mmmm…
Instrument: I took piano lessons and I can still pick out some tunes. Andy will tell you that I played alto clarinet in high school, but I was so terrible I don’t think what I did counted as playing.

J is for
Jewelry: I love dangly earrings and pretty sparkly rings. I don’t tend to bother with necklaces because my hair gets tangled in the chain.
Job: I like my job. I’ve been with the same company since I graduated from college.

K is for
Kids: None.
Kickboxing or Karate: Uh, neither.
Keep a Journal: Yep. I have a livejournal and a personal handwritten diary which would be the thing I would retrieve from a burning building.

L is for
Longest Car Ride: Florida with my grandparents when I was 4.
Love: I love lots of people and I’m not shy about telling them.
Laughed So Hard You Cried: Usually when Andy, Manda and I are all together. I think most recently was when we convinced Andy to skinny dip in Lake Michigan last August (broad daylight).
Love at First Sight: Myth. But I believe in attraction at first sight.

Last Person Who…
…Saw you cry: My brother.
…Went to the movies with you: Uh…Amanda, I think.
…You went to the mall with: My mama!
…You went to dinner with: Amanda.
…You talked to on the phone: Jess.
…Made you laugh: My dad (he sent me an e-mail with a link to an online game where you can throw shoes at President Bush).
…Made you cry: Classified, sorry.
…Broke your heart: See above.
…You vented to about a guy/girl: Amanda, constantly and always.

M is for
Milk flavor: Chocolate.
Movie: I have a lot of favorites. Since it’s Christmas, my favorite Christmas movies are White Christmas and Love Actually.
Mooned Anyone: Ew. No.
Marriage: I’d like it, but who knows? I want a good marriage like my parents have, and I think that’s less common these days.
Motion Sickness: No, but I do get seasick sometimes.
McD’s or BK: McD’s, if I have to pick. (I really like Taco Bell the best)
Memory: The snow makes me remember snow days when Charles and I were kids. We’d watch the Star Wars Trilogy and eat Ramen.

N is for
Number of Siblings: One. And he’s the best.
Number of Piercings: Two, one in each ear.
Number: 4, 7, 17.

O is for
Overused Phrases: Like, totally, seriously, for real? I talk like I’m still in a sorority sometimes.
Odd Phobia: I hate the word moist (I just shuddered when I typed it).

P is for
Place You’d Like to Live: Sevilla, España!
Pizza: Hawaiian.
Pepsi/Coke: Diet Coke, all day every day.
Person(s) You Miss: My grandma Joan. And certain friends who are out of state. 

Q is for
Quail: Uh, I know nothing about quail.
Quiet Music or Loud: Both, depending on the circumstances.

R is for
Reason to Cry: Feeling sad (duh), although I cry for little or no reason sometimes. Usually I cry when someone says something that hurts my feelings.
Reality TV: Oh, I have a problem. I watch all those garbage reality shows on VH-1. I can’t seem to stop. And I love Project Runway, Top Chef, Top Design, Shear Genius. Bravo actually seems to know how to produce a quality reality show (if indeed there is such a thing).
Radio Station: I love the morning show on 97.9.
Roll Your Tongue in a Circle: Easy peasy.

S is for
Song Playing Right Now: Disarm, by Smashing Pumpkins.
Shoe Size: 10 or 11.
Salad Dressing: Yech. I’m not really a fan.
Sushi: I looooove sushi! The spicy hawaiian at Littletree is the best.
Scent: Right now I smell like Jungle, from Lush.
Skipped Class: Yeah, when I was in college mostly.
Slept Outside: It’s been a very long time.
Seen a Dead Body: Yes.
Smoked: Nope. Well, I smoked a cigar once ‘cause I lost a bet. But other than that…
Skinny Dipped: Yes, and Amanda still owes me $5 for it.
Shower Daily: Generally, yes. I like bubble baths too.
Sing Well: Sure hope so, or those voice lessons were a waste of money!
Sing in the Shower: All the time.
Swear: Fuck yeah I do.
Stuffed Animals: A raggedy, matted platypus which was once pink.
Single/Group Dates: Doesn’t matter.
Strawberries/Blueberries: Strawberries. I have a serious dislike of blueberries.
Scientists Need to Invent: A way to dissolve kidney stones that doesn’t involve lithotripsy.
Sport: I like watching most sports, golf and Nascar being the exceptions.

T is for
Time For Bed: Usually between 12:00am and 1:00am.
Thunderstorms: Like ‘em.
TV: I’m getting a new one for Christmas! Thanks, Mom and Dad! 
Touch Your Tongue to Your Nose: Nope.
Tattoos: None.

U is for
Unpredictable: I think I’m pretty predictable.
Used to Play: The piano.

V is for
Vegetable You Hate: Raw tomato.
Vegetable You Love: Asparagus.
Vacation Spot: Anywhere with water and a beach!

W is for
Weakness: Men with accents
When You Grow Up: I wanna be famous! (Sorry, I couldn’t help it)
Which One of Your Friends Knows the Most about You: Amanda
Who Makes You Laugh the Most: Amanda and Andy are both hilarious.
Worst Feeling: That you’re totally alone, that no one cares about you.
Want to Be a Model: Not especially.
Where Do We Go When We Die: Hopefully someplace good!

X is for
X-rays: Yeah. I’m a spaz. I fall a lot.

Y is for
Year It Is Now: 2008 for a little longer!
Yellow: Hate it on me but I like it on some people.

Z is for
Zoo Animal: Giraffe!
Zodiac Sign: Taurus (we, the headstrong)

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