peeved

What is your pet peeve? 

When this topic was announced, I pinpointed my pet peeve instantly. 

– people who are mean to the wait staff –

This annoys me from all angles.  

                

When I waitressed at a comedy club, I found it pretty ironic that the worst behaved customers, the ones that complained and made huge fusses over the smallest things….were there on business, mainly staff parties of some sort. People, people, don’t you realize waitresses shop, bank, and buy cars too….and more importantly – we talk. If the impression your business leaves is rude, immature or flat out hard to please…then do not expect our business….or the business of our friends, family….sure, you “business men” may think that a lowly cocktail waitress is inconsequential to your “big, important business” – but then you may be surprised at who we know. 

  Other than those big parties, one of the biggest pitfalls of working in a comedy club was that when the lights came on, everyone got up to leave at once…meaning, MANY people slip out without paying…. which is immediately deducted from the waitresses tips.  ouch.  Okay, maybe that’s more than a pet peeve…

On the other side of the table, I’ve been out with people who treat restaurant staff with such a condescending manner that I’ve wanted to hide under the table. Last year at an event, a man fussed and complained the entire meal. The food wasn’t cooked just right, the drink tasted “off” whatever that means and then, the final straw was when he pushed dessert away, disgusted that the New York cheesecake, that he ordered….was too dense, not light and fluffy like he prefers.  (um, that is the definition of a New York style cheesecake sir, you must be thinking of Philadelphia style, which is not on the menu and so, you did not order it…)
He single-handedly destroyed the atmosphere of the entire table…no, the entire room. The owner of the restaurant even came over to apologize, and the rude putz put his hand up and turned away.  seriously man?

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… I thought I’d quickly write this up and be done with it, but then a few others came to mind…    

 *people who put all their focus on physical perfection. Now I am all for beauty and taking care of yourself, but come on, there is more to life honey.  (on the flip side – Toddlers and Tiaras – this is a big pet peeve of mine….ugh. those moms need to be focusing more on themselves – hit the gym, take yourself to the beauty parlor …and focus less on your toddlers beauty,  take your toddler to the playground,)

*saying you are getting so old – yes, of course you are aging, but stop acting old before your time….and by that I mean stop throwing the, “I’m too old for that card” – what a cop-out.  (sometimes it may be true…but most of the time it is just ridiculous, a thirty-something saying they are too old to do anything, or a forty year old who is “too old” for *insert anything fun here*

*condescending tones….The, “I-know-more-than-you-about-everything” – attitude, followed up with the “If-I-don’t-know-something,- it-must-not-be-important” – attitude.

When it comes to pet peeves, you really can’t have just one.

~*~*~*~*~written for the GBE2 topic, pet peeve~*~*~*~*~*~

V is for Vision

 V is for Vision

…..Very…….Verbs……Variety…….Vanity…..Velveteen Rabbit…..Verdi the snake….

 You need to have a vision. A very long term vision, full of variety and all sorts of verbs like playing, imagining, dreaming and loving…..vanity has to fall by the wayside.  Fill yourself to overflowing with vision. 

You are probably familiar with the story of the Velveteen Rabbit. If you haven’t, go buy it. The classic tale is worth a reread. While you are at it, look up Verdi. Not as well known, but the story of Verdi the snake deals with growing older….while staying young at heart.

  

Oddly, one of my favorite websites that illustrates all this; the very long term vision, variety, vanity and verbs of all kinds, is by a fashion photographer. “The Sartorialist” highlights people from around the world, some famous, most not. He captures people in all their quirky glory. Old ladies from Milan, high fashion models from Paris, people on the streets, on bikes, heading to work, waiting for the bus….love it. (70,000+ people a day agree with me too….this is one well-read blog!)

  The pictures of the older women (and men) are as interesting as any of the other random shots. He knows how to capture a moment in time. Makes you wonder what their story is. Because remember, EVERYONE, has a story. My secrets about secrets,  involves a particular person I would like to run into someday. Just one time. I want to hear his voice, take a look at his hands, see how he walks and relates to other people.
Voices, hands and how a person carries themselves down the street are all intriguing to me.

(V is also for Vague apparently

just chalk that last comment up to being a simple secret)

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“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse.

“You become.

It takes a long time. 

That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily,

or have sharp edges, 

or who have to be carefully kept.

Generally,

by the time you are Real,

most of your hair has been loved off, 

and your eyes drop out 

and you get loose in your joints

and very shabby. 

But these things don’t matter at all,

because once you are Real 

you can’t be ugly,

except to people who don’t understand.”
— The Velveteen Rabbit 

This is a 7 minute video of blogger Scott Schumann, aka, The Sartorialist. Sharing his artistic process, I especially love two phrases from this clip, paraphrased..

“you have to fall in love a little each day, allow yourself to be seduced a little each day “

and

“lack of knowledge really helped at the beginning” 

So true.

Love and discover  

and toughen up

You don’t want to be “one of those who break easily

or have sharp edges, 

or who have to be carefully kept.”