My Opinion Matters

The title of this post should really be "My Opinion Matters and Passive Aggressive People Suck the Life Out of Me" but it was much too long.

There's a funny quote about opinions I'm sure you've heard at one time or another and it goes a little something like this:  "Opinions are like assholes.  Everyone has one."  Yes, I have opinions and I'm not afraid to voice them.  It's OK.  Everyone has an opinion.  It's what makes the world go 'round.  We all have opinions on the following:  global warming -- does it exist?, Obama -- worst President ever?, the best color in the box of crayons, Coke or Pepsi, which Kardashian sister is the prettiest, Alabama or Auburn, Rangers or Islanders.  You get the idea.

Earlier this week I swore off social media, specifically Facebook, for a few days due to the mess in Ferguson and other reasons.  Sometimes I just get inundated with visuals and information and I can only take so much.   Stimulation overload if you will.  I proclaimed I was going off the grid because I was tired of a certain professional race car driver taking up a lot of my timeline as well as the situation in Missouri.  Let me explain . . .

I meant nor implied anything critical when I claimed that I was tired of Tony Stewart clogging up my timeline.  I do not know Tony Stewart.  I do not care to know Tony Stewart and I do not want to know Tony Stewart.  Mr. Stewart and I do not run in the same social circles and I'm OK with that.  I did not proclaim any guilt or innocence in recent track-related events.  I did not assassinate or question his character, morals or integrity.  I did not infer that he should be criminally charged.  I do not have any opinion on if and when it is appropriate for Mr. Stewart to return to racing. These things are better left to the fine folks at NASCAR, ESPN, FoxSports and, of course, Mr. Stewart himself.  I simply stated I am tired of him clogging up my timeline.

Whelp, apparently that ruffled a few feathers.  Apparently a friend took great offense to my comments.  Although I have not logged on to Facebook as per my self-imposed silence, it has come to my attention that several thinly veiled threats/accusations were made towards me.  Passive Aggressively, of course.  Again, because I haven't been on FB I'm hearing this second hand but "allegedly" I was called a "Mean Girl" and "not a true friend" because I made a comment about Tony Stewart clogging up my timeline.  I cannot re-iterate enough --  I HAVE ZERO OPINION ABOUT MR. TONY STEWART.  It is not my place to judge what happened on that race track nor have I EVER attempted to judge what happened on that race track.  I wasn't there.  And neither were you.

However, I AM entitled to say that I am tired of something.  It's MY OPINION.  Stating my opinion does not make me a Mean Girl.  What it does make me is brutally honest.  I have never nor will I ever stifle my agenda to better fit someone else's.  And I'm not raising my girls to conform to someone else's ideals either.  Stating my opinion about something doesn't make me a bad friend.  In fact, claiming that someone is a bad friend because they have opinion different from yours makes me sad.  I'm sad on several accounts:  #1, I'm sad that this person doesn't recognize the value in other people's opinions and #2, if I offended that person, she should have texted or called me and expressed HER OPINION (to which I would have happily listened).  Not taken it to Facebook.

Zodiac

My husband has threatened to throw away my beautiful new phone and my computer and wants me to stay off social media.  I have a tendency to get very upset at some of the injustices of the world (or what I, in my own little world, perceive to be unjust).  I'm not a black or white kind of girl.  I see things very gray.  And this I blame entirely on being a Libra.  I try to please everyone.  I try to see both sides of the story and I get very (very) vocal about certain topics that I feel passionate about (Paula Deen, Trayvon Martin, the latest cover of Rolling Stone magazine, Hoover City Schools cutting buses from the budget . . . I could go on and on). 

Here are some typical characteristics of Libras and my thoughts on said characteristics: 

Kind, gentle and lovers of beauty, harmony and peace, the Libra-born are attractive people. However, in their bid to please everyone, they can rarely say no to anyone, and as a result, end up stretching themselves.

Positive traits

Tactful
The Libra-born know how to get things done (or, as Tina Fey says, "Bitches get Stuff Done"), however, they cannot be called manipulative. They are too nice to take undue advantage of people’s emotions. 
Romantic
Ruled by Venus, the people born under the Zodiac Sign Libra are romantic to the core. Everything in their lives revolves around the magic word – Love.  (yeah, OK.  I admit it.  I do love loving gestures from my husband or daughters big or small)
Charming
The way they talk and the matters they talk about make people comfortable in their company. And their captivating smile is like a cherry on the cake!  (I don't know about the captivating smile part)
Just
The have a strong sense of justice and fair play. They may tactfully find their way out, but they will never resort to dubious means to get what they want.  (and here's where I start to get in trouble)
Diplomatic
The Libra-born are famous for their diplomatic skills and ability to listen to opposing viewpoints without losing patience. (I don't know about the patience part)
Balanced
Striking balance comes naturally to the Scales as they are graphically represented in the Zodiac calendar. They rarely go to extremes, be it regarding any matter. (like any modern woman, I do try to have it all and juggle a lot -- family, home, career, etc.  Just when I think I'm doing great, something blows up and it all comes crashing down)

Negative traits

Superficial
External beauty means a lot to them. So much so that the Libra-born tend to become superficial, ignoring the potential flaws underneath the beautiful exterior. (I don't think I'm superficial when it comes to physical beauty but buy me a gorgeous pair of shoes or a handbags and I'm yours for life!)
Detached
People born under the Zodiac Sign Libra are empathetic but they can also be detached and pretentious as they don’t wish to displease anyone. (I do have a habit of shutting down and removing myself from the situation rather than confront it head on)
Unreliable
A Libra gets easily influenced by others’ opinions and may change his/ her mind before one may realize it. You may never know if they will keep their word. (I am very guilty of this.  I cancel plans or commitments often because I am just overwhelmed trying to please everyone else and need to just take a step back.  Also see above comment regarding "Detached")
Laid-back
They are energetic but can be surprisingly laid-back as well. And it is not so much physical laziness as it is a desire to avoid tension and emotional challenges. (Um, yes)
Indecisive
Choosing one option out of two or more choices is probably the toughest task for the Libra. Their indecisiveness often becomes a hurdle in their path. (This is SO not me.  Once I make up my mind.  It's done.  We will not discuss it again.  All systems a go.  My mind is made up and that's that.  My husband says it's the stubborn Polish side of me)
Self-indulgent
Since they focus on being surrounded with all things beautiful, the Libra-born tend to self-indulgent and extravagant. (I am totally self-indulgent.  Again, it all goes back to trying to please everyone else.  I often find it quite necessary to take a step back, remove myself from the situation and just take care of me for a while.  Whether it's a pedicure, a bubble bath or reading a book because Damn it!  I'm worth it!  Also see Detached, Unreliable and Laid-Back.)

And here's what the Huff Post has to say about Libras:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/horoscopes/astrology/libra/about/

Famous Libras include:  Ganhdi, Sting, Will Smith, Barbara Walters, Kim Kardashian, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Zac Efron, Usher, Snoop Dog, John Lennon, Viggo Mortenson, Gwen Stefani, Eminem, Matt Damon, Ryan Reynolds, Margaret Thatcher, F. Scott Fitzgerald

So, what does your birth sign say about you???

Saturday Silliness and Social Media

Holy Cow KJ has been on a roll the last couple of days.  Really funny stuff coming out of her mouth lately.  She's got a great sense of humor.  Last night I told her she was killing me and she said, "I know.  I've really got to get off the funny train."  She's very dry and sarcastic.  I have no idea where she gets it from!  She's sowing her sassy oats and middle school should be interesting. 

And now it's time to talk about social media.  I loved FB when it first came out.  I loved living in Alabama and being able to keep up with friends and family around the country/around the world.  I loved seeing photos of my friend's kids and I loved hearing about their accomplishments and adventures.  Then it started to get annoying.  I became inundated with Farmville Requests and friends started to use FB as a personal diary and ended up sounding like immature 12 year old little girls (you know the type, the friend that posts about EVERYTHING.  Every little mundane detail of their life:  "Packing for vacation!"  "Driving to airport!"  "Waiting at airport!"  "Boo!  I hate going through security!"  "Sitting on runway!"  "Just landed!"  "At hotel!"  And, thanks to FB I now think "ever" is the most over-used word on the planet -- "Best husband EVER!"  "Prettiest baby EVER"  "Happy birthday to the best son EVER"  Oh!  And the photos of the food you're about to eat.  Those are my favorites!  You get the point.  And I'll admit it.  I'm sure at some point in the game I did the same thing. 

Then came Twitter.  Luv, Luv, Luv Twitter.  I can decided who I want to interact with and, more importantly, who I DON'T want to interact with.  And, I don't get dire messages about some one's Golden Unicorn that is about to die unless I give them 15 bales of silver hay or whatever the hell.  If I don't agree or appreciate some one's tweets, I stop following them.  It's nothing personal.  No big deal.  I love checking in with my favorite news outlets during the day, sports scores, etc.  Love getting a laugh from the Sarcastic Wonka, the Fake ESPN, Denis Leary, Lisa Lampenelli, etc.  RevRun's tweets are a great pick-me up, too.  It's fast, it's succinct and Twitter reminds me of one of my favorite Jackie Kennedy quotes:  "I want minimum information given with maximum politeness."  Just give it to me straight.  Yup.  That's why Twitter is for me. 

And then we were introduced to Pinterest.  The blogger in me personally loved Pinterest.  The traveler in me, the fashionista in me, the book nerd in me, the history geek in me, the closet interior designer in me.  Yes, all of me loved Pinterest.  So visually stimulating!  So inspirational!  All in one glorious place!  It's the coolest encylopedia on the planet!  And then, I noticed something.  It took me a while (yeah, I'm a slow learner) but I noticed people using social media (my beloved Twitter and Pinterest!) to push their product.  I'm not talking about big name brands like Apple, Coca-Cola, Nike.  I'm talking about mom and pop operations.  One of my favorite Pinners (who shall remain nameless) had amazing photos/pins of beautiful home decor items.  I re-pinned several of them because I was inspired.  I thought, "Wow!  I could do this in my own home!" or "Wow!  That would look great on my mantel!"  Then I realized I was no better than a drug dealer.  I was helping her push her product onto other naive, unsuspecting Pinners.  I've noticed folks on Twitter doing the same thing (they shall remain nameless, too).  Sometimes they add a photo or Instagram to their Tweet, sometimes a link to their website.  I think it's amazing when someone can make a living doing something they love.  That's a wonderful gift my friend.  Don't abuse it.  However, when all of your tweets are about your Etsy site, your Scentsy stuff and you "friended" me on FB so I would join your legions of cooking/baking minions, I will delete you in a heart beat. 

We (Cosmo & I) will help anyone in any way, shape or form we can.  We have friends that own their own businesses and we support them.  We support and promote them as often as we can -- whether it's a local restaurant, a dental office, an art gallery downtown, a local politician running for office.  You name it.  We've supported our friends.  And have loved doing it.  We've always felt it was a great honor to be included in that kind of stuff.  Let's face it.  When you're a new business there are people you HAVE to invite and then there are people you WANT to invite.  Drop me an e-mail, give me a phone call, send me a formal invite.  Just make it a little personal, make the effort.  If our schedule permits, we'll be there.  If it's important to you, it's important to us.  Don't be sneaky and push your drugs on your FB, Pinterest or Twitter accounts. 

10 on Thursday (Since I Can't Get My Act Together)

1. How do you take your coffee?
I don't do coffee.
2. Do you prefer soft or crispy chocolate chip cookies?
soft, chewy and with a glass of milk.
3. Do you wear a belt everyday?
No.
4. What is your favorite color combination?
I love neutrels, I love anything mixed with browns and black.
5. Do you like sour candy?
I like Sour Patch Kids and Sour Straws but that's about it.
6. How often do you do laundry?
UGH. Please don't get me started on the laundry. I feel like I do laundry several times a day.
7. Did you ever wear braces?
No.
8. Are you good at Roman Numerals?
Yes. It takes me a minute to compute though. I have to think about it; it's not something that comes naturually.
9. What is your favorite form of social media?
I'm kind of over Facebook. I love the fact that I can keep up with far away family and friends but I'm so tired of the garbage people put on there. I love Twitter but I always come back to my blog.
10. How do you feel about chin dimples?
Hmmm...never really thought about chin dimples.