Ode to the Rude person at MOC

Well, I'm in a slightly better mood today. Or not. Last night was MOC's church night and I somehow got suckered into going. I really wasn't suckered. My mom asked if I would take my little brother since she couldn't go and I said yes. Really no suckering involved. Anyway, it was nice to run into some familiar faces that I haven't seen for YEARS. Ugh, getting so old that I can use that sentence is kind of depressing. But you know what?! Something happened that made me sssoooooo angry. I saw this person (names and identities have been changed to protect the innocent) that I have known for years. Our families know each other and I've actually been on vacation with this person's family. Nothing bad every happened between us, so when this person didn't even acknowledge that I was there, I walked right up to him/her and said, "Hey, _____. How are you?" He/She didn't even make eye contact!!! UGH! But he/she some how mustered up the strength to say, "Fine." No, 'hey good to see you' or even a courtesy 'How are you?'  Nope, nothing. So, I said, "How is (this person that I was close to) been doing?" And his/her reply: "Fine.".............Seriously? That's it. Whatever. I can live with that. I assure you that I'm not going to lose sleep because you harbor some ill will towards me. But that's not it! After realizing that this fine "christian" person wasn't going to make ANY attempt to even be civil with me, I began to talk to someone with a few more manners. Out the corner of my eye, however, I see this person walk up to a guy and start whispering in his ear. He's not facing me, so when this person finished talking, the guy turns completely around to look at me over his shoulder, makes eye contact with me, and then immediately turns back to talk to him/her. 

Ok, new paragraph. Now I'm not a paranoid person. I'm not even a person who cares all that much about what people think. I'm not a moron either. I think Captain Go-Out-of-His-Way-To-Look-Over-His-Shoulder made it obvious that they were discussing me. But it just makes me angry that people can be so incredibly rude. Now I can go one of two ways. If I don't like you; A.) you know it, more than likely because I told you that I didn't like you or B.) I can be completely phony and never let you know that I don't like you out of sheer courtesy.  I'm gonna wrap this up, basically because I actually don't care that much about this situation and I'm slightly comforted by the fact that I think this person is miserable in their own life (forgive me, Lord). So, in summary, I think we could use a little more common courtesy in our society. If I can act phony and pretend that I care what you're saying, I suspect that you can do the same. At least you can formulate some sort of meaningful thought. All I'm saying is that most people have a vocabulary bigger than the word "fine." And if you can't summon the strength to do that, at least don't send me into a whole new dimension of pissed off by talking about me while I'm still in the room. Next time I run into this person, I'm picking option A.

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Reflecting (lame title, i know)

Ok, so I'm slightly bummed today. (Yes, I used the word "bummed".) I got my dad's tools and paper work from his employer today. It's starting to sink in more and more that he's gone. To be completely honest, I wasn't quite sure how to feel about the whole thing. I was SO close to my dad when I was younger. Daddy's girl completely described me. So, it was incredibly confusing when I didn't speak to him or see him for so many years. I've come to terms with the fact that some people aren't really cut out to be parents and they can only do so much. I don't blame him.....really, I don't. I can't imagine how my life would be different if I had chosen to stay with him instead of my mom when they got divorced and I really can't imagine what it would have been like if I had stayed with him instead of moving to North Carolina. But it still hurts that we didn't have a better relationship and we spent so much time apart. I hate the fact that he never met my husband, he'll never meet his grandchildren someday.....that he didn't get to see me as an adult. The one thing that gives me comfort is thinking of our last conversation when he apologized for not being a good dad and not always being there when I needed him. While it may be true that he probably wouldn't have won any "World's Greatest Dad" awards, he was still my dad. It's still his attitude that I have and his eyes I see when I look in the mirror. I just hope that losing him helps me to treasure the other relationships that I have and to make the most out of them. Ok, enough self pity for awhile. Later All!!   

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Ugh...just ugh

Just a quick list of the reasons that I'm upset with my small town...

1. It's small. Not always a bad thing, but EVERYTHING shuts down around 9:00 p.m. It's just not the best conditions if you have a craving for chocolate at midnight.

2. Checkpoints. Seriously, the first 3 months I lived here, 8 license checkpoints. This town isn't that big, people!!

3. Power outages. I have no idea what it takes to power a town. I don't really care that much. I just know that if I pay for electricity, there shouldn't be a reason for the power to go out 2 times a month for NO reason. It's not like we live in tornado alley and storms run rampant. 

4. Cutting down trees. Unless you are from a HUGE town where your idea of scenery is a flower pot on a window sill, you probably think trees are nice. Nothing wrong with the ones on my street. They make the street more attractive, provide shade, and that whole producing oxygen thing isn't too bad either. So, I really can't figure out why they decided to cut down 10 of them along my street. Annoys me though.

5. Results of cutting down trees. Now, if you're going to cut down trees for no reason, at least you could do it right. First, there's an ugly stump in front of my house. And secondly, if you're going to cut down a tree for NO REASON, you could unplug the big black cable that is running right by it. But why do that when you can just snap it causing the resident that you're annoying anyway to be annoyed even more since now they're paying for cable and internet and don't have it for 3 days because you're a moron. *Sigh*

Ok, that's enough ranting...I feel slightly better now. Not a lot though. Cause that ugly stump is still there.

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Personalized Artwork

For your living room....

For your little one's nursery...

For your office...

For your furry, feathered, or finned little ones :)...

Well, in case you didn't know, my friend, Kari, and I have started a little "business" recently. Basically, we create custom paintings for your home or office. They can be created to match your nursery's crib bedding, your home's decor, or even your pet! I'm not a great salesperson, so I'll just post some pics and you can judge for yourselves! AND if you like what you see, contact us for pricing and ideas :)

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Ava Presley

Here's my newest little model. Still working on editing, but here's a preview of what I've gotten done so far. She was so sweet, but we tired her out and she spent most of the shoot asleep :)

-J

PS...still angry b/c I broke my flash!!

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FIRST Time's a Charm!

Well....here we are. The Wonderful World of Blogging. Now, before you get your hopes up, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. I will never make the statement that I am a witty, fabulous writer. More than likely my remarks won't be condensed to cute thought-provoking quips, but that's fine with me. I enjoy writing like I'm having a conversation with someone. (And sometimes that involves not using correct grammar or even making concise sentences.) What I will do is share a little bit about myself and what is happening in my life as it happens. Well, there's no time like the present, so let's get to know...well, me!

I'd like to begin by listing one of my pet peeves which is describing myself...lol. No really, I detest it, but let's just make this quick like pulling off a band-aid. My name is Jewel (just jewel, not julie, or julia or juliet or anything like that). I reside in eastern North Carolina with my hubby, Jeremy. We have 2 cats (Mr. Anderson & Hitler) and a border collie (Topher). I am a sucker for animals and would have more if Jeremy would give the ok :). Photography and Art are my passions. My degree is in graphic arts, but I like letting my creativity loose on other mediums besides those that involve a keyboard. That's mostly what you will be hearing (or reading) about here. My next post will just be some examples of my latest work. I love meeting new people, so feel free to leave me a note :) Til we blog again....

Lots of Love

-Jewel

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