Belittle Me

Someone was rude to me this week. So rude that I couldn't sleep, that I obsessed over the why's and how come's for the entire day following it. It made me think of high school a bit. When it was the thing to do for your guy friends to lead into a conversation with a snide remark about how you looked or what you were wearing. Except this wasn't high school and this wasn't a teenager. It was an adult.

Being around people like that makes me act like someone I hate. It's not that I want to go through life wearing bubble wrap. I can take my fair share of abuse, insults, and hurtful comments. I'm usually able to come back with something to either let them know that I can handle it, or I walk away from the situation all together. 

  

I've talked about how I'm trying to be nicer and cut down on the sarcasm, especially when it comes to meeting new people, but that night I had to be someone that I didn't like at all. I had to be extremely rude and I hated it. I tried for a long time to keep the plastered smile on until I hit my breaking point. Even though I tried to remove myself from the situation several times by turning my back, walking away, and not directing any conversation towards this person, it didn't work. Trying to joke and smirk my way through it didn't work out in my favor either. They continued to find their way over to me for the single purpose of being cruel. At one point I was even shoved across the room. 

  

People say that living in a city gives you a certain edge that people who don't live here might not necessarily have. I think that just living around other people gives you an edge. Everyone comes at life with a different perspective, from a different angle, and with a different outlook. Not everyone is going to be nice, although it would be great if they all were I also realize this isn't a fantasy world. I certainly learned my lesson this week. 

Living in a bigger city you're exposed to more people, so it's more likely that you will bump into someone who isn't the most pleasant to be around. A part of me thinks that these particular type of people use being in the middle of a huge city as an excuse for their rudeness. It's not ok to be disrespectful to one person simply because there is a larger volume of people here. When I leave my apartment I never intend on being a stranger's target to dump their frustrations on.

Live and learn I guess. I should have removed myself from the situation far sooner than I did. And by that I mean, I should have left all together. This person didn't deserve to have control over my night, but I let him. Up until that point I was having fun, laughing, and enjoying a night out with friends. What I did realize is that there's a distinct difference between someone who is sarcastic with good intentions and a person who uses their voice to belittle others. 

Sunglasses from Sucre, Madewell Jeans, Jeffrey Campbell Sandals
Vintage Ring from my Grandma, Vintage Earrings from Spitalfields Market
Sheer Polka Dot Tunic Borrowed from Jupe Boutique

I am very aware that there are a large group of people will be always be crass, rude, ignorant, offensive, etc. I can't change that, but a big part of me does want to understand it. I realize that's almost asking for the impossible too. So the next logical answer is to accept it. Seems to be a common theme for me these days. See the problem, acknowledge it, accept it, move on. So, moving on...

On a completely different and much more positive note, last week Terra put up her Style My Closet feature! While I was in Pittsburgh we made plans to stop by Jupe Boutique so I could be Terra's style challenge for the month. She picked out this sheer polka dot top for us to style. Of course I went with a simple top and pants sort of look, while Terra put me back in my pink skirt for a ladylike vibe. You can check out more photos and read about Terra's take on the looks in her post, Jupe Boutique's Style My Closet. 

Sunglasses from Sucre, Skirt from Anthropologie, Ring from Anthropologie
Vintage Clutch from Tree & Kimball Market, Custom Harness from Clyde's Rebirth
Photos by Terra

I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far! I spent some quality time in the park relaxing with Lua yesterday. Tonight I'm looking forward to meeting up with the always lovely Sarah who's in town with her husband for the weekend. Have a good one and be nice to a stranger!

Scenes from a Weekend : VII

My post-Thanksgiving weekend was mostly spent at the beach. I stopped by my favorite spot on the way out. It was bitter cold, the wind was whipping, and it was gorgeous. When I pulled into the parking lot I noticed an older dog wandering around. I then realized he was blind. A few phone calls later, a short walk down the road and he was home safely. Lua and I had the beach all to ourselves. 

By the time I got back to the house the sun was down. I spent the night out catching up with friends. I woke up bright and early Saturday to bake some chocolate chip cookies. When my friends were life guards I would bake cookies for them almost daily. I decided to whip up a batch of the original recipe since it was a special occasion. Then some pumpkin bread and tea to tide myself over while the cookies got warm and tasty in the oven. 

Everyone met at the beach at noon. Polar bear plunge time. Two of my friends are moving to Australia for a year, so they decided this would be an appropriate send off. I'm glad I was appointed photographer / cookie baker for the event. I had no desire to get in that water. It didn't last very long. We were the only people at the beach, certainly they were the only people in the water. 

The rest of the day was spent relaxing at a friends house and finishing off the cookies. It was great to be with some people I haven't seen much lately. We switched around between a few different movies and chatted about what's new in our lives. Then home for more R&R and sunset time with Lua. 

Not a mummy. Just a really sick boy. 

On Sunday one of my friends came by for a bit and we caught up over tea and coffee. One of the things we talked about was working out. I've once again fallen off the bandwagon. Since the ten mile Broad Street Run in Philly this spring I have ran maybe twice. I know it's good to work out, but I really can't find the motivation right now to get up and do it. Add to this the fact that it's winter and dark before I'm home from work, it seems like the odds are stacked against me. I think I'll get back into it when the time is ready. I'm just waiting for that one big push (That's what they all say). 

Instead of going for a run after the talk I packed up and headed home. I stopped by the park on the way out to take some pictures and let Lua run around for a bit. We had the place to ourselves again. Thanksgiving weekend went by very fast. It was a welcome break for me. Some time to relax, bake, eat, reconnect, and be away from the day to day week schedule. I think we all need that sometimes. Those weekends when there's no melodramatic scene, no build up of emotions, no deep reflecting on our lives and how we've possibly messed them up. Just a good old fashioned time. I'm glad I snuck one in there. 

Thank you so much to Cayce for featuring me on her blog Madame Joy. I'm lucky enough to be in the company of some very fine ladies for Cayce's fashion files (No.1). Thanks again Cayce! 

A State of Mind

Hey there, I'm guest posting for Merl over on Clyde's Rebirth today. After Merl's more than stellar guest blogging appearance here I was very intimated to show my face on her blog. Turns out Merl is one of the best people I've come across so far. I highly recommend you take a long lingering look through both her shops, Clyde's Rebirth and Mo Vintage. 

Thank you so much Merl for letting me paste my face all over your blog and thank you for so many things beyond the world of blogs.

Head over to check out more pictures and outfit details! There are a few other pictures on my Tumblr as well.

I'm going to the Chictopia Conference this September. Let me know if any of you are going. I'd love to meet up!

I'll leave you with this because it just feels right. 

The Beatles - Rain

Between the Clear

Vacation, July 9th
Lua being sexy.

When the rain storms came in Kev and I headed back to the house for awhile. We sat around with Lua, helped my mom make dinner from her garden, and relaxed on the couch.

When the weather clearly up enough we headed back to the beach.
 
Saw some beautiful skies.

And I stared at Kev's freckles in the fog.

On Sunday, Santina of Style by Santina decided to spread the love and featured me as one of her favorite posts from the week! You can check it out and the other girls she featured here. Thanks Santina!

I also wanted to say thank you for all the wonderful comments on yesterdays post. It's reassuring to know that I'm not the only one struggling with those thoughts. And that in some way we really are all figuring it out together.