Knowing When To Stop... Decorating

"Behind every attractive room should be a reason."

~Sister Parish

Okay, this is going to be one of those posts where you might go away thinking to yourself... sometimes Carly is not a nice person. Okay, so be it. I get it. It's not nice to make fun of people. Not even ones self. But there does come a time when a little harmless venting, which might be at someone elses expense, just feels good! Now you know me, for the most part I am a positive person, well, accept for the occasional Sarah Palin jab, but come on, when I shoot an arrow her way, she usually deserves it! And also, lets be honest, she is on the public stage, at not just on a whim, but rather her chosen ambition! She knows the arrows will be coming, so how sorry can one really feel about it? Especially if the jab isn't so much of a jab, but rather a calling of, well, bullshit! Right?

Well, okay, Sarah Palin, and her mean-spirited minions occasionally have it coming. Lord knows I take a knock, now and then, from folks on the right who think my opinion, usually expressed over Twitter, is nothing but hooey. Fine! Hooey it is! Hooey, if decided in honesty, what can you do? People feel the way they feel, and when it's that black and white it's best not to try to argue, but rather let them go on their merry misguided way. Again... right?

Well, once in a while, I tend to meet in real life, someone who rivals Sarah Palin on the stupid scale. There, I said it. An actual, card carrying, stupid person. This past summer I did just that. AND SHE KNOWS WHO SHE IS! This person hurt Alan and I. Financially, and in morale. She made a decision to lie, knowing what the consequences would be for us. She had only her own needs at heart. She had an agenda and she did all she could... whatever it took... to meet those ends. In the end, when I looked back over what happened, I have to remind myself that it really did happen, otherwise I tend to think of this past summer as a cheesy Lifetime movie.

The one thing I have, late at night, that keeps me from crying myself to sleep is the knowledge that she was a genuinely stupid person. A moron. A simp. How and why do I form this opinion? Well, one day she invited me to "her place" for a lovely afternoon of wasted time. She went on and on about mostly useless subjects, then invited me to take a look around "her place" to see how busy she had been the previous weekend. A weekend she spent decorating. 

Olive drab isn't really my thing, but it's not absolutely tragic either. I like earth-tones, so you can find it among my decorating touches. She had it everywhere! Okay, fine, if that is your deal, who cares? There were lots and lots of... well... pictures of wine, and wine glasses. Which again... who cares? Apparently her favorite flower was the Bird of Paradise, because she had them in every single room! Curtains. Drapes. Carpeting in the second bedroom. Towels. Dish cloths. Dishes. Glasses. Refrigerator decals. Oven decals. Wall tiles in the bathroom. Wall tiles in the kitchen. Bird of Paradise flocked and roosted everywhere!

EVERYWHERE!

But it was the sign she had hanging over the toilet in the guest bathroom that made me double over in pain and laughter. There it was... a sign.. made of wood and glitter, which read...

"And They Lived Happily Every After."

Hanging over the toilet.

So.. what? They pooped "And They Lived Happily Every After?"

He pooped?

She pooped?

They pooped?

Or was it they flushed poop "And They Lived Happily Ever After?"

I know there have been times when I needed to poop so badly, that I couldn't imagine not pooping, and when I did, I actually did live happily ever after, at least until my next urge to poop anyway! So in that light I get what she was saying! But the other side of my brain just found it amazingly funny that in all the places that sign could have been displayed, she chose to hang it over the toilet in the guest bathroom!

Oh well. I am going have to admit it. I had already came to the conclusion this lady was stupid. Not because of her decorating skills mind you, but because she was probably one of the most mean-spirited, narrow minded, racist assholes I had ever had the misfortune to be in the presence of. That day she shared her personal feelings about who she wanted to live around, and how relieved she was that I was her kind of people. When she finally revealed her true feelings about anyone who didn't look like her, I just felt covered in the crap she slung. It was disgusting and unnecessary. I never thought I would meet a true racist in 2015, or at any other point in life, but I did. And it's not something I will not forget soon. The scars that were inflicted this past summer may not ever heal. But I am going to try my best to try to heal because the pain is useless. It's complicated, but one thing I know, I will NEVER ASSOCIATE MYSELF WITH RACISTS!

It wasn't the birds of paradise everywhere. It wasn't the over use of glitter. It was her. She can decorate her life all she wants, in the end, she is a racist. End of the story.

She was, and as far as I know, stupid by choice.

But you know what they say...

Ignorance Is Bliss.

And I am sure she and those she surrounds herself with will be fine in their awful little worlds.

And Will Live Happily Every After.

Leaf Of The Day

September 24th, 2015

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

This Above All...

Carly's Chicken Bella Gusto (my original recipe)


This above all: to thine own self be true
And it must follow, as the night to day
Thous canst not then be false to any man.

~William Shakespeare, Hamlet

My goodness y'all... Paula Deen has had a bad week! Well, actually the last few years have been rough on the lady from Savannah! First came the news that after having lived a rather butter filled life, butter this, and butter that, she had contracted Type 2 diabetes. As much as I don't care for the lady, I didn't jump for joy to find out that she had been given that diagnosis, but what did bother me, a lot, was the fact that she knew she had diabetes for at least a couple years before disclosing it. Does she have to share the intimate details of her life, just because she is a celebrity chef? No! Certainly not, but what was disturbing to me was the fact that she was give the diagnosis and then continued to come up with new and exciting ways to help others contract the disease. It was irresponsible. If she had come out with the fact that she was in for a culinary lifestyle change, and perhaps incorporated some slimmed down versions of her dangerous recipes into her cooking shows, I would have not only applauded her for her honesty, I would have gained a world of respect for the lady. Instead it was revealed that she had been given a nice fat contract to act as spokesperson for a new insulin drug, and that was the true driving factor surrounding the disclosure.

Damn... that's sad.

Well, everyone lost their collective shit over the incident, and things died down, but now here is that southern belle in yet another pickle. This time over allegations of personally using racial slurs, and turning a blind eye to her brother's behavior of sexual harassment and the using of similar slurs as well, therefore creating a hostile working environment! The whole thing blew up this week, and only got worse when Paula admitted to using the slurs in a certain context several years ago. By yesterday, Friday, the damage had been done. The Food Network has fired her! And oddly enough, I feel kinda bad for her. I usually feel bad for anyone who finds themselves in this kind of circumstance. This was a situation that didn't have to happen, had Deen been a little more mindful of other peoples feelings. You know what I mean?

I think all of us have had a moment when we have thought something less than kind towards someone. I can admit right now that I have thought of the bad neighbor I have as being an idiot. Dumb. Useless. Stupid. Mean. You name it... I have thought it, and sometimes said it, especially to Alan, because you can tell your spouse anything, especially when you just need to express some stress. The simple truth however is that you can't indulge in the depths of negativity too long. You see, along with my father teaching me about politics, he also taught me there was a time and a place for everything, but there was never a time for using hurtful language toward someone. Racial jokes aren't funny. Neither are sizest jokes or gender jokes. Does that mean I have never laughed at a blond joke, no, I would be lying it I said that, but the personal jab is where I begin to tune out the comedy.

Sigh.

I am glad we have moved to a more politically correct world than when I was a child. I am a short lady. I am 4'11 on a good day, so I have been the object of many a short person joke. Frankly... I can take a joke. You kinda have to develop a thick skin or sink into despair from the insensitivity of others. It didn't happen over night, but now no one is better at making fun me than me. I know myself better than anyone in the world, including Alan. I know my strengths. I know that because of my Fibromyalgia I will make a mistake with my speech every single day. I am not exaggerating. EVERY SINGLE DAY. So if I can't laugh at myself... well... life would be intolerable.

Laughing at one's self is a strength. Laughing at other people... not so much. The use of self restraint when someone is getting on your last nerve... a strength. Reducing a fellow human to an ignorant racial slur... not so much. Using the counting to 10 method before reacting when someone is upsetting you is a strength. Not putting any thought into the weight your words carry because you are upset and you want to hurt them back... not so much. When you think about it, being politically correct is more for you than anyone else. It's about who you want to be inside. Sitting here, right now, I wish I had stopped while I was in the middle of my angry rant toward my neighbor, I wish I would have tried to express myself on a less angry level, rather than lobbing the expletive filled verbal salad at his head.

He got on my last nerve and the shit literally hit the fan! Of course on the plus side, he merely tries to annoy me now, rather than completely piss me off, which is a good thing... I think!?

LOL.

Will it ever happen again. I hope not. But you never know. Human here. But being human can't be used as an excuse! And believe me, I am trying really hard to remember that.

I imagine things will be difficult for Paula Deen in the next few weeks and months, but hopefully she will take some time to reflect. Perhaps this was a lesson she needed to learn. All the most profound and meaningful lessons seem to hurt us the most. Well, at least that's been my experience. But hey, anything that encourages us to grow as a person can't be all bad. If we remember to forget the blame and accept the lesson. I wish the lady luck. And one day, perhaps not all that long from now, she will be back, a little less butter laden, and a little more mindful.

We'll see.

And now, here's a little dessert. A simple Strawberry/BlackBerry on Buttermilk Biscuit. Type 2 Diabetic friendly of course!



YUM!

Mood: Reflective

~Me :)