I met Steve for lunch today at Streets of Tanasbourne, which is just down the street from my office. He was all excited about the sale at Macy’s (yes, he likes to shop too!). So after lunch, I did a quick walk-through to see if they had any cute clothes in my size (every once in a while I find something I can’t live without). Anyway, to give you a little background… I’ve NEVER been petite. I don’t aspire to be petite. Even when I was smaller, I was not petite. So why in the world do they make someone my size walk all the way around the store past all the cute little outfits

in sizes S-M-L, next to the even cuter petite outfits

to the bigger, women’s sizes in the very far back corner of the store? Yes, that is a rhetorical question… I find it insulting, nonetheless. I don’t care if it’s only $28… I mean, who in their right mind would wear this?

The description: Eye candy. Colorful polka-dot print floats against a black background in this soft silk square-neck top… Why don’t they just use the word “clown” in the description because that’s what it’d look like in real-life! Hideous on so many levels, I don’t know where to begin! And what about this lovely number:

Flaunt the safari trend with this stylish animal-print patchwork silk skirt… patchwork?! Ugh! Oh, here’s one more… what self-respecting plus-sized woman would sport this lovely tunic?

I don’t think that particular shade of pink is flattering to anyone, much less, a size 18-ish grown woman. It’s not right, I’m telling you… who is doing the purchasing for this store? Who does the photography? Notice the cutesy poses on the little models and the unflattering cookie-cutter poses on all the bigger sizes? Do they think all us big girls also have no fashion sense? Holy crap, Macy’s people! I know I’m not the only one who feels this way! There are cute women’s-sized clothing out there! This cute dress

from Spiegel comes in plus. If you want me to continue shopping with you, Macy’s, do something about it!

It didn’t hit me until about a week or so ago when it started warming up around here. All at once, my allergies are full-blown. And because we don’t have air conditioning, we are sleeping with every window in the house wide open! Any minute now, I’m sure my head will explode and my eyes will pop out of their sockets. My sinuses are irritated and my ears are fluid-y. I wish I could just go back to bed and sleep it off. Not gonna happen. I have to get my butt in the shower and head off to the office. Oh, my lovely grey-walled cubicle will be a nice refuge after the 95°+ weather we had all weekend. Supposed to be thundershowers off and on throughout the day, according to Steve. Hopefully, a bit of precipitation will wash some of that annoying pollen out of the air. Oh, when will this antihistamine kick in? Gotta love summer!

I’ve been debating on whether or not to blog about this incident that’s been nagging at me. My decision is partly therapeutic: I need to purge the negative emotion/anxiety and move forward. That probably makes it sound worse than it really is… sorry for that. I’m interested in your unbiased opinion so please let me know what you think.

Anyway, here’s what happened… I attended a class recently at a smaller venue and it wasn’t the first time I had taken a class from this particular artist. A couple weeks after the class, I ran into this person and made a point of greeting them. It was very obvious that they did not have a clue who I was. Their response was cool and I was a little taken aback. I know these instructors meet a LOT of people but considering it had only been two weeks prior, don’t you think there’d be some inkling of recollection? Don’t you think they could have faked it? Okay, so they weren’t necessarily rude but still… I was kind of embarrassed. Maybe the reason it stung so bad was I had déjà vu of the quiet, shy girl (aka me) being shunned by the snobby, popular kid in high school.

Contrast that with Sherri Haab. I’ve taken two of her classes too; her true self shines through in a very positive way. She ALWAYS has a warm word and a smile. I bumped into Sally Jean Alexander a while ago and she too was so sweet and thanked me for a charm that I gave her at A&S in Hampton. These two women exude intelligence, talent, and graciousness. I may never be a well-known on the artist circuit. I may never be famous anywhere… but I’ll always try to treat people the way I wish to be treated.

A while ago, I wrote about the something that drives me crazy. Well, the madness has again taken place! I cannot believe the other day, we received yet ANOTHER set of phone books! Can you believe it?! Once a month it seems, we get a new set. I don’t get it! How can I make this stop?

Disclaimer: I apologize in advance for this long-winded post but I have something on my mind that needs to escape! I did my best not to disclose anyone’s identity but if any relatives reading this would like to add their perspective, I would welcome it so please add a comment.

I have volunteered to plan a family reunion. I have a huge family on my mom’s side. My grandparents, Ethel and Alfred, raised 21 kids (no multiples)—don’t you think that should be a record in the Guinness Book? Take a high level view of our family tree. I have a bazillion cousins—no lie! I know many of them but there are lots I don’t know. Since I’m one of the grandkids, I have tried to track down many of my “missing” cousins. Maybe I have a different perspective considering my mom’s in the middle of the pack so I grew up knowing a lot of my relatives. Some of the other family has been sort of disconnected… some due to distance; some—I’m assuming—by choice. The people who don’t want to be engaged with the family make me wonder why… I just don’t get it. Some of the fondest memories are hanging out with my cousins. Even after we moved to Oregon, I would ride the bus up to Seattle to visit during the summer. And my cousins would come down and wreak havoc (just kidding) on the little town of Scappoose.

Anyway, back to my point. I have become quite an e-detective and have actually tracked down quite a few people. Some haven’t responded so I have sent numerous email messages and may resort to snail-mail and picking up the phone! I guess since I love my extended family so much I can’t imagine that others would feel any differently. I got a response from one cousin a while ago. He wasn’t really a blood relative and he didn’t wish to be contacted. I wonder if he was adopted though. Okay, I can accept that since the parents were divorced and he was really a step-cousin anyway and he didn’t grow up knowing us. The other cousin was a blood relative who I remember meeting once a long, long time ago. When she was young, I think they went to live with their dad and never saw their real mom again. She sent me a note today and I was a little saddened to learn that she and her siblings had no desire be in contact. Gosh, that seems so strange to me. I got the impression that she felt she was being respectful to her immediate family by denying her bio-mom’s fam. I wanted to tell her that she shouldn’t feel that way. I didn’t. I didn’t tell her anything about her mom or her other siblings but I wanted to. It killed me not to. I wanted to tell her that her mom is battling a serious illness. I wanted to ask her what she thought was wrong with this part of her family. I wanted to say, do you think it was right that your dad kept you from knowing your mom? But I didn’t I was gracious and left the door open for her if she ever changes her mind. I didn’t give her my blog address (which I almost always put in my signature line). I told her I was glad to hear that she was happy and healthy and living a full and rewarding life. I told her I didn’t mean to invade her privacy. And I thanked her for responding. But I still don’t get it.

Our family is a bit crazy but everyone has so much value to me. I can’t imagine not knowing them. I suppose if I had grown up not knowing them, maybe I’d feel differently but I doubt it. Who wouldn’t want to learn about their heritage? It’s not like you have to start coming to every wedding and changing Christmas and Easter traditions. Who wouldn’t want to hear the family stories? Such colorful characters make the stories so entertaining (someone should write a book)! And we’re not getting any younger. I want my daughter to know where she came from. Oh, well… I will just have to accept things the way they are. I’ll let people know about the reunion. If they choose not to attend, it really, truly is their loss.

I am so looking forward to attending a family event this weekend. My uncle is getting remarried. I am so happy for him and wish him every happiness.

Do I really need another f-ing phone book? I got home from teaching my class this afternoon to find another set of phone books at my house. AARGH! I already had a headache and that was like adding fuel to the fire! For crying out loud! It’s 2008… I don’t need a freaking phone book people! Any info I want I can find online. Quit wasting paper and keep your yellow pages! I swear in the last almost-three years, I have recycled at least 10 sets of phone books. I didn’t know people were changing their numbers that frequently! They drop them off and I promptly get rid of them. I haven’t cracked open a single one. What kind of sense does this make? For the love of the earth—end the madness!