Has it really come to this?

 I know it's hard not to be bitter when dealing with a person who lies and/or cheats. But ladies, please, take the high road.  Don't go online or take out an ad in the paper or staple notices on the local utility poles about how much you hate the guy, or drag out every little detail of his infidelity, or list all the lies he told you and/or everyone else.  I have to say, I am shocked a website like that is actually permitted to exist.  The potential for slander is so extreme on that kind of a website that I cannot believe it hasn't been shut down, to say nothing of the immaturity level it displays.

Yes, yes, I know, the supposed point of the website is to "warn" other people about these individuals and their bad behavior.  And some people, indeed, seem like they ought to come with a warning label tattooed on their faces.  But if what they've done isn't considered illegal or a threat to someone else, but just hurtful and/or stupid, don't air it to the world.  Remember that Golden Rule you heard at some point while growing up?  This is a good time to follow it.

Some people do stupid things.  Some people do stupid things with abandon.  Some people do stupid things and regret them.  Some people don't do stupid things, but have bitter, shallow exes who enjoy ruining other people's lives by making up falsehoods about them.  And I can guarantee that all of these kinds of people are well-documented on that website.  

Look, if you've been (or are currently) with one of the first two types of people on the above list, you have two choices: take it or leave it.  Literally.  Either put up with it or walk away from it, but whichever you choose, shut up about it.  No one besides your mother, sister, or best friend is going to care about what he did anyway, and spouting off to the public at large only makes YOU look like the fool, not him.   If you must vent, (and we all must from time to time), there's a time and a place for it, and that's in a private conversation with your therapist, mother, sister, or best friend.  

If you've been (or are currently with) one of the latter two types of people on said list, you have no business dragging their name through the mud to begin with.  If you publicly shred someone's character with falsehoods, you'd best expect the same fate yourself.  

I don't really empathize with either party in this guy's lawsuit (they both seem childish and vengeful), but I do hope it brings about the end of such blast-your-ex forums as the one she posted on.  It's bad enough when people take to facebook to rip someone apart, but at least that's (usually) limited to a select group of people, and not searchable on a major search engine.  Just because the tabloids get away with defaming someone's character (and they don't always get away with it-they lose plenty of lawsuits themselves) doesn't mean you will.  Even if what you write is true, it still makes you look petty for making it public, not to mention the revenge acts that might follow.  

I know, politicians and Charlie Sheen tear people apart publicly all the time.  But before you're tempted to follow their shining examples, remember what the majority of people think about them.  And ask yourself if that's how you really want to be seen as well.  

Why yes, I'll take some of that...

Today's forecast:  partly sunny, 87 degrees.

....oh wait, that's Turks and Caicos, where I wish I was today.  Where I actually am, there's a 4 degree wind chill.

Looking at the weather for tropical vacation spots is like watching weather porn.

Obviously.

I could have told you that. 

Please, my fellow ladies, don't prove it wrong.  

So, yeah.

I don't have anything important to discuss; I just felt that since it's been so long since I wrote a blog post, I should at least write something and stick it up.

We went to Oklahoma for Christmas and had a pretty good time.  I can never decide which I miss more, Tulsa or Norman; I'm always sad to leave either of them.

While I was there, I tried on bridesmaids dresses for my sister's wedding.  She's decided to go with short, strapless ones.  Which admittedly I like, but these arms and legs of mine have some serious toning to do.   Argh.  Soldier wrote our weight loss goals on our bathroom mirror so that it literally stares us in the face several times a day.

Because I plan on wearing some kick-ass heels with that dress and I want to look awesome. 

Uh-oh

There are 11 days until Christmas.  I have 2/3 of my gift-buying, wrapping, house-cleaning, and ordering left to do.  

Please excuse me while I have a panic attack.  

Resuming regular programming....at some point.  

Awesome

Don't you just love it when you thought you were going to have to buy something a little pricey because you thought you didn't have it, and decided not to do a certain project that you really wanted to do because you couldn't afford to buy the pricey thing and still get Christmas presents for your family, and then discover while unpacking your Christmas decorations that you actually had the exact thing you needed for the project after all because you bought it two years ago on a whim that you might use it someday?

I do.

Here's the finished project:

It's a Christmas window!

It took me forty-five minutes and a broken glass ornament, and when I asked Soldier (whose other name is Scrooge, by the way) how he liked it, he said "hrm."

Shamelessly seeking recognition for my efforts,
Soonerchick

Unpleasant Surprises

This morning my boys were in their first Christmas parade.  Their scout pack had a "float" they decorated and rode on for the small-town parade (which didn't even have a Santa Claus! How can you have a Christmas parade without Santa Claus?) so after waking up at the exact time we were supposed to meet our pack to drive to the fairgrounds, I drove like a bat out of hell and made it there in time to...wait.

And wait.  Sigh.

But we did eventually get going, and the baby even got to ride on the float with his brothers, which he loved.

The part I did not love was having to walk alongside.

When I was in Christmas parades as a kid, the only people who got to ride on a "float" were the Shriners with their strange little hats with tassels.  All us kids walked. And what did our parents and siblings do while we walked? Yes, that's right: stood on the side of the street with the rest of the spectators and waved and cheered for us when we went by.

So naturally that's what I thought the baby and I would be doing.  I even contemplated bringing a folding chair so we wouldn't have to stand through the whole parade.

Some of the moms rode in the Suburban towing the trailer. Some of the dads rode on the trailer with the boys.

And the rest of us walked. Oy.

It wasn't that long, about four miles, which isn't bad if I'm out walking the track.  But I don't like cold. Or having to constantly shout "Merry Christmas!" and various Christmas carols.  I'm not really fond of waving, either, although at least I was wearing a sweatshirt, so my un-toned arms didn't flap around while I was Miss-America-ing at the spectators and bending down to pick up candy that had been thrown in the street by previous floats to give to kids on the side of the street.

It was the boys' first Christmas parade, and they had a good time.  The best part for me was seeing several Shetland ponies dressed in reindeer antlers and pulling little carts disguised as sleighs, and some undeniably beautiful whippets dressed in their Christmas best.

Next year, however, I'm claiming a spot in the vehicle.  I'm sure the exercise did me good, but I can think of other (warmer) ways to lose this weight.