Every week, I feel more and more akin to Larry David.
I watch episode after episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and something in it resonates with me. I think it's mostly Larry's weird hang ups about other people's lack of manners. WHat my mom would call his "isms". Manners are something I take to heart and the slightest breach of them, makes me think less of a person I otherwise love. I don't even know why this is because though i try to be I am not the most mannerly girl alive. But still, manners matter. Anyway last week's episode centered somewhat around one of Larry's wife's friends taking Larry's coat out of his car for her own use because she was cold, without asking him or saying anything about it. Needless to say he was horrified and appalled. And also needless to say everyone one else was more or less like "get over it".
But i feel his pain:
It was about 4 months after Adam and I had gotten together. We went to Jillian's in Manchester to celebrate his brother's birthday, along with several other couples who were mostly his brother's friends. The boys all secured a pool table for themselves while the gals sipped cocktails and got to know each other. I liked everyone immediately except one girl, Jessy. For one thing, I don't think an appropriate thing to say when you first meet someone is "Girls usually don't like me, I am a guy's girl". Um, be that as it may that's something I really should find out for myself and it's definitely not a way to introduce yourself to someone. But whatever, I had an open mind and a bloodstream full of gin. So Jessy, Lisa, Beth and I sit at a table with our drinks and begin to chat. At some point in the conversation I had opened up my new purse to show everyone how it had a built in light that turned on when I opened it (a very cool trick for someone like me that can never find anything in my purses). After a few minutes, Jessy's boyfriend Ethan came over to talk to her and sneezed mid sentence. I watched in horror as Jessy reached across the table, grabbed and opened MY purse and handed him a tissue from inside, without a word!! Apparently she had seen that I had a pack of them when I was showing the girls how it lit up, and felt that an appropriate thing to do would NOT be to ask me for a tissue, but to take my purse and remove the tissues herself. This person, who I never met before 10 minutes ago.
I hope you share my thoughts and just now exclaimed to yourself "Are you kidding?"
I stared in mute shock as she handed her snotty boyfriend the tissue, and then shoved my purse back on the table without so much as a "thank you" or a "pardon my caveman-like manners". I looked at the other girls expecting some kind of empathy and instead I got looks that were more like "oh god please don't make a scene".
So, i didn't. but don't think i didn't tell a thousand people that story and dont think I ever forgave or let myself really like Jessy because of this. Everytime we ran into her at a party, I would instinctually clutch my purse, lest she need a mint and go foraging. And everytime she spoke I couldn't help looking at her through narrowed eyes thinking "I can't believe you went in my purse!".
So maybe this is an "ism" of mine, this obsession with other people's breach of conduct. But, like Larry David, I also appreciate that it makes a good story.
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9 comments:
That story actually made me angry... I live in Georgia, and I'm used to courteous people that will do whatever they can to make you comfortable. A breach like that girl's would have been passed over--she obviously is very rude and you just have to forgive people like that, not publicly embarrass them, that probably wouldn't do any good anyway--but definitely mentioned whenever someone asked what I thought of her, mentioned her name or if she happened to walk past me.
up until a few months ago, she was known to me as "rude girl who went through my purse". but then she had to go and throw a bunch of coats on the floor while looking for her coat on a coatrack at a friends' house. so now she is "rude girl who throws coats". and i didn't even coin that one!
so...not only does she go through people's purses (which i might have clawed her eyes out for! Go you, holding yourself back!!, but she also throws people's coats on the floor??
How does she still have friends?
I wouldn't have been able to hold back after the purse thing. Now the coats! This girl needs a talking to. No wonder girls don't normally like her, she has no manners. Guys don't really care unless it directly effects them. They love it when I girl invades their space. By any chance was she short, thin, pale and blonde?
alisa that is actually a very good point. but she is not blonde, pale or tall. she is thin, but in a nasty bony way.
i know, my biggest pet peeve is when someone introduces themselves with a statement like that. like "hi, i am so and so and i am a guy's girl" or "hi, i am so and so and i am a fag hag". these are things that other people will find out about you, not things you need to emote up front!
that's pretty crappy... i'm really surprised you didn't say anything. i'm not the manners-iest but that's unaaceptable.
btw, is it a solas? which one?? they're so cute. :)
it's not a solas..i can't remember off the top of my head what brand it is but i bought it at TJ Maxx a few years ago..it's black and different shade of pink striped.
I would have said something snide, like "Oh, did you need a Kleenex? All you had to do was ask me!". Make her feel ashamed of her trashy self.
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