Tales from the Trenches: Something confusing to me.

Today was museum day at work. More specifically, since it was a government holiday, we had lots of lookers, lots of touchers and not a whole lot of buying. I felt like the shirt folder at the Gap. I did a lot of straightening. Then I straightened what I straightened.

Don't think that I'm complaining about this or that this is the part that is confusing to me. Other than the older man going to the public restroom, peeing, leaving the seat up and not flushing when he left, all the rest of it was fine retail stuff.

I had a customer come in. He was a well dressed man, full length wool coat, beautiful scarf tucked in just so and cruising around with a group of equally well-dressed friends. Julia was speaking to me about comparing the three work calendars, letting them know days that need to be covered for our store and noticing that their calendar talks about the weird theme days that they decide to set at our sister store, but forget to tell us about. We were going through the list. Yellow day. Animal print day. Hat day. We're cool with being forgotten, though. We're not really the joiners anyhow.

So, full-length wool coat guy chimes and starts talking about a fun theme party that he had with his friends. He said that they had a "Whi*te Tr*ash Party" and they had great fun.

I'm not often offended, but this time I was. I held my tongue and really gnawed on it all day. I'm confused. Why is it okay to make fun of a certain subset of people that are lower income than you? Maybe I'm missing it. Maybe it isn't about disadvantage. Maybe it is about socially off substitution choices.

You know, I did a search to see about celebrities that had done such a party. I thought that I had remembered Ashl*ee Simp*son doing one, but apparently Za*c Efr*on had such a party and Hei*di Klu*m decided to renew her vows with her husband with the same theme.

Really?

About 5 years ago, Hubs went on a week-long park conference with his previous park system that was held in the Hocking Hills area of southern Ohio. This area is very deeply set into the Appalachian region of Ohio. Poverty is so, so sad. The housing is somewhat makeshift at times. Such very poor housing conditions surrounded by only the most gorgeous of state parks. Hubs said that his coworkers made fun of the folks living in the Hocking Hills region all. week. long. He was left shaking his head and so sad.

Am I confusing a theme with extreme poverty and a need to "make do?" Is it just that some folks are a little backwards and do things a little different than the norm? Why does it seem that people think that it is acceptable to make fun of a certain subset of folks, when it certainly wouldn't be acceptable to do it with others?

Provide clarity, please.

Smiles in my day:
- Both Hubs and K- slept all night long and didn't disturb me once. No calls for "Mommy!" to have me run, panicked and to find that K- "needs my CD changed." No early morning request to climb into my bed. No early morning request from my much needed slumber to please "pinch my pimple." No bellyaching from Hubs during the night with the belt to the side that "Your nose is whistling. You're snoring. Move over!" Y'all I love my people and fully realize that I married a light sleeper (found that out after marriage since we lived separate until the vows), but still a night of uninterrupted sleep. Just typing that has just jinxed me for tonight, I'm sure.
- We made it to 501 on the 100 book challenge. My goal is to bust out 100 twice a quarter and since interims are Thursday, my goal date was coming close.
- Hubs and I were able to sit down to discuss finances and future big purchases. We need to purchase a new truck for him in two years and devised a reasonable savings plan.
- We'll be purchasing Hubs a new lawn mower and his dream weed eater-- the Worx GT. Bless his heart, but after living here for 10 years, his current equipment is in need of replacement. The mower is limping along with a wheel that flops off. The weed eater had to be screwed back together after he tripped over it and stepped on it. Poor guy is working with some tools that are way suffering.
- We found a lovely Amish couple that sell play systems that they deliver and! put together. We really think that we'll be going that route. A requirement? That at least I can swing on the swings, too. Oh how I love to swing on a swing.

Have a great day!