Mrs. Priss

As a way of celebrating Justin’s company getting a snazzy new office, the two of us decided to go on a date last night. In keeping with Justin’s our new frugal mindset, we figured cheap was the way to go.

Since we don’t have a printer at home, we ran over to my parent’s house to print out Jamba Juice’s Buy One, Get One Free coupon that I had linked to a few weeks ago. Being the genius that I am, I didn’t realize it had expired in July. Flop #1.

We sped over to Jamba Juice anyway, being that two smoothies aren’t really all that expensive, and picked ourselves up a Citrus Squeeze (Justin’s favorite) and my first true love, a Strawberry Surf Rider with a calcium boost for my baby’s bones. I made sure sure sure to tell the girl at the counter to put the boost only in mine because Justin’s would go ape-crap crazy if he ended up with the ‘chalk’ in his. What did they do? Put the calcium boost in his Citrus Squeeze. Flop #2.

He was not amused.

We did manage to get into a very inexpensive movie, Iron Man, that was showing at one of the old theaters in town. I seriously love this place! They renovated a bit and now show month old movies for $3.00 a ticket. I shoved our smoothies in my purse and smuggled them on in. Success!

Cheeeeeeeese

Once in the theater, we couldn’t help but notice a trend. We happened to be among the four people that weren’t over 50, carrying a lifetime supply of candy in loud, plastic grocery bags, making out (remember the age group we’re dealing with here), and fall into the category of… Ohh, what’s the opposite of black-treasure again? Yeah. At one point, Justin turned around and said, “PLEASE, SHUT UP!” to the grocery bag lady, which was really nice and not embarrassing at all. We take our $3.00 movies very seriously, people.

The movie was pretty awesome, once I was able to block out the older couple to my right who could not keep their hands off each other. Cooties… gross.

I would say our attempt at a cheap date failed (considering I was starving and ended up spending $5.00 on popcorn and even more at Taco Bell later), but Justin and I were able to get a good laugh about how absolutely ridiculous it was afterward.

A movie at an old theater, chalky smoothies and a whole lot of white trash isn’t necessarily the recipe for a perfect date, but it sure was interesting!

Being a rude little snot seems to be the cool thing to do these days. Amen?

Cashiers who don’t speak a word to you are number one on my list — ahh, it drives me nuts. It’s called Customer Service for a reason… if you have no people skills, get a new job.

Don’t even get me started on drivers who don’t signal before a turn, the ones who try desperately to sneak in front of you at the last minute to be at the front of the line at the light, OR the little devils who pace the car in the lane next to them making it IMPOSSIBLE for me to pass and causing me to be late to work because I was forced to go 25mph the entire trip (this morning).

Bitter, much?

The following tips on handling rude people and situations shed a new light on my own attitude — and the fact my slight overreactions seem to be compounding the problem (See #3 on the list below). My 10-second-minimum horn honking habit shows I’m not any better than the drivers I despise so much, apparently. Who would’ve thought?

5 Ways to Combat Rudeness

1. Don’t take it personally. Perhaps the offender is having a bad day.
2. Size up your annoyances. Is it worth it to make a fuss over something small, or is it a waste of your emotional time?
3. Set a good example. Rudeness begets rudeness. If you speak sharply to the bank teller, don’t be surprised if you get the same treatment in return.
4. Count to ten. When someone’s behavior makes you angry, take a few deep breaths and ask yourself, “Is it really worth blowing my stack over this?”
5. Laugh it off. If you can’t come up with a friendly joke, just chuckle and change the subject.

From the brilliant Emily Post (& family)

Lesson learned:  We are the ones who need to go out and set the bar.  No eye rolling, whispers under your breath, or laying on the horn for unnecessary and ridiculous amounts of time to get the point across that you are unhappy (MORGAN).

A recent post by Kate over at Kate’s Wedding prompted this post idea.  If you have a minute, check out her blog — fabulouuuuuus.

Classy.

As much as I’ve preached the importance of etiquette and manners, I have to admit that I have made many a faux-pas in my day (the composition of that sentence is probably one in itself). A major complaint my family has is how frequently I reapply my makeup. My Mom, in particular gives me quite a hard time, reminding me that I don’t need ‘all that makeup’ (yes I absolutely do), and can’t understand why I would ever feel the need to apply powder more than once during the day (do the words oil slick mean anything to you?).

Anyway, a question that has been nagging me for quite some time is whether or not applying lipstick at the table after a meal is considered rude. Whipping out the compact and fixing my eyeliner I can understand, but what about a quick little dab of gloss? After doing a little research, I’m pleased to say I haven’t been behaving too terribly after all.

Helena Echlin writes an article called Table Manners, and I found these guidelines helpful in my quest for lipstick etiquette knowledge. She makes a few good points:

• Generally, you should save grooming for the bathroom, but putting on lipstick is different because it isn’t unhygienic. Brushing your hair, flossing, and filing your nails — just don’t. Gross.
• It’s important that you get the task over with quickly. A quick swipe of lipstick or gloss is acceptable, but fiddling around with a lip liner is not.
• If you absolutely NEED a mirror, at least make sure that it’s cute and dainty (aren’t those darling?).

Emily Post would also add these tips:

It’s okay to quickly apply lipstick at the table if you’re with close friends or relatives in a non-business situation, and at a non-deluxe restaurant. In general, personal grooming should be done in private for the simple reason that it can be annoying and it’s tacky. But putting on lipstick without using a mirror and without fanfare is one grooming ritual that can sometimes be performed in front of others. Still, think first! When in doubt, don’t do it, such as when you’re at a business meal or with people you don’t know very well.

So basically, keep it quick, don’t draw too much attention to yourself, and when in doubt, make a trip to the restroom. That’s one place no one will judge you.

I realize I’ve been doing quite a bit of pregnancy posts lately — I’m just a tad consumed with it all, can you tell? In keeping with my Prissy side, I’d say it’s high time I speak on something that everyone can appreciate… Etiquette! Yayyyy. After all, what’s more ladylike than having manners?

As dull as it may seem, I can’t stress enough the importance of every day etiquette. It reaches far beyond ‘please and thank you’ & chewing with your mouth closed:

“Wherever two people come together and their actions affect one another, you have etiquette.”

- Emily Post

With the assistance of Emily Post’s Etiquette bible that my dear friend blessed me with on my birthday, I’ll have something new and useful (hopefully!) to share with all you wonderful ladies very soon.

And if you’re just DYING to see each week’s installment of Pregnant Morgan’s Expanding Waistline, never fear … I’m on a roll with my ghetto-work-bathroom-low-quality-cell-phone-pictures. Why stop now? :)

I was catching up on my daily reading over at Talia’s blog, where she shared about spending her sick day on the couch watching TV Land. All the talk about the good old, black and white days reminded me of this old magazine article. You may all have seen this already (I know it was circulating through email forwards a while back), but if you haven’t, it’s definitely worth a moment of your time.

The Good Wife’s Guide

From Housekeeping Monthly, 13 May, 1955

• Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.
• Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
• Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
• Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.
• Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. and then run a dustcloth over the tables.
• Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
• Prepare the children. take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.
• Be happy to see him.
• Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
• Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
• Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.
• Your goal: try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
• Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.
• Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
• Make him comfortable. have him lean back in a comfortable chair of have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
• Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
• Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
• A good wife always knows her place.

It’s interesting how things have changed, isn’t it? :)