Monday, November 28, 2011

Black Friday is simply not classy anymore!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I trust that you all ladies and gentlemen kept it classy and did not karate chop any family members or friends over the holidays. We were in lovely AZ! Can't beat turkey by the pool in 70 degree temps. Our family had a blast, of course, I think we went through 2-3 cases of wine during the holiday, but hey, it wouldn't be my family without that. I am proud to say that my dear father taught me his Bloody Mary recipe. So I am prepared to carry on the family tradition!

But to the subject at hand...thanks to my BF for this quote...Black Friday is not classy. It used to be that Black Friday was a sale day for a handful of stores and some families made it tradition to get up at like 2 AM to shop at Kohls and Best Buy. So somewhat respectable, I get it and I applaud the tenacity of those folks. I sure as heck was getting up, but they weren't bothering me.

And now in the past 2-3 years, it has SIMPLY GOTTEN out of control. Ladies and gentlemen, shopping at 10 PM on Thanksgiving, you are 1/2 drunk and full of food, and scrambling for a $20 stereo? Check out the People of Walmart for the pictures, it is frightening.

How does this make sense? People are getting trampled at a VICTORIA'S SECRET...just so you can get 5 bras for $20?

Bomb threats at Wal-Mart? Armed robbery at Wal-Mart? People dying and being injured so that you can get a 42 inch Emerson TV at Costco? It's madness. And why is it happening? Because we (Americans) are letting it happen. Let's face it, the economy isn't good...so stores are doing these sales to boost their top line and we are buying it hook, line and sinker. And for the most part, the deals are EVEN that good.

Hey, this classy girl is all for a sale, heck, I don't like to pay retail for my shoes or handbags, but I certainly wouldn't wait in line or trample someone to get the last DVD player at K-Mart!

So here is my message ladies and gentlemen! I totally get the shopping for a deal but can we be kind to one another, no more trampling? Is it really worth it? Here's a thought, the Cyber Monday sales are just as good and hey you can drink wine while doing it and you probably aren't going to injure a child doing it (unless it is your own). So my soapbox message is this...keep it classy, boycott the silly Black Friday sales and leave Thanksgiving night to how it was intended, napping from the alcohol and trytophan and spending time with your family, because let's face it, most of us don't see our families that often...is shopping really more important? If less people shopped, maybe the stores would take the hint.

Ok, exiting soapbox. Enjoy your week. It is getting to be time for the live tree at my house and the Southern girl CAN'T WAIT to help me again!

BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Empowered Ladies! We are making our men lazy...

Good Monday morning ladies and gentlemen. Happy to be back at my job full time, so I am hoping it will be a good week for all. Congrats to my Huskers for their win over Penn State on Saturday and most of all thank you to both teams for keeping it classy given the situation and for a great game! Also congrats to my Tarheels in B-Ball for winning both games this past weekend. So the Southern Girl and I were chatting this weekend about men and dating (more like complaining about it) and I made the following observation....

Women are so independent and empowered these days that we are making our men lazy. Ladies seriously, we ask them out, we make the plans, we do everything. They can text us and ask us out, they can break up with on email...and they can do all of that from their couch while watching ESPN. For my single girls out there, when was the last time a guy actually picked up the phone and asked you out (I know my answer, but that is because I told him I wouldn't go out with him until he called and asked me out, which he did do).

With all of the social media out there, we, as ladies, don't even know where we stand with men anymore. I mean seriously, the culture out there is to basically hook up, so men don't even have to take us to dinner! I don't even blame the guys out there. Gentlemen seriously, we love you, but your default position for the most part is to be lazy, as Jerry Seinfeld says, you only get jobs because you have to, you would be content sitting on the couch all day long. So ladies, it is our fault, we are so desperate to find Prince Charming that we let the guys get away with being lazy...we swoon if they text us! And hey, this classy lady is as much to blame as the next one.

So, here is my message, ladies seriously! We need to make these men work for it a bit, I mean after all, aren't we fabulous? Don't we deserve a little bit of effort? Are we so anxious to have a date that we will make all of the plans and all he has to do it show up...NO, it's time to take a stand. No more texting as the only mode of communication, no more making all of the plans (I mean I am ALL for a little sharing in that arena). No more giving IT away without making him do a little work. Aren't you worth it?

And gentlemen, I am not trying to make things difficult on you, but we have made it so easy on you, you don't even feel the need to date anymore. You can text us and we will just show up. As a society, we don't even know how to make conversation anymore. So hey, let's have a few drinks and chat before we go home and do you know what...

So empowered, independent ladies, UNITE! If he doesn't ask you out, go out with your girlfriends, don't wait at home for him to text at 11 PM for you to come to his house. If you want to date someone, make some plans, you certainly get to know that person a bit better that way, and plus, isn't going out for dinner, drinks, movies, bowling, etc, etc, more fun anyway? You can always come home later ;). Maybe at 40 years old, I am old fashioned, but hey, I embrace it!

We are close to the holidays where your family may start to stress you out...please read some of previous posts on this. Remember, your family is your family, so enjoy it. Keep it classy and be merry!

BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Class means knowing when to bow out...

Well, ladies and gentlemen, given my love of college football, you knew I would have to say something about the issues at Penn State University from this past week. Now, I am not going to make a judgment on whether or not Joe Pa and former University of Nebraska Chancellor Graham Spanier (yes, I met him a few times) should have been fired or whether they SHOULD have contacted the police. Because this blog is not meant for that type of controversy. SORRY I digress.

However, the topic is really about knowing when to bow out. I will contend that Joe Pa SHOULD have retired QUITE some time ago. And it is really unfortunate that while chasing that record of being the winningest college football coach in history, he has tarnished his legacy with this situation. My beloved Tom Osborne knew when to leave...after his third national championship. Dean Smith, the classy coach from North Carolina, knew when it was time to leave, what a legend. Think about the TV shows that you loved, weren't they the ones that knew when it was time...and they haven't "jumped the shark"...think UM, Seinfeld (which went out well, I think) vs. ER (which I stopped watching because everyone was gone)... And Sex in the City ended GREAT and then they ruined it with those MOVIES...SIGH. I am scared they are going to ruin Entourage the same way, although the last few seasons of that show were pretty bad as well.

And while I know all of my readers have opinions on this, I think that being a lady or a gentlemen with class means knowing when you are at your limit. And everyone's limit is different, but isn't it better to leave when things are still good? You have been intelligent and put together an exit strategy, you have trained your successor and therefore, the program or the business is set up to continue to be successful. As I think about the exit strategy of my business, I certainly want to provide that for my team. And even if that means, I have to admit I wasn't as successful as I had planned or hoped, it is still about the people and the legacy that you leave behind, not you personally.

And for my collegiate readers out there who are in my sorority, think about how you leave your collegiate years. Don't you want to make sure that the new members coming into the organization have the same positive experience that you did? What are you doing to make sure that happens, are you leaving the chapter in capable hands? Are thinking about volunteering as an alumnae to help guide them? And while this is a specific sorority reference, it can be applied to any organization that you are involved in.

So the message today, ladies and gentlemen seriously, is this, being classy means exiting with same integrity that you entered with. Because let's face it, life changes and we move on from a job, an organization, heck, even a BF or GF (yep, that means when you want to break up with someone you should probably do it with the same level of class that you used when asked that person out to begin with...JUST SAYING), and doesn't it say a lot about your level of class and intelligence if you leave the situation and perhaps that organization, job, person, etc is better because of you...

Yes, I know....DEEP THOUGHTS from JZZRGRL today! Well, the weekend is upon us again. So keep it classy ladies and gentlemen.

BONSOIR, CHEERS AND CIAO BELLAS.