no no nanette

amber shockey
gunn
steph bybee
jill
odell
ryan
mona gayle
katie
elayna
nate and elizabeth
kiker
clynch
will g
cannon
woodard
kim and daniel
jared and niki
gr
monica mcgraw
angela
chase
bailey
les
ade *
chris *
kat *
stanley *
dikran *

so i keep track of who all remembers my birthday every year. sure it's petty - i know - but i like to know that i remember more than others. i may not be the smartest (i'll leave that to nate, chase and roller - fellow members of the acclaimed smart club), or the nicest or the prettiest, and def. not the hardest working, but i try to be the most considerate. i always say please and thank you, thanks to my upbringing; i've even been told by a waitress that i was the nicest customer she's ever had (to which my oh-so-polite friends replied that i was the 'mean one' out of the group - just kidding denver trip girls, you know ily). i always try to send birthday cards and group birthday reminders as well as congratulations, sympathy and good luck cards. email has made this so much cheaper and simpler. regards.com makes it all possible. i don't have to go to the store, pick out a card, write it, address it, go to the post office, buy a stamp and mail it. i can write cards on my own time, whenever i have a few spare minutes - i simply click on the appropriate name, and it's done. i also know exactly when someone receives it - the wonders of modern technology and confirmation emails. it also makes it easy for people to reply and say thanks at their own convenience.

it seems in this fast-paced world of technological advancements, the simple act of being polite has been neglected. people don't send thank you's anymore - i've given several wedding gifts and never received a ty - the cardinal sin of manners; men no longer open doors or pull out chairs for women, and long gone are the days of men rising when a woman stands at the dinner table. when did all this disappear? was it during the feminist movement? b/c as much as i staunchly support equality and women's rights, i don't know a/b the tradeoff. sure i relish the right to vote, and believe in equal pay for equal work, but i still like to have my car door opened and to be escorted through a room by someone's hand on my back. i want to walk on the non-street side and to be escorted to my seat. call me an anti-feminist, but i'll gladly cook and clean, but i refuse to take out the trash. i don't want the responsiblity of driving (and not just b/c of my lack of driving skills). i like my drinks ordered for me, but not my dinner unless under certain circumstances. i expect to order first at a restaurant and to be complimented, but i don't want someone to talk down to me. i get the most angry when baseball is concerned. i know more than most, especially a/b the red sox, but yet it never fails that when i mention this to any guy, they 'challenge' me with one of the three following questions: when did the red sox last win the world series? hmm, let me think, maybe 1918, certainly not 1946, 1967, 1975 or 1986...; who booted the ball in '86? let's see, i cringe every time i hear his name even though i know the circumstances which set up mookie wilson's weak game-winning grounder to bill buckner, who should not have still been in the game anyway; who did the red sox 'trade' to the yankees. this is my personal favorite. i usually respond with a glare and 'no no nanette', which usually evokes a blank stare followed by 'you didn't answer the question'.