Bullying on the Bus

I just watched a segment on the Today Show about a father that went onto his daughter's school bus, to confront the kids bullying his daughter. And my hats go off to him. I don't agree with all he said, but his passion to protect his daughter, I can relate to. The idea of my boys being bullied would break my heart.
I have been a victim of bullying on a school bus, of course, this was years ago. I was taunted, spat at, had lit matches thrown at me. I was told to ignore them, and my parents did nothing. I watched a mentally retarded (that is how they were referred at the time) girl being mercilessly bullied. It makes me cry now, thinking about her anguish. She didn't have the skills to fight back, and I became her protector, all less than five feet and 80 lbs of me. I watched a little boy have his football thrown out of the window by older boys. The bus driver refused to stop to get it, until I threw such a fit he pulled over and I went out to the ditch and got it. I can still remember Briton's tears flowing down his face, unable to protect himself from kids twice his size and age.
If the schools won't protect our kids, what message does that send. I would board that bus, in a heart beat.

A Rant

Here it goes:

I do not want to see:

• bra straps
• shower shoes worn as foot apparel
• pajama pants worn to breakfast, lunch, dinner, or frankly ANYWHERE in public. For goodness sake, 50 year old man I saw at the Henry Vilas Zoo yesterday: Packer pajama pants, a grubby t-shirt and shower shoes, and let's not forget the baseball cap. Did you pass a mirror at all?!
• tattoos everywhere about and everywhere on a person. And to the lady (and I use that term very loosely) that sat near me at a cafe in Nebraska: the tattoo on your upper left arm that said in script "Bitch" probably didn't make a great impression on your boyfriend's parents.
• piercings, I about lost my lunch, at the same cafe as above, because this man had two spikes coming out of his chin.
• talking/texting while you're at a meal or in conversation with an actual real live person sitting in front of you. How rude!
• t-shirts. Why do you need to walk around with writing on your clothing? T shirts are for painting/cleaning/working out. Men-find a shirt with a collar. Is this really asking too much?
• Purses that match nothing you are wearing. I know I change my purse almost daily, so I realize I am extreme, but at least pick something neutral, that goes with practically everything.
• Chewing gum in public. Enough said.
• Little girls dressed like harlots (to quote my Mother). What ever happened to dressing appropriately? Do you think it's okay for your daughter to look like a six year old hooker?
• Little girls dressed in so much frou frou they are going to have some issues about not actually being a princess, even though they have been dressed like one their entire childhood.
• Plastic Flip Flops and Crocs on children (and frankly everyone). Put kids in shoes they can actually play in, without fear of losing a shoe or breaking their neck.
• Little boys dressed like "gansters", and I'm not talking in a suit and tie like a 40's movie. Shorts that are almost pants, shirts with stuff on it, and shoes that are huge!
• Writing on your bottom. Just plain tacky.
• shoes and belts that don't match.
• underwear. I don't want to see it. Pull down your shirt, pull up your pants.
• Sweats. Why do are you wearing sweats and looking like something the cat dragged in at 4 in the afternoon? What, you didn't have 15 minutes to shower and put on a shirt and pants?
• skirts so short that I know if you had a bikini wax.
• sports jerseys (and your not at a sporting event).
• baseball caps, worn all the time, that are just gross and disgusting with sweat and grime.
• chipped nail polish. Remove it or fix it.
• undershirts/"wife beaters" - I don't care if you look like Matthew McConnaughey, no one looks good in these. They are to be worn UNDER shirts, hence they are called undershirts.

AAAAH, I'm feeling better now. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Setting a table

(Last nights table, in progress)_

When we were married almost eight years ago, I registered for fine china, sterling flatware and crystal. I use them with great frequency, and have added formal and informal Christmas patterns, plus Thanksgiving dishes to the collection. I find it so disheartening when people come for dinner and say they never use theirs. What are you waiting for? I know the world has changed, everything is more casual (much to my dismay!), but isn't setting a beautiful table important anymore? Has the country become so disposable that putting a cloth tablecloth on is getting fancy, or is too much work? Some people don't even know how to set a place setting, fork on the left, etc. I enjoy picking out the tablecloth and napkins, setting out the Waterford stemware and Reed and Barton silver. I like to make the people, that eat at our home, feel that they were important enough to set a beautiful table. Am I old fashioned, and just clinging to some sense of what I consider a standard? Is it not noticed or valued? What do you set a table?