Pet peeves, rants, and general grouchiness.

Just a disclaimer: I may or may not be suffering from the monthly scourge of womenkind.

This isn't the most pleasant of posts. But, well, see the disclaimer.

First, pet peeves.

1. Following behind someone on the interstate who is tailgating the person in front of them. Seriously? Tapping on your brakes every 30 seconds? I can never tell if I need to legitimately slow down or if you've closed in too much on that two inches of space you're keeping between you and the bumper in front of you.

2. Humans that put on some sort of animal head mask (the worst are wolf and horse heads) and then stand perfectly still in some field and have someone take a picture of them. That's not art. That's just freaky. STOP DOING IT.

3. People who get on Facebook during sporting events and troll/complain about their friends posting about said sporting event.

Currently number 3 is what's got me really frustrated. My frustration started two years ago. It was the Saints Superbowl season. I got together with a group of friends of mine on Facebook and we posted during the entire game - jokes, snarky comments about the refs, and lots of WHO DATs. Well, that brought out the trolls. Especially the passive-aggressive trolls. It brought them out so bad that one girl posted something along the lines of, "These people need to get a life. I mean, I'm a Louisiana girl too and you don't see me cheering for the Saints like that." (Misti & Penny know exactly what I'm referring to.) I ended up blocking her because I got tired of seeing her nasty comments about Saints posters. (Sidenote: ironically, I unblocked her about a year ago and guess who was posting like crazy about the Rangers in the World Series? Pot, I'd like you to meet kettle.)

Speaking of the World Series, it gave me an opportunity to reassess my thoughts on sports posting on Facebook. I hate baseball. Hate it. Going to a baseball game of any kind is on my un-bucket list. (Thanks for that phrase, Jodie.) So when everyone and their mama was posting about the Rangers, I had two options. 1, post snarky, ugly comments about all the fans "junking up my news feed talking about the stupid Rangers"; or 2, stay off of Facebook when I know a game is on because guess what? Fans are gonna post.

I chose option 2. Because for real, it's pretty awful of me to think my feelings about who should post what on a free social media site that no one is obligating me to use are more important than others, and it's also pretty dang conceited. Besides, I enjoy being a fan of the sports I follow and use social media to express my fandom. It's hypocritical to expect something else of other fans because it "inconveniences" (really?) me.

Fast forward to this past Saturday night. LSU vs. Alabama. #1 vs. #2. The biggest game in college football this year. #1 playing #2 in the regular season has only happened like 5 or 6 times previously in the BCS system, and it was the first time for both teams to be from the SEC. So whether you're an LSU fan, a Bama fan, or just a fan of college ball in general, this game was a big deal.

The trolls were out in full force. I saw tons of posts about how people were so thankful the game was over so people would stop clogging up their news feed with LSU comments (these posts often came from people who currently live in southeast Louisiana... again, really?). And then there were the people from my alma mater (Louisiana Tech) who were criticizing those of us who were cheering for LSU. Um, hello? I didn't realize that just because I went to one university, that prohibited me from cheering for any other state school. We're all proud to be from Louisiana, right? What does it matter who I cheer for? I cheered for ULM (Wait - who? Who's ULM? Where are they? Exactly.) when they beat Alabama earlier this year. All I have to say about that is GET OVER IT. It would be one thing if Tech and LSU were active rivals. They aren't even close.

And for those who cry "bandwagon" every time LSU has a winning season? SO WHAT. What's wrong with bandwagon fans? I think it's arrogant to criticize others for bandwagon-ing, because you're in essence saying, "You're not as real a fan as I am because you only like them when they win." So? Tickets are still sold, merchandise is still purchased. GET OVER IT. I can't speak for others, but LSU is a tradition in our family. My husband was the first - THE FIRST - person in his entire family to go to a different university other than LSU. He was raised watching LSU football. It's a tradition he's brought into our marriage and one I've embraced as it's something we can enjoy together.

To wrap up this peeve/rant, if you don't want to see posts about sports, DON'T GET ON FACEBOOK DURING A BIG GAME. It's that simple. The absence of your online presence during those times is a lot more becoming than your ugly comments.

Whew. I feel better now.

And now onto grouchiness. (Again, I may or may not be suffering from the woman's monthly scourge.) Tonight at SC's dance class I was talking with an Indian woman whose granddaughter is in SC's class. We were discussing the girls and she asked me about homeschooling. She was completely unfamiliar with the concept of American homeschooling. So I gave her a quick overview of what we do. Then she asked me why I chose to homeschool.

Before I could answer her, I heard a voice from behind me. "Because she's crazy!"

I turned around to see a woman I didn't even know who had been eavesdropping on our conversation. I was rendered completely speechless; how do you respond to something like that? So I just turned my back on her and continued my conversation with the Indian woman. Finally at the end of our conversation, the lady goes, "What I meant by crazy is that it's a big responsibility to homeschool, and you'd have to be crazy to do it." I gave her a half smile and walked outside to make a phone call. I guess she realized how rude she sounded and was trying to make amends.

I suppose I could have used this opportunity to have a more Christ-like manner towards this lady, but I was thrown for a loop. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, living where I live. I mean, for crying out loud, I got called the B-word in Walmart the other day because I asked a lady to scoot her cart over so I could get down the aisle. I'm just not good with off-the-cuff reactions to awkward or rude situations. Obviously this is an area of my life that I need to surrender to the Lord (and could also benefit from a healthy dose of love & kindness via the Holy Spirit).

I also learned today that at times when I may or may not be suffering from my monthly ailment, I should not in any way, shape, or form have any responsibility for making a craft with a room of 4-7 year olds.

That is all. I'll come back soon with a better attitude. Just give me about 4 days.