i have been active volunteer since i was 16 and have spent most of life getting involved with community because being part of community enhances where you live. however, this weekend after a very disappointing breakfast i would take a ferry to volunteer at has turned a corner not only on its members but its aging volunteers.

i became involved with the Swedish Cultural Center 10 years ago-and felt proud to wear the royal blue apron while i cleared dirty plates often for 2 hours or more. i promptly stopped volunteering when i discovered that the subpar catering company that still occupies the building had paid people to clear dishes when i was volunteering.

this past Sunday when i was there with my husband i finished my last bite of pancake and some dbag with a white shirt, black pants and a fugly tie tried to take my plate while my husband was still eating. not only was it rude-but it is one of the reasons i decided against having my wedding reception there. because the staff that the catering company hires is bottom of the barrel people and i was wrongly fired for cashing my check @ a money order place before i had a checking account.

i was sad to see an old man i’ve known for 10 year walk around the room offering coffee that no one wanted because they had coffee @ their tables. in old days the room was filled with people that mingled, that knew each other and people would stay just to listen to music or see the dancers. now, however they charge $9 for adults and $6 if you become a member. which was what they used to charge. i felt like i was in McDonald’s or Burger King. $18 later-i almost cried @ the table because….

what i used to love about being Swedish and going to the Center was gone. i was proud of my association with the Center and felt that it was a great place to meet people-i met my husband there. back 10 years ago i would get up @ 7:30am on a Sunday morning to catch a ferry 9am and would spend most of my day watching movies, buying chocolate and socializing.

now, the pancake breakfast is just about raising money, processing people like cattle. they may have had a holiday bazaar this weekend-which when i came in was empty. they even had begging boxes by all the entrances asking for a $1 donation. something i refused to do since i already was handing over $18 for the breakfast. the “Club” which is what i used to call it has become corporate acting-and when you are 5013c that will make you purge people not draw them to you.

i will miss the breakfast-but i can make pancakes @ home and have the jam rolled into the pancake not globbed on top like i was once saw @ IHOP 25 years ago.

i have been trying for a week to figure out how i was going to put this into words. i have been traveling pretty frequently this year & just came back from weekend in California-where i encountered 105 degree temps & managed to see a celeb. but-that’s not why i am writing.
this is the second time since April where i have been a target on an airplane and have been subsequently harassed by a passenger i have never seen before. the first situation was in April when i was returning for my bridal shower & got lucky enough to encounter a man with air rage. on this trip however it was 3 trust fund kids from the LA area who spoke about me in fashion i will not repeat it here. it began the minute my husband & boarded the airplane & didn’t cease until i told a flight attendant that was serving soda/juice & the usual booze what was happening. she immediately re-seated us thanks to a business traveler that looked pissed when we landed. i guess listening to those foul mouthed brats got to him the last 60 minutes.
the sad part is-flight crews have become babysitters in the skies; it’s not just the person that won’t stop drinking on a 2 hour flight but brats of the kind my husband & i encountered. it’s usually people who have been drinking-in April the guy reeked of booze and crew refused to serve him. it’s grown bullies that think that harassment is the same sport it was when they where in grade school/high school & where never disciplined for their behavior. bullies are always bullies & never seem to grow up. when you repeatedly act & behave badly & never suffer consequences why stop. reminding me of the tragic events @ Rutgers. where i think manslaughter is a perfect charge for what those 2 kids part took in.
i lost a pack of gum after having to move on the aircraft but on the bright side my husband & got some private time to do Norwegian together. i am proud of myself for not losing my cool & my husband & i gave them 5 minute lead when we arrived @ the airport. makes me glad i was never part of a mean girl clique. life is too short to treat perfect strangers badly. i have to give kudos to the carrier’s crew who after initially botching it-made everything alright.

if you had asked me 5 years ago if i thought i would ever get married i would probably have told you no way in hell. but i enjoy the companionship of getting up early on Sunday mornings to get to our favorite farmer’s market. or seeing how excited the dog gets when we tell him we are taking him to the park.

i like having someone call me ask if i am okay and if i am having a good day. even when it’s Mondays. blah. i met a woman recently who became quite antagonized when i said i was married. her reason and she was much older than me was that she was financially independent. however, science has recently pointed out that people with partners live longer happier lives. something i believe very much is true.

being single really isn’t that much fun; something i saw first hand at a party recently where a woman showed up with a new boyfriend and the old fling got jealous and left. or the perpetual online dater.  online dating is the new dating-i understand that but i did online dating before it became hip and it was not much fun. which is why i am lucky that i didn’t meet my husband on some internet site but met him in a place i used to volunteer at.

i think the best part of being married is finding Sunday nights dinner sitting in the fridge and warm home made latte on a Saturday morning.