drive by guilt trip

I'm hosting a big event for my program this week and I've been crazy-busy lately trying to get everything ready in time.  This means long hours at work and no time for me.  Last Thursday, another day that I stayed late at work, I was waiting for a bus at the Pentagon.  Because it was way past rush hour, there weren't too many people waiting for a bus at that time.  I was in the middle of texting the bf when a woman said something to me from a few feet away.

Me:  I'm sorry but what did you say? 

Lady: I asked you if you just got off from work.

Me: Yes, I did.

Lady: You're so lucky.  Must be nice to have a job to get off from.

Me: ????

I was the victim of a drive by guilt trip.  I had no idea who this woman was and had never seen her before but the last thing I expected to be subject to while waiting for the bus is a guilt trip by a complete stranger. 

What she doesn't know is that a key component of my program is case management and my case managers have done an excellent job in finding jobs and job training for the participants that are unemployed. 

What she doesn't know is that I am completely aware of how lucky I am to have a job.  I honestly do think about this every day.  I realize that unemployment is high and I'm certainly fortunate to have a job in this economy.  I'm lucky because I have the capacity in this job to help people who need it.  I'm especially lucky because I love what I do. 

Upon realizing this, I decided to just go about my business.

Guilt trip over. 

hey, the thick skin actually works

Before leaving the house yesterday, I didn't really think much of my outfit. I threw on cargos and one of my favorite USC t-shirts--the one that reads, "USC girls rock."

Jesse and I were out pretty much all day yesterday. After attending a party for one of my co-workers in the middle of MD suburbia, we met up with my friends Dave and Enzo and went to the Nats game for our free visors (Jesse really wanted one...I don't think I look my best with a visor on). The Nats lost again so that wasn't very fun. Following the game, we all went to Lauriol Plaza for dinner.

Since Jesse and I were in a vehicle (and the boys had to Metro it), we beat them and waitedfor them in the bar part of the restaurant. While hanging at the bar, I noticed that these guys were looking at me, definitely NOT in a checking out kind of way. Seconds after I noticed them, they started saying (LOUDLY and repeatedly), "USC SUCKS....blah, blah, blah (something purposely inaudible) USC SUCKS." Jesse didn't even notice. If this had happened a week ago, I probably would've just whined about being picked on by random people (if I was drunk, then we would've had a war of words). Instead, I thought, "Stupid Bruins" (I assumed they had gone to UCLA, who else would hate USC so much?), ignored them and continued to drink my delicious frozen strawberry margarita.

I think my thick skin looks good on me.

me and the Mexican are like this *fingers crossed*

The thick skin just came in. Fits like a glove.

In all honesty, yesterday was not the best day for me, particularly because I had never known of random people who would want me dead (and over a silly little blog post). My boyfriend, always the optimist, tried to get me to look on the bright side and encourage me. I didn’t even begin to see the light until he suggested that I write my favorite Mexican, Gustavo Arellano, to seek his guidance. Now you see, Gustavo (we’re on first name basis now) is a talented writer. He’s smart. He’s funny. He’s snarky. But most of all, he’s opinionated (and he’s smart enough to back up his opinions). Regular OC girl readers know that I am a huge fan. And now he does too.

The thing with Gustavo (the columnist at OC Weekly’s “Ask a Mexican!”) is that he’s always pissing off someone. People leave nasty notes on his blog. They send angry letters to the OC Weekly. In fact, this week’s OC Weekly contains a letter asking that Gustavo be fired simply because he's pro-immigrant. Clearly, the kid’s had to face some adversity. Jesse was right in suggesting that I contact him.

So I emailed Gustavo. I informed him that I was a fan and I asked him how to deal with the haters. And the following appeared in my inbox:

Gracias for the love. I deal with the haters like this: anyone who doesn't love me is a MORON.

Gustavo
www.ocweekly.com

Yes, that’s true. I’m so not a moron. So, with thick skin and many opinions, I continue to blog.

now I know how Britney Spears feels

They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity. But what about too much publicity? Frankly, the exposure I received from Wonkette was a catch-22. I appreciate the number of people who visited my blog and enjoyed my post about DC tourists. Heck, most of them understood it to be amusing. However, there were quite a few people who came to my blog without an open mind. I know this because they left behind evidence in the form of negative comments (I have since enabled comment moderation). Among the negative gems I received:

• How completely vapid you are

• pissy little princess

• stop being a stuck-up, self-centered whore

• "Things OC girl should do help me deal better with her" 1. Kill yourself

• Fascist

• You must be a Republican

That last one probably irked me the most (and I didn’t even include all the bloggers that have blogged about how snobby I am). Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I have mine (and blog about it) and you have yours. Being relatively new to the blogging scene, I was not prepared for these kinds of statements. I may not have thick skin now, but I ordered it and it should arrive tomorrow via FedEx.