Under A Rock...

Okay, apparently I've been under a rock or something...because I haven't added anything here in over a month??

Silly Karen...
Okay, here a condensed version of a blog entry I put up today on the scrapbooking website. I apologize to anyone who's seeing it again.


Let me start off by saying - I enjoy scrapbooking sooo very much! So I like it when I can go to crops and be among folks that share in my enthusiasm.

I've been going to a store's crop nights for a few months now, I have been there maybe five or six times, and I've been very comfortable and have had fun there. Since I hadn't been going to the store for a long time I haven't gotten to know all the regulars yet, but the ones I have gotten to know have been so friendly and personable, making the experiences so much nicer.

When I went for their Independence Day crop earlier this month I was very excited. It was twelve hours of scrapping with a potluck barbeque and it sounded like it was going to be a great day!

Cue, Rant:
I got there and was placed by some ladies I had not seen before, I figured either they hadn't been to the store in quite some while (they seemed to know quite a few of the people who showed up) or they had been there on nights that I didn't attend the crops.
I was very happy to meet new people and introduced myself, everything seemed pleasant.
Not more than twenty minutes later one of the women completely bit my head off in response to something I had said.
Well, I was completely frazzled, not to leave out - felt insulted, and well maybe this is a little over-reactionary but - attacked.
The woman didn't know me from Eve, I had only said hello to her a moment ago and next thing I know I'm being verbally eviserated!
Well - I didn't react outwardly (although I'm sure I blanched a little and maybe even winced) and I certainly didn't speak to her the rest of the day.

I almost considered leaving (being moved wasn't really an option since they were expecting a large group of people who all wanted to sit together...) but I had been looking foward to the crop for a few weeks and didn't feel I should be the one to leave.

Did I mention this took place all within the first thirty minutes of arriving at the store?

So I just sat at my seat and ignored the woman that was twelve feet away from me and just went about my day of scrapping.
A few hours into the crop some of the other folks that I had gotten to know showed up so I did start to feel comfortable.

I never got a chance to talk to the hostess about it. I didn't want to make waves since I'm kind of the new kid in town there, but I felt that I should at least have the right to discuss it with her. Unfortunately I didn't take any initiative to talk to her, since she was the only hostess with a crowd of over 30 women she was very busy. I did let her know that I wanted to talk with her when we got a chance.

By the end of the evening I had made up my mind that for future crops if this same woman is attending I'll just ask not to be sat by her. I'm sure she's not even aware how much she offended me, and I guess that's her personality - but I don't have to be friendly to her, I'm not going to be rude to her - but I don't need to know her.

Its been a couple of weeks since the experience. I'm getting ready to go back to the store tonight, I will ask the hostess to set me apart from the woman and just politely say that I would prefer not to be sat next to her. I don't think the hostess will be offended, and I don't want to be difficult but I don't want to be uncomfortable either.

I've decided that I'm very sorry for this woman that had such negative experiences thats influenced her violent emotions, but that doesn't mean she has the right to diminish my happiness.
I choose not to give her any control over me or cloud my happy memories. I enjoy this hobby too much to let someone spoil it for me.

I would rather be positive and happy while I'm doing something that brings me so much joy. So in order to keep that blissful feeling I will not associate with anyone who is grouchy, angry, or rude. They can sit in there pit of dispair without me, thank you very much.

I will go and merrily scrap my day away in happy thoughts and enjoy myself.