Tag Archives: embarrassment

July 22, 2010 · 3:00 AM

I’m Searching for the Word that means “Honored AND Embarrassed.”

This was Monday night at a ceremony honoring my mom as Bellevue’s Volunteer of the Year. She had no idea anyone knew about the event, so when 25 of her nearest and dearest showed up, she was totally pissed (in a good way).

I’m pretty sure the city council meeting hasn’t seen this much action in, well, its existence. I’m also pretty sure it was unprecedented when all of us virtually emptied the room after her item on the agenda concluded. There was audible laughter as we all scampered out of the room before the mayor could begin the discussion on traffic congestion on 4th Avenue.

We high-tailed it to John Howie Steak House to raise a glass to a woman who quietly works to improve the lives of the disadvantaged. Let’s emphasize the “quietly;” she was mortified to be recognized. And she’ll be just as mortified that I mentioned her here.

Sorry, Mom, but you ARE the Volunteer of the Year. The cat’s officially out of the bag anyway.

In case you’re interested in the speech that was read to introduce her:

The City of Bellevue Volunteer of the Year Award is designed to recognize volunteers who have not only made a significant contribution to the community or to an individual, but have also gone above and beyond the call of duty, shown leadership, innovation, creativity, collaboration and partnering.

Tonight we are honoring the City of Bellevue Community Volunteer of the Year, Alyson McMurtry, who serves at the Jubilee REACH Center.

The Jubilee REACH Center provides community based programs to meet the needs of the diverse and underserved Lake Hills Community of Bellevue, Washington. All services at the JRC are offered free of charge and rely heavily on volunteer support. The Jubilee REACH Center serves families and individuals in the Lake Hills community regardless of age, gender, religion or ethnicity.

Alyson started a no-cost English-as-Second-Language Program (ESL) with 5 adult students in a church Sunday school basement room. The program has grown to 186 students, 53 volunteers and operates 4 days a week in 7 classrooms.

Building close relationships with their students, Alyson and her volunteers saw deeper needs and connected students to support services at Jubilee REACH Center. As a result of her efforts, her ESL students received free dental and medical care, counseling, legal assistance, Christmas gifts, rent and utility assistance, eye glasses, computer classes and computers, before school childcare, after school care, job search help, parenting classes, exercise classes and winter coats.

Furthermore, Alyson has given untold hours as an active volunteer at First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue and throughout the Bellevue community. Among other accomplishments she has:

coordinated preparation and serving of annual Thanksgiving Dinner for 450 neighbors for 10 years;
served on the Hunger Ministry, feeding hungry Bellevue neighbors;
coordinated the Alternative Gift Market, raising money for local underserved families and the poorest people of the world; and
taught English at Hopelink for 5 years.

7 Comments

Filed under The WORD (Faith)

Tagged as embarrassment, Family, Seattle

June 9, 2010 · 3:00 AM

Barely There

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you want some decent people watching, look no further than the Seattle Symphony.

Last Sunday my in-loves took us to Benaroya Hall to celebrate my sister-in-love’s birthday. Shortly after arriving, I was absent-mindedly sipping my champagne while silently eyeballing every outfit in the room. Outfit? That’s too generous a term; some of these women were in capris and Tevas.

I saw two young women (the only other people under 30, we noticed) in super-short dresses, bare legs and high heels. I immediately recoiled at the display of flesh. It’s 2PM, I thought; where are their nylons?

I was in a gray sweater dress with brown boots to the knee, and had worn nude nylons so I wouldn’t be flashing my thighs to the over-60 crowd on a Sunday afternoon. I didn’t even think twice about it. So as soon as I saw these women sans-pantyhose, I expressed my surprise.

The birthday girl quickly pointed out to me that not everybody wears pantyhose; in fact, she confirmed that she didn’t think she even owned any.

This nonchalance provoked the obvious question: are nylons necessary? Is it just my East Coast upbringing that forces me into such propriety?

In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn’t think of many times I had seen people my age in nylons. The recent exception being last fall’s trend of dark black tights with any type of boot, bootie, or pump. Aside from that, who wears them? Am I being modest, or just 150 years old?

Before Rachel and I could discuss further, her husband interrupted us to tell us to stop saying “hose.” “It sounds like you’re saying ho’s,” he said, looking around the room, “and you shouldn’t say ho’s at the symphony.”

Fair point — after all, the vast number of words for this sheer, leg-hugging fabric is mind-boggling. Nylons/pantyhose/stockings/tights/leggings…and I’m sure they’re not interchangeable at all, but we toss them around like the underwear they are, regardless of accurate terminology.

As far back as I can remember, my mom insisted on tights for every occasion, for something as regular as church to formal family holidays. They were always uncomfortable, always protested by me, and always required by her. “Don’t you want to dress like a lady?” she’d ask.

Even when I was a teenager living on the West Coast, she would stare, horrified, as I left for the Homecoming dance in an above-the-knee dress without stockings. But no one in Seattle ever wore nylons, so why would I?

And yet here I am at 26-years-old pulling on my nylons to go to the symphony. Apparently the stodgy East Coast formality stuck.

But midway through the show I got a run. A huge run. I leaned over to Rachel and informed her that my nylons were running so fast they could win a race.

Suddenly it occurred to me that getting a run takes all of the modesty and tastefulness I associate with nylons and rips them in two faster than the fabric itself. Could anything look less classy?

The run started at mid-thigh but by intermission was straight through my knee and headed for my ankle. Mike looked at me like, seriously? Don’t you carry a spare?

No. No, I do not. Instead I stood like a child preventing an accident: one leg tucked behind the other out of desperation.

As soon as the performance concluded and we had been seated at The Brooklyn for happy hour, I dashed to the ladies room (the irony!) and dumped my nylons in the garbage.

I am totally convinced that God had a hearty laugh at my expense as the woman who judged naked legs at Benaroya ended up sitting at a bar with bare thighs at The Brooklyn.

Update 7/26/11: I rest my case. Hosiery is back.

9 Comments

Filed under Good WORD (Etiquette)

Tagged as embarrassment, Etiquette, Phil and Rach, Seattle, Society, symphony

May 20, 2010 · 3:00 AM

C U Soon

I am not proud of this, but I have my DVR set to record only two shows.

Brace yourself.

One is The Real Housewives of New York (gasp!).

The other is Oprah (shudder).

For inexplicable reasons, I’m actually more embarrassed to be associated with Oprah. The Real Housewives series is the most fantastic reality show on television, and allows me to indulge in my “mid-week uptown apartment/weekend Hampton’s beach house” fantasy. Of course, the women are despicable and immature, but that only serves to stroke my moral superiority.

See? It’s the best show on television!

Oprah on the other hand, makes me feel like a stay-at-home mom who has never heard of real news and has no connection with the outside world other than through this billionaire talk show host. If I’m ever watching Oprah and Mike comes home from work, I’m instantly inclined to change the channel out of sheer humiliation. It’s as if he’s just caught me singing into my hairbrush in front of the bathroom mirror.

One could understand my dilemma recently when Oprah started a “No Phone Zone” campaign in an effort to get people to stop texting and driving. Ask anyone (especially Mike) and they will say that texting and driving is one of my biggest issues. It’s about the only thing that turns me into a total policing mother around my spouse, friends and family.

Driving drunk and texting behind the wheel are the exact same thing to me. Texting might even be worse because your eyes aren’t even on the road.

But now that Oprah has championed the agenda and called it her own, I don’t want to say two words about it. It makes me feel like one of those sycophantic Oprah worshippers who blindly take on issues just because Ms. O said to.

I just realized that I am insulting Oprah-lovers. I am sorry. Just remember the line between love and hate is incredibly thin; look at me DVRing her every day. Such a hypocrite.

One may wonder why I bother to record her when I have such loathful feelings toward her. It’s simple: the celebrities. No one gets the interviews Oprah gets. Who did Reille Hunter sit down with in her home? Who does Bono visit when he comes to the States? Who does Julia Roberts tell the sex of her unborn babies to?

My point exactly.

Luckily, Oprah is not the only one taking up the texting battle. A far more genius anti-texting advertising campaign in Seattle is run by none other than a funeral home.