Blogging from "work".

There's not a whole lot I can do right now. I'm waiting for Vacant to show up. Remember her? There are some reports that need to be done but they're in a program I don't have access to. She was supposed to be here an hour ago. So, I'm wasting your tax dollars and mine surfing the tubes and blogging.

Yesterday I had lunch at Marie Callender's. When the waiter came to my table he addressed me as "Miss". Ok, this is a pet peeve. To all young men out there- Do NOT call a middle-aged woman Miss. You might think we'd be flattered by that, but it just feels weird. I'm 54 years old and solidly in the Ma'am category. I've been getting Ma'am since I was in my twenties and reall, it's ok. The first time was a bit jarring but I quickly got over it.

I think they handle this better in the South. Women young and old are addressed as Ma'am and no one even thinks about it. Older men will often address younger men as "Sir". It's a sign of mutual respect. A little Southern gentility wouldn't be a bad idea all around.

It also bothers me when a younger female addresses a much older female as honey or sweetie. Maybe she's tring to be comforting, like in a hospital setting, but to me it's disrespectful. It sounds almost like a tactic to keep elderly patients docile and submissive. Maybe some old ladies like being treated that way, but I'd guess that most do not. Honey and sweetie are terms that are too forward and familiar for someone who was raised during an era when manners and customs were more formal. It is the privilege of the older woman to refer to the younger woman in that way.

Besides, the only people who can get away with that are gay men.

So, young man, don't call me Miss. Ma'am is perfectly acceptable. So is Your Majesty.