Special Snowflake Stories

[gramma dishes]

...   Then she had her friend send me a facebook message (mom doesn't have Facebook) and leave me a note saying that it's our fault as a family that we gave her alcohol when we know she's mentally unstable (she was not given alcohol and did not have access to it during this time.   ...

Very seriously here, it sounds like at least part of her Facebook friend's statement may actually be true. 

[Slartibartfast]

Can a business be a special snowflake?  Because Redbook magazine seems pretty darn close.

(Summary for those who don't like to click links - one of the pages from the latest issue has a bunch of "do-it-yourself ideas" which incidentally happen to be several popular posts on Pinterest.  They don't give credit to the authors, or even to finding them on Pinterest at all.  The illustrations are drawn rather than the photos from the popular pins, but they're pretty obviously drawn from those exact photos.  Jen Yates, who writes www.cakewrecks.com and www.epbot.com, was the originator of one of those ideas.)

Unluckily for Redbook, Jen has over a million Twitter followers and they're all pretty mad about this stunt.  I suspect if this follows other internet flare-ups, there will be some impressive drama and then an abject apology within the next 48 hours or so.

Since print magazines generally start with a 6-month lead time, Redbook would have been working on this article last summer. When did Jen publish her ideas? It's possible that both Jen and the Redbook staff came up with their ideas without having seen each other's work. My nephew once submitted an essay for class, only to have National Geographic publish, in its issue that came out 2 weeks later, an article that made the exact same point.

I'd believe that more if the article's artist hadn't drawn Jen's shoes in the picture.

[doodlemor]

.......... a note saying that it's our fault as a family that we gave her alcohol when we know she's mentally unstable (she was not given alcohol and did not have access to it during this time.

Perhaps she drank before she came, or brought some in her purse.  I've read weird stories about people hiding alcohol in all sorts of places - like the back of the toilet tank.

I'm sorry that your mother was so miserable on Christmas, PaintingPastelPrincess.

[MNdragonlady]

Shame on Redbook.   


Her original tutorial has been posted for a couple of years now.  I think she updated it to include regular shoes later though

The original is dated April 2011, so quite a while ago.

Oh, and The Bloggess has now tweeted about the situation. It's all over now for the Redbook editors. Do not want to be them right now.

[KenveeB]

Can a business be a special snowflake?  Because Redbook magazine seems pretty darn close.

(Summary for those who don't like to click links - one of the pages from the latest issue has a bunch of "do-it-yourself ideas" which incidentally happen to be several popular posts on Pinterest.  They don't give credit to the authors, or even to finding them on Pinterest at all.  The illustrations are drawn rather than the photos from the popular pins, but they're pretty obviously drawn from those exact photos.  Jen Yates, who writes www.cakewrecks.com and www.epbot.com, was the originator of one of those ideas.)

Unluckily for Redbook, Jen has over a million Twitter followers and they're all pretty mad about this stunt.  I suspect if this follows other internet flare-ups, there will be some impressive drama and then an abject apology within the next 48 hours or so.

Since print magazines generally start with a 6-month lead time, Redbook would have been working on this article last summer. When did Jen publish her ideas? It's possible that both Jen and the Redbook staff came up with their ideas without having seen each other's work. My nephew once submitted an essay for class, only to have National Geographic publish, in its issue that came out 2 weeks later, an article that made the exact same point.

I'd believe that more if the article's artist hadn't drawn Jen's shoes in the picture.

Yeah, if you look at Jen's side-by-sides, it's a pretty blatant copy. That's outrageous! Shame on Redbook.

[PaintingPastelPrincess]

...   Then she had her friend send me a facebook message (mom doesn't have Facebook) and leave me a note saying that it's our fault as a family that we gave her alcohol when we know she's mentally unstable (she was not given alcohol and did not have access to it during this time.   ...

Very seriously here, it sounds like at least part of her Facebook friend's statement may actually be true.

She does have some mental issues and is seeking help; this, however, was not related although it may have been related to alcohol consumption that the family was unaware of.  She gets very drama queenish around holidays and birthdays and will up the ante when she doesn't get the reaction she desires.  I hope her therapy helps her get over this.

[misha412]

My pickiness comes from textures and tastes. I can eat onions when they're part of a Thai stir fry that I like, but not when they're in a different restaurant's sweet n sour chicken. I'll eat pico de gallo if it's well-disguised with other things like guacamole, but I can't eat huge chunks of tomatoes. There's something in my head that sends off a signal going "Warning! Warning! This is NOT supposed to taste like this!" and will trigger a gag reflex. I wish I was different, and I've gotten better, but in some cases it's taken years to get used to certain foods cooked certain ways.

My pickiness is also textures and tastes as well as smells.

I do not like guacamole because it tastes and looks like green lard. I cannot take the little curds found in cottage cheese. I love raw spinach but cannot take it cooked. The smell of liver is nasty. I have to have sausage crispy on the outside or my brain thinks its raw. The same goes for hot dogs. I can only eat eggs scrambled, well done. Any shiny bits of egg and my stomach starts to roll.

I actually eat a wide variety of foods, but there are a few that I cannot stomach.

[Reika]

My pickiness is also textures and tastes as well as smells.

I do not like guacamole because it tastes and looks like green lard. I cannot take the little curds found in cottage cheese. I love raw spinach but cannot take it cooked. The smell of liver is nasty. I have to have sausage crispy on the outside or my brain thinks its raw. The same goes for hot dogs. I can only eat eggs scrambled, well done. Any shiny bits of egg and my stomach starts to roll.

I actually eat a wide variety of foods, but there are a few that I cannot stomach.

Aside from the spinach (I'm not a fan of it raw or cooked), this is how my brain is wired.  Just like I can't eat raw tomatoes, it's a combination of taste and texture. I will happily eat them seasoned and cooked.

Though sometimes if they're chopped finely enough and mixed in with something heavily seasoned, I can eat raw tomato. Not often though.

[Elfmama]

The next day, she called to accuse my uncle of restraining her (he didn't) and of stealing her gifts.  When he hung up on her, she called my other uncle to whine about the gifts and he reminded her that she'd left, telling us to keep them, and had even thrown the treats from my grandmother into his bag.  Then she had her friend send me a facebook message (mom doesn't have Facebook) and leave me a note saying that it's our fault as a family that we gave her alcohol when we know she's mentally unstable (she was not given alcohol and did not have access to it during this time.

Is this unusual or more extreme behavior than you have seen before?  Because it really sounds like this woman needs psychiatric help.

[Rohanna]

Dear PaintingPastelPrincess: I didn't know my mother had a second family. My condolences. I do not deal with her anymore- good luck to you with her!

Much love,

Your secret sister.

Seriously though, does she have mental health issues? Mine is non-compliant with any treatment or councelling- it's not awesome.

[o_gal]

Shame on Redbook.   


Her original tutorial has been posted for a couple of years now.  I think she updated it to include regular shoes later though

The original is dated April 2011, so quite a while ago.

Oh, and The Bloggess has now tweeted about the situation. It's all over now for the Redbook editors. Do not want to be them right now.

Oh goody! I'm hoping this goes the same way as Judith Griggs and her "Cooks Source" debacle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Griggs

[peach2play]

I was almost killed by a SS yesterday...

There is a major intersection with a right turn only turning into a continuous lane, meaning that the people turning right do not have to stop at the light and do not have to yield to anyone turning left.  The right hand turn lane is protected by a median, but the lane itself is a lane so only has white passing stripes.  Most people will use the continuous lane properly, but some people either don't see the signs or are too timid to use the lane properly or get worried that people turning left onto that street are going to cut them off or just have to cross 3 lanes of traffic to turn into Toys R Us even though there is another entrance farther down. 

http://goo.gl/maps/XPnj5  This is the exact intersection.  I'm turning right onto 88th (behind the white SUV in the pic).  A work van belonging to an electric company was in front of me, and he stops instead of using the continuous lane.  I wait, then beep at him.  I'm on the bike, and having traffic that is used to driving through the intersection stacking up behind me is very dangerous.  He refuses to go.  A car behind me comes into the turn and is laying on his horn and he missed the rear of my motorcycle by an inch.  Thankfully I saw him and pulled forward almost next to the van.  The van still refuses to go.  He decides to go just as I had started to go around him in the gutter.  I'm not going to get rear ended for someone to prove they are right.  I plan on calling the company and complaining about their driver.

[RingTailedLemur]

There are a couple of bits like that near me - they go round the edge of the roundabouts but separated by a media so you don't have anyone to give way to.  I was driving behind someone and we hit two within half a mile and this person stopped at both.  Bearing in mind it was a 50mph road so I've got vehicle s coming at me at that speed and this guy won't move!!!

[KenveeB]

Shame on Redbook.   


Her original tutorial has been posted for a couple of years now.  I think she updated it to include regular shoes later though

The original is dated April 2011, so quite a while ago.

Oh, and The Bloggess has now tweeted about the situation. It's all over now for the Redbook editors. Do not want to be them right now.

Oh goody! I'm hoping this goes the same way as Judith Griggs and her "Cooks Source" debacle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Griggs

It's really entertaining to go read Redbook's FB page now. Every single post and comment is about the Great Flip-Flop Debacle. They finally had to comment:

"Redbook Magazine Thank you, everyone, for bringing this to our attention. We did run a version of Jen Yates' idea in our story without crediting her — it was an unfortunate oversight on our part. We promise you that the mistake wasn't intentional, and we deeply regret it. We’ll make it right by crediting Jen online, as well as in a future issue, and compensating her, as we do all our contributors. We agree with all of you that it is essential to give credit where credit is due."

[Diane AKA Traska]

Shame on Redbook.   


Her original tutorial has been posted for a couple of years now.  I think she updated it to include regular shoes later though

The original is dated April 2011, so quite a while ago.

Oh, and The Bloggess has now tweeted about the situation. It's all over now for the Redbook editors. Do not want to be them right now.

Oh goody! I'm hoping this goes the same way as Judith Griggs and her "Cooks Source" debacle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Griggs

It's really entertaining to go read Redbook's FB page now. Every single post and comment is about the Great Flip-Flop Debacle. They finally had to comment:

"Redbook Magazine Thank you, everyone, for bringing this to our attention. We did run a version of Jen Yates' idea in our story without crediting her — it was an unfortunate oversight on our part. We promise you that the mistake wasn't intentional, and we deeply regret it. We’ll make it right by crediting Jen online, as well as in a future issue, and compensating her, as we do all our contributors. We agree with all of you that it is essential to give credit where credit is due."

Don't you have to contribute something to be a contributor?  That's like calling a robbery victim a donor.