Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Carpooling Dos & Don'ts

1. No eating breakfast sandwiches even if the meat is turkey.
2. No talking on cell phones, you can text.
3. Do not be late.
4. Do not talk incessantly if quiet seems to be the rule.
5. Do not complain about the choice of radio stations or make a request if you haven’t been asked.
6. Do not complain if the driver keeps changing stations and ask, “Why do you keep doing that?”
7. Do not suggest a better location to meet. You have no car; therefore you have no good ideas.
8. Don’t gripe about the cost of the carpool, you didn’t buy a car.

9. Always thank the driver.
10. Don’t complain about lack of heat or air conditioning. If the driver is comfortable, you are comfortable.
11. What’s said in the car stays in the car.
12. If you must gossip, make it about you.
13. Go easy on the cologne or perfume.
14. You don’t have to announce that you’re going to shower after working out in the gym at the office.
15. Understand the pecking order, if you’re new, you sit in the back but never alone in the back seat if there’s no one in the passenger’s seat.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Egg in Your Face For Free!

In between kitchen shifts, some bars around  town offer boiled eggs for free. At Balthazar one bartender tends to supply a small plate but you can use your napkin to crack, peel and salt. It would be tacky to ask for mayonnaise and some bread. If you're that hungry, ask for the menu. Cheers!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

TWIN RULES (OURS ANYWAY)


Yvette and I don't think that being twins is one big barrel of fun. A lifetime of being mistaken for someone else can be trying. The script rarely varies. "Oh, I thought you were your sister. You two look so much alike." That's what identical twins do, they look alike.

When we were little girls, adults used to ask us to stand back to back to see who was taller. And since we had to respect our elders and not express to them how that made us feel, we did it. The back to back and side by side tests were sometimes cruel. They would go so far as to say who was prettier. Twin enthusiasts also make the odd assumption or at least act like our hearing isn't too swift. How many times have we heard and watched people talk about us while we're standing there? We've been twins all of our lives so we don't understand the fascination that singletons have with us. And nothing is more sad when someone says, "I always wanted to be a twin."

"Are you the right one?" a woman asked Yvonne. "I'm Yvonne, is that all right? What the woman meant is if Yvonne was the twin she knew.

"Can't you be a little more patient with people? Try to understand them." a friend asked.
"No," Yvonne replied. "Can't they try and understand?"

To us and the enlightened we have distinct noticeable differences. But what happens is that when people see twins, they automatically see sameness, there can be no differences.

The next time you see a set of identical twins, consider these dos and don'ts:

  • Don't ask twins if one feels the other's pain. Very dull and uninspiring question. The same goes for, "Are you twins?"
  • Don't ask who's the oldest. This has more impact than you think. We have a friend who has twins and won't tell the boys who's the older because she doesn't want them to take on younger/older brother roles. They're just minutes apart.
  • Do feel free to say, "Hello, Yvonne." If it's the wrong name, it's okay, we'll tell you. Don't stand there and play a guessing game.
  • Do be mindful of how often the same questions are asked
  • Do speak in your adult voice, for some reason people fall into a baby voice when they talk to us.
  • Don't point out similarites and differences when the twins are present, especially among other people. This can be embarassing and rude to other guests.
  • Don't feel compelled to give both twins a compliment just because both are standing in front of you. e.g. "Yvette you like nice, so do you, Yvonne
  • Do respect twins as individuals despite their DNA.
  • Don't walk up to a twin and say, "You're not speaking to me?" Obviously, it's the twin you don't know.
Yvette and I have four other siblings, they are just as special and unique. We've been told that we're miracles. We're not. We're just twins.





Wednesday, October 5, 2011

HANDSHAKES, WHAT’S SHAKIN?”

“He’s made a horrible mistake,’ a man whispered to his girlfriend.” I, Yvonne, didn’t understand the big deal. “What’s wrong with a man doing that?“ I asked my friend’s fidanzato.



“Maybe in America, but the person in the lower position doesn’t extend his hand to a person in a higher position.” His fidanzata wasn’t of noble blood and neither was the man who had the audacity to want to shake her hand as a kind gesture. But her boyfriend was on to something according to basic handshaking etiquette.

• A man doesn’t extend his hand to a woman; it’s up to the woman if she wants him to have the pleasure of touching her hand.

• A commoner upon meeting Queen Elizabeth should wait for the Queen to extend her hand. And if you’re going to the same event, don’t show up after her arrival, it's in bad form.  And even though she made people wait, you still have to wait for her to extend her hand.

Apparently, when it comes to handshaking, we have to have a good idea of our place or rank in society. It can be very confusing so better to be humble and assume that you don’t rank as high as the person you’re meeting. Wait for the them to extend their hand, as you would do if you were meeting a queen.