Camera phone debate

I have a tendency to make fun of what others are wearing. Not that I think I'm some sort of fashion icon, I just sometimes wonder what made a person go into their closet that morning and choose the random/crazy/ill-fitting garments that they are wearing. I have also been known to take pictures on my camera phone of said outfits. I generally try to be discreet about it and think I do an OK job of doing so.

Last week my Mom was telling me a story about how she had gone to Target and noticed two teenage girls doing that exact thing to her- taking her photo on their camera phones and laughing about it. Now my Mom probably does look a little strange to some people, but with good reason. She was diagnosed with breast cancer last fall and because of the chemotherapy she has very little hair, it's just starting to grow back. To someone who didn't know any better, they might just think she has a really short haircut. She also has a flat chest at the moment because she had a double mastectomy in April.

Needless to say, it really hurt her feelings. I got really angry about it. I told my Mom she should have stopped and taken a picture of the girls on her phone, too. Or even better yet approach them and call them out on it. Then I started thinking about how I do the same thing. In my mind I try to justify what I do because I'm not making fun of someone who has a medical condition, just who has poor judgment in dressing themselves, but is it really all that different? Maybe I'm being just as hurtful as those girls were to my Mom. Maybe I'm just a big a-hole.

So the moral of the story is, I haven't since taken anyone's photo with my phone in order to make fun of them. I might not ever again.

Yes, my name is a flower.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jana Daisy. Yes, that's my real name.

Daisy is my LAST name, not my first name. I love my name, partly because it is also my husband's name, and partly because it is unique. I do not, however, love the jokes people make when they hear my name. For example: "What are you going to name your kids, Oopsa and Imma?" Guess what? Not funny.

Those of you who knew me before I was Jana Daisy know that my name has always been a flower. Before I was married, my name was Jana Rosa. Growing up, I couldn't wait to get married and have a new last name, because Rosa also got a lot of lame jokes (and a lot of Spanish-speaking telemarketer calls). When I fell in love with Jim, I realized that I would always be a flower, and there could be worse things than that.

If you do a google search of my name, you will find that there is a Jana Daisy who lives in Seattle and has her own belly dancing troupe, "Just like godesses". There is also a character on the Young & the Restless named Jana, who apparently is involved in a lot of controversy. Thankfully, I am neither of these.

Who am I, then? I am still trying to figure that out. What I can tell you is that I am a person who loves to smile (smiling's my favorite!), I try to be nice to everyone, and I love life. I like thunderstorms, I hate people who are pretentious, and I'm obsessed with Britney Spears.

Welcome to my world.