Experiment #5 on Flickr.

I admit I’m cheating with this one, because brutal politeness has been my weapon of choice for years.

Note that I don’t mean “fake niceness” where you are saying “go to hell” with a smiley face at the end. Nor do I mean “be a doormat” - niceness can mean saying “no” but with class and self-possession.

I mean civility! Be, in other words, a GENTLEMAN. (Regardless of gender.)

One of two things will typically happen when you deploy this brand of niceness: the jerk will suddenly realize that they’re dealing with a human being and cool down; or every other witness to the interaction will remember how the jerk threw a tantrum while you acted like an adult.

And, if the interaction was a private one, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you behaved well. Magic!

#3 in a series.

Number two in my little series of self-imposed experiments. (Here’s #1 from yesterday)

As I get older I become interested in challenging some of my habits and inclinations. 

Okay, gang. Which is the best design for an embroidered patch? You tell me.

(Here’s the Bite Me! comic, by the way.)

This is a repeating pattern I put together for the print edition of Outfoxed! Even laundry can be decorative.

If you click on through to the project update, there are links for desktop wallpaper images of this pattern, just one scroll down!