Emily Post must be rolling in her grave...

A fellow blogger recently posted something quite insightful that I thought I'd share. Bravo Natalie! Unless you live under a cultural rock you know what Kanye West did to Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards. I didn't even watch and I still know. I must echo my fellow blogger ... Manners, people? Where are they?

Emily Post may agree with me when I venture to say that manners have never really been the "in" thing or the "cool" thing. They generally don't fold well into publicity. After all, bad press is often the better press. But what do I know? I say "thank you" to the bus driver and "excuse me" to scaffolding poles. Manners have become instinctual for me. But beyond just minding your "p's & q's" how hard is it to suppress the urge to make an ass out of yourself on television and ruin a 19-yr-old girl's night? I'm not a huge fan of Taylor Swift myself but who cares? It was her turn to talk. Someone needs to go back to Kindergarten. And it isn't like he was interrupting to say something effective or important. Honestly, I think the haircut and the comments on his own blog say it all. Stay classy, Kanye.

Last night I attended my first book launch party in the city. It was for a book published by another company but one of my good friends works there so she invited me. The party itself was a hit: a closed guest list, a cool locale, themed cocktails. I didn't end up staying long because my friend wasn't feeling well and I wasn't feeling too social but in the time I was there I noticed just how many other folks I knew... Proof positive that this industry can be quite incestuous. Of the people I knew there were a few with whom I used to socialize but, for some unknown reason I was quietly but efficiently nudged out of their circle. OK, I'm a big girl, I can take a hint. In the name of manners I socialized with my colleagues last night. It was the right thing to do. A few minutes before I left, the author of the book we were celebrating got up at the mic to give acknowledgments and address her guests... Then someone shouted obnoxiously in the middle of her speech. Really? That's appropriate? What's worse, I know this person. This person is a member of the former social circle. Not really minding my ousted status anymore, I put my head down and a few minutes exited onto the city streets and headed for my subway.

Seriously, people. Manners.