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Posted in Knitting
June 23, 2010

It's as if the universe seeks balance…

Good things happen. (Yay! book is done and people like it!)
Bad things happen. (Seriously, where do I begin?)
June = the month of epic fail. My best friend & studiomate Arabella has a mysterious tumor in her leg. (We stuck rhinestones and glitter on the biopsy bandages last night, that was fun). My father spent his birthday with me at my friend the acupuncturist’s office, where she immediately diagnosed the ganglion cyst his (now-former…idiot) doctor completely missed. How he missed it, I do not know, as it sticks up like a Frankenstein bolt on his wrist. My dog had to go the vet because she hurt herself — and shortly after that she got stung by a bee. It’s just been one thing after another!
And that’s just the partial list of “REALLY? WHAT NOW?” stuff that’s been going on this month, so I haven’t had a lot of spare time to knit, or post photos from teaching at Purl Jam, or TNNA, or anything, really. I’ve just had my nose down to the grindstone trying to grit my teeth and make it through to July first without my head exploding.
It’s a good thing I got the caffeine withdrawal over with in April, no?
While we’re at it, I think this needs to get reproduced for posterity. Arabella’s dealing with a tumor, for heaven’s sake, and she gets this email from some idiot kid who wanted to take lessons with her after she refused his cut-rate bargaining and picking and choosing nonsense. His existing work wasn’t great, so for him to think he could just march in there and dictate what and how she teaches is ludicrous. Her rates are clearly posted in a PDF on her website, but this child thought he could bargain her down because maybe his friend might come with him. Newsflash: don’t try to get a bargain price for teaching and then brag about the cruise you’re going on… artists and teachers deserve to be paid, and they do not deserve to be treated this way:
This is my last email, please do not contact me anymore and if you do I will not read it. First, your payment methods are not the same as every art lesson provider, maybe at an art center, but not from a private artist (many people would not turn down money because the person wanted to pay lesson to lesson, only a retard would turn down money to teach what they love for money). That is why your payment method is ridiculous. Second, I asked you to change your prices because then it would not be a private lesson anymore, it would be a group lesson, hence less one on one time, hence a lower cost. Actually, I did offer to pay the original price of $30 for a 2 hour lesson after you said no to my proposition, so stop lying. $90/3=$30, do the math it is not that hard. Third, who the fuck would pay for something they do not want to learn. I asked to do portraits (which is what you seem to specialize in) and pay lesson to lesson. Now tell me is that too hard for you to put up with and is it too hard to teach your specialty? Lastly, talking about pissy because I didn’t get my way is retarded; you are the one who is getting pissy because I don’t want to pay a bitch like you for something I don’t want to learn and your unreasonable payment method. Here’s a tip of advice for you stop lying and act a little more professional. Your the insulting one.
This kid clearly has “CEO” written all over him. Maybe CEO of BP, or Monsanto or something.

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21 comments

  • Arabella

    And don’t forget all the pets that keep dying! I’m waiting for this month to END.

    Reply to Arabella
  • Hunter

    That sounds exactly like the sort of ‘client’ you’re really really glad not to get. I hope adult life smacks him upside the head and offers him lots of ‘learning opportunities’ that knock some sense into him. I’m thinking failing some college courses and getting fired from a few jobs and kicked out of a few apartments might help him.

    Reply to Hunter
  • Dani

    Holy bananas! Who writes an email like that? Yikes. A friend told me once not to argue with idiots – they lower you to their level and then beat you with experience. Sounds like this is the case. I am sorry that your friend had to deal with this!

    Reply to Dani
  • Post authorShannon

    Listen, if he’s got enough money to be going on cruises at his age, you know full well Mommy and Daddy will shield him from all of these unfortunate life events that knock sense into most people…sad but true.
    I had a fun conversation with my acupuncturist friend and my dad today — her kid is 4 years older than I was when I bought my first HOUSE and is still behaving like he’s 16. I said to my dad “don’t you appreciate me even more now?”! Happy birthday, dad, you raised a functional adult! good job!

    Reply to Shannon
  • Arabella

    Yeah don’t go on Facebook bragging about your cruise when you are telling someone you are broke on the same day! That’s only one of many emails I got with skewed logic. I like how he tells me not to contact him when he sent me about 10-15 emails that clearly labeled him as high maintenance. He also didn’t want to “lock into a contract without knowing how the lessons would turn out”. I wish I could have gone to college and seen how that was for 4 years before signing my Stafford Loan. Totally. Why do people think the can treat individuals like this, just because we aren’t a corporation? You pay for your Starbucks and iPhones, pay me.

    Reply to Arabella
  • Ivy

    Wow, that email just boggles the mind. How do you even attain that level of entitlement? And how on earth do these people manage to function? Why does our society keep rewarding them?
    So many questions. So few answers.

  • MJ

    Holy brattiness Batman!
    I really didn’t realize (until reading the comments here) that the “bratty child in question” is in fact NOT a 16 yr old?
    Apprently all the Veruca Salts out there do grow old and gray, but never “grow out”.

  • Post authorShannon

    Also, I take issue with this whole “who the fuck would pay for something they do not want to learn” thing — really, kid? Boy, you’re going to LOVE college. See, there’s this thing called “general requirements” that you have to do before you get to delve into all the fun stuff with your major, etc. I didn’t take logic because I wanted to, I took it because I needed a math requirement filled. I didn’t take composition class because I NEEDED it (hello? been writing how long…forever?), I took it because I HAD TO.
    My student loans wouldn’t have been nearly as high if I could have just waltzed in to college and taken whatever I wanted and said OK, that’s what I wanted to take, now give me a degree. I would have taken SO MANY MORE fun classes if I hadn’t had to do all those horrible requirements. Life’s a bitch, not Arabella.
    (Ok, she’s KIND OF a bitch, but she’s my kind of bitch and I love her).

    Reply to Shannon
  • Arabella

    He is 15 or 16 years old, so, you know.
    I’m a bitch when the situation calls for it. I was not a bitch to him though, I just stated that making all these exceptions for him is not fair to other students — he is not a special snowflake — and my guidelines/payment methods are no different than any other private lessons in painting.

    Reply to Arabella
  • Post authorShannon

    Yes, don’t you love the Special Snowflake Syndrome? I haven’t even laid into his appalling grammar/spelling… he needs remedial ed in more than one department, and yet he thinks he can lecture you, the grown up professional, on how you run your business? [bzzzzzzzz] The buzzer says NO!

    Reply to Shannon
  • MJ

    “many people would not turn down money because the person wanted to pay lesson to lesson, only a retard would turn down money to teach what they love for money”
    I really would like him to name one. Actually, if he can find one who can do that, he should just stop “wasting” his time trying to haggle things with Arabella and just go take a lesson from this “fine artist” who wants to teach “for the love of art”.
    “Second, I asked you to change your prices because then it would not be a private lesson anymore, it would be a group lesson, hence less one on one time, hence a lower cost. ”
    He signed up for, or wanted to inquire about “private” lessons, and just because he wants to bring some of his minions along, I don’t think he can magically turn that into a group lesson, nor should he change into one.
    “…talking about pissy because I didn’t get my way is retarded; you are the one who is getting pissy because I don’t want to pay a bitch like you for something I don’t want to learn and your unreasonable payment method. Here’s a tip of advice for you stop lying and act a little more professional. Your the insulting one.”
    Wow, what a lesson to be learned from a “professional” gentleman! Good advice! And what a sounding example he is! (Oh and remember to use incorrect grammar to emphasize your point!!!)

  • Arabella

    I don’t get where he thinks I wasn’t going to teach portraiture, either. I never even went into the topics I cover, so how did he know he didn’t want to learn certain things if I hadn’t told him what they were yet? Also, he said he knew all about color theory and drawing from life etc. He clearly did not judging from his work! These darn kids today, always wanting shortcuts.

    Reply to Arabella
  • StephCat

    What an absolute little toad.
    Hope your dog is okay, that Arabella’s tumor is benign and easily treated, your dad is okay….hoping I didn’t miss anything (if nothing else b/c you don’t need any more bad things).

    Reply to StephCat
  • Alexandra

    EEEEEEW. Little **** needs a smack upside the head.

    Reply to Alexandra
  • Post authorShannon

    Agreed. And after the month we’ve all had, I’m sure any one of us would be prepared to deliver said smack.

    Reply to Shannon
  • mary lou

    Ain’t life grand some days? I am off this am to the equine opthamologist for the eye injury my horse got while I was at TNNA. Sheesh. At least I don’t have brats begging me to teach them. Here’s to July!

    Reply to mary lou
  • Lee

    Right…calling someone a bitch and totally going off on them is going to make someone give you what you want. That’s unfortunate. Just take solace in the fact that real life is going to sucker-punch this kid in the face eventually–at least when he gets to college. Cosmic karma is the real bitch. 🙂

  • Olwyn

    Actually, with the persistence, obsessive attention to detail (his version) and the self-stimulating, escalating anger pattern his letter demonstrates, he sounds unbalanced and possibly dangerous. Scary!
    I’m sorry for all the hard knocks of June. Here’s wishing for a happy July.

    Reply to Olwyn
  • yvette

    This kid is creepy. He has the markings of becoming a dangerous adult what with the violent name calling and the harassing emails. His parents would do better to spend the money on psychotherapy for him rather than cruises. You’re well rid of him.

    Reply to yvette
  • The Other Kristen

    Oh good G-d. When he does get to college, this is probably how he’s going to interact with his professors (I am one, and although this e-mail would be on the extreme side, the attitude is one I see too often). Yup, BP (or AIG) CEO in the making.
    Shannon and Arabella, best of luck dealing with “suck” end of the spectrum.

    Reply to The Other Kristen
  • MelissaW

    Been lurking but had to put in a “two-cents’ worth of encouragement and support” comment 🙂
    Sending good thoughts your way, hoping the end of June brings some relief and good news about Arabella’s results, and agreeing that hideous little toads are not worth their parents’ money. Too bad you can’t forward that email to his mom.

    Reply to MelissaW

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