I'm taking a break (well, haven't even started yet) from the unpacking. (So many boxes, so little time!).

I had an interesting conversation with a coworker today; it's more just something that's been on my mind that I wanted to get feedback on. You see, I think Seattle's starting to rub off on me. Or at least the part of Seattle that thinks snark is a high art form.

The other day, I teased a friend to another friend online- nothing I wouldn't have said to his face, of course, but the response I got was a little off. I brushed it off; in reality, on my end, it truly was good-natured teasing, and I would have happily accepted the same kind back :)

But then, after that conversation, I started noticing that I was doing something similar, but less friendly, more and more; twice in the last two days I've made a snarky comment about two different acquaintances, expecting to be lauded for my wittiness, and instead getting the head-tilt of "Did she really just say that?" Granted, it was a different situation than the previously mentioned one; in these cases, I would definitely *not* have wanted the people I was snarking about to overhear. And no, it wasn't particularly good-natured.

Unfortunately, I'm not really sure what to do about it, other than be aware of it and try to think before I speak. :/ It makes me sad, and I know part of it is simply because I'm around people who do it often; much like cussing, if I'm around people who drop an f-bomb in every other sentence, I will eventually start dropping the occasional one myself. I also can't really remove myself from it; around here, if I did, I wouldn't interact with anyone. So I guess I just have to work harder at controlling my impulses (dangit, I am *so* good at this, too).

Wish me luck. I don't want to be snarky; or at least not too snarky :) I'd rather be someone who is encouraging. I hope I can get there soon, but I don't think it will be easy.