Welcome to the Commenting Pixie Party!
Thank FSM! I was hoping you'd post this early. My whines are many.
First, mystery illness continues. A phrase you do not want to hear during an ultrasound? "You do still have your left ovary, right?" Holy crap. Did I misplace it? Did it fall out while I wasn't looking? The ultrasound was actually painful. My bladder was full to the brim. The two times I feel pain are when I actually pee and when I really, really need to pee. And then, the tech was poking on it and stuff. And then, she poked on other stuff--internally--and well, let's just say it did not feel too good.
Of course, having a painful ultrasound is not a good sign even if the doctor assures me he doesn't think anything major is wrong with me. I mean, I'm not bleeding out of multiple orifices or anything. You know, what happened to the whole Star Trek medical team? I just want to be scanned and they tell me immediately what's wrong and fix it--painlessly.
Sigh. That is on top of my grandmother dying (whom I wasn't close to, but still). And there's the regular dealing with kids by myself, work out the wazoo, etc.
Oh, and I'm thinking about applying for a couple of faculty jobs (non-tenure track) and I'm totally freaked out. I don't know why. I'm perfectly qualified, but I've been conditioned to think I'm not good enough. Sigh.
Thanks for listening. I hope the rest of the pixies are better off than me.
P.S. The new dishwasher will solve all problems. I long for one myself.
(((( laura ))))
and PS, yes, a new dishwasher does just wash troubles away. the washable ones. and it makes that nice, busy humming noise. what's not to like?
whine: son got another letter today from the selective service. they apparently didn't really keep track of the last 2 times he signed up. [your tax dollars at work.] this time, he got nervous, and his response is already ready to mail -- hopefully with proof he already signed up, already.
antiwhine: daughter starts with her new woodwind group tonight! and school's going well!
whine: SAT I repeat on 10/14. 3 SAT II's on 11/4. some college apps due by 11/30. eeeek!
antiwhine: daughter is meeting with the college counselor thursday.
whine: this is all too fast! it's too weird! and the SS freaks me out, seriously. aaarrrgh!
Yea! Early whines! And the dishwasher should make everything perfect for at least a month or two. I still remember our bliss 3 years ago moving into our first apt with a dishwasher, it was heaven!
In theory I am having a good day. My experiment at work went swimmingly. I had some great times at swimming time trials tonight. But I am feeling crappy and sad.
My boyfriend and I (dating seven years) had this weird vacation conversation and it just left us kind of silent and not talking. Deal is I thought we had agreed to take two weeks and go to Hawaii to elope next spring, the last week of vacation to be spent with families over the holidays. Today the boyfriend brings up going to Belize to visit his sister, and I just don't get it, did he forget that we were going to use our vacation time to GET MARRIED?! I can't get him to talk about it and I just don't know what the deal is, does he not want to get married or what? Does he just want to have a real wedding instead, who knows, he sure as hell isn't telling me.
To top it off we've gotten a few bites at night a couple weeks ago and then my boyfriend jokes about having bedbugs tonight. I freak out and google it and you know find out how awful it is to have bedbugs. It would suck and oh man, now I'm paranoid we have bedbugs, yuck. But really I'm pretty sure what happened was we have a huge hole in the screen in the bedroom and some mosquitos got in. God I don't want to have bedbugs.
Hugs to all the early whiners!
My windshield broke! I went outside today and -- poof! hugely cracked windshield with areas that are just mushy glass! It's clearly not a branch. My father thinks it's a rock. I hate people and I think it was a hammer, because if it's a rock, where did the rock go? Plus, the bottom part just looks like a hammer size and shape. And I parked on the street last night instead of in the parking spot, so I feel like it's my fault for being stupid and making it happen. And I cannot really afford to fix it, which is rather too bad, as I have to.
Also, my head itches really badly occasionally and keeps me awake or wakes me up, and I scratch it so much it hurts. It's not dandruff, just really bad itching. It is also not lice or fleas. If you were wondering.
On the anti-whine side: new Gilmore Girls tonight!
Ouch! Early vote for Wolfa and the nasty person who hammered her windshield! What the fireplace is WRONG with people these days?
My whine: Thinkgs have been so UBER CRAPPY these days that I have *forgotten* to whine for the past two or three Wednesdays. I've remembered on Thursday at about 5pm. Gah!
To coin a word from the Phantom lexicon -- teh suck, she is thus:
My girl scout co-leader told me a week before we were to start meeting that she was leaving to form her own troop. And this is after we spent a whole weekend planning what our first month's meetings would be. This now leaves me short-handed, and I'm not able to take the girls on this field trip they REALLY want to go on until we have another adult with us. JF (who *always* helps out) is not allowed to sign on as a co-leader because 1) He's a man, so that automatically makes him a child molester, or something; and 2) You can't have a spouse as a co-leader for fear that a married couple would embezzle the troop money, or be doing sick, weird things to the girls. And GS National wonders why we don't have more male volunteers!
So, co-leader quits. The next week, I find out that she's gone behind my back and poached two of my girls. So, now, not only do I have no co-leader, I'm also down two more girls. And who KNOWS what all was said about me to get those girls to switch over to the other troop?!? I'm just so through will all the crap. It's really affecting my desire to be a leader.
My husband is depressed, because he thinks he's hit the glass ceiling pay-wise in his current job. He applied for several positions he saw advertised, and it took a long time for them to call back. So, he was upset, thinking he was not worth hiring (from a prospective employer's point of view) and that he'd be stuck where he is forever. And that's getting more and more political every day. But, he finally had an interview, which he said went well, but now he's playing the waiting game, and he's not very patient. (I suffer from lack of patience as well, but it's MY whine.) And, the job would mean a pay cut that we can't afford unless he *really* impressed the prospective employer.
Anti-whine: My daughter told me tonight that she got named one of the school newspaper editors! Yay, Offspring! But -- she was bummed to note that she's the SPORTS editor... yeah -- the kid who *hates* sports. That's the right match for that child! Oh, well...maybe it'll motivate her to want to get out there and play a sport!
ACK! A HUGE roach just flew into my hair! I was sitting here typing, and a huge roach zoomed into my hair like it was Keanu Reeves in a crappy movie!
Ew! Now I have to go take a shower! Yuck yuck yuck yuck...
(FYI -- we live on the coast, near the marsh, and no matter how clean your house is, you will have roaches. They're attracted to the wet and the trees. So, no cracks about my slovenly housekeeping. I get enough of that from my husband!)
Um, cockroach in the hair? KLee is going to be very, very tough to beat this week.
We can't sell our flippin' house. We will NEVER move. Well, we're in the middle of the real estate economic landslide, so it looks like we'll be here at least a few more years. We put over $20,000 into improvements that the real estate agent said we HAD to have, all for nothing. (well, not completely nothing -- the house looks much better). We've gone through six months of constant vacuuming, yanking the dog outside and driving around the block while people traipse through the house, cleaning the carpet, painting, retiling, sanding, staining, arranging the towels, re-arranging the furniture, color coding the stuff in the closet, "staging" the furniture and china in the dining room, living room, and deck, and all for nothing. It's been exhausting. I feel like I've been part of one big HGTV show for the last six months.
Just make sure that baking sheet does not obstruct the path of the thingie that whirls around. Does it have a childproofing mechanism? Ours always makes me feel absurdly powerful. When I use it, I gloat.
All the whines are so hard to beat this week! I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.
AP US History and Advanced Precalc (as a sophomore, I might add(, along with three hour swim practices every day, are turning out to be a formula for major stress. I still haven't figured out how to connect the French Indian War to the change in relations between Britain and the colonies between 1740 and 1766. I failed a math test because our teacher is picky. And I have to be at school every morning at six to study/ get math help, meaning I'm not getting any sleep. And I am not one of those people who functions well without sleep.
Anti-whine: The thing that's getting me through this week is the complete Homecoming experience I have planned with three of my best friends for this weekend.
A non-whine-related question for the floor: I just put a recent comment widget in my sidebar. What do you think, pixies? Is it a Welcome Improvement, or is it like asking you all to party in front of a picture window?
Mykal, Wolfa, KLee, Laura, and Grandma Blue.
Anti-whine: I'm dancing the Hula at the Fall for the Book festival tomorrow.
Whine: My AP transcripts still have not come from the College Board. I had to fax another request yesterday and I included our credit card number this time, even though they cashed my check back in March. I know that I took 'em 20 years ago, but they were computerized even then, so what's the problem?
If Nearby University ever gets them, it will mean that I will get out of having to take 12 credits of a foreign language, 3 credits of English, and 3 credits of American History. Over one full semester's worth of credits.
It will mean I might be able to graduate at the end of next Summer (unlikely, but possible). And graduating by the end of '07 will be a certainty.
So why haven't they fireplacing sent them???????
I like the widget.
Will you have a dishwasher warming party?
I would love to have a dishwasher warming party. Y'all want to come? Mr. Blue has to work late that night, and LG has a short day of school, so I should be ready for some tequila, say, around 5PM that afternoon. Right around the time Curious George starts.
Baby Blue is still not tired at this moment, by the way. Will the new! dishwasher! cure that for me when it comes?
You know, I used to fall asleep to the sound of the dishwasher when I was little. Such a soothing noise. I hope it does the same for BB.
I'll start off with anti-whines: with the exception of one man who was emotionally offended by a single sentence in my presentation, my conference went splendidly. I now have the e-mail addresses of all the major scholars who specialise in exactly what I do, all of whom are eager to mentor me and help me with my dissertation. I'm so excited.
Whiiiiiiiiiiiiine: I have a couple of equations for you all. First, allergies going nuts + room full of people from all over the world for a weekend + little sleep = massive head cold. And, most importantly: massive congested head cold + awake every two hours because of post-nasal drip and difficulties breathing + airplane = my personal hell.
At least I'm home now. But my head feel like it's been inflated and I can't lay down without choking. Gross, I know.
Final anti-whine: new Transport Canada regulations let us bring waterbottles on planes again, if you buy them within the secure terminal. They implemented this new policy immediately before I had to fly this morning. Bless them.
I would, before I forget again, like to take this moment to thank Phantom, whose weekly whine day saves my blog from being all bitching, all the time. (Though I'm blogging a pic of my windshield.) Plus, she provides place for a community of people who share a common interest.
anti-whine: The departmental lecture I organized tonight was a great success! The crowd was overflowing the room, the speaker was witty, and dinner afterward was as pleasant as possible given that there was a birthday party of 21 people (the waitress told me) in the same room as us.
whine: Lecture being over means I have to start thinking about a conference presentation coming up in 3 weeks.
anti-whine: I get to travel to a new-to-me city and state (Tulsa, OK) for the conference, which happens to be during Tulsa's Oktoberfest. It's reputedly among the 10 best Oktoberfests... in the world!! Liederhosen, here I come!
whine: I'm going to this conference instead of one in Puebla, Mexico. Sunshine and enchiladas beats liederhosen and sausage.
Anti-whine: I might have a chance to transfer to U. Padua for my doctorate.
Whine: The thought of the above makes my head spin, and I can't take eons of time to figure out whether to apply, and if I apply, I might not be accepted.
Whine: my asthma is suddenly a lot worse. Sunday I got caught without my inhaler, and the resulting attack ended up exhausting me for the whole day.
Anti-whine: I have a new table, a stepstool, and bread baking in the bread machine.
Whine: school starts tomorrow. Ack!! I don't really feel ready.
Anti-whine: Despite my anxieties, it doesn't feel like school so much as something that I do. And that's an interesting and good feeling.
Anti-whine: I'm going to City by the Sea tomorrow to visit Songbird!
Yay!
I'm really only here for the anti-whine because _I_ think it's pretty damn cool and I can't really talk much about it on my blog because me == not anonymous which means my students == not really anonymous.
Anyway, the whine: I'm really tired and I'm totally blocked when attempting to write my thesis proposal. Note: it's just a proposal (aka "formality") for a thesis I can totally talk about because I've already written 18% of it, but f* me if I can start it.
The BIG FAT HONKING anti-whine: I swear I have ten or big-R Romanticists in my freshman comp class. For their in-class descriptive essay so many of them wrote about wandering off to a mountaintop/Yosemite/the beach/Crater Lake and just sitting in the overwhelming majesty of nature. I know for a fact none of them know that what they're talking about is a whole intellectual movement ('n shit).
I also made up a bunch of extra credit reading responses they can do by picking from a list of stuff I selected for them (stuff I know they'd never read otherwise). My hardcore speed metal sigma chi guy chose to write on three Emily Dickison poems _and liked them_.
I don't know what the hell is up with these kids, but I'm keeping them.
Dickinson, I mean. Of course.
Julie, I am so friggin' jealous. And equally friggin' happy for you.
omg, JM hit the jackpot! woo hoo!
hugs to all the whiners. and PS, i kinda like the sidebar thing.
Hi, I'm Lunasea and this is my first whine.
I think DH is coming down with pneumonia just like he did this time last year.
DH wants me to apply for a job I don't want in another state so he can quit his job.
I had a new client scheduled tomorrow who called tonight and said he'd decided he'd "like to take a break and figure some stuff out" for himself before we even met for the intake.
I got a summons for jury duty and I have absolutely no one to watch the kids on the days I don't work. But lack of child care isn't an excuse.
My dad thinks I'm my sister.
I spilled a whole container of cottage cheese in the file room at work. I'm not sure anything is harder to clean up (on indoor-outdoor carpeting) than cottage cheese. And it was one of those fling-type spills so the cottage cheese flew all the way to the other side of the room.
Thank you.
Oh, thank you, thank you, for putting up the whine thread. I am very whiny today.
Baby E has hardly slept for 2 days, and has been extremely whiny, fussy, pain-filled, and just basically not herself. A doctor's visit today ruled out a concussion and an ear infection, leaving the likelihood that she is allergic to bell peppers in addition to the things we knew about, and also (separately) that something we've been giving her has hidden corn and/or soy in it. We've narrowed it down to 2 or 3 possiblities. Hopefully we'll figure it out soon.
Antiwhine: ianqui gave me a word for something that's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Now I know it's not a result of sleep deprivation, not paying enough attention, air-headedness, or something like that. Now that I've identified it and am learning more about it, I can learn better how to work around it, I hope.
Whine: I am prosapognosic. Face-blind. Which means it's not going to go away when sleep deprivation, etc. end. I probably wouldn't recognize my own mother if I saw her face only, with no hair, body, voice or other non-facial features to identify her by.
Antiwhine: I am so relieved that I'm not the only person in the world who can have a 20-minute conversation with someone I've met several times before, turn to fill my water glass, and then be unable to find them again in the crowd 2 minutes later.
I am inspired by Mykal to post my first whine...
My boyfriend and I live in [Collegetown] and we were recently driven out of our apartment by bed bugs. They had spread through the entire complex, and the landlords did nothing about it. Because bed bugs are impossible to get rid of (just ask for the horrible details), we had to move. Not only did we have to move, but we also had to disinfect everything we owned, if we wanted to be able to avoid moving the bugs with us. That means we had to cycle everything that could not be washed on hot in the washing machine through the freezer for a full week. This took 2 months. We lived out of friends' houses for about a month of this. We have only just gotten our last things back, and about half of it is still in boxes. But at least no more bugs are eating me in my sleep, so maybe that is an anti-whine.
Whine number two is that I have a paper for work that I really should have finished 2 weeks ago. I am less than halfway finished.... At least now the main things bothering me are of my own making, so if I get my act together I can take care of them.
Wow, Jinny, Lunasea, and Purple Kangaroo get my votes.
I also really feel the need to add how grateful I am for my new bread machine. The first loaf just got cool enough for me to slice into, and it's fabulous. Don't get me wrong -- I have always enjoyed the more labor-intensive parts of breadmaking, but since getting so sick last year, they wear me down. I can do them, but I get so tired.
Anyway, the hardest thing I had to do for this bread was try to measure tablespoons of shortening as precisely as possible.
I can't sleep. I can't remember the last time I slept more than a few hours in a night. Do you think your dishwasher can solve all my problems too?
My big whine, we are moving in a week and a half, and my in-laws have decided that this is a perfect weekend to come be entertained at my house that is 99% packed up and moved. It is so hard to describe what a colossal pain in the fireplacing tuckus this is. I was supposed to spend the weekend cleaning the new house, which has been empty for almost a year, and now I have to spend it waiting on my in-laws and trying to get my kids to "be seen (in nice clothing) but not heard."
The last time my in-laws were out M got yelled at because we "only have them out when we need them to babysit." Except, well, they have never babysat for us. So either the people who spend every other weekend sitting on my couch expecting finger food and cocktails are alien body snatchers, or there is some family out there masquerading as us and getting free babysitting.
Grandma Blue, I feel your pain. Our house has not yet sold either. I swear the market dried up the day we put our house up for sale.
Anti-whine: We are finally moving into the new house! We figured the old house wasn't selling with the furniture in it, so maybe it would sell without it. Hey, a gal can dream, can't she?
An early vote for klee and Laura.
Oh, and Jinny. Because bed bugs are the stuff my nightmares are made of. Now I really can't sleep.
You've heard what has to be my anti-whine.
But as you may have surmised, I have an actual whine for this Wednesday.
Small Church is already facing financial challenges such that I am worried about maintaining my employment. One of our modest lines of steady income derives from the Nursery School that has been at and part of the church for 34 years. This fall we had a full roster of children, enough to need a staff of three teachers on the busier days, and because she likes plenty of staff the director hired a third part-time teacher for the other two days as well.
Then a child dropped out. Then another family came and told the director they had $$ troubles and couldn't stay in school. In neither case was this good news. But worse was to come.
It seems the state has decided to pilot a pre-K program, and one of the locations is here in City By the Sea. Now FOUR of our families have decided to pull their kids out and put them in the less expensive program run by the state. These dropouts are going to cost the school in the neighborhood of $1000 per month. That is all five days of the part-time teachers plus the rent paid to the church plus another $100.
I am incensed that two of these families in particular would be so fireplacein' thoughtless. In each case, the child being pulled is their third child to attend the school. Do they not realize that the school has a budget and bills to pay?!?!?!!!!
All this will likely hasten my departure, with no other jobs, local or otherwise, on the horizon. I am scared and upset and feel like a total and complete failure.
I realize a little unemployment angst is nothing compared to health issues, but I am only four years into my career and fear that this will be the end of it and my kids will end up with their dad and I will be living in a tar-paper shack somewhere or the backseat of my husband's Mazda with our two dogs and three cats. And my dogs? Are really, really big.
I am humbled, because last week I whine (and won a prize for) All-Night Nursing and Sleeplessness.
Well. Baby AM was very concerned that I top myself this week. (He is all about progress, that one.)
So. Taxman is 900+ miles away at a week-long work thingie. Baby AM somehow knows that I cannot pass him over to the other parent and thinks it would be a fabulous idea to nurse constantly between 2:30 and 5:30 am.
Soon into the process (say, 2:40) I realized that I hadn't heard from Miss M all night (a minor miracle--the night before she was up so much I finally moved her to our room so I wouldn't have to go as far). I wanted to check on her as soon as AM would let me slip away. Three hours later she woke up for the day. AM had refused to let go of me, plus he's now developed this disconcerting, although vaguely cute, throaty growl to express his dissatisfaction.
So yeah. Exhausted does not even plumb the depths.
Extra bonus: AM nursed so much he peed through his onesie twice last night, and then he spit up on the comforter.
Whine: My first whine was deleted because my spouse has been fiddling with his cookie settings.
Whine: My spouse is traveling for two days, he's in charge of morning wake-up/breakfast/transport-to-bus-stop, and now not only do I have to handle all that, not only have the kids have decided TODAY that they are sick of school lunches (so I have to make lunches while spouse is gone) but thanks to the whine thread, I'm going to be Freaked The Heck Out about the fireplacing bedbugs.
Whine/Anti-Whine: There was a "Home Invasion" (i.e., break-in while residents at home) through a neighbor's kitchen window yesterday at 5am. Scary. But the neighbor says in his e-mail, "burglary wasn't the motive." Weird. Neighbor has European mail-order bride. Icky. Neighbor's e-mail implies he and bride sleep on separate floors of house. Drama! Other neighbors now consumed with curiousity/excitement/dread: are we living in the flashback portions of our own personal episode of "Law & Order"? Stay tuned.
Final whine: I never know how to vote for relatively better or worse whines. My personal sympathies are all in the direction of Purple_Kangaroo, because of the whole baby-with-allergies thing. Mystery illness is never good. And cockroaches and bedbugs freak me the heck out.
Oh, and now Songbird, because, well, obviously.
Another anti-whine: your bloglines feed is working again!
Kid L is failing 5th grade.
Kid L needs glasses (her whine not mine)
Kid L has been diagnosed as having ADD.
Additionally, we woke up late, Kid L missed the bus, I forgot to print the permission slip she needs for Girl Scouts today, and my coffee made all over the counter top.
Whine: Three weeks into first grade, I've gotten at least one email a week from Primo's teacher, "Just letting you know" that "Primo had a difficult day today."
Note to all the child-development experts. Changing the name of the "Time out Chair" to "The Better Choices Chair" doesn't fool ANYONE. Not the kids, not the parents. No one.
Primo is not particularly disruptive. He's not given us serious concern about ADD. We've always known that he has some Sensory Integration Issues (ever since the referral to the Neuro for toewalking and non-potty-training), but they've never before risen to the level of causing trouble. Some of the stuff she's describing -- wiggling in his seat, banging his legs against his chair, hopping around - are definitely signs he's seeking sensory input. So - what could be making them do so now, and how do we deal with this without coming across as either hypochondriacal parents or as "we're trying to excuse bad behavior" parents??
Whine2: DH is going on yet another trip. Only 2 days this time, but he misses Curriculum Night *And* "fall cleanup" at school
Honkin' Big Anti-Whine: Not only did DH get a real, live, faculty job within his current department, but it officially starts the first of October! We were told that beaurocratic wheels turn so slowly his start date would probably be sometime in December, but he got a letter telling him to report to the area admin next Monday! Hello, vision insurance and nice raise!
somebody (not naming any names here) woke me up at 5:30 this morning to talk about the French and Indian War. I think I remember being woken up to nurse as a little less demanding, though I suspect one simply functions in one's sleep in both cases eventually.
wish I was sleeping now instead of grading.
I cannot whine because I won't stop. So I came here to sympathize.
Aw, YT. You don't have to brave and grateful all the time, you know? Give the rest of us a chance to sympathize with you once in awhile!
In addition to everything else (dying grandfather, I've gained 5 lbs this month, I have no cute clothes, I've had a low-grade migraine for the past week, stupid politics), Gilmore Girls was only meh last night. Granted, it was meh that was far superior to most everything else, but still. I miss the original creator.
Still I have little to complain about, because my New! Mac! makes everything better, just like your New! Dishwasher! will.
Thanks for the Mazel Tov, by the way. I think I've been waiting for someone to say that to me.
My whines this week pale in comparison to bedbugs, unsold houses, all-night nursing, untold allergies, untimely inlaws, and all the other impressive pixie complaints. But whine I must.
I'm fireplacing sick of the article I'm working on, and of my apparent inability to articulate why anyone should bother reading it. I know that the answer is there, hiding out somewhere in my brain, but for the life of me I can't get through to it. And what if it's NOT there and there is no real point and I'm just stuck in some kind of Sartre play?? Argh!
And why does my daughter get through her preschool day without a single potty-related accident, only to take every opportunity to pee on the floor, bed, couch, etc. the moment she gets home? Is this only about defying momma, who is trying very hard not to reveal her irritation like all the books advise, or do her "I need to pee" sensors really switch off when she gets home?
That is all.
Good whines all around pixie-ville so far. Early votes for KLee - eeww. Cockroaches in teh hair *shudders*
Whine: When does guilt just vaporize and leave me alone already?? Five years ago I was just beginning to emerge from a descent into depression hell that damn near took my life. I had landed the position I presently have at Little Church on the Corner and things were looking up.
While I had been on sick leave, a former coworker (from the hospital where I had worked previously for 15 years) asked me to conduct her marriage ceremony. I had to say no because at the time of the marriage, I was on medical leave, and frankly could barely brush my own hair. I was really sick. A local colleague did the wedding, but my friend was disappointed.
Just as I was starting to move on from that visit to the Guilt Theme Park - "Where All the Rollercoasters Go One Way - Down" I received another request for a wedding. This one was to have taken place in the church I had just left, where my former "team-mate" (using the term in its most blasphemous form) in ministry had opted for annhilation over conversation. I couldn't get near the building without having a severe panic attack. By body responded to that place by believing it was going to be killed. Kinda hard to do a wedding that way.
Fireplace. I still feel so guilty. I know it couldn't be helped, either case. But still...
Oh, and the reason I'm thinking of all this -- the groom in the first couple just died this week. He was 48. Cancer. His wife, my former lab colleague is pregnant with their third child. Fireplace it. I just feel so sad.
Another gem I forgot to whine about last night. My Mom who is constantly complaining about how she doesn't see me enough, even though we make every effort to visit 2-3 times a year. A few weeks ago I confirmed with her that we would visit them for Thanksgiving. Then the other day I talked to her and she started saying something about how she would be in Iowa with Grandma over thanksgiving! She was all "but you guys are going to NJ with boyfriends family". She completed imagined this up. She acts like we actively avoid coming there thinking we're going all these other places but not to visit her, when in reality she's just imagining it and even makes it impossible for us to come visit! She does crap like this and wonders why we don't visit more often?! Who's parents forget that they had planned to spend the holidays with their children?!
My vote goes to all the bedbug people, though there are some seriously sad whines this week.
Whine: once we pay for the repairs our house needed this week, we will have no savings left.
I hate house repairs.
Whine: I've been so cranky this week about the house, my career, my life, that I've been super-snappy with my girls. Sophie said to me this week, "you really are the meanest mami." and it was in this sad mournful voice, like she had suspected it but didn't want to believe it. And I was being mean. Because I'm awful.
Whine: I have no idea what I want to do with my life, job/career-wise. I interviewed this week for a job and I don't know if I'll get it, or if I want to get it, or if I 'm getting hopes up for nothing, etc.
Anti-whine: I had a really good class last night, the kind where all the kids are chiming in all night, and when we adjourn, they ask if we can keep discussing the same subject next week. Hooray!
All of my whines this week are related to the recent flooding of our basement. I admit that a flooded basement is nothing compared to folks who lost cars, homes, and *their lives* in the storms last weekend. However, it is Wednesday, and I will whine.
Material possessions whine: We had to throw out a lot of books (noooo!) and Christmas decorations and other various stuff we hadn't unpacked since we moved to the house a year ago. Natural consequences for procrastinating?
Olfactory whine: The smell. Good lord, pixies, the smell. What is it? Do I want to know? No, I suppose I do not. We've doused the basement floor in Lysol. We're running the dehumidifier and a couple fans. And yet, the smell remains. Today we're going to bleach the walls. Please let that kill it. It is atrocious.
Respiratory health whine: Since I've been spending so much time in the basement cleaning up flood water and scraping black mold off the walls, I have developed a cough and headache. That makes me a bit nervous about the species of black mold growing on the walls. Mycology is more toxic than yours.
To steal words from Sandra Boynton:
“We’re VERY, VERY busy
and we’ve got a lot to do
and we haven’t got a minute
to explain it all to you...
And we have to do it faster
or it never will be done
and we have no time for listening or anything that’s fun...”
Everything I'm doing is important (in my mind)
My job, although part-time, gives us health insurance and pays the mortgage.
My volunteer work is critical to keeping me from becoming a completely self-absorbed lunatic.
My kids - well, one must parent, no?
Marriage - I always thought after 10 years, we could just put it on "cruise control" but I'm guessing that might not be a good idea?
I have to run every day or else I go insane. Think of the money I am saving on prescription drugs by getting up at 5:30 every morning to embrace the cold Wisconsin pavement.
Can't drop book club. Would life be worth living without books?
And that discussion group I just joined on raising environmentaly concious, healthy children - can't drop that. I need healthy children, yes I do.
Clean house, Laundry, Home cooked meals: I'm trying, I really am....
Sleep? Ha! Who needs it!
Yawn.
Luneasa: welcome! And I did once have luck getting out of jury duty because of childcare issues. I called and they took me off. Good luck.
Laura: ultrasounds are no fun unless there is a baby involved. I hope you feel better soon.
My votes go to chichimama, Mykal, and Casey. Why do in-laws not realize that the weekend before a move is the WORST time to come visit? Why do parents act offended over offenses you never caused? Why must basements flood and books (sob) be thrown out? Why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near?
Also elevated risk of mullet for Casey's "Mycology is worse than yours."
Forgot to vote for Lunasea and Laura, too.
And the new widget does make me feel a bit like we're partying in front of a big window, I admit.
Other opinions? I'm inclined to agree with you, Genevieve, but what do all of y'all feel?
(Baby Blue is currently "talking to" J. on her play phone. We're going to a Red Sox game tonight. She thinks J. should know.)
Whine: cream is very hard to wash out of a sippy cup.
Anti-whine: another problem that the new! dishwasher! will make disappear!
Casey, maybe you could put your basement through my new! dishwasher!
Crap! Whine #1 = haloscan just ate my whine!
Whine #2 is my original whine that I am so.friggin.tired. The early pregnancy fatigue is killing me. And as if it's not bad enough trying to function with two boys under five and the full-time job and the rest of my life clamouring for attention, let alone the sheer physical effort of making eyes and ears and elbows all day long, but I'm suffering from insomnia on top of it all. Barely able to function during the day, and lying awake nights admiring the intricate shadow patterns on the bedroom ceiling. Ugh! The final insult is that I've had to cut coffee, my beloved crutch, entirely and am seriously considering buying some caffeine pills just to cut the withdrawal symptoms.
YAWN!
My early vote goes to anyone with bug problems. Ick!
Whine: I cannot sleep well. The bags under my eyes are requiring makeup, which I never learned how to use. I probably look like a reverse-racoon.
Whine: there was no free! pizza! for lunch yesterday.
sorta-Anti-Whine: I did buy greasy, low-quality chinese. But it's not free.
Whine: the child was bit, again, yesterday. She doesn't cry about it, or scream, or run to the teachers, so we are lucky that one of them happened to see it. Why will she not stand up for herself?
Whine: Gilmore Girls is on at the same time as House.
Whine: my dream job is available, and it is now unavoidably clear but-exactly how underqualified I am for it.
Whine: my papers will not write themselves, no matter how many blogs I read. Maybe I could put them through the new! dishwasher!, PS?
I vote for roach in the hair. Health problems and stupid parents & in-laws are bigger problems, but there's nothing like the immediate Ick! of a roach, and in the hair? ICKICKICKICK!
Casey: I spent this weekend getting rid of mold that had been growing behind my bathroom walls, and the smell is indeed awful, but bleach is the key. A 60/40 bleach/water solution in a spray bottle, spray but don't saturate, come back in 45 minutes and do it again, and I bet you see a difference. Try and stay well-ventilated while you're doing it.
good luck!
Ceresina: if you cannot watch two shows at once, it is totally illegal to go to a website like torrentspy and download one of them. FYI.
I liked both House and GG (on at 10 in Canada -- the same time as L&O) last night.
I vote for Casey, because procrastination is a virtue, not a vice, and even if it were bad, you should never be punished with it by losing books.
This is my first whine!! I am so freakin' excited about this.
Anti-Whine #1: I'm a Pixie! I'm a Pixie!
Anti-whine #2: We found the MOST amazing group home school for L & C. Only 11 other children (all sweet, kind, perfect and above-average as everyone's children here at Phantom's are) attend this happy little farmhouse school in the country. So, after 2 summers and one school year of never being more than one floor-level away from my children I am a REAL! LIVE! HUMAN! PERSON! again!! 3 days a week. I believe that's ALMOST as good as a new! dishwasher!
Whine: I've forgotten how to be a Real! Live! Human! Person!
My votes thus far go to:
Roaches in the hair. *shiver*
Bedbugs. *shiver*
Flooded basement and breathing toxic mold. *shiver*
And for those of you who have been beaten about the head with "Stupid Guilt" by parents and/or in-laws. ("Stupid Guilt": way more uselessly frustrating than "Legit Guilt")
Wow, I vote for everyone with bugs, sleeplessness, and looming unemployment, since those are a few of my least favorite things.
The new dishwasher will fix all your problems. Guaranteed.
My whine is just that last weeks sadness continues, along with several projects due and a few presentations. Seriously, what happened to "vet school has no busy work, just exams"? Not true.
Anti-whine: Matt got into the Fancy Glasgow Music School! Yay for life purpose!
Whine: 'Cause we weren't having Money Issues already...
Small whine-
In addition, we have contstruction going on within our flat and outwith. And every fireplacing construction worked in Edinburgh feels the need to stand outside open windows and smoke here. My upstairs neighbor said the guys were sitting on the scaffolding outside her open window smoking yesterday, even though she is visibly (8.5 months) pregnant and her two small children were playing loudly by the open window! Grr.
I just made some fresh garlic-thyme bread if anyone wants some...
Big EWWWW to the roach! Reminds me of my time living in the South (which is lovely, except the bugs). Yuk, yuk.
Whine: Headache, stabbing stomach cramps, or depression? Must choose two of three.
Antiwhine: I ran into my surrogate advisor yesterday and he had answers! to all! my questions! And his lab is giving me pieces of mouse so I don't have to go dissect a bunny myself. Ew.
Whine: I posted this time as "Jennifer S." (& up there^) because I noticed another "Jennifer" comes to the party, and it isn't fair to her (cuz i think she was here first) that I pop in and am all like, "Hi! I'm Jennifer!"
But, I reeeeeeaaaaallly don't want to be Jennifer S.
So, I think I'll post as "Real! Live! Human!" in the future, if that's okay. So, if you see Real! Live! Human! and wonder 'what the fireplace?', it's just me.
heh
Just read all of the whines and I would like to vote for everyone. Obviously, the last week has been extremely crappy for the pixies.
Please send chocolate!
Whine: Indigestion. Occasionally for a couple of weeks, then more frequent, today feels nearly constant. The burning, ugh. My Love diagnoses it as work stress, and I am indeed going nuts over a particular work issue. He suggested a plan to solve it involving an ultimatum that I wasn’t comfortable with, which only increased my pain, but last night I had him edit a very whiny email into a useful one, and the response has me a bit hopeful again. But this whole issue has been a cycle of hope and disappointment, so I am still worried. And in pain.
Anti-whine: Am using up the left-over corn thins that SG was crazy about until a few weeks ago (just after I bought four bags, of course).
Whine: Constant flow of corn thins down my esophagus is not easing the indigestion as hoped. Time to go upstairs for the big bottle of Tums that I bought near the end of the second trimester of pregnancy (just before the indigestion eased, of course).
Anti-whine: Mute button on my headset allows me to eat crunchy foods during a mostly-boring phone call on a different sometimes-frustrating project. And I still like the corn thins.
CCW -- dark, milk, or white? Or maybe the sampler box!
I wonder if that is what my indigestion needs.
A commenter on my blog suggested that Baby E may have leukemia. Leukemia. I ask you!
I definitely do not think she has leukemia. I do not like the suggestion.
No.
Today's whiny little ditty is in honor of Tony Bennett's 80th birthday. My apologies to him:
The loveliness of Oxford cannot be seen today,
My flight over to Heathrow I will have to delay,
My trip I must postpone and forget about my packin’
I’m staying home until next Wednesday...
My passport’s stuck in New York City
In the visa office, at the British Embassy.
To be where big black taxi cars climb halfway to the stars
The London fog may chill the air, I won’t be there...(yet)
My friends wait there, in Oxford, England,
but I don’t know when I will be
Back in my dorm, in Oxford, England –
they better not start without me!
Anti-whine update: my wonderful father will pay for the windshield, and I didn't even have to ask.
My new vote is for Purple_Kangaroo. *hugs* The commenter on her blog should be shot. Twice.
Twice, at least.
Whine: totally frazzled by work. Barely time to read everyone's whines, but there are some wowzers this week. Sorry.
Whine: Going to visit my parents for Yom Kippur, but their apartment is a wreck from the move, so we have to stay in a hotel. Which is very Expensive. So we're driving up Saturday, back v. late Monday night.
Whine: I've heard from another parent that they're going to split the 2 kindergarten classes in D's school into 3. Haven't heard anything from the school, don't know who the third teacher will be.
Anti-whine: After the split, there will be something like 14 kids in each class.
I have nothing nice to say about your commenter, either, PK. My "intuition" leads me to use expletives about people who throw around diagnoses of potentially fatal illnesses because, you know, they are related to a medical professional or two.
And the lectin stuff she mentions sounds like some serious pseudo-science, too.
Aw, PS, that's no fun. That means we can't diagnose PK's commenter in return.
I've never participated in the Wednesday Whine before, but it's never too late, right??!
My whines and woes--the first two are more superficial, but all three are inhabiting space in my head right now:
--Our dog has some mysterious allergies that cause her to scratch *all the time* and to lick her parts complusively. We do feel bad for her but, at the same time, she is *driving us nuts*--we've spent lots of $$ on getting this mysterious malady figured out and, honestly, I think I will go slowly insane if I have to watch her lick herself one more time--it's like a form of Chinese torture, except without the water...can you love a four-legged creature and not stand the sight of them at the same time?
--We're trying to put our house on the market Nov. 1st. This involves a ridiculous amount of cleaning and sorting. I'm tired of cleaning and sorting. I'm tired of the house. I wish we could sell the house *with* the contents inside--I'm sure other people could use our junk--we sure don't seem to use it.
--I have twenty more papers to grade before Friday. I am so sick of the topic I assigned. After 60 papers and with 20 more to go I currently feel like I will put my head through a wall if I have to read another one. Ugh.
--My daughter (2 1/2) has had mysterious, atypical migraine/seizure attacks since she was 8 months old. No one can quite seem to figure out what causes them, or what they are, in fact. She had one today--lots of vomiting and now she's fast asleep, all worn out and pale looking. Sigh.
Wow--very cathartic. I might make Wednesday Whines a habit! Thanks for listening...
Well, that particular commenter is someone I know IRL--the spouse of a childhood friend.
Another vote for PK -- what a fireplacin' creepy diagnosing troll. If you need a blog posse, just let the pixies know and we'll saddle up.
Anti-whine: Despite zero sleep last night and the tail end of a blistering migraine that started on the weekend, I'm actually getting a bit of work done today. Could Phantom's new! dishwasher! be sending productivity vibes all the way to Canada??
I wish I had more time to read all the whines. Later later.
But, I did want to mention to wolfa(although likely it already has been!) that it is likely that your car insurance (or homeowners/renters, if you have it) will cover replacing the windshield. Of course, dealing with insurance can be its own highly whine-inspiring nightmare . . .
Alissa, I had seizure-like migraines for years. They run in my family. My mother, grandmother and both of my sisters also get them, but we all have differing triggers and symptoms. Food or environmental allergies can be a cause, as can something as simple as flourescent or flickering lighting. I hope you figure it out.
Forgot to add that with a combination of finding and avoiding my triggers and just getting generally more healthy, I haven't had a debilitatingly bad migraine in years.
Sympathies to PK (and to Baby E). Bless your commenter's little heart and her junk science too. The blood type diet is a bit silly, not least because humans also have lectins in them!
As for leukemia (errrr, no), it sounds like its own new class of whine: They heard hoofbeats and diagnosed zebras.
JF, that's one of my favorite medical sayings. The other is "According to statitics, we each have an average of one testicle and one ovary."
I am doing a presentation tomorrow on lectins, coincidentally. In our body, they are a specific type of protein that is involved in the immune response. They have gotten some press lately due to this "blood-type-diet" (*cough cough crackpot cough cough*) which, in part, suggests that the lectins found in some plants work against your immune system, making you prone to disease and GI discomfort.
I would say that the data supporting this is, at best, contoversial. It is certainly not something that keeps me up at night. Studying does that all on its own.
And, of course, I mean "statistics" and not whatever the fireplace I just wrote.
Purple Kangaroo gets a vote from me too.
And I have a yet another whine. A generous friend who moved abroad gave me the contents of her freezer. A years worth of brisket, noodle kugel, all sorts of yummy meals, cooked and ready to be dethawed and eated. I put them into the freezer at the new house. We blew a fuse, and since we are not living at that house, it took me three days to figure out that the stick pervading the house was from the dark and oozing with rotting food fridge.
That would be eaten, not eated. I've clearly spent too much time talking with a two year old today.
Wow, there are some good whines this week.
I have another one to add: I have been driving around for the last two months with an expired license and I just now realized it. It is going to suck to get my license renewed because my old one is 1. expired and 2. out of state. So, they will require a birth certificate. I do not have a copy of my birth certificate. The county I was born in does not mail copies of birth certificates, which means I'll have to drive three hours to pick it up. Except that I can't drive because I don't have a license.
I am so dumb sometimes.
One more whine: We finally found a new babysitter that we really like, and the kids seem to really like. She's babysat 3 or 4 times now, the last time quite recently.
Everything seemed to go very smoothly. The kids were asleep by the time we got home and the sitter described what sounded like a delightful evening of playing and reading books, with the kids behaving quite well.
The next morning one of my kids climbed into bed with me, but adamantly did NOT want a hug--unusual for this child. I asked if they had a good time with the babysitter the night before.
Said kid's response: "No! Babysitter is stinky."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"She's just stinky. I don't like her."
"What's stinky about her?"
No reply except to curl up in a ball on the pillow next to me.
"What was she doing when you noticed she was stinky?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
No amount of gentle prodding would get the child to elaborate more.
I don't know what to think. This child is prone to strange strong (and usually very temporary) likes and dislikes of people for really random reasons (as far as I can tell).
I'll probably see if I can nonchalantly get the child to talk about it more today. The other child said they had a great time and likes the sitter.
I vote for Jackie and career angst. I'm all over that.
And Alissa, why do you think we're all here. 
I'm personally addicted.
Anti-whine: I have a new nephew--4 pounder, so early obviously. This brings my total number of nephews to 4, all from the same parents, all under the age of 3. Just so you know.
Another anti-whine: just glad that's not me with the 4 kids under 3. just saying.
Whine: I'm supposed to be meeting with students and they're not here. Sigh.
Anti-whine: no-show students mean I get to read the whines.
Casey: what the fireplace?!? The county of your birth simply refuses to mail birth certificates? What if you were thousands of miles away and needed it? Yeesh!
chichimama, the loss of good food! I am so sorry. And the mess to clean up, too.
Casey, I have done stuff kinda like that. It was easier to take the train back to Childhood State and renew there than to go through the paperwork in College State. Good luck, and may the girls not whine the whole 6 hours worth in the car.
What a morning.
I asked the child in passing again if she liked the babysitter, and she replied, "No, I don't like her. She's stinky."
"What do you mean, she's stinky?"
"Her bottom is stinky."
"Her bottom?"
"Yeah, she was stinky when she showed us her bottom."
"Really? How?" (I am frantically trying to keep my voice light at this point, and NOT ask any leading questions.)
"She showed us her bottom when she sat down. She still had her pants on, though."
Oookaay.
After much more forced nochalance on my part, it turns out the babysitter was wearing rather tight pants, that slid down a bit in back (as pants often do) when she sat down at dinner. The babysitter didn't, as far as I can tell, even notice or draw attention to it.
Both kids agreed that she was kind of smelly, and that her odor was bothersome the whole time she was there. There wasn't any specific time they noticed it more than any other.
Nothing else seems to have happened or made the kids uncomfortable. They ate dinner, played and read books, and the babysitter's pants showed her bottom a bit when she bent over or sat down, which my kids thought was strange. That's all.
The child in question frequently makes sudden dramatic statements that she "doesn't like" someone because "they stink", and she's usually right--they have body odor. I remember being acutely sensitive to various people's smells at that age, and still am to some extent.
Whew. Trying to sort out what she was talking about sure made for some uncomfortable moments of worry, though.
Since there are so many first-time whiners today, I'll jump in too. (Though it is just my first time to whine here, not first time ever).
Health-related whines: still recovering from surgery for endometriosis last month, and still hoping for fertility treatment next month, I found a lump in my breast last week. Waiting for test results, but enough already!
Work-related whines: unemployed for almost a year, I have agreed to do a very-part time job, but it's looking more and more complicated and time-consuming and less rewarding. And...I substitute taught first grade today. My brain has now gone on vacation.
Whew. I feel better. Thanks for the opportunity.
Holy smokes, what a bunch of worthy whines.
I vote for everyone, (bedbugs, roaches, job difficulties, lack-of-job difficulties, sleeplessness, children's health worries, missing passports, indigestion, papers) and for Esperanza. I had a friend who had endometriosis so bad that she would have to hide in a closet at work and double over with the pain. I hope the lump turns out to be nothing. How scary, to say the least!
Alissa, good luck with selling the house. If it works out, please let me know your secret.
Wow. There are some pretty powerful whines here today. Sorry.
I'm happy to say that I have little to whine about today--even so late in the day. How'd that happen?
In fact, I had the wonderful pleasure of getting to watch The Electric Company this evening with the kiddos. I was so happy that they liked it: "Hey you Guuuuyyyys!"
I have to say, Phantom, I'm not a big fan of the widget....it is a bit like partying in front of the window, although I don't know why I think that, cause anyone who clicks on the comments can read them anyhoo...
Anything I migh whine about is so minor compared to bedbugs (ewwwww) and roaches (EEWWWW) and illnesses and job angst and mold and houses that won't sell and so forth....I will just say the my job has felt like quicksand lately...the harder I work the behinder I get.
And now that my boss is back from his month of vacation at one of the busiest times of the year, I realize how much I liked working with him NOT there, even if I was too fireplacing busy every minute of the day (and I still am too fireplacing busy even with him back!).
Is this a whining record? I don't know that I've seen 90 comments before...
And I'm sort of ehh on the widget as well. I always click through to see the comments anyway, so it doesn't really serve any purpose. I DO want to know how you got the comment threads to show up in bloglines, however!
I like the widget. Or any widget that tells you the newest times so I can know whether to click w/o being too stalkery.
What wolfa said.
Thanks, Grandma Blue. The pain has never been too bad; in fact, I didn't even know I had anything wrong until recently. But thanks for the vote and the good wishes.
And I meant to say before that for months after we moved to our first place with a dishwasher, we called it "the magic white box," so it will ineed solve all your problems--it's magic!
My whine is that my circadian whining rhythms are all screwed up. I felt oh-so-whiny yesterday, a full 24 hours ahead of schedule, and today am just feeling your average amount of overwhelmed by work and semi-stressed by parenting Ess. But in the face of all these legitimate whines, and some good friends having to take their 2.5 year-old to Boston to be seen by a fancy pediatric opthamologist for possible permanent damage to his cornea, I am feeling too lucky about my lot in life to say much more.
Trust me, though: I will be whiny again in about 39 seconds.
I like the widget, despite being an infrequent commenter.
A late, last-minute whine to add to my collection... (Apparently, without the much-needed stress alleviator that is Wednesday Whine, I gathered them all together, and expereinced some sort of Whine Backup, and I shall surely explode if I don't release all the seething aggression that is causing me to mutter like a addled person.)
At school today, we put the kids down for a rest -- they don't normally rest, but we were having a serious schedule flip-flop, and with a birthday party at the end of the day, so they desperately needed some down time. After rest, the kids got up to head out to Art and Gym. I woke all the children up (some of them are VERY sound sleepers) and lined them up for the trek across campus.
When I arrive at our destination, I start divvying the children: this one to Art, this one to Gym...and suddenly I realize that I'm missing a child! I drop the kids off hurriedly, and ush back to the classroom to find that one of my little darlings *got out of line, laid down on the floor, and went back to sleep.* I had woken him up, got him in line, and as the line was heading out of the door, he bailed on me. He was curled up in a ball on the floor, snoring away. Thank God I was only gone a few minutes, but I had to report that he'd been "missing" for that small amount of time, and I got a scolding. No matter that it wasn't my fault, and I lined him up and he snuck off... It *is* my fault that I was not more aware of him being missing, but still.
And, then I had a six year old tell me to "Kiss my ass!" today. I caught a student hitting another covertly in the hall this morning, and when I stopped him to remind him that we don't hit, ever, this was his response. So, we had a nice Come-to-Jesus meeting with our administrators.
It's been a lovely week, I tell ya!
Anti-whine: It was two of our teachers' birthday today, and I had yummy chocolate cake!
(Of course, I MADE the cake, but it was still really good!)
Votes to everyone dealing with fireplacing nasty bugs.
Whine: I'm having major career/professional indentity angst. Details are on my blog, so I won't go into it here.
Antiwhine #1: I downloaded an album of children's tunes by Captain Bogg and Salty. Favorite so far? Probably "Pegleg Tango," but only because Lucas tries to dance to it, even though he can't stand up without holding on to something.
Haven't read them all yet. Can only post vague whines. Am disillusioned with colleagues and TV show. Am overwhelmed. Am sleep-deprived. Am not typing in complete sentences.
Anti-whine. Am beyond grateful for teh internets.
Oops--forgot Antiwhine #2: Luke went to the ER with a cut on his forehead (from falling down and hitting his head), but he's perfectly fine, aside from a big scratch.
Read many whines. So sorry for allergies, and cottage cheese, AP classes, broken windshields, bedbugs, in-laws and looming unemployment. Hard to pick a whiny winner.
Baby E is inconsolable again tonight, acting like she's in pain and having trouble going to sleep. I don't have a clue what could be causing it this time.
Phantom, I just saw this trick referenced on Lifehacker, and thought of you: how to poach salmon in your new! dishwasher!
Well, I can't compete with roaches in your hair (excuse me while I pull my hair out of my head in sympathy)...and doomsayer commenters who suggest one's child has a deadly disease (Ack!), but I did remember another whine:
I missed the premiere of "House" and then last night I was all ready for it and it was preempted by baseball. I need my House fix.
BTW, the cottage cheese is barely noticeable now.
PS, even just having our dishwasher fixed after being without it for 3 or 4 days makes everything better. So I assume a new! dishwasher! will have even more magical powers.
My votes: Mykal, Klee, chichimama, CCW, Esperanza
Wolfa for elevated risk of mullet with this sentence: "I would, before I forget again, like to take this moment to thank Phantom, whose weekly whine day saves my blog from being all bitching, all the time."
Big hugs to all the people with sleep deprivation/ school/illness/work/house/pest(insect and otherwise)/parenting woes, and parent woes.
And thanks to everyone for your sympathies on the zebra diagnosis. The commenter is a regular on my blog, and a friend IRL, so I won't say more.
And it's now 1:30 a.m. and I'm not in bed yet. I'm exhausted and not feeling well, 4 of the 5 people in our family are sick (M&M is not sick), and my back and neck STILL hurt even though I've been seeing a chiropractor for weeks now.
Antiwhine: Baby E is asleep.
Clearly, I am not cut out for single parenting.
It is 6 in the morning, and I am very close to a murderous rampage. I went to bed later than I should have (11 pm) and had, of all things, insomnia, so I was still awake at 12:30 when Miss M started crying. And crying. For her usual no discernible reason. The usual tricks (water, songs) did not dispel it, so she was installed in the toddler bed in our room 5 minutes later when AM woke up and needed to nurse. But she is really too big for the toddler bed, so she tossed and turned, punctuated by more crying, for another TWO HOURS before I finally put her back into her bed.
She woke up for the day at 5:18. Despite nursing each of them twice and my repeated hissing of "DON'T SAY A WORD! AM IS SLEEPING!" now they are both awake and cheerful. I, however, want to pack a backpack and leave. For a long, long, long time.
It is still 33 hours until Taxman comes home. That involves another "night" (notice the quotes).
Help!
PS, thanks for the space 
I have just returned to confirm that, in fact, my whining biorhythms are all screwed up. Here it is *Thursday* and I'm whiny again -- like Kate, I stayed up too late and was awakened too frequently by my wonderful offspring. I am exhausted, and in 10 minutes I need to leave for my marathon commute and day o' meetings. When really what I would rather do is follow in the footsteps of KLee's unruly kindergartener and sneak off to sleep somewhere -- with no clocks and no babies who need nursing.
Verrrrrry late Weds. whine -- baseball playoffs. No more House (and I presume Bones) until Halloween.
Anti-whine: Pujols finally did what he's paid for. One of the local radio stations had issued a "choke watch" on the team.
Does 1:04 am count as Wednesday? Cause that's what time it was when SG showed up in our doorway to say she had wet the bed. She managed to change into dry undies before waking us. I was going to put a towel over the wet spot and dry sheets, but My Love just stuck her in our bed so she could poke her knees in my back all night. So, tired, laundry to do, and wondering why 3 times in 2 weeks she has had an unexpected flood. Previously her "accidents" were a little wet spot in her undies, then a dash to the bathroom, maybe change the pants, maybe not. But lately it all lets loose. I said after the second "if this happens again I'll start worrying about medical causes." But this was nighttime, so I don't know if that counts, even though she's been dry at night for years. Sigh. Some googling to do later.
Anti-whine: off to a farmer's market I haven't been to before.
Whine: it seems a bit small from the web description. What if they don't have bushels of basil for my annual pesto-making?
Baseball whines, Camera Obscura? Oh, I'll see your baseball whines and raise them to the nth degree:
We here at the Scribbler-Blue Mansion are tired. Bone tired. Why? Because last night we took the kids to a Red Sox game -- one last hurrah before the season ends, you know?
Hah.
11-0, Tampa Bay. At one point we joked with the friends that we went with that an announced "defensive change for Tampa Bay in the outfield" was that they were going to replace the players in the outfield with potted plants, so as not to waste their time. Since none of the Red Sox were actually managing to put the ball into play or anything.
Quoth Mr. Blue after it was all said and done: "I've been to at least 75 baseball games in my life, and that was by far the worst." Yup.
Anti-whine, though: We had a nice time with our friends. Our kids loved their kids. And Baby Blue trying to start everyone in a cheer of "Wet's Go Tim Wakefield!" (though he was not actually playing last night) was priceless.
Oh, and Madeleine: sleeping kindergartener carried in from the Worst Baseball Game Ever = no use of potty before bedtime = we are washing his sheets right now.
Sigh. Good luck with the basil.
Solidarity in smelly laundry . . .
Madeleine, my 4yo started having accidents a couple of weeks ago, after being potty trained for ages.
She was also saying she had to go "really bad" frequently, but then half the time she'd be unable to go. When she started complaining about pain, I made a doctor's appointment for her.
Sure enough, it was a UTI . . . and the medicine cured it quickly and easily. No more accidents since then.
Commenting by HaloScan
