Welcome to the Commenting Pixie Party!
Oh, good. I've been waiting for Wednesday whining. This is not stuff I can talk about on my blog, which my family reads.
a)On Sunday, I learned that my mother is being evaluated as a candidate for a liver transplant. Apparently she's had undiagnosed/symptomless Hepatitis C for years except that it's not so symptomless any more.
b) My mother decided to tell me (and my siblings) about this BY EMAIL. Officially "so you'd all get the information at once." Really because she doesn't want to talk about it.
c) EXCEPT that she mistyped my email address when she sent this email. So I found out the next day when I called to wish her a happy birthday and she said she wasn't feeling so hot, and I said "oh, what's wrong" and she said "you know -- you got the email" except I HADN'T.
and
d) My dad called this evening to tell me that my uncle -- my mother's brother-in-law -- died today.
So we're having a great week.
Anti-whine. The director of my organization approved our making a job offer to the person we wanted to hire. This was a big deal, because I had already offered her the job.
(Both my immediate boss and I had forgotten that the director wanted to review resumes before we made an offer. When I remembered this, I decided to just show him the resume and cross my fingers, rather than telling him we had already offered her the job. It's an entry-level job and it seemed highly unlikely that he'd second guess our choice. But still...)
Elizabeth is an early front-runner for whine of substance, I'd say.
Oh my god, Elizabeth. Hugs. That's quite the collection of whines.
An anti-whine addendum: Baby Blue did eat three small bites of a blondie right after I hit "publish." Progress! Marching forward! Now with more butter!
Whine: It sucks when you have to teach MWF and you're in a long-distance relationship. Even when it's a distance easily traversable on weekends, there's still the shock of returning to the semester schedule and realizing that you're going to be sleeping in a bed by yourself again 5 nights/week.
Anti-whine: We officially own the second season of Lost, so we can spend those weekends in front of the TV!
You know, it strikes me that my whines are more *whiny* than most. Like, I could actually say them in a whiny tone of voice, and they'd be persuasive as whines, while there are all kinds of brave people out there whose houses have fallen into hellish pits in the earth and whose dogs get snatched and chomped upon by the denizens of said pits, and whose body parts have fallen off (or leak), and who are still soldiering on. So I would just like to say I realize there is a categorical difference here, and much good wishes to people who have whines that might actually be elevated to the status of "valid complaint."
And Phantom -- I'll eat those blondies, just send 'em over...
Elizabeth does get my vote for whine of substance. Meanwhile, I've had mine typed and ready to paste for some time now...
Major whine: I’ve been sick since LABOR DAY with the worst diarrhea ever. I won’t be descriptive, but let’s just say that NOTHING stays in. Finally, on Saturday, I went to an urgent care place. The nice young resident asked what I did on Labor Day and I said I went kayaking. Aha, she said, where? On Local River, I said. She told me I most likely had giardia, an amoeba that lives in rivers. What she didn’t tell me, but I found out on teh internets is that it lives in feces! EWWWW! So I ingested...well, you get the picture.
Dr. Resident gave me antibiotics and Lomotil and sent me on my way. I asked about the antibiotics, stating that I don’t tolerate antibiotics well and asking if they would they upset my stomach more. She assured me they would not, that this was an antibiotic that is often given to people with stomach problems.
Fast forward to yesterday during my last teaching hour. I’m so nauseous I can barely talk and I’m wondering if I’ll make it through the class without hurling. Not a great position to be in with 34 high school kids sitting in front of you. I do make it through the class, but only barely. I walk out the door with the kids, make it home and am sick. I call MY doctor’s office and they say they can see me that afternoon. I take my nauseous ass in to the office and of COURSE the wait is forever and I get nauseous again and am sick in the bathroom. Just miserable.
Finally I get to see MY doctor, whom I LOVE and I just collapse in tears and he gets the story out of me and takes a look at the antibiotics Dr. Resident prescribed for me and says, “This is probably what’s making you sick. These are REALLY rough on the stomach.” Grrrrrrrrr! He gives me a shot for the nausea and attending headache and I head home, but miss school on Tuesday. That’s two missed school days in the first two weeks of school. I feel like the worst.teacher.ever. Bleeeccch.
Oh, and I'd like to add kermit's disclaimer to mine. It's so well-stated.
And one more. I forgot to say hooray for blondie consumption by Baby Blue!!
I have a typical academic whine: it's late Tuesday night, I teach tomorrow night, I have a day full of meetings, and only about 3 hrs free to grade all the HW from last week AND prepare cool activities for my 3 hr evening class. Too many students, not enough time.
However, I'm considering it something of an antiwhine that I'm even here whining, as my unposted whine for the past two weeks, caused by the fact that Wednesday is my big teaching day of the week, has been "It's Wednesday! and I didn't even have time to whine." So I'm glad to be weighing in with even a standard academic whine.
Elizabeth, hugs to you: not wanting to talk about serious illness isn't a strategy that's going to help dealing with the illness. I hope you all find a way to come together about that.
I had an experience this week similar to Elizabeth's! My father had surgery (and had major complications) and I knew NOTHING about it until he included me and my sister on a MASS EMAIL he sent to his employees about it. Does anyone use the phone anymore???
Elizabeth definitely has some award winning whines! *hugs*
Giardia is pretty bad, too! I hope you're feeling better soon, Marie.
I have been incredibly whiny about my lack of results and slides for my impending conference presentation. I just broke my database tonight, too, and the new experiments I've been madly trying to get done so that I might have something I could possibly trust to put in my figures are just as bad as the old ones. Plus, I think my advisor is incredibly disappointed in me (disappointment is far worse than disapproval). And I'm so sleepy, and sneezy, and all the other dwarves, actually, except for happy, obviously, and I don't think I'll ever be doc at this rate.
But, as I have been reminded tonight, I am not currently a civil war-era prisoner of war, which is a suprisingly comforting anti-whine, for some reason.
Phantom, you have a whole batch of blondies to yourself and that's a whine? I'm having a sweets craving right now and there is nothing in our house except peanut butter. Without bread. And no money for groceries until pay day.
My actual whine is that my eyes hurt. I really need new glasses, and every time I put mine on to read a computer screen, I get a headache the size of Montana that doesn't go away for the rest of the day. If I don't wear them, my eyes get all wonky and start crossing when I'm trying to drive, etc.
So here's hoping I won't a) cause a 10 car pileup because my eyes tell me the McDonalds is on the LEFT side of the road, or b) kill J or the dog for sneezing because it worsens my massive headache.
No one should be embarassed about the whininess of their whines. That's the point of Wednesday Whining -- you get to complain and no one tries to give you perspective.
Thanks for the good wishes. My dad is a doctor, so I'm sure she's getting excellent care. It's the emotional stuff we're not so good at.
And public service announcement for the day -- Hep C is the leading cause of liver failure in the US, the vast majority of people who are infected don't know that they are, and there's reasonably effective treatments if you're diagnosed before your liver starts to fail. So, if you're in a high-risk group --which includes having pre 1992 blood transplants -- it's worth getting tested. See http://www.epidemic.org/
I can share the blondie recipe, if there is interest.
Whines! Oh, the whining! I still feel stupid and crappy and unhappy about everything. Plus we watched depressing documentary, followed by discussions of how I spent my childhood figuring out how long I had to live if various east coast cities were hit by nuclear bombs, based on charts our paper kindly shared. (This was after Plattsburgh was a main concern.) Which, granted, is not something I worry about so much anymore, but I'm all thinking about how the world is DOOMED what's the point of anything.
Could this be the annual recurrence of the crippling depression, coming a little earlier due to August totally sucking and effectively losing 2 months of summer? Indeed it could be! I go between hiding and suddenly babbling. And, you know, wishing I could be crying, but being unable to. And feeling desperate to just do something, but knowing I shouldn't, and not having the energy to do much effective anyhow and god I hate this and hate myself so much.
No whines from me this week (shocking, I know!), but early votes for whine of substance to Elizabeth -that just sounds awful. And an award of some sort to Marie, who got a yucky infection from ingesting some interesting river water! And urgent care doctors suck, speaking from my own experience.
However, in lieu of a whine, I do have a favor to ask of all da pixies. Florida Bar Exam results come out Monday morning. This is a monumental thing in my life, I don't have to tell you. And, while not a particularly religious/spiritual person, I cannot stress the importance of me passing this exam. And for that matter, my classmate and future law partner, whose father is retiring and giving him his law office so we may go into business together to also pass. Thus, would you all take some time over the next few days and on my/our behalf please, please, please, say a prayer, light a candle, visit your Rabbi, praise Allah, cross your fingers or wear your lucky rabbit's foot around your neck in hopes that my friend and I pass this exam. Because if we fail, the next exam isn't until February. And I really don't have it in me to study all over again for it. I can't imagine studying any harder than I did, either. Neither one of us can. I would LOVE to have a huge Anti-whine next week and tell you all that we did indeed pass.
And besides, at 6'6" tall, I am far too tall to dress up as a costumed character and work for any of the local themeparks should I fail this exam (who knew Donald Duck was a midget?) Thus, my only backup plan of what to do with my life in the alternative is now out the window, lol. Thanks!
I'll be back on later to cast my votes for more winners!
My two-year-old has decided getting dressed will now be a power stuggle. Every night after the bath he refuses to put on his diaper and pajamas. All our attempts to bribe, distract, and coerce him are not working. Tonight it was a full hour past his bedtime with him running around naked and showing no signs of slowing down when finally he stopped just long enough to pee on the bed. We'd had enough, after I changed the bedding his dad held him while I pulled his diaper and clothes on. Then he screamed in outrage for another full hour. Variations on this scene have been happening every night for a week now. I guess I could probably shorten this whine to just say "My son is two years old".
Whining early with this quote from Snuggly Girl. In her not-so-snuggly mode, so let's call her Snarly Girl.
It started out sounding like yet another plea for a sibling, but oh, it went in a very different direction.
"Mama? I know that women are supposed to have babies, but you . . . I'm not sure if you really should have . . ."
Yes, it's true. For the crime of requiring her to leave her BFF's house at 7 pm on a school night (and following through with discipline resulting in 3 consequences earned in about 20 minutes) my daughter has decided I should never have given birth. Because I'm such a terrible mother.
Anti-whine: I maintained composure and gave her the lecture about how sometimes being a good parent doesn't mean letting your child do whatever they frickin' want.
Whine: I did get a bit teary telling My Love about it on the phone. Yes, he's away all week for work. Can't you tell?
Anti-whine: Her latest nicknames for us are "Dit" and "Me-moe." No idea where this came from, but it is really funny.
Whine: "I miiiiiiiss Daaaaaddy!" Over and over. Should I tell her about the vermicious knids?
Grading papers.
early substance vote for elizabeth.
babies from heck [but they'll outgrow it!] votes for madeleine and candace.
ick plus medical trauma award nomination for marie -- geez.
bob -- i'm crossing fingers, but that's it, buddy. get a grip! it's only a test, and the results are there already. go chill! [i took bars in 2 states, so i'm certifiable, probably.]
Anti-whine: I'm going to have fun tomorrow. And then I'm going on vacation.
Whine: I think I am going to have to get colonic treatments, and my graduate mentor (whom I adore, don't get me wrong), essentially informed me that I will be having them at the Tummy Temple.
The Tummy Temple.
I don't really know if this is a whine or not; I'm just dizzy from starting a conversation about Coleridge, and ending it on colonics. At the Tummy Temple.
Votes for Elizabeth and Marie. Marie, would you like to come to the Tummy Temple, too?
Maybe I'm shooting for the elevated risk of mullet award.
I've spent the past 36 hours attempting to write a conference paper, for a conference that's in ten days. In the past 36 hours, I've written one page. And I don't like that page. And now I'm going to bed, having written one frustratingly bad page.
Oh, and while this conference will be really fun, it frightens me. My MA supervisor organised it, and he put me in a session with all of the Big Names that are presenting. The order will go: Big Name, Big Name, frightened little QoWP. And all three of us are presenting on remarkably similar topics.
Anti-whine: this conference is in my hometown. I'm getting a university-funded trip to my mommy's house.
And am I ever voting for Elizabeth and Marie, for whines of substance.
Elizabeth gets a vote from me not only for having a whine of such substance but for being right on the money in pointing out that Whining Wednesday is not just for whines of great substance. I must admit an enduring attraction to all of the various less-substancy whininesses that have cropped up here over time.
That said, my whine has to do, first off, with the fact that I am here, whining, at 3:30 in the morning. The return of insomnia, not so much fun. The weird thing is that the insomnia of the last couple of weeks made some sense given some particular stresses, but at least some of those stresses seemed to be coming to resoultion. Yet, here I am, wide awake at 3:30 in the morning. Again. The sleeplessness is not so much helping me to be together enough to handle my life.
Will someone please tell my brain to shut up already and go to sleep?
OK, I just reread my whine. Is there a prize for least comprehesible whine? It turns out, I suppose, that it is not always a good idea to attempt to write at 3:30 in the morning after a few nights of being up all night.
Actually, now that I mention it, I seem to remember having learned that lesson in grad school too. Maybe now would be a good time to try to sit down and write on my dissertation? It won't make any sense, but maybe it would be more fun?
Can someone tell me why I felt the need to mention my dissertation in that last comment? Like I'm going to get to sleep now with that subject added to my head?
We completely revamped our homeschooling plan and ended up deciding to just putting together our own curriculum rather than using a readymade one--two days before school was starting.
The earliest I've been to bed this week was I think 2 a.m. Friday night I was up until 6 a.m. and then Baby E was up twice before I finally got up at something like 9 a.m. for the day.
Homeschooling is really hard work, and I'm finding it difficult juggling the 4- and 5-year-old's needs (and both requiring nearly constant interaction, while studying different things) and Baby E's needs (because she thinks SHE should have my full attention, and if she doesn't she does something like drag a stool over to climb on the couch and then onto the hamster cage). I can't be giving my full attention to 3 different kids studying/needing 3 different things all at once.
How do people do this?
But at the same time, I hope I'm starting to get it figured out, and, truly, a lot of today was wonderful. Which is pretty good considering it was only the second day and all.
I guess it's kind of lame to whine that my kids are too advanced in reading and thinking skills to be interested in or derive much benefit from any curriculum designed for their age level, huh?
Nothing in particular to whine about, except that Matt and I are both generally depressed and whiny right now. We keep snapping at each other, and one of us (I won't name names, but her name rhymes with Schmeni) goes all immature in these arguments and says something like, "If you hate Edinburgh and me so much, just move back to L.A. where all your friends are."
Then, predictably, Matt and I both feel terrible.
Whiiiine. Oh, and the whole bloody house smells like a barn since my coveralls haven't been washed since a date with cows and pigs. Yech. But since laundry costs $4 a load they won't be getting washed any time soon.
I'll eat all the blondies, please.
No whines, but it is still early. Plenty of time yet for my day to go downhill, so I reserve the right to come back with a whine. Since we are into disclaimers today 
.
I really just came by for the blondies, but if Baby Blue is eating them, I'll stay clear and just drool at them from over here. "Hi nice blondies...sniff, sniff..."
Phantom, congrats on the dishwasher! Hope it lves up to your wildest expectations.
And an early vote for Elizabeth.
You know it's a bad week for the pixies when there are 25 whines before 7 a.m. That's more than 3 whines an hour, fyi.
First whine: I forgot to whine last week.
Second whine: Here's what I was going to whine about. Thursday a week ago, I landed myself in the E.R., freaking out over this UTI thing because after 3 days of antibiotics, it felt like it was getting worse and I thought I felt lumps and bumps in places where they just shouldn't be. Yuck. 6 hours later--completely inconclusive. They say no UTI, but that may be because the antibiotics have kicked in. No other tests--and they did a million--turned up anything.
Friday, my doctor calls with the pre-antibiotics test results--no UTI! Where is the pain coming from, I wonder. And now I'm really thinking organ failure, but the doctor assured me that if I had a major organ problem (how did he know I was thinking this?!) that I'd be in some major pain and vomiting and stuff.
The pain has now mostly gone away. It's been suggested I follow up with my OB/GYN (yay) and I do have an appointment soon. Sigh. I just have this fear that I have some kind of cancer. I just found out someone at work has a brain tumor and will likely die any day now. They gave her 3 weeks. It's been 2. A lot of people at work have died of cancer in the last year and that kind of freaks me out. How does one check on these things? Is there some kind of contaminant at our prestigious school?
Third whine: I'm just too exhausted from this new early schedule to even contemplate any of this. Bleh.
Fourth whine: Professors who think I'm their personal slave.
I vote for Elizabeth and Scrivener.
Anti-whine: Thank FSM for Wednesday Whining.
I vote for Elizabeth, Kai, Marie, and Laura for medical woes personal, familial, and co-workerial.
And big "you go's!" to Baby Blue for eating some blondies (I'll take any she doesn't want), and M&M and AJ for being such smart cookies.
Sick infant
I've got goopy eyes, snot galore, projectile vomiting, runny diapers, low grade fever with no discernible cause. We are a happy household.
I forgot to add that we have approximately $-62.11 in our checkbook until payday (the 29th).
My kids are sick!
Neighbor Girl came down with a rotten cold on Saturday, at the exact moment that Neighbor Boy came down with a fever. Now, both those initial conditions have cleared up, mainly, and Neighbor Girl went to school yesterday, only to come down with a 102 fever last night. I can only guess that we can look forward to a swap in the other direction too, with Neighbor Boy getting the initial cold. Because of these sicknesses, Neighbor Girl will have missed 3 of the first 4 full days of school by tomorrow (which I already know she'll miss as she still has a fever).
Because of said sickness, we missed cheering on Neighbor Guy as he ran a 5K on Sunday, an event we usually attend as a family.
Oh yeah, I also finally realized that every time one of my kids is sick I relive a medical-related trauma that I had when I was 16, in which I was in way over my head, and felt completely incompetent and useless and scared. So now, on top of sickness, I have sickness "issues" to work on too.
Did I mention that Neighbor Guy is going out of town tomorrow, and that my throat feels a bit scratchy too, and that my parents are coming to town on Friday for a week (wah!) and that Neighbor Girl might miss her birthday party this weekend if she's still sick. Yeah, it's a good week.
p.s. I, too, vote for Elizabeth. Also, I do know that these whines are minor and they just have little fevers, but it is sure nice to know that any whine is welcome here. Feels better already.
Oh, definite vote for Laura--inchoate fears abouf unidentified medical problems while coworkers are getting the worst of all possible diagnoses! Yowza, that totally blows away a measly whine about getting about one hour sleep every other night for a week or two.
Also, good luck and prayers for Bob. I hope we have a huge anti-whine next week to celebrate.
And for Lucy, hang in there. You'll be a doc--never fear. Take it from someone who's been there--sometimes there are incredibly sucky stretches of experimental malaise, to be followed by periods that flow so smoothly you won't believe it. In the end, the story will fit together, and these horrible stretches will be a bad memory.
Hugs to everyone with whines, as all whines are important to the person living through them...
Another vote for Laura too. And for Marie.
And, well, I just want to vote for you all!
Will read later...
Big, big, anti-whine that I have been waiting for all summer: Miss M starts pre-school today. We're leaving in 10 minutes.
Related whine: During the two-week adjustment period to school (shorter classes, parents expected to stay until kids are ready for them to go), siblings are distinctly uninvited. My fantastic MIL is babysitting for Baby AM today, but she has a life! I have no idea what I am going to do tomorrow, Friday, or next Tuesday or Thursday. Taxman is probably going to take Miss M to school one of those days; aw heck, we'll break the rules from day 2, I guess.
Kate, that is a completely unreasonable school policy, though I can see where it is useful to *them*. A baby in a sling? How could that be disruptive? And what the heck do they expect you to do with your other kid(s)?
Neighbor Lady, so sorry about the sick kids. Icky icky. Will it maybe help you cope now that you realize you have the "issues" as opposed to before when you felt terrible but didn't know why?
A vote for Scrivener for the insomnia. I'm godawful tired but that's just from staying up too late for my new early wake-up time. Insomnia is the worst.
Anti-whine: The Evil Landlord mentioned in my previous whine came down on their bill for carpeting after I visited and tossed around the words "New York State Law," and "Reasonable wear and tear," and "Consistent application of standards."
Whine: THey did not come down all the way, even though I am pretty sure the Law Is On My Side. They came down just far enough that the cost of pursuing this would be more than I'd gain when I prevailed. Thus, I'm still feeling angry and screwed over, and they are not going to get royally bitchslapped by teh legal sysem.
Whine: Husband is in Brazil until next week. So I am solo parenting through the 2nd week of school and the first real week of the New School Routine. The one that involves being outside to wait for Primo's bus at 7:15. While I am outside in the rain with both kids huddled under my umbrella, DH is enjoying Springtime in Sao Paulo. Hmph.
Anti-whine. Who could be grumpy for long when they get to listen to "Re: Your Brains" in the car afterwards?
Small final whine: My boss actually talks like the Head Zombie in that song, all the time. Except for the brain eating comments.
A worry (whine to follow in another post):
So, Kindergarten started Thursday last week. There was much enthusiasm and maturity. It all seemed to be going well (although mom& dad were feeling a bit sad).
Day 4 (yesterday): MisterSpiffy tells us that he didn't have a good very day. In fact, as he put it, "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, dad, but I got sent to the principal's office."
WHAT??!!
So, being the trying-hard-to-be-good=parents-and-follow-the-"
rules"-of-good-parenting, we stayed calm and tried to pursue what this about without scaring our child. It sounded rather insignificant (a not-listening kind-of-thing; instead of doing the assigned craft project, MisterSpiffy was using the materials to make his own craft, and then continued to do so after he was told not to do whatever he was doing).
Hm. So, maybe the principal thing isn't such a big deal these days? Maybe our school sucks? Hm. Hm. Hm.
So, then I go to the school last night for Parent's Night. After the speeches and information stuff, I make a beeline for MisterSpiffy's teacher. "So," I begin, "I hear MisterSpiffy went to the Principal's office . . . ." "Yes," she interrupts, "I need to speak with you, but not now. Can you come in for a meeting?"
Day 4.
Alarm. Fear. Worry worry worry.
And . . . my whine.
I went to the store to buy some water to have in my office (no fancy water coolers at the State U), and while I was there I thought "hey, I'll get some mints."
BUT . . .
What the heck has happened to the mints? They've gone all "bold" and "extra strong" and "icy" or "icy hot." That stuff just burns my mouth. Ouch ouch ouch. Can't one buy a nice little, regular ol' mint anymore?
Or, even a hard candy? Where are the lifesavers? It was all sour this and sour that. GAHHH!
First off, Bob, my fingers and toes are crossed for you! (And your buddy.) If you don't get a chance to post here on Monday to let us know, I hope you'll post next Whining Wednesday (either with a huge whine or a huge anti-whine!).
Second, big votes for Elizabeth, Laura (did they rule out kidney infection?), and Marie (ugh).
My anti-whine and whine are the same: I am pregnant. And I'm glad I am, because the kiddo is not yet full-term. But I'm sick of being this big and sore. My back is killing me, and every now and then I'll stand up and feel like I'm being stabbed in the nether regions (hey, if Marie can dish about the runs, I can go into detail about this). Plus, I'm peeing every 3.2 minutes.
I know that second pregnancies are generally harder than the first, but I didn't realize what a whiny hag this would make me. I would be so appreciative if all of you ladies who've gone through multiple pregnancies (and you men, like Corndog, who've gone through it with your spouses) could reassure me that it's OK for me to be a whiny hag this time around. I swear, I was so cheery and pleasant during my first pregnancy, I really was. No more, I fear.
What IS it with the parents and the use of email to impart really.important.information??? Even I, who would rather use email than the phone a million times over, know that picking up the phone to relay bad news is better. My mom and step-dad e-mailed all the kids (7 total) to tell us they were getting separated. Obstensibly so that we'd all find out at the same time. Uh-uh. Whatever!
Blondie consumption. Well, send some to me! I wish I lived down the road, Phantom, I'd come down there and have oh, about a billion blondies and a cup o' tea. And we could WHINE.
Votes and blondies for everyone!
Whine: I'm crampy and achy and sore today. And it's partially because I haven't been exercising regularly like I'm supposed to, and I could make a bunch of excuses about it, but truth is, I just don't want to. whine whine whine.
Whine: A part of our kitchen ceiling fell in this week, because water is leaking out of our bathtub and down through the wall. My house is 105 years old, so I'm right there with all the old-house owners! It should take about $200 bucks to patch, fix, and re-caulk the tub. We have the $$, but only just barely. And I'm tired of things going wrong in this house. And living in such an old decrepit shack. Not really, but you know, whining. And the kitchen floor is grody now, and needs to be mopped. But that's not going to happen until after the dishes are done, and the trash is out, etc.
Whine: it's been a hellish long week already, and it's only Wednesday.
APL, it really is normal to whine more with each pregnancy. I could barely stand myself with #3.
Whine: I am feeling for Marie. Cos am in a similar situation re: diahrrea. Which I can't spell. But whatever, doesn't make it more pleasant. In my case, the cause is a chronic disease which usually doesn't bother me. But now: yes. And right now it requires the use of rectally-applied medicine. LOVELY.
And can I further whine that this is not a socially-acceptable disease to discuss. So that when I retire early from a wedding my partner cannot explain, "Well, all the diahrrea and blood loss means that she is a bit weak and tires all too easily. But really, she'd love to be here otherwise."
Sigh. So naturally, I vote for Marie, given her giardic state plus the antibiotics from hell-on-her-stomach.
oops, I forgot my anti-whine!
My sister of the whine-winner (last week) appears to be doing slightly better now. She's on new pain medication and so slides less readily into depression, I am about to die kind of states. Not that she is necessarily going to live much longer (the meds are for pain only) but she is less likely to whip us all up into a frenzy that she is going to die tomorrow. Did I mention my family is FULL of drama queens extraordinaire???
Long time lurker, first time whiner. My whine feels whiny, but maybe I just have to get it out. My other emotion is anger...probably not any healthier or more productive.
My daughter was diagnosed with amblyopia (lazy eye) on Monday. She's 5. She will probably be fine, always wear glasses or at least contacts in the bad eye. I think we have a tough year or so ahead of us, what with getting used to glasses and then wearing the patch over her good eye to strengthen her bad eye.
And I am angry because it was only my vague suspcision she wasn't seeing quite right that made me set up a visit to the eye doctor. Just ~3 weeks ago, she passed her vision screen at her 5yo checkup. She cheated through the test, it turns out with her good eye, which is incredibly common. And the nurse nodded at the cheating, but still "passed" her.
And at the optometrist's office, there is a pamphlet for parents. "All children should have an eye exam before age 4." Not just if you have a concern, all kids. And of all the scary magazine headlines and milestone guides, I can't recall seeing a professional eye exam included. The optometrist basically called the pediatrician vision screen worthless.
So I am whiny that we're going to have a hard slog getting eye patch compliance. And that she may never see perfectly. And that it limits her choices--no surgeon or pilot for her. And I am mad I didn't know to take her in a year ago, giving her better odds. (The brain stops processing visual imagery from the bad eye sometime between ages 6-10.)
I have polled my real life friends to see if they have gotten the pro eye exam recommendation. They hadn't. Is it different where you live? Did you have your kids' eyes examined as a matter of course?
A million little whines today. I had to get up early to be in for an exp. I had to get up even earlier to drop off my boyfriend at a special not in the office work thing today. The not in the office work thing was 8 miles away from my work, I figured oh maybe 20 minutes(lots of lights) to get to work after that. I got stuck behind a freight train and it took me nearly 40 min to drive those 8 miles. So despite all this getting up early, I got into work later than usual. And of course the equipment for my exp is not working properly so we're going to have to fix it today and reset up everything tomorrow.
To top it off with a large work whine, we are having what appears no promotions going through in our group due to budgeting reasons. I have heard a rumor that I am top of the list for a promotion(it's about time!) but no promotions are going through until the end of the year. I'm not sure I can wait another 3.5 months for this.
Anti-whine at the end of this year I'll have hit 5 years with my current company, next year I get a big vacation upgrade, 4 weeks vacation a year!
Anti-whine: Wow, I'm so glad I have Phantom for a daughter-in-law. I'm a lucky lady indeed.
Also: it is so hard to cook for your family when they will not try anything new, and when they prefer cardboard to your yummy home-cooked food. Phantom, I would be tempted to get menus from all the local restaurants, post them in the kitchen, and let everyone pick which place they wanted to get take-out food from that night. The hell with cooking. But if you want to unload any blondies, please send them to your grateful, food-loving mother-in-law.
Whine: our bathroom has "an odor". After all the renovations we've done in the house (it's been an ordeal), people came to the open house this weekend. They didn't admire the view from the deck, the new exterior paint, all the new interior paint, the sanded and stained floors, the retiled upper bathrooms, the newly stained deck, or anything else. They complained that the downstairs bathroom has "an odor". Which neither Papa Go Blue nor I can smell. We had the plumber come check everything and he can find nothing wrong. He ran the water in the shower, then said, "you might want to get some silicone and just calk this one spot." If you've read Phantom's previous post, you know why that's a scary sentence. I asked the plumber why he couldn't do it, and he said it was wet, so it wouldn't take. I begged him, when Papa Go Blue wasn't there, to try. I told him what the consequences of Papa Go Blue's doing it would be. He kept looking at me like I was crazy.
Anyway, Papa Go Blue is off to the hardware store to get some silicone. Yikes.
Lots of scary whines this week. I hope you all, and your family members, are going to be okay. Scrivener, one word: Ambien.
Holy linoleum, it's a tough week out there, isn't it?
Sarah, we had the opposite experience: LG flunked the pediatrician exam at his four-year-old checkup, and we were given stern headshakings, a referral to an opthamologist, and a few dark glances at our respective glasses (I'm just garden-variety nearsighted, but Mr. Blue is practically blind without his glasses). So we got to the specialist appointment, and LG passed with flying colors.
So, yes, the pediatrician screening is bloody useless, just one more piece of equipment driving up your medical bills.
And no, it is definitely not the norm to go for a specialist vision screening where we live.
Changing subjects: APL, believe me that no matter how whiny you feel, you cannot possibly touch me for being a miserable hag during one's second pregnancy. There's more than one reason why we don't plan to have more kids, but sparing my family the tsuris of having to deal with me for nine months is chief among them.
Phantom, congratulations on your new dishwasher! I'm so happy for you.
lostinthemiddle, I feel for your worry. This whole school thing is hard on us parents.
D is 5 1/2 and hasn't been seen by an eye doctor, just screened at the pediatrician.
I got glasses when I was in 3rd grade, and it was my older sister who pointed out that I could tell time on a watch but not on the wall clock. My parents felt majorly guilty.
hmmm, my only whine is that i want a blondie. or at least the blondie recipe.
No whines here today. Just supportive pixie hugs for one and all.
Early votes for Elizabeth and Marie, and I'm sending good exam vibes for Bob and friend.
Phantom, I would be tempted to get menus from all the local restaurants, post them in the kitchen, and let everyone pick which place they wanted to get take-out food from that night. The hell with cooking. [from Grandma Blue]
This is such a brilliant idea!!!!! It's so brilliant I'm not sure why no one has come up with it before and figured out a way to market it...
And on the blondies: Yes, wolfa, share the recipe! PLEASE. Higher sugar intake needed here right now. (okay so I am an inveterate sweet tooth and sugar intake ALWAYS needs be high...)
I vote for Elizabeth. And all the people who are sick in the lower middle area (that includes APL).
And wolfa should definitely post the blondie recipe. Blondies are much better than brownies (and orders of magnitude better than cardboard cupcakes. Who makes cardboard frosting???)
I still have only whiney-whines. The child will still not go to sleep. I still cannot find the motivation to do anything on (let alone finish) the damn papers. My husband is driving me batty. Wah, wah, wah.
Anti-whine the first: I got to see House! (semi-whine, a week late: I missed the season premiere).
Anti-whine the second: it's still cool here!
Whine the final: it will no longer be still cool here this weekend.
Wah.
Also, congrats on the new dishwasher!
Blondie recipe, which I am sharing despite ceresina's heretical statement that blondies are better than brownies as a general rule.
Just chiming in with reassurance for Sarah:
I was diagnosed with amblyopia when I was four.
I was NOT a compliant patient, eye-patch-wise or glasses-wise.
I grew up to be a happy, high-functioning amblyopic adult with a PhD.
I just can't do Magic Eye and I always have to get a doctor's note for the eye exam at the DMV.
I wouldn't fret.
(Will stop in later to vote properly and maybe contribute a short whine.)
We have been trying to sell our house for the last six months, to no avail. We met with our agent, who suggested they, and we, run ads in different places. So we placed an ad in a certain online newspaper. They charged our credit card, sent us a verification, and the ad hasn't run. I called three different people there today, and finally got the online ad manager. He said "I'm not saying you would do this, but if you had put discriminatory language in, or a curse word, it would go into the "hold queue" and not run. I started laughing. I thought of a few curse words I would LIKE to have put in, but I guaranteed him that I don't put curse words in my real estate ads. So he then said, "Well, for instance, if you put the word "fireplace" in your ad, it would have put it on hold".
Okay, so I did put "fireplace" in the ad. But I ask you: WHAT KIND OF CURSE WORD IS FIREPLACE??? Have I been so out of the loop that this has become a curse word and I didn't know about it? Pop culture has passed me by, but I was sure I knew every curse word under the sun (Papa Go Blue can assure you that I do).
Anyway, the online ad manager said they will go through my ad and pull the offending word and make sure it runs. I just wish I hadn't had to pester them to get this straightened out.
oh, turtlebella -- i'd offer chocolate, but that is probably the wrong thing....
sarah -- i don't remember anyone advising we get first eye exams so young. we noticed my daughter might have some vision problems around 5th grade, and sure enough, she got glasses. an eye patch for a 5 year old does not sound like a barrel of fun.
bob -- i apologize for my earlier comment. i was aiming for humorous, but on reflection, it came out snarky. the waiting really stinks.
whine: [music and/or poetry are not, ahem, my strengths. but this venting brought to you by the tune of "i feel pretty."]
i feel crabby, oh so crabby,
i feel snarky and whiney and blue. my house is a mess,
and i'm sick of the rest,
it's true.
there are dishes, endless dishes,
there is laundry and and trash and still more.
fingerprints abound,
and crap all around,
galore.
i feel nasty, oh so nasty,
i see cat fur and shoes on the floor.
my life is a wreck,
my house looks like dreck,
i can't stand the cobwebs anymore.
and my kitty, lovely kitty
has the runs and it's not nice to see.
the dog ate a sock.
i tripped on a rock,
wrecked my knee.
i feel itchbay, oh so snorglemuffin,
my dear husband is quite down, you see.
and he can't say why,
just gives me the eye,
poor, poor me.
but this whining,
perfect timing.
i can unload my woes with such glee!
let the house go to hell,
we aren't going to sell.
let the work stuff unfold,
what's hot will grow cold.
let the kids be annoying,
i will cease being cloying.
let the pets do their best,
i'm ready for rest.
hugs to all the pixies! have some warm garlic bread -- goes great with whine.
Freaking out at work whine. Today there is some person from what I think is from HR in a vistor office that is adjacent to my cube. She(the HR person) is meeting with all the managers from what I can tell. This could mean absolutely nothing(fingers crossed) but is way out of the ordinary and freaking me out since I know that there are "budgeting problems" right now.
Next week the senoir managers have an offsite to plan out the next years strategy. Lay off's anyone??!!! I don't need this stress!
Sarah, I was diagnosed with diplopia (a milder form of amblyopia) when I was 9. It was complicated with an astigmatism, and I had to do exercises (bringing different colored dots together) and stuff, but I see fine with glasses (or contacts) now. When I get tired, the eye still drifts off, but in general it's fine.
I hadn't seen an eye doctor until I was 9, even though I was squinting, getting headaches, reading while covering my weak eye, etc. And my dad's blind without glasses, so no guilt allowed over this.
Votes for elevated risk of mullet go to Lucy (your anti-whine cracked me up), Jane and Grandma Blue.
Vote for whine of style to Kathy A for her ditty.
Wah. I've been thinking about the whining and whether or not I should today. You see, my whines are almost exactly the same as they've been for months now, and it's just getting really old and upsetting.
I don't have gastric issues (ugh and a loose hug to Marie). I don't have any family ailments, told via e-mail or otherwise. (And hugs to you to Elizabeth).
However, I'm now entering my third month of unemployment. 10 weeks without a job makes one begin to go insane. And I can't really even complain about that - it took 6 weeks to get moved and settled. After that, I had to get over the moving and settling, and then it was Labor Day. So really, I'm in my second week of looking for a job. Unless you count that I was pretty much PROMISED a job at my former company.
And I'm lining up interviews. So it's not the end of the world. My former company is, well, former to me now. They may well come through with an offer, which I would take as a temporary solution to my lack of insurance and income. I don't trust them.
Still - I've got an toddler with RADS who decided that the cat's 'igloo' made a fun playhouse. So, now we are having serious respiratory issues due to her overexposure to cat danders.
I've got an aunt who just had surgery for a mysteriously detached retina.
I've got a 1L for a husband. Y'all ever try having a 1L for a husband? He's one cranky SOB at times!
My sister is becoming unbearably pregnant now, as well. She tries, but she's got 5 weeks left.
My mom calls me to get me to do stuff, since I "am not busy doing ANYTHING else". Um right - I'm just sitting around waiting on a job to land in my lap!
Oh and there's me. I'm BORED and STIRCRAZY. It's driving me nuts. That, combined with the rain today, makes me wonder if I'll ever get it together again!
Sighs. It sucks really.
So I focus on the bright side - the antiwhines. My house is done and so nice. My husband is happy with what he's doing (despite the crankiness), which makes our lives so much better. Miss Baby is thriving in her new "school". I'm so close to my family, and they are supportive, despite their crankiness as well. The other things - they're the dark edges on the photograph. And if I keep them in perspective, they don't overtake the whole. Just add some depth and meaning. Right?
No whines today, but I had to weigh in on the amblyopia issue.
Don't feel guilty, Sarah! I had read somewhere about the professional eye exam and took my daughter in at 4. Said "professional" (normal O.D.) found nothing wrong. But my daughter kept running into walls and stuff and wasn't reading even though she loved books, knew all her letters and sounds and really should have been.
Took her into an amblyopia specialist (we're lucky to have a really exceptional one an hour away) and she was diagnosed. We had no problems with compliance at age 5 with patches or glasses and after 5 years, her glasses were off and she's just fine. Also, the second the glasses came on (after the patch), she learned to read immediately. Within a month, she was at a 4th grade level. It'll be okay, I swear. Good luck!
Oh how I would love to rhyme in verse, but unfortunately insomina has granted me just enough sleep for complete sentences just in time for Bossman to fire a worker bee. Now, if I wasn't swamped already, this would be no big thing. Alas, O Great Internets, I began the day as a sleeped deprived stress monkey so more work was just what I needed. Thanks dude!
IP+GV to everyone els!
WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF CURSE WORD IS "FIREPLACE"???????
Grandma Blue- Fireplace?!?!? I'm as young and hip as the next girl (more or less) but I do not know the connotation by which "fireplace" is offensive.
Oh, and Devilmcdawg? I totally hear you on the joblessness. When I was unemployed for 12 weeks last year, I went CRAZY. Actually. And my loving husband would make those kind of statements all the time, too, and they drove me up the wall.
Don't worry about the whining. WW is not just for the superlative whines, it's for *all* whiney, sad, stir-crazy, grumpy whines. At least, I hope it is, since that is what almost all of my whines are about!
The problem with "fireplace" is not that it is offensive -- remember the other category was discriminatory. You are discriminating against people who don't like fireplaces by driving up the selling price of your home by mentioning its fireplace.
You stupid fireplaces you. Just look on urbandictionary. Fireplace is defined as cuddling before a fireplace -- it's obviously offensive to people who're single.
Also, new whine! Shooting at the school that is three blocks from my house. I know some people who teach there, and my closest friend is taking a night course there (so she wasn't there). My cousins have, I think, all graduated from there. Reports have a bunch of people dead (including some of the shooters) and injured, but numbers -- and reasons -- are unclear.
Plus -- why yes I am having a really wonderful day why? -- I updated to the new iTunes and now it mostly isn't working and it absolutely isn't working with my iPod and I keep hearing sirens and I can't really go anywhere because everything is shut for police and ambulance traffic and of course that's the right thing to do, and I'm being silly, but I feel all trapped. I don't want to go anywhere, but I *can't*, which is the problem.
Sarah, to echo what Tiruncula said, I have completely uncorrected amblyopia (long ago and far away when my mother mentioned to our family dr. that she thought one of my eyes was 'drifting', he said not to worry, I'd out grow it). And although I wear glasses (but I also have an astigmatism and near-sightedness) and I can't do Magic Pictures or see 3D moveis, my vision hasn't stopped me from doing anything I want to.
And I never heard that kids should have an eye exam by age four eitehr. My kids who wear glasses got their first eye exams when they failed school screenings. No need to feel guilty
wolfa, sorry to hear you are trapped in that horribleness.
I had just spotted a story online when my MIL (who lives not-close, but on the island) called to tell me. She doesn't know anyone there, she just thought we should know. I think she probably just needed to hear a human voice, and I can empathize, also being home by myself most of the time.
A vote for
Wolfa with the school shooting.
And with the eye problems, I highly (and I mean highly!) recommend vision therapy if you can find someone who does it.
My youngest sister had eyes that took turns working, refused to work together, and have vastly different vision (she's like 20/20 in one eye and 20/200 in the other). She also had issues that wouldn't come up in normal vision screening, but hugely affected her learning--like being unable to picture words in her head.
Vision therapy made such a huge difference for her. She did various exercises, a patch, special glasses, and all sorts of things. It just made a world of difference in everything from her ability to read (she wasn't able to learn to read until after vision therapy), to spelling, to just learning and doing things in general.
I saw the shooting aftermath on line. Just awful. Every country seems to need stricter gun laws.
Hugs, Wolfa. I'm sorry you're trapped in that unsettling situation.
I have the whine of the privileged soccer mom. OK, so LG comes home every day with a bunch of flyers: school notices, letters from the teachers, and information about various commercially run afterschool activities. I keep tripping myself up by asking LG if he has any interest in these activities before I've had time to sit down and think about them myself. And every time I do that, he responds that he is very interested, please, Mama! I waaaaaaaant to do that!
So. He's signed up for soccer on a weekend morning, which is a shoot-me-now milestone in just so many different ways. Today he brought home a flyer for foreign language lessons. I asked him about them and he got all excited about it. It turns out he's had a lifelong desire to learn Spanish. Who knew?
The thing is, though. It's expensive (not we-can't-buy-groceries expensive, but too much money to toss away if he decides he hates it after two lessons expensive), and the website for the group that runs the lessons is pretty unprofessional. There are grammatical errors (OK, at least there aren't grammatical errors in Spanish, but still) and the registration form isn't secure. And I'm just generally wary of becoming the parent of an overscheduled kindergartener.
But he waaaaaaaaaaaaants to do it, please Mama!
And everyone knows that the earlier you start with a foreign language, the better, right?
Someone tell me that I won't ruin my child for life if I sign him up for ten weeks of Spanish lessons that turn out to be crap. Please?
What if you hired a high school or college kid to teach him Spanish? You could probably pay a lot less that way.
I've been meaning to write for a while, to keep up my rep as the Bard of Wednesday Whining. But things have just been rather hectic. Realizing that having no time to whine was a whine in and of itself, I wrote a little ditty about it, in the style of Dr. Seuss:
All night, all day
All day, all night
All that I need
Is time to write
A rhymey whine
A whiney rhyme
I’ve got ideas, but
I’ve got no time
There are some things
I’d whine about
Like how it is
Far too cold out
Or how, although
I’ve made a list
I ain’t read nothin’
For my diss
Or how my Dad
My Dad and I
Spent hours phoning
Up Best Buy
Their operator
Wasn’t bright
She couldn’t set
The shipping right
But now I have
My laptop new
My return to the
UK’s in view
In two weeks’ time
I’ll have to pack
The new weight limits
Will save my back
I hope you liked
My kvetch-in-rhyme
I’d write some more, but
I’ve got no time.
Votes for wolfa-- such scary stuff.
Phantom, I highly doubt LG will be ruined for life if he takes crappy Spanish lessons. On the other hand, it sounds like a sketchy outfit. No excuse for grammatical errors if they are teaching a language. There must be some better place you can go if indeed LG does really want to learn Spanish!
I've had a fireplacing busy day. And it looks like tomorrow will be just as fireplaced. Motherfireplacer. No fireplacing way. What the fireplace?
Hmm, perhaps my whine should be that I have come completely fireplacing unhinged.
That is so fireplacing funny. I've been laughing my fireplacing head off.
Well. You wanta the assvice on the language classes thing?
We went in with a few other families on once-a-week French lessons when SG was 4. We were planning to move her to French Immersion the next year (which we did) and figured it would be a head start. It didn't work out. The school seemed pretty well credentialed, but if you don't keep it all fun, all the time, you can't keep the attention of little ones who've had a day of school already. And once a week wasn't enough to make any progress. I pulled her out when I decided she was getting a negative opinion of French, as opposed to just this situation. She forgot about it enough that it didn't seem to effect her the next fall.
You certainly won't ruin LG for life if the Spanish lessons don't work out, but you are correct in guessing you may end up throwing the money away if he doesn't like it. Do they offer a "free preview" class?
Here's my extra-curricular whine:
Tonight was sign-up night for our local community center. I wrote a huge check (two classes instead of last year's one, and I went ahead and committed for the whole year of gymnastics so I won't have to worry about the lottery again in January -- we got one of the last spots). I had to bring SG along because "We miiiiiissss Daaaaddy." As I wrote the check, I whined as nonchalantly as I could, attempting to avoid the adult temper tantrum, "We are spending a lot of money for these classes, but it's worth it because I know you enjoy them."
Anti-whine: SG immediately said "Thank you, Mommy."
And the whine of the overcommitted grown-up:
Now I need to go write the volunteer thing I volunteered for, for our Temple. I am not a writer, and I do not play one on the Internet. I'm trying not to plagiarize every web site ever written for children about Sukkot. As a result I have some really deadly sentences so far. I should probably just copy and cite, hunh?
oh. my. fireplacing. god. i checked back in to give kudos to grandma blue, because she is obviously a frontrunner in the "selling my frickin' house" category. and then mc wrote possibly the best, most concise fireplacing comment ever. wow.
Wow, has it been a really bad week out there? It's amazing I ever won this thing, because my whines pale in comparison to everything I've read, that's for sure.
Whines of substance to Elizabeth, Laura, Marie, and Wolfa. Honorable mention at the least to Turtlebella who is also having nasty tummy trouble. Bleah!
Whines of style awards to Kaitlin and Kathy A. No offense taken Kathy, you're right though, the waiting (since July) does suck! How brave of you to take the bar in two states. What were you thinking? Honorable mention to MC, who is having a motherfireplacing day. Seems like a lot of you out there are having a fireplacer of a day. I can't stand having to deal with motherfireplacers myself.
Awards of some sort to ccw who is dealing with a sick kid or kids, and Candance, whose whine actually did make me laugh out loud, even though I'm sure it's not funny to her! Candance, it seems to me that chasing a naked two year old around the house for an hour and having to hold him down to get his diaper on (after he peed on the bed) should be some sort of Olympic game or something, I dunno. Awards to anyone else dealing with sick kids or kids who can't seem to contain their bodily functions wrapped in plastic goodness.
An award to APL and anyone else who is pregnant and miserable, because I am a guy, and have no idea what being fat, sweaty and uncomfortable for 9 months must feel like, but it can't be fun. Do you suppose it's anything like being kicked in the crotch every day for 9 months? Cause I can tell you, to a guy, there isn't anything that hurts worse, expect possibly getting your chest waxed.
Awards to everyone else cause damn, I feel sorry for all of you and I'm not talented like Phantom in coming up with clever names for all of them. I agree, Wolfa, you must share the blondie receipe. I think we could all use it.
Lastly, thanks so much to all of you who left messages of support for my friend and I regarding the bar exam results. It means a lot to me. Oh, and Devilmcdawg, I sympathize with you living with a 1L, because I was a complete and total jackass that entire year I was a 1L (which could be why she divorced me when I was a 2L, lol). Your husband is under a lot of stress, and I know he appreciates your support and love, even if he is too moody to tell you that. Just wait until he starts lawyering you during arguments....
Friendly envelopings to everybody (we'll see why in a sec). Lots of real whines this week! I have only a teeny tiny techno-whine - the first in verse, however, for T:
Technology Whine
The keys on the new Apple's pad are working, all 'cept two:
The nasal two-lipped letter and the vowel that's known as ewe.
I've learned to type in English with a tiny bit of tension,
Sed Latin vocab's very sparse with no second declension.
Annoyingly, as well, the Nano's acting all erratic.
No Pottercast to start the week, just NPR and static.
So, the problem at kindergarten?
MisterSpiffy is WAY WAY stressed out. I went early for my meeting w/the teacher so I could assess what was going on for myself, and when MisterSpiffy saw me he burst into tears and said he just wanted to go home.
After a bit of dredging, it became clear that, at that particular moment, he *really* just didn't want to go to the library where he thought he'd have check about a book and then be responsible for it ("what if I lose it?" "or what if forget to return it on time?").*
Without the ten minutes of trying to sort out what was going on with him, I can totally see how he would have gotten himself stubbornly entreched in his position of "I'm not going to the library!" (add exclamation points per minute).
This is all so very upsetting. At least, his teacher is kind and is trying to come up with some strategies to make it less stressful for him.
*One would think we'd never been to the library! He just seems to think somehow that he has to be all grown-up and in charge of things, and well . . . it's too much.
First, let me just say it's been a fireplacing hell of a hot day around here. When will fall come? Also, hugs to all pixies dealing with much bigger whines than any of mine.
Whine #1: I wrote a longer whine, and then it got eaten or something.
Whine #2: Youngest child is home sick with strep throat and has missed two days of the second week of kindergarten. Plus, it's the second week of my teaching semester, and I HATE cancelling classes.
Anti-whine: We have health insurance and money to pay for prescriptions. Plus, we were able to figure out a way to balance our two full-time jobs with caring for a sick kid, thanks in large part to amazing bosses.
HUGE anti-whine #2: My son, who struggles with selective mutism, memorized a poem and RECITED IT IN FRONT OF HIS WHOLE CLASS last Friday. I can't begin to explain how amazing this is and how good he feels. He has a good teacher this year, and fortunately, the other two kids really like their teachers, too. I feel a little like we won the lottery.
Also, can I just whine that I've realized that this discussion thread *is* my sole source of news? School shooting? Yikes!
And, it is as well, of course, my link to the hip-talk of the youngsters.
Fireplacin fireplace, indeed.
(Just so I'm not misunderstood: this is a comment on my own pathetic-ness and not Phantom and her truly fab blog/community service).
Thank you for the reassuring comments on amblyopia. It was a relief to whine about it because I have been as upbeat as humanly possible in front of my daughter.
Motherfireplacing haloscan just ate my whine...
I was saying...like mc, I've had a fireplacing day, including an encounter with a Navy rear admiral who seemed to want to pick a fight with me (he was a guest speaker for a woman's group at church)--the first words out of his mouth when I introduced myself were "you don't answer your phone messages"--well it wasn't my voice mail he was calling, it was my boss's--my boss whose been on a fireplacing vacation for almost a fireplacing month, a very very busy month, and who keeps calling to ask how things are going, and what the fireplace good is that---but that's a separate whine. The rear admiral, though, thinks it's okay to take my notepad out of my hands to see what kind of notes I was taking during his talk--what the fireplace? Just take it without asking and then chastise me and lecture me b/c I disagreed with what he said--in my notes, mind you, not out loud. Just because he's a fireplacing rear admiral in the fireplacing Navy.....gah.
Tomorrow I have to go to an all day long meeting which guarantees that I'll have to work on my day off Friday to finish all the fireplacing work I didn't get done today, what with the rear admiral and all.
Grandma Blue, who knew that fireplace was such as expressive word. I RARELY ever drop the f-bomb, but you've opened up a whole new world for me.
Metawhine: I'm whining about being tired of whining about this.
Oh, RevDrMom, that sounds terrible. He took your notes out of your hands? What the fireplace?
And I know there's a really good pun in there somewhere using the word Navy. Or Admiral. Or maybe just rear. As in "deserves a kick in the . . ."
And now I really should send my sad little Sukkot passage to the Rabbi and get some sleep so I can shake this motherfireplacing cold that has turned my left nostril into a faucet.
RevDrMom - that Navy dude is an arrogant motherfireplacer isn't he? I can't fireplacing believe he would be so fireplacing rude! Fireplace!
This new jargon is rather liberating isn't it?? Thanks to Grandma Blue and to mc for setting a new fireplacin' tone here in pixie land.
Dudes, that fireplacin' Project Runway show that I used to love is going to the dogs. And not in a good way.
i'm thinkin' that "rear admiral" may be a runner-up for expression of the week. it is a distant cousin to fireplace, but more appropriate in certain contexts.
Grandma Blue needs some sort of award for giving us all a new colorful word. I found myself thinking, "oh, fireplace!" tonight.
I'm sorry, I have no time to whine. I'll be too busy breaking the news to the pastoral services department that the on call chaplain for tonight never answered his phones and the switchboard used an old memo about who to call for back-up, and even though I slept through the first call I got the second one and ended up at the hospital because I thought I was on the list, even though it turns out I am the frick not.
One hour of sleep. On one hour of sleep I went out into the world to provide deathbed-side ministry to a nominally Methodist heart surgery failure patient on a blood-soaked bed whose denominationally confused wife expected anointing and thought I was either Mormon or Church of Christ.
How am I supposed to go back to sleep now?
What the fireplace has been going on around here? I go off to minister to the sick, and you fireplacers post 96 fireplacein' whines, which I have no time to read, and then I do whine, but in the wrong mother-fireplaceing patois.
FIREPLACE IT!!!
You guys are way too fireplacing funny. I just had to explain to my husband why the fireplace I was snorting OJ through my nose.
Oh Bob - I went through the three years of utter fireplacing heck known as lawyer college. I empathize with my husband-the-1L mightily.
Oh my goodness. People at fireplacin' Panera are staring at me and wondering why the fireplace I'm laughing (snorting, guffawing) at my laptop. You people are fireplacin' killing me! I love this place. (P.S. I don't think there's anything here I can safely eat or drink so I'm fakin' it with a fireplacin' bad latte so I can use the free wi-fi.) Thanks for the award. Clearly there were others more deserving.
So I came back to finish reading the whines today after my fireplacing meeting (which actually was an okay meeting if it didn't suck up a day I need to be doing other work) and I am ROTFLMAO here. Grandma Blue definitely needs an award, and "fireplace" will be in my vocabulary forever.
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