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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Another Wednesday

Huge thanks to Kathy who gently reminded me that I signed up to host since I'm such a space-brain that I had totally forgotten.

My whines: I'm not ready for it to be Hanukkah yet. I'm afraid my kids are present-obsessed ungrateful monsters who have no appreciation for how lucky they are. There's not enough snow to make snowballs with, but enough to make me dread my commute home tonight. And the idiots who fixed our car last month installed a locking gas cap on the tank -- without telling us! So I got to the pump yesterday morning and discovered I had no idea of how to get the cap off. (Fortunately I didn't actually run out of gas as a result.)

Please whine away!

-- Elizabeth

23 comments:

Maddy said...

I hope you mean 'cap' not 'gap'. Sorry about the whiners, it's hard to keep the frenzy under control.
Cheers

This is my calling card or link"Whittereronautism"until blogger comments get themselves sorted out.

kathy a. said...

about Blogger: there is a drop-down box next to the sign-in, and if i understand the latest change [which i might not], you can use "Open ID" and have the link to your website show up.

please feel free to whine and curse if this doesn't work. blogger has not earned any warm fuzzies with its behavior toward non-googlites.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sign me up for the "not ready for this month" club! busy busy.

whine: and yet, i keep honing those procrastination tools.

whine the second: insomnia. up at 3 or 4 a.m. almost every day.

antiwhine: daughter's U is going to a bowl game, so the band is going too -- and this one is 12 miles from home, so i finally get to see her marching! of course, this means i have to watch football, but i'm willing to make the sacrifice.

Anonymous said...

Whine: I THOUGHT I was ready for Hanukkah, but my gift planned for the first night (soccer jerseys) was torpedeoed by the fact that the fireplacing ebay seller sent the most important jersey (Barca) incorrectly, twice. So I have no Barca jersey and two Brasil jerseys. (This is important to a child in a soccer-focused school where Barca is king). But I stupidly left feedback after the jersey arrived the second time, thinking it was correct when it wasn't, so I have no leverage. The seller is acting as if nothing is wrong, just telling me that the one that I BOUGHT is "unavailable" and he can send me a substitute. Steam is rising from my ears, and I am trying not to make my emails to him as pissy as I want to, because I have no fricking leverage.

Whew. Very first world whine, that one. Thanks for the outlet.

Antiwhine: the kiddo adored his first night presents (Legion of Superheroes toys from us -- including, whine, some bought separately b/c stupid sexist McDonald's only sold the BOY superheroes, even though the Legion has many girls, so I went elsewhere to find toys of the girls -- and the Star Wars trilogy DVD from my mom). He said it was the best Hanukkah ever. And he sang, beautifully, a Spanish Hanukkah song (not Ocho Kandelikas, another one I'd never heard). And didn't agitate to open the presents until after dinner and fruit and candle-lighting and blessings.

Daniela said...
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Anonymous said...

I dunno about this blogger comments thing, very annoying, I've already had to delete one comment. I'm glad you mentioned the drop down menu, kathy a, one of the options is wordpress, which is who hosts my blog. We'll see if it works this time!!!

--

I can send you some extra snow for snowball making, Elizabeth. We've plenty.

The snow is both a whine and an anti-whine. Because I like the snow- it's pretty and if it's going to be cold (and it is) then I'd rather have snow than not. The whine is that I think our car needs new tires. You know, actual all-weather tires that find traction in snowy conditions at least SOME of the time. Yesterday we found ourselves sliding ever so slowly towards a snowbank a couple of times, in situations where this shouldn't be happening (roads weren't THAT bad). We didn't actually run into any of the snowbanks but the stress of that slow-mo reality and the idea that it may happen at any moment is a bit too much! So. New tires. Why does one realize these things in months like December? When budget is already stretched out due to plane tickets "home" and gifts and all like that.

I made pecan toffee the other day, asty buttery loveliness. -- please, eat some!

Daniela said...

um, that's Tasty not "asty" buttery loveliness. sorry.

Madeleine said...

Snow: I'm in the whine/anti-whine camp also. Kinda a pain for the driving, but Snuggly Girl is loving it. And yes, if it has to be cold... which it does, apparently, this year.

Family drama whine: My dad, who has a "need to know urgently" policy on the distribution of information, sent me and my brother contact info for the lawyer who has his will. What isn't he telling us?*

Family drama anti-whine: My brother and I are equally perplexed, and in agreement on next steps (wait and see if he replies to brother's not-so-pointed email, which he probably won't, and then decide whether to contact our stepmother directly or sic Mom on him).

Additional family drama anti-whine: The lawyer info came with a large check. Savings! Woo-hoo!

* Seriously. Once, my mom says, as they walked into a party, he told her, "Oh, X and Y are splitting up, so don't ask him where she is." Also, when my brother developed lice while we were at his house, he told no one -- not his wife, not me, not my mom. I was itchy. Really itchy. I got off the plane and my Mom took one look at my scalp and said ARGH! So he could be on the verge of death and we get "Oh, here's my lawyer's name."

kathy a. said...

yikes, madeleine! maybe he is just taking care of things. but i'd be worried, too. maybe he wants you to ask?

Madeleine said...

Thanks, kathy. With anyone else, you might think he wants us to ask, so that's a reasonable idea -- but no, he doesn't. That's just how he is.

Liz Miller said...

Whine: Snow. Just enough to be dangerous, not enough to close schools and let us just stay home.

Anti-whine: Tomorrow is my last class-day! Next week are finals and then Just One More Semester to GO!

Anonymous said...

[whine] Last months cycle did not result in pregnancy. And sadly, I am little whiny that we have to start the 10 days of intercourse (every other day, of course). It seems so...distorted.

[antiwhine] Last year, we celebrated Chanukah with a good friend (and childhood substitute mother figure for my husband) (we're not Jewish) and my kids were taking art classes at the local JCC and we were full of Chanukah spirit. This year, our friend a sick (a big whine, actually) and the classes don't fit with the new school schedule (another whine). But the kids are still into Chanukah. We sang, they wanted to light the candles. It made me happy.

[whine] I worry too much about whether us celebrating Chanukah (without being Jewish by family affiliation or practice) and Christmas is weird. In my brain, I know no one else really cares about other people's celebrations.

Hugs and sympathy to everyone dealing with the snow . We have it too. It sucks. I hope it gets warm enough to start melting.

kathy a. said...

go, liz!

sarah, i nominate the prescription you describe for the "lost that lovin' feelin'" award. sheesh.

but go for it, on celebrating everything your family is moved to celebrate!

~~~~~
updated whine: the marching band will not be marching at the bowl game. they can only afford to take 1/3 of the band, plus the few in the area already. yes, my kid will be there, but i am supremely pissed that the whole band can't. music is a lifelong skill; these musicians work hard.

Anonymous said...

Genevieve, so sorry your Chanukkah eBaying didn't go smoothly. Grrrr to the incompetent and/or unethical seller.

Yay Liz! Almost there!

Sarah, I agree that you can celebrate all you like. There's some semi-famous story about a town where there was an anti-semitic incident during Chanukkah, and every family in town put a menorah in their window in solidarity. (I can't find it quick, but I'm pretty sure it's true.) So join us, we're happy to have you!

Anonymous said...

Madeleine, the book is "The Christmas Menorah: How a Town Fought Hate" by Janice Cohn and Bill Farnsworth. Good book--I think I remember a note that it was based on a true story that happened in Montana. Not a book for really little kids though as it has stuff about WWII in it, but great for older.

Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate it (including you, Sarah!) :)

Neighbor Lady

Elizabeth said...

Antiwhines: I left work early enough to get home without too much tsuris (and I have a job flexible enough that I can just email my boss that I'm leaving and will finish up at home). It snowed enough for a small snowball fight. And another family braved the snow enough to join us for our Hanukkah celebration.

Daniela said...
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Anonymous said...

Kathy A- you took my whine away, it was blogger comments, now I got nada.

Other than Bert's severance is over- we have 17 weeks of unemployment, and then we make the children start internet scams about cheap Viagra.

Madeline, hope your dad is just planning ahead, and it's nothing.

I turn 44 next week. Forty-FOUR!! How is it that I am suddenly this far over forty? And I'm not rich, thin, charming, emotionally balanced, wise or a good skier. Shouldn't I have accomplished something by now?

Anti-whine: work project that has been dogging me I finished in 3 hours when I just sat down and did it. Procrastination is just so stupid.

Okay the OpenID is the whine- I typed in my url- why isn't it working?Is this some special program I have to sign up for? Cripes on a cracker. I'm bloggingly challenged.

http://vindauga.typepad.com

Sue said...

Good whines all, pixies.

Whine: snow. Lots and lots of snow.

Anti-whine: I have the best mother-in-law in the world. REally. After my therapy appointment on Monday, I went to visit my MIL and we talked for hours.

Whine: the reason for the visit - I cannot live in our home any more and maintain my sanity. I cannot shovel snow, cut grass in teh summer, and look after virtually ALL of the maintenance in our home by myself. And hold a full time (and extra hours) job and provide care for my moderately disabled partner.

Can. Not. Do. It. Anymore.

Cannot.

MIL totally with me on this. She is awesome.

My loving partner is not so keen on the condo idea. I think it's a symbolic step for him that feels only one step removed from insitutional care. No matter how many times I try to tell him otherwise, and that we will make it our home, blah blah blah...he likes living in the house.

He listens to his Mama.

Anti-whine: We will be moving before summer if all goes according to plan.

Whine: I've missed two days of work because of my headache this week.

Whine (Yes, there's more!): Why, oh why, does my doc always switch my anti-depressants during December???? I'm weaning off of Paxil and not having a good time of it AT ALL. Crying jags, nausea, you name it...

Anti-whine: A week from today I start Wellbutrin, the one anti-depressant I've not tried. I'm hopeful it will have positive effects on the depression AND the headache.

Hey, a girl can dream right????

Unknown said...

My daughter has developed really nasty asthma, the kind that reacts to cold air. She can't get to school because she walks as far as the end of the driveway and she's no longer able to breathe. This is NOT good.

I have developed a severe attraction to clementines and cannot stop eating them. This is not good either, as it has made my stomach very upset. But they are so good. Evil little things, but yum.

My cleaning person has been sick for two weeks and we are living in a total sty. It's bad. BAD.

Latkes yesterday were delicious but as usual I ate too many and then felt like I was about to explode all night. What's this rumor about latkes being light and fluffy? Who are they kidding? They're delicous, but weighted with lead.

Snow. Need I say more?

Son still manic, still no placement, still no help from various and sundry agencies.

Hanukkah presents have been hit or miss. Daughter loved her new crocs lined with fluffy fleece. They're very warm. Son's new jeans didn't fit. Which means I have to go back to Bobs to exchange them. Damn.

Still haven't received several gifts ordered on line. And haven't wrapped most of the other ones. But we have all the hanukiyot up and lit, so that's good.

That Mommy said...

((Sue)) Caring for a disabled love one is hard. I hope your eventual move goes slowly and both you and your partner reap the benefits.

Health Care Whine: Kid1's ped wants her neuro to see her ASAP because of new! suspected seizures! Apparently, ASAP is late February.

Antiwhines: Spouse and I have taken the rest of the week off work, pulled the girls from therapy and school and are going to spend a few days curled up at the cabin with the girls, celebrating Chanukah without the stressful family part.

That Mommy said...
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Elizabeth said...

We've got schools opening 2 hours late because of the snow, so in that spirit, I'm going to leave the whining open a while longer. Awards this afternoon.

Sarah, I have some squeamishness about Christian appropriation of the Passover seder, but since Hanukkah has essentially no religious content, I'd say go for it.

Liz Miller said...

Hey, I celebrate both, and I'm Jewish. I've got not beef with anyone celebrating both for any reason!

Whine: Icy roads, school still open. Feh.