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Monday, November 24, 2008

Thanksgiving Edition

Yes, the holiday season is officially here! So, we're rolling out the festivities early this week, to accomodate all the thankfulness and whininess.

Stuff I'm thankful for: My wonderful beloved, daughter, and son. Ze zany catz -- quirks and all. Two dogs who think I am a goddess just because I feed them. Sisters. Friends. That it's a small world. My fabulous aunt and equally fabulous aunt-in-law, and sweet mother-in-law. Son's girlfriend, whom we all adore. The internets. The cat rescue lady we know, who is giving me a free rabbit cage. The airline's good policies about disability accomodations.

Other stuff: Why a rabbit cage? Well, my SIL has 2 rabbits and no cage, so her house is their litter box and they are chewing everything in sight. Beloved took today off to ferry his sister around to deal with various legal / financial matters around her dementia. Tomorrow, she flies to her aunt's house for a week or so, which is an anti-whine for sure. Maybe not so much for the fabulous aunt-in-law.

Daughter can't come home for Thanksgiving because her marching band has to play at the big game on Saturday. But son and his girlfriend will be over, and I'm getting ready for the cook-a-thon! And if daughter's band wins this for the home team (bands, as everyone knows, are the most important factor in college football), they will go to the Rose Bowl! And march in the parade!

Finally, teh fireplacing cancer sucks. A talented young woman we know is sitting out this semester (and marching band season) because she's having chemo. Her fireplacing cancer is, thankfully, reasonably treatable. Anyway, daughter and her best friend and other friends and some moms and their church and some music people are conspiring, and we're gonna make a quilt. Take that, fireplacing cancer!


OK, Pixies -- have at it! Prizes, as always, for Style, Mullet, and Old Skool. Special prizes for other special whines and antiwhines. Passing the sinful appetizers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ETA: Whining open through Thursday; prizes Friday. Happy Thanksgiving!

18 comments:

Liz Miller said...

Whine: Going to my MIL's instead of my mom's.
Anti-whine: Sleeper car on the train!!
Whine: I don't wanna!
Anti-whine: Arriving Thursday AM, leaving Friday PM.

Liz Miller said...

Kathy A, it is well known that there is no treatable cancer that can withstand the power of the quilt.

kathy a. said...

Ooh, ooh -- sleeper car!! Amtrak is super-nice to the sleeper-car people! And pretty darned nice otherwise, too.

I am sooo blown away by Karen the cat rescue lady. Pixies, she is the Hall of Fame for me. She recently turned down a big $ offer for the spacious cage from a rich person who doesn't really like animals, and said she'd rather it go to "someone who needs it." Suggestions for ways to thank her gratefully solicited.

esperanza said...

Does it strike anyone else that six adults, two babies, and a thirteen year old might make for a bit of a crowd, all in one house for 5 days?

kathy a. said...

esperanza -- 6 adults and 2 babies sounds like a good ratio for the actual thanksgiving feast. all that plus a teenager in one space for 5 days? you have my heartfelt condolances, and permission to "run errands" or "take a walk" as many as a dozen times a day.

JenR said...

I just did something dumb at work and I feel like an idiot. At the moment, it trumps any sick baby or sick me whines I might have. Everyone will probably forget by Monday... but that doesn't change how dumb I feel right now.

Anonymous said...

Whine: Pneumonia for Neighbor Girl, cold for Neighbor Boy (who just got done with strep and pneumonia a week ago), and a cold for me. Possible canceling of Tgiving plans with dear friends because the wife is pregnant and if I were her, I wouldn't want to be around us. But I love them and want to see them.

Whine:Dead mouse smell may be creeping back as the weather warms slightly.

Whine:Weird sweet/earthy smell from vents in car when air conditioner is turned on to clear windows in the pouring rain.

Antiwhine: Neighbor Girl and I enjoying watching vintage black and white Nancy Drew movies from the 1930's.

Antiwhine: One more day and then Neighbor Guy will have 2 days vacation plus the weekend, and can make us tea and soup. (oh yeah, and tgiving dinner) ;)

Hugs to all the pixies with holiday or other whines, and best wishes for all the family gatherings!

--Neighbor Lady

Elizabeth said...

Anti-whine: Blogger meetup with Redzils and Liz!!! Yummy thai food!

Whine: NJ Turnpike tomorrow.

Antiwhine: My sister got tickets to take the boys to watch the Thanksgiving parade from an office, so I don't have to freeze my toes off standing with a 40 pound kid on my shoulders for 2 hours.

Whine: She didn't get a ticket for ME.

Antiwhine: Thanksgiving

Whine: Return on the NJ Turnpike

kathy a. said...

oh, jenr. have some pie, and feel free to take extra helpings of the whining.

neighbor lady -- hope everyone is feeling better stat, and that if you can't see your friends on the big day, you can see them soon.


we had a big angst explosion this morning. SILfH decided not to go to her aunt's house. MIL decided -- why not? it's the holidays! -- to call SILfH and yell at her about having rabbits. SILfH decided to blame her brother, who spent the entire freaking day yesterday dealing with her and her lawyers and bills and dementia issues -- and she instructed her lawyers not to send him the paperwork he planned to help with.

so, i have in my possession this very nice donated rabbit cage, just dropped off today, but it seems unlikely that will go over very well at this time.

Anonymous said...

Lots of pie all the way around. And may Kathy A have luck getting away from SIL issues over the holiday. And then afterward. I have moments of guilt that we are not close with my husband's family...and then when I remember it would be like living in a Whine session, I guess I am just thankful. That makes me sound horrible. But honest, I suppose.

My whine: my brother and his wife are coming for T-day. It will be a long day, with not enough conversation as they don't seem to talk to any of us. And we can never guess when they'll go home. And my mom is so happy to see them for the first 20 minutes or so and then is so disappointed with the not talking thing.

Anti-whine: My SIL's son is with his dad and so will not be whipping my two kids into a frenzy. The kids will miss him and if they were allowed to whine here, that would be their whine. And my brother's dog is staying home. Yay!

Unknown said...

AW: not getting in the Wednesday or Thursday. At all.

WHINE: my home health care asst did not show up, called to tell me she would come at another time and didn't show up again. My house is officially so disgusting I'm thinking of calling Ty Pennington and just telling him the raize the damn thing. It is THAT bad.

WHINE: Dishwasher, which is new but has never worked right since LL's son installed it, does not work at all now. It doesn't melt the soap, the racks will not slide out, and it essentially useless. Hand washing is out of the question considering who washes the dishes. I now will not eat at home. It is too disgusting.

WHINE: of course, I'm sick. Sicker than sick. I avoided a hospital stay by the skin of my teeth, but this is ridiculous. I am not healthy.

Whine: Got the entire emergency housing form filled out, went to the office, handed it in, and they didn't even LOOK at it, just handed it back and told me it was wrong. WRONG. These people are such crooks.

Whine: bank error is seemingly impossible to clear up and it's money in THEIR favor that I can't afford to lose.

Whine: you know that prescription plan thing that advertises on tv that they will help with prescription costs? RACKET. I know! I filled out the whole form and found that they charge $20 handling fee per script, which is more than I PAY for prescriptions.

Whine: Our printer died, which means that I have to look at the Black Friday sales to get one cheap cheap cheap. Of course, can't afford one, but we NEED a printer for kids homework. OMG, I have never done black friday before. I swore I never would. Help me jebus!

AW/W: we pick up the dinner a friend bought us tomorrow morning. It will not fit in the fridge because the fridge needs to be cleaned out so badly and nobody will help me. I'm thinking of padlocking the fridge and issuing passes. You clean, you eat passes. Heh.

ANTI-WHINE: Anne Coulter. Jaw wired shut. Just retribution or what?

Whine: Local food pantry is so badly overrun it could not provide ANY holiday fare for the 190 families that count on it. Not one. If you can, please give. People really need the help.

Anti-whine: We're doing Christmas in the City for the 3rd year. It's a wonderful chance to volunteer.

And lastly, although I am thankful for my cats, my kids, and my books, I swear it, if one more crappy driver tries to mow me down in their GIANT SUV I'm going to go postal. You heard it here first.

Sue said...

Hugs to all the thanksgiving traveling pixies and those who have houses full of people and dead mice.

I'll second that anti-whine on Ann Coulter's jaw. hehehehehe

Great idea about the quilt kathy a. - I know a little boy who has to have chemo on Christmas day which really sucks. Perhaps a few quilters....

Whine: Tie tie. Me. So very tie-tie.

That is all.

Anti-whine: We may have an oven at some point this week. It is in the condo, but can't be installed until both the carpenter and the electrician are in the building at the same time. It's like waiting for Mars and Mercury to be in alignment. Still, we have a working cook top and microwave, so i guess I can't really complain. But I will anyway.

Old Skool: Who the fireplace invented pantyhose anyway? I have a funeral to attend after this morning's shift at the office. Pantyhose should be outlawed. Really.

KLee said...

I've got a sinus headache that just will not go away. But, I had today off AND got to go shopping with my newest partner in crime. And Offspring went with us and she *wasn't* completely morose the entire time! I even saw a smile once or twice. I may keel over.

Thanksgiving tomorrow at my mother's. Juggling Freak has instructed me to do my damndest not to engage if my mother starts bitching about Obama's election. I may bite through my tongue, people.

Saturday, I have a Christmas Card crafting playdate! Whoo-hoo!

Anonymous said...

My purse is heavier than my diaper bag.

Anonymous said...

Happy Thanksgiving, American pixies. Happy Thursday, non-American pixies.

I hope everyone is having a good day with minimal drama.

W: We are not cooking, instead we are eating out for Thanksgiving.
AW: I get to do the big Turkey-and-trimmings dinner at my parent's house for Christmas.

W: I miss my family.
AW: But I will be spending the day with my darling boyfriend and his parents, who are good company.

W: It's still not as good as my own family.
AW: Right, but the company is not nearly as terrible as last year's.

Overall, still a victory.

Sue, I hope your plumber and contractor align soon, to get your oven in.

kathy a - good luck with the SILfH, and the rabbit cage.

KLee said...

Oh, I forgot to add my biggest anti-whine of all -- tomorrow is my 16th wedding anniversary! I have a great husband, whom I only want to murder in his sleep about 15% of the time. He cooks, he cleans, and he puts up with my bullshit. I am very thankful that he chose me.

kathy a. said...

sarah -- here's hoping you can fill the conversation gap with music or something!

((( margalit ))) hope the feast is great.

sue -- yay for an oven! sending some virtual turkey, stuffing, pie, etc.

amy -- what is it with purses? mine seems to collect bricks or something.

klee -- hope the headache is gone, and that offspring cracks a few of those smiles during the festivities. and happy anniversary!

redzils -- definitely an improvement over last year.

apologies to all for being soooo whiney this week. SIL decided to deal with her rabbit problem yesterday by paying someone $600 [!!!] to clean the carpets. her first ex and my beloved did an intervention, and she ended up with a rabbit cage.

my husband is a saint, i tell you. he spent almost 3 hours on this last night, and she called a little while later because she didn't think the rabbits like the cage very much.

Sue said...

No need to apologize kathy a - that's what we pixies are here for!

Well, that and the body fluids of course.

Alas, no oven yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Anti-whine: It's snowing here today and the view is so beautiful from our new home. I'm feeling really blessed.

Whine: Wicked Witch of the West Personnel Manager who is pressuring me BIG TIME to go back to full time asap. Right now I'm barely managing half-time because of the fatigue and depression stuff and she sends me daily reminders that I need to make a plan to return to full time "very soon".

My insurance company will allow me to work half time and provide LTD for part of the other half for up to 24 months. Wicked Witch is thinking more in terms of 24 DAYS. I'm feeling really bullied and I have no one to speak up for me except me. Time to put on my assertiveness mojo. I hate having to be assertive. It exhausts me.

Crap.