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Monday, May 4, 2009

Turn, turn, turn

This past weekend was Moms' Weekend at my daughter's U, and it was wonderful! We had a great time -- pottery sale, dinner/movie/comedy show etc. with her best friend and best friend's wonderful mom, Pet Day at the Vet School, shopping, more eating and hanging out, lots of talking & laughing, etc.

The only thing that went wrong was my brain, when I messed up on the time for the return airport shuttle, missed it, missed any chance of lunch, and barely made my flight. Oh, and my old reliable rollerbag also died on the way up, the handle permanently extended. And I accidentally threw away a lovely handmade glass pendant that I bought for $1.50 [1/2 off, because we got there late] at the pottery sale -- it was worth a lot more.

OK, here's my real Antiwhine/Whine: my baby girl [age 20] was just officially accepted to an exchange program in Japan next school year. ALL of next school year! I'm so proud, but this brings tears to my eyes, and every so often I hyperventilate. How am I going to be graceful about this??

Please bring your whines and cheeze. We may as well wallow together.

30 comments:

JenR said...

There is a bird that insists on attacking its reflection on my patio door.

And the ear-tube surgery, after much drama, has been rescheduled for tomorrow morning (Wednesday).

And... bronchitis and a sinus infection for me! With medicine that only sort of works and definitely keeps me awake most of the night!

And... work is getting less and less tolerable. So much that I am tempted to look for a new job even in this economy and even though it would most likely mean the end of my 4-day work week.

I hope the rest of you are having a better week!

kathy a. said...

good luck with the tube surgery -- and i hope you feel better soon, jenr.

Sue said...

Kathy a. - Japan - wow. I hear you though - it's a great opportunity, but it's far away. Thank goodness for technology so you can stay in touch and know she's okay, but I soooooo get how difficult it is when they leave the nest.

JenR - I hope the surgery goes well tomorrow.

Anti-whine: I'm on holidays this week as I have to use up my 2008 holidays or lose them.

Whine: I have to attend a workshop on Friday night and all day Saturday that I can't avoid. It's about our amalgamation talks and I can't reasonably get out of attending. First the ten gazillion breakfast fireplacing meetings, and now I get to work on my fireplacing vacation. I'm liking this amalgamation less all the time.

Anti-whine: kitteh seems to be responding to his medication. He's much less anxious and has had fewer 'accidents' this week.

kathy a. said...

can they really make you burn vacation days on work meetings? how uncivil. but yay about the kittie meds!

thanks for the boost, sue! i'm worried, because between us pixies, my girl has meltdowns -- there are just times she falls apart emotionally, and we need to help her pull it together again. she is doing so much better than, say, her first day at college, when she tried to quit band [the director wouldn't let her], and she emerged from band camp in hysterics, wanting to go home right now. but still. she'll be hours outside of tokyo.

i really hope i'm getting the fretting pointlessly part of the agenda out of the way now.

Liz Miller said...

Anti-whine: liddle baybee foxes!!! Right outside my office building!!!
Five of them!

Sue said...

kathy a. - we worried about our oldest when he moved out for the same reason. He's very sensitive and always has been (got it from his mama) - we really didn't know how he would handle it all. But he's done SO well. We're really proud of him.

Liz - Foxes!!!! (I have this image suddenly of Steve Martin in polyester pants from SNL in the 70s)

Unknown said...

My week sucked rocks. Francisco Franco has FINALLY decided to kick this mortal coil. He's gone down hill daily, which is to be expected after 7 years of stage 4 colon cancer. However, his wife, who is a difficult person at times, has annointed me honorary shiva captian. I have NO CLUE, people. I have never had a relative die where I was responsible for the shiva calls. And they're all at her house, so this will be a nightly gig for days and days. OY! I know absolutely nothing. I guess I'll learn by default. Any hints would be greatly appreciated. They are traditional, keep a kosher home, and want it 'by the book.'

Tomorrow is a wretched day. 9 am meeting with my darlings from our support group. Ends at 11:45, rush to school to make noon IEP meeting for son, then rush from there to my doctor for an appointment at 2, and then finally going to see Jen Lancaster at the BPL at 6, which means I need to be there around 5 to find a fricking handicapped parking space on Boylston St.

Doesn't that sound like the nice relaxing day that I'm supposed to have every day? It will take me 2 days to recover from this.

On the blog front, trolls have infiltrated my now private blog so I've had to do a major purge of everyone I do not know. I pulled 140 people off the reader list, and I'm hoping that this will at least keep them at bay for a while. I honestly do not understand WHY these people find me so laughable and ridiculous, or as they say "batshit crazy" but they do. And of course, I continue to fake my heart disease to sponge off the government.

My son is infinately happier now that the decision has been made for him to not do college next year. I can't say more because the trolls have discovered WW and are now quoting what I say here. Isn't that nice for the rest of you? Knowing that you might be next at any time because they're such assholes.

Private WW anyone?

Oh, and we've got another kitten coming. Was born just this week. We're all SO psyched. Pepper has been such a great addition to our family, and another kitten will give her something to do other than bother Worthless Pet all day long.

Antiwhine: Nobody is sick although our town has it's first case of the you know what flu. Like I freaking care at this point.

Sue said...

So sorry about your week Margalit. I wish I could help with the shiva. There are other pixies who will be able to share some wisdom on that I'm sure.

As for trolls....bring 'em on....we have cluesticks aplenty!!! We are a strong band of pixies here - able to leap buildings and stomp on trolls without having to interrupt our pedicures!!! Go pixies!!!

kathy a. said...

margalit, oy. wishing you and your friend well during this time of grief. and yes, there will be grief, even if the person who died was not ideal. i have no religious advice, but you can expect people to offer condolances that may seem wildly out of place. be patient. plan some unwinding time after the crowds. xoxox

Madeleine said...

Hugs and votes to all so far . . .

I've got a whiney whine, following on a theme of recent days: My mom just got skype. Lord help me. She pops up to chat at godawful times of night when I'm justing vegging. Might have to start switching my status manually. And, of course, she wants to see her adorable granddaughter on video.

Shortly after SG was born, oh these many moons ago, we got a free cheapo webcam with our cable modem. I put it back in the box and never spoke of it again, because my god, imagine if my mom knew she could see her only grandchild on video. I'd never hear the end of it.

I dodged that bullet for nearly 9 years. (Eight and three quarters! SG would correct.)

esperanza said...

Margalit, I have no religious advice either, but this is from my brother-in-law: the more difficult the relationship, the more difficult the grieving is likely to be. Not that that wisdom had anything to do with my MiL...blessings on you and your friend.

Whine: extra hormones. I am unable to cope with the slightest difficulty. Like, my hair is in my face. AND my glasses are sliding down my nose. Not to mention the Sweet Baboo's whine. Or the packing. Did I mention we're moving? I think I would *barely* be able to cope without the extra hormones. Sigh. If it doesn't work this month, we are definitely waiting till after the move. Coping is my role in the family, ya know? I'm the one who's supposed to remain calm and not panic and roll with the punches. And I get irritated beyond belief when someone tries to calm me down. Ugh.

Antiwhine: Sweet Baboo is getting so smart. She identifies her belly button, toes, and head when asked. She also will seek out the toy you ask about and bring it to you. Cute!

Sue said...

Kitteh whine: Our big boy Ouzo has had a bad night. He won't eat or drink and is very lethargic. I'm taking him to the vet in an hour or so.

He is either reacting to his anti-anxiety meds or has had a small stroke. Poor wee man. We were up most of the night with him because he was just behaving so strangely - not like himself at all.

BroccoliEater said...

Biggest whine: MIL died Friday morning.

Antiwhine: it was not protracted and painful, which I know she was afraid of.

Whine: Her dry-alcoholic influence extends beyond the grave she is not yet in, in the form of promises she extracted from her malleable younger son and the swirling aftereffects of previous such guiltmongered promises.

Plea to all pixies: Get your affairs in order legally, get all the right papers signed, even if you just pull them off the web and get your mailcarrier to witness them.

Sue said...

(((Sara))) So sorry about your MIL. Despite all the complications involved, it's still hard to lose a family member. Sending pixie hugs...

Genevieve said...

Sarah - so sorry about your MIL's death and the emotional aftermath. Much sympathy on guiltmongered promises.

Madeline, total empathy on the Skype and webcam front. We've avoided getting a webcame for similar reasons - now I want one for when adorable baby cousin moves away later this year, but how long can I keep my dad from knowing we have it? That's crucial, as there is much eye-rolling during his calls - perhaps we can face away from the camera while we roll.

Sue said...

Well, our little kitteh Ouzo is going to be at the vet clinic overnight. He's a sick little man. He is dehydrated, has a fever, has fluid build up in one lung, and his blood liver count is way up. I'm not sure I understand what all of that means, but the vet said they would know more after he's had some fluid and given him something to bring down his temp.

I'm going over to take him his favourite blankie so he has something from home tonight. I'm a mess.

esperanza said...

(( Sue & Ouzo ))

Elizabeth said...

JenR -- hope the surgery went smoothly and he's recovering easily now.

((Sue and Ouzo))

((Sara and her family))

Whine: feel guilty because I'm traveling for work on Mothers Day

Antiwhine: it's to New Orleans

amy said...

wow, a lot of big stuff this week, a lot of worry about our loved ones. if i had the perfect balm to heal these pixie souls, i'd share it. all i have, though, is some virtual amish friendship bread. would you all like it vanilla or butterscotch?

just one thing for right now, and then hopefully back later tonight to check in with you all.

THE FIREPLACING GRADES ARE DONE!
thank you, i feel much better now. if you are wondering how many students i flunked because they plagiarized their final papers*, well, i'll put it this way: i flunked so many that it'll skew the average for my class quite low. i don't know if that's good or bad.

i'm so glad this semester is over.

*i only flunk the students who commit the most egregious form, which is copying and pasting whole pieces from the instawebs. :eyeroll: like because i'm a teacher i don't know how to use teh googles.

kathy a. said...

esperanza, may the force be with you.

sue, sending loving kitty thoughts for ouzo, you, and the rest of the family.

sara, i'm so sorry about your family's loss, and especially about the added emotional complications. ugh.

amy, ya done good! in my opinion, you are doing these students a favor, not to mention the students who wrote their own stuff.

Sue said...

(((esperanza))) moving and hormones = Teh Ick. That's a lot to juggle.

Nice work amy! Ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right?

Update whine: I went to visit Ouzo at the animal clinic. He's comfortable, but was very happy to see his mama and his favourite blankie. I'm glad I went to see him, but it was hard to leave him there.

KLee said...

Major, major migraine today. Vomited for about 3 hours straight. Still don't feel completely 100%. Throat is raw, and head still threatens to explode every now and again. Moving very slowly. Bleah.

kathy a. said...

oh ((( klee ))). hope you are feeling better.

Liz Miller said...

(Sue and Ouzo)
(KLee)
(Sarah)

Whine: I forgot to eat anything all day and then wondered why I was a cranky bitch at 5:00.

Anti-Whine: Dinner.

Sue said...

Oh KLee, I hope your head is feeling better now. Sending anti-nausea vibes your way...

redzils said...

I'm going to be really, really petty here. I contacted an old family friend - the husband went to college with my uncle and I got on a plane for a two night trip to attend their wedding (the second wedding of his I stood on my head to make it to, actually) - about renting a place from them for the summer. Apparently they don't have the garage apartment anymore, but offered me a great deal, except I cant have my dog and "no boyfriends in their house." The first one kind of makes sense, but really, I am 28 years old and have ONE boyfriend WHO THEY MET TWO YEARS AGO and who will be living FOUR THOUSAND miles away. Do we really have to legislate who sleeps where before we talk about anything else?

kathy a. said...

redzils, that stinks. wouldn't be a comfortable place to live. do they know of anyone with a place?

Liz Miller said...

Redzils, sounds like they need a rectal polectomy.

Madeleine said...

Me again with the petty whines. Much love to all the pixies with actual things to actually worry about this week.

You know what I hate? Pimples that won't get better but they won't get worse. At least when a pimple gets worse you know you are moving along toward healing. The fireplacing unchanging painful under-the-skin pimples make me crazy.

JenR said...

quick update... The surgery went fine, the recovery from the anesthesia was not fun at all. It made him confused and disoriented, and we think double vision too... but after a couple of hours he was back to normal. And happy :-) Yay!