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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

What? It is Wednesdsay! When did that happen?!?1?

Well, it seems to be Wednesday, Pixies.

I got fogged in to Our State's Capitol - infamous for being impossible to drive to without taking a boat (49th State Marine Highway, ha!) - on Sunday. I got home from my business trip 30 hours late, when the weather finally broke long enough for them to hurl us into the sky. This means I am late, late, late like the White Rabbit for everything, without any efforts or failures of my very own! (This is mostly a whine. You know, in case you needed that clarified).

The antiwhines are that I made it back to Last Frontier City before my parents - who live four hours away - left (this morning) and my sister - who lives an airplane ride to a ferry ride away - left (T minus 10 hours, at this moment). Getting to see my family is a major, major anti-whine.

I also managed to get pretty much caught up at work, take the dog for my first run in some months, and not fall down today. That makes a victory, right?

What is up with you, Pixies? All glorious and inglorious whines welcome. Double points for Alice references.

44 comments:

Liz Miller said...

Hooray for not falling down, and going for a run with the dog!

Sue said...

Yes, hooray for not falling down. That is always award-worthy.

As for Alice references...did you know that a theory about Lewis Carroll's creation of Alice's world actually came from his migraines? The reason all of the characters are so out of proportion and size is that his migraine auras were so bad that his world actually looked like that at some points.

That's why he often referred to his bad headache days as "going down the rabbit hole".

Tomorrow on Monsterpiece Theatre.... heh..

Whine: It's only 9:00 am and I'm heading down the rabbit hole. Crap.

Madeleine said...

In my case, I'll say that a day when I do not cut myself cooking makes a victory.

Yesterday was not that day.

But it's a pretty minor cut. The bandaid is getting annoying and may need to come off.

Liz Miller said...

W: My state is the laughing-stock of the world due to a guy who isn't my delegate, but probably will be after redistricting.

AW: I like what it's done to my stats.

Sue said...

Madeleine - sorry to hear about the kitchen wound. I generally try to stay away from that room altogether. I either end up cut or burned. Hubby just shakes his head and does the cooking. Says he doesn't like blood in his food. He's so particular that way.....

Anti-whine: I bought a really pretty purple bra yesterday. I feel all pretty and stuff even though the outfit I'm wearing is sadly ordinary.

kathy a. said...

fogged in for 30 hours! oh, redzils.

we're leaving in just over 3 weeks to visit daughter in japan! vacation insanity has set in. we have never ever taken such a long vacation.

i've noticed multiple wardrobe deficiencies ranging from dead purse to insufficient underwearage, and thank my friend the internet for keeping me out of the dreaded shopping mall.

now i'm down to worrying about shampoo -- do they have it in japanese hotel rooms? and what if aunt flo returns, as she seems to every time i see daughter? which laptop to take? my beloved is afflicted, and warns against carrying too many bulky nightgowns. and so on.

yesterday, i relieved some anxiety by buying a little fold-up item with clothespins for drying things, perfect for a shirt or unders washed in the hotel sink. this is a japanese item! that's how nuts we are right now!

Liz Miller said...

Kathy A. Anything you don't bring with you is available for purchase in Japan. Though I would bring at least a few items for aunt flo.

Madeleine said...

What Liz said.

My latest whines:
Had a knitting disaster last night. Put it down gently. Have some ideas of how to try to fix it but now feeling panicky about work deadlines and probably won't touch it for a couple of days. Blah. Was really enjoying this project despite its never-ending-rounds quality.

Received two nearly-identical tax receipts from my synagogue. Spread them out on the counter to compare and confirm that the wrong one is wrong and to dig through envelopes to see if there was an "Ooops!" note with the correct one (No.) This is not the whine.

Picked up the hot dog I was about to eat unadorned with my fingers because I waited too long for lunch and was starving. Dripped grease on one tax receipt. Which one? The correct one, of course.

Antiwhine: it was a kosher hot dog. (Ba dump dump.)

esperanza said...

Ha, Madeleine. I'm sure the kosher-ness (koshericity?) of the dog will counteract the drip. The IRS will be impressed.

Things Of Which I Am Sick:
1. Eating leftovers
2. Which is due to husbands who work 40 hours by Tuesday (thankfully, a rare occurence, but ugh).
3. Snotty noses (both Baboos and hubby)

4. "experts" who claim breastfeeding gives babies extra immunity boosts. See above re: snotty nose
5. saying "don't touch that, please"
6. no sleep
7. listening to whining (primarily my own, but also Sweet Baboo's). Not Wednesday whiners, of course, only the in-person variety.

kathy a. said...

kosher tax mishap is surely award-worthy!

i know, i know -- shampoo is a silly waste of brain cells; they have that in japan. clothing? not so much for a person of my size/shape. i felt like an elephant when my beloved was stationed there, and am not exactly more slender these 20 years later.

the whine is really about checklist/worry overload, and how it took me by surprise -- i feel a lot like when i was 12 and planning for my first weekend away without the family, a youth group trip to a cabin in the wilderness. strange flashback!

esperanza said...

Also
8. cold and/or rainy weather
9. babies who want to be held All.The.Time.
10. see #7 above, and now you are also going to whine #7.

Days said...

Whine of deja vu: sick kid, traveling spouse, adoption limbo and imminent snowstorm.

Bonus whine: all three daughters have daily sobbing fits over their father's absence.

Madeleine said...

Hugs, hugs, and more hugs to esperanza and Days.

Listmaking software to kathy a., and some hugs.

kathy a. said...

((( esperanza ))) oh, noes! sending a virtual nanny, takeout food, lots of kleenex, and naptime. and a mama time-out.

((( days ))) all of the same to you! plus videos, hugs to the girls, and a snow-shoveling friend.

Anonymous said...

Have a little crack on the tip of my thumb right near the top of my fingernail, due to dry skin. Ouchie!

Also, have heartburn. Have had for the past two days. Husband also has had it on and off. What? Whaddya mean we're getting too old for chicken nuggets and refried beans (sounds gross, but they were made into a burrito).???!!! That's his theory, and it's better than anything that involves any viruses, so I am going with it.

Perhaps I shouldn't have had an Indian samosa style wrap for lunch, but I think I must learn the hard way....

Kids have colds, and me minorly.

Mother in law arriving tomorrow. Must clean,as we have huge dust bunnies the size they might have in Alice's world.

Um,, i'm sure there;'s more, but I'm even boring myself with my whininess...

Neighbor Lady

Jenevieve said...

Gahhhhhh. I'm DYING, people. 1st interview was Friday, which seemed positive on Friday and Saturday but is looking more and more sour through my increasingly dark viewpoint.

They said they'd let me know by this week, then emailed me yesterday to say they had a few more Qs for me; could I please call Thursday at 1pm (9pm my time)?

I've been waking up between the hours of 1:30 and 4 am EVERY NIGHT since Friday. This is not good for me. I lay awake fearing rejection and acceptance in equal measure.

I need a vacation, though any time off for me equals thinking too much.

Gah.

AW: Got my hair chemically straightened today. Frizz, be gone!

Sue said...

Oh noes!!! Bad pixie week all 'round.

I must say, however, as a checklist person myself (OCD much?) I am highly impressed with not one, but TWO checklist whines. Both kathy a for her travel checklist and esperanza for her snotty one (40 hours by Tuesday - uh, ick).

Madeleine, I think you should include a note that says it was a kosher dog that stained the statement. Those tax people need some humour in their lives, yes?

I've heard that kosher dogs are the best ever. True?

Whine: The magical cleaning pixies I requested a week ago have not arrived to vacuum or do laundry. I cannot afford a real, actual person, so I wished for a magical one. Alas, no workies. ~le sigh~

kathy a. said...

neighbor lady gets my votes for both the cracked skin [Ouch!] and the dust bunny vs. inlaws faceoff. classic whines!

crossed fingers and GS cookies to jeni. and a good book to read in the night!

sue, cleaning fairies are on my list. but i think i might need to do the work myself. sigh.

AW: my sweet older neighbor just called to see if something is wrong, because a lot of water is draining from next to our garage. it's just runoff from the rain earlier; the entire hill seems to drain through our yard. but it is nice to have sweet neighbors, no?

kathy a. said...

esperanza really deserves a huge prize for babies who want to be held *all* the time. that was my daughter! so, you'll be relieved that they eventually grow up and do wild things like moving far away, but that is small consolation in the moment. if i recall.

KLee said...

Too busy and sick to whine. Wah!

esperanza said...

thanks for all the hugs and love. The big AW is that she is sleeping well at night (you know, considering she's only a month old tomorrow-yikes, a month old!). The W is that she only sleeps 30-40 minutes at a time allllll daaayyy loooong. Sometimes less than that, sometimes only if I'm holding her. The Sweet Baboo totally lost it today, because I was either feeding Mini, or holding her, or Mini was crying b/c I wasn't holding her. I have to say, I was pretty sympathetic to Sweet's complaints, but helpless to do much about it. Sigh. And the working marathon by hubby is just making me snarky and resentful. Did I mention that hubby's aunt arrives tomorrow for a visit? Sigh. Maybe she'll hold the baby.

amy said...

I've actually never seen or read Alice, so I can't strive for those bonus points. Instead, I'll try to honor the checklist, as it is also a format I love. And frankly, it's the only way I could whine all my whines without it taking up the entire blog space.

*Tater caught a nasty virus, which landed us in the ER on Sunday. Turned out not to be RSV, but is very similar. We are much better, but it's been a trying week.

*Somewhere in the middle of getting sick, Tater went on a nursing strike that I believe is turning into him simply being weaned. And I am Not Ready for that. I have cried a bit over this this week, but I realize that he's 16 months. Maybe this is just how it happens for us. :'(

*I have a hard time making friends, but there are two women I met through my Lactation Consultant's Mothering Arts group whom I'd really like to be friends with. This is huge and hard for me, but important since all of my friends live out of state. Anyway, we concocted the idea to do some charity fun walks this summer as a way to get in shape. Their idea? The Susan G Komen 3-day Breast Cancer Walk. Pixies, it's 60 miles. I don't feel like I can do it, but I caved and joined up with them because the new friendship is at that stage where something like this could actually be a dealbreaker. What the hell am I thinking? Oy.

I'll try to pop in tomorrow morning to read the other whines and make my votes. Right now, though, off to bed before Tater wakes up and I have no way to soothe him back to sleep that can be completed in under 5 minutes.

Sue said...

I turned the temperature down last night before bed like I always do. Sadly, I didn't have my glasses on, and it was so cold in here this morning you could have hung meat in our living room.

Will the husband let this go?

Oh, I don't think so.

He's hovering as I type saying something about blindness and bats....sheesh.

Madeleine said...

esperanza, dollars to doughnuts Aunt is dying to hold the baby. If she doesn't volunteer, ask.

Sue, I am sending you a virtual programmable thermostat. Why do a chore daily that a computer can do for you, and better? (The computer can warm up the house before you wake up!)

Amy, I don't even know what to say about a 60 mile walk . . . Yes, You Can !?!?!

kathy a. said...

sue, my husband's stupid thermostat trick is turning it down before he leaves for work. and i work at home.

amy for remembering what it's all about, weaning trauma division. wishing you luck with the friendships, no matter what happens with the walk.

Sue said...

Definitely Amy for Remembering what it's all about. 60 miles. You *can* do it!!!

Madeleine said...

I've probably whined this before, but it makes me darned whiny: I hate when a song I hate gets stuck in my head.

Days said...

I have eaten far too many fresh-baked cookies today.

60 miles is about 50 miles too many for me. Good luck Amy.

Cleaning fairies for us too please, while you're wishing, Sue.

((KLee))

Elizabeth said...

Whine: freaking senators who are more worried about 10 dead multimillionaires than 1.2 million workers who are going to lose unemployment insurance.

Antiwhine: got to spend today hanging out with cool former welfare moms done good who remind me why I do this work.

Whine: I don't know what else I can do, and I'm deeply afraid that what I've done isn't enough.

kathy a. said...

elizabeth, that's horrifying. the senators, i mean -- moms done good is always great! i'm all for cluesticking the rich heirs and the senators who go pedal to the metal to protect every penny for those who have never counted pennies for realz.

Sue said...

Oh Elizabeth - that is just horrible about the senators!!!

((((KLee))))

Still waiting on those cleaning fairies. They must be busy elsewhere....

Madeleine said...

I need the laundry fairies. And I need them to bring their own baskets because mine are still full of all the stuff I unloaded from the bathroom cabinets last week when the new exhaust fan was installed. Also, the paint still smells bad.

Antiwhine: no more mold on the ceiling and walls.

esperanza said...

There is a weird, non-pleasant smell in the kitchen. I don't think it's just my pregnant nose this time. I can't smell it all the time, but sometimes it's really disgusting.

esperanza said...

Oh, and Teh List is my favorite coping mechanism when feeling overwhelmed. Also, my poor attempt at style. I'm glad other pixies heart Teh List too.

Sarah at ratatat said...

Esperanza - hope there is some sleeping and some baby holding by someone else and some more home time by your husband.

Amy - good luck - 60 miles is so long. We'll be rooting for you. You give me hope on the friend making front.

Redzils - hope your family visit is awesome. For an Alice reference - we saw a delightful acrobatic Alice in Chicago. It was amazing and made me think that Lewis Carroll had a crazy crazy mind.

Kathy A - happy packing! Wow, I would have a list as long as my arm.

Jeni - keeping my fingers crossed. I have been racked with middle of the night anxiety over things I can't change...many hugs. And they're just wrong if they don't want you!

Whine: I have a queasy stomach. I don't like it.

redzils said...

Spam be gone! *smite*

kathy a. said...

good superpower work, redzils! don't know why, we have gotten very little spam since this site started, but there were a few random pieces the last few weeks.

AW: i'm dealing with the list by ordering a bunch of stuff online. feline topical worm meds! underbears! my fave is a set of fab fab FAB nylon shopping bags that arrived yesterday, in great colors, and they squish down so small you can stuff 'em in a purse or pocket. there may be something to this "retail therapy" thing. ;)

Anonymous said...

Sorry for posting anonymously. Thanks for the good wishes, pixies. And Days? Thank you for the laugh. 60 miles is about 59 too many for me!

Days, I'm also sending hugs your way. May your family members return to you soon.

Amy

kathy a. said...

anon amy -- you go, girl! there are things we can reasonably do, and ways we can help w/o 59 miles too many.

days -- all appendages crossed for a quick return. xoxo

sarah -- hope the tummy is better.

hugs all around. and apologies for my extremely privileged whines.

Sarah at ratatat said...

Late breaking whine: I should stop scheduling full weekends. Having 2 cities to go to in 2 days with 2 different sets of people is too much. I am exhausted. And we're only half way done.

It doesn't help that I am feeling nervous about spending the day with people I don't know all that well. It was going to be my daughter and me and her best friend and her mom. And now her mom is bring her good friend. Can you say third wheel???

kathy a. said...

sarah, hope it turns out to be fun, anyway. i feel awkward about people i don't know very well, too. but hopefully this will be an ice-breaker, and you'll have 2 new friends.

purple_kangaroo said...

I love the Alice in Wonderland/migraine connection. It makes so much sense.

Here, I don't really have any whines. The big antiwhine is that we're in a zone that was threatened by the tsunami, and it didn't cause any damage here. We didn't even have to evacuate.

KLee said...

I have to rant, so please bear with me.

I HATE cookie time. I really do. It's a metric ton of work, on top of all of the normal stuff that we have to routinely do. I love that the girls enjoy it, and I like having the money to do fun stuff with them, but I am SO tired of shouldering the burden all by myself. I haven't seen my family in almost a month, much less had a free weekend day since early February.

My co-leader left me high and dry (for about the sixth time) this past Saturday, and it took what will probably be a friendship-ruining phone call to bring the inequity to light. I HATE HATE HATE having to spend all of my "extra" (ha!) time tracking down parents to tell them the stuff that's been in the newsletter for the last six weeks that they haven't been bothering to read. I also have to track them down to get them to pay the money they owe, AND get the attitude that goes along with disturbing them on "their time." Then I have the parent who promised to meet me with her portion of the money, and who didn't bother showing up at all, leaving me waiting in a cold parking lot for over half an hour.

The parents don't listen, they don't respect me, and they have no clue that I'm about to go freaking postal on them.

I'm exhausted, pissed off, and just generally in a foul mood. Forgive me, pixies, but I needed to let that out before I exploded. Thanks for being a sounding board.

kathy a. said...

((( KLee )))) I'm so sorry, what a mess. Especially the co-leader's flakiness -- sure would cut your burden if you weren't doing it alone -- but also nasties from the other parents.

You know how I love the cookies, and the girls. xoxo