Valuable Prizes

This week's ceremony is brought to you by the letter G, for ghosts, goblins, and goop. May you celebrate Halloween this weekend with plenty of the former and none of the latter! We hardly ever get traffic since our house is a little out of the way, so passing the PB cups, whoppers, heath bars, almond joy, little packs of red vines, and other delicious treats. Somebody's got to eat them. :)

The Style Award goes to our beloved Yankee Transferred, for her poetic ode to the person who abused their affection and stole their money. How frustrating.

Sarah wins an Old Skool Award for her whine of schedule conflicts, a dinner with people she mostly doesn't know, and the classic "what to wear" dilemma. Fortunately, it all worked out! Except for the UTI that turned out to be boosting the discomfort. Feel better soon!

Amy also earns an Old Skool Award for her excellent whine of the kid who would not eat, which this time turned out to be justified since the food was inedible. We've all been there sometime or another...

At Madeleine's excellent suggestion, the Girl Scout Cookie Award (best sentence in an Anti-Whine) goes to Esperanza for "I am a tad less crabby than yesterday."

Emily wins the Life is Like a Fairy Tale Award, for her whine of on-the-job training: "My supervising teaching (for student teaching) is playing Goldilocks. Yesterday I was going *too* slow. Today, I went faster, which he said was *too* fast."

S'not Fair Award to Esperanza, who bemoans the snot as well as the snot-wiping on her shirt. Lexicon Medals to Liz, Sue, and others weighed in on alternative designations, offering boogies, boogers, snergles, and goop, depending on color and consistency of the substance, and possibly also family-of-origin traditions. Additional submissions are welcome, of course, since snot is one of those universal and enduring whines.

Liz whined of the anxiety following her team's cluesticking of the bad boss, but she wins the Grace Under Pressure Award for the anti-whine portion: "But the worst that can happen is I lose my job, so this is not terribly serious in the grand scheme of things." We are rooting for HR to do the right thing; the alternative is untenable.

Germies Be Gone! Award to Days, whose household infestation temporarily gets her off the hook for oncology followup. OY! Many hugs and good thoughts from all your Pixie friends. xoxo

Yes, You're a Grown-Up Award to Sue, whose church had a fabulous performance of the Laramie Project, suggesting that alternative worship can work really really well, and thus she anti-whines: "Anti-whine: Does admitting I was wrong mean I'm a grown up now? If not, that's okay...just wondering." Thumbs up all around!

We've Got Your Back Award to Flutterbye, who is struggling with seeing events through a new lens and finding they do not look good, not at all. We hope you can take a few days with your friend in similar circumstances, and are really glad you're getting spot-on information and support. Hugs and more hugs.

Much Love to Frustrated on Facebook. The tragic loss of her beloved brother was painful enough, but the emergence of the father who abandoned him is unbearable. Consider the deadbeat to be on the Cluestick Posse's rounds until he slinks back under the rock from whence he came.

More cluesticks to the forces of frustration at Sue's work.

Valient Survivors of the Disappointing Election Awards to our friends Sue, Madeleine and Days. We'll see how next week goes in the U.S., because other Pixies may be joining you on the podium, with sadness.

Many hugs to Jenevieve, whose friends lost their twins at 20 weeks. So terribly sad. xoxo

Thanks for playing! See you next week when the brilliant Esperanza will host!