Goodnight, Irene

Opening early due to all the darned weather excitement on the East Coast. Hope everyone's OK. Glad she wasn't as terrible as feared, but it was still a massive and disruptive storm. Do tell your stories.

How is the back-to-school proceeding? This will be the first time in 20 years that we are not actually doing back-to-school! But the big move for daughter's fall internship is approaching, so we're still doing the transition shuffle. Her DC apartment has a queen-sized bed; she's only had twins before. Her job may require something better than slouchy campus wear. Etc. Countdown: two weeks.

One of my shy former ferals was devastated by the loss of his best feline friend last month. He has just started asking me for petting again, so I finally was able to grab him and dose him with flea meds. He's been over-grooming, partly from grief and partly because his skin is irritated by the fleas, so I hope he's on the mend now.

What's new in your neighborhood?

Creepy Crawly Heebie Jeebie Awards Ceremony

Fruit Fly Awards go to JenR, with the (very) small bonus of distraction from the "no baby yet" phenomenon. Baby, get here soon and safely! Fruit flies, go away soon and not so safely!

Spider and Offspring Awards to Amy, whose expectant spider disappeared with her brood (the spider's brood, not Amy's). Additional awards to those who can vacuum up live creepy crawlies without getting the heebie jeebies. Bats to those who can't.

Earthquakes Give Me Heebie Jeebies, and So Do Hurricanes Awards to all the East Coast pixies. Two disasters in one week is a bit much. Be careful, stay safe, and keep in touch when you can, pixies.

Creepy Crawly Heebie Jeebie Educational Awards to kathy a (for her treatise on Harriet the tarantula), Andy (for his positive spider tale) and Neighbor Lady (for the fruit fly science lab).

Political Heebie Jeebie Awards for anyone living in the vicinity of the aptly-named, but ungoogleable, Dick Black's district.

Hugs and sympathy to Sue on behalf of all Canadians whose best politician died. And much sympathy to Days, who still has way too many days before school starts. And for Sue again, on the account of the Infernal Headache. Neighbor Lady and Anonymous get hugs and sympathy for illnesses of various kinds. We'll also send chocolate cake.

It's unclear to me who needs an award or sympathy for the Kerry Collins quarterback situation. Consider yourself the recipient of whichever you would like, ok?

I've dispensed with the usual Style, Old Skool, Mullet awards this week...the Heebie Jeebies just offered too much other material.

Stay tuned for next week, hopefully with fewer bugs, more babies, and fewer potty training whines.

Back-to-School Whining

It's back-to-school time here in the dry, crispy, 100-degree, high fire danger state of the country that keeps producing governors who want to be president.

Antiwhine is the incredible smile on Sweet's face when I told her she was going back to school next week.

Whine is the incredible amount of whining and fit-throwing she has been doing over *any* new item (cup, bedspread, activity).

The Mini related antiwhine is the potty! and the words! She's making incredible progress without much effort on my part. She only had two wet diapers all day, and no dirty ones. Everything else was in the potty!

The Mini related whine is her new, sporty black eye. She ran into the corner of the end table on Saturday. (Bonus antiwhine: I now have the pediatrician's cell phone number!)

What are the back-to-school whines around your places, pixies? No school yet? Haven't been to school in years and don't intend to return? No matter. All whines accepted.

Fabulous Prizes!

Andy wins the Old Skool Award, for the perils and tribulations of a broken dryer. Andy also wins the coveted Elevated Risk of Mullet Award for this: "Yes, my whine is that I have a caring mother who wants to talk to me. There goes my Son of the Year Award." We're glad to see you again!

In another laundry-related whine, Amy is haunted by the musty smell of her vacation cabin, earning her the Ghost of Vacation Past Award. Maybe the baking soda + vinegar? Airing them, then re-washing? Sending the Posse to manufacturers of perfumed detergent, which several Pixies agree is Not The Answer.

Our poor Liz gets the Bad Hair Day Award, because she asked for a trim, and "Instead, I have helmet hair. Lopsided helmet hair. And a DA." The Cluestick Posse is ready to return the favor, as soon as we can settle on the right look. Mohawk? Grandma-style cap of curls with blue tint? Please submit ideas on this important topic in comments.

We regret the circumstances leading us to name Esperanza the winner of the Vacation Schmacation Award: the emergency requiring hubby to return home, and the grandparental pushing of the buttons. The Grandparents win a special shout-out: "Can you repeat the obvious again please? I can't hear you." We'll sing the chorus: LA LA LA LA LA LA!

The Dress Code Award goes to Sue, who informs us that "one must NEVER wear the band t-shirt TO the concert. This would be a huge red flag for geekdom." Glad you had a great time! Sue also wins the Making Friends Where Ever She Goes Award for taking water to random fans, and discovering one who knows her son. Small world!

Days wins the Free to Good Home Award with her report of not one but two offspring melting down in late summer. This award comes with an Anti-Stress Magic Wand, and a nice quiet room for Mama.

Good Days, Sunshine Award goes to Neighbor Lady, who does not lose her accreditation as a responsible, sunscreen-slathering parent just because of a little sunburn after a long day, and a few zig-zags where the kids effectively applied their own. See, the zig-zags represent progress on the long journey toward independence! Also, if they must dabble in body art, this is at least not permanent. :)

Ready Set Go Award for Esperanza's Mini, who is cute as a button and talking up a storm!

Hugs and good thoughts for Anonymous, whose rotating cast of symptoms sounds possibly worrisome. Hoping you feel better soon! Please tell us how it goes.

Love, crossed fingers, and healthy baby vibes to JenR, who is in the beached-whale stage of pregnancy, hearing an unusual diagnosis, and counting down the days. xoxo

See you next week, when the ever-gracious Esperanza will host!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Morning sunshine! We've had a lot of morning gloom lately, sometimes stretching for most of the day, so this is nice.

The other excitement in the neighborhood is that the new Big Fancy Supermarket opened, replacing two small ones. Everyone is checking it out, saying Ooooh Ahhhh about its features: Asian food in the deli; an actual butcher counter; huge produce section; pharmacy; a whole row with bins of every dry good you can imagine. And all my favorite workers from the old market -- the union protected them.

We've been winding down from the crisis last week involving a mentally unstable relative. She is a train wreck, has been for the 30 years I've known her, and she is definitely deteriorating. But she thinks she is fine, everyone else is wrong, and we've had pretty brutal experiences trying to help during the crisis du jour. So, this is not going to play out well. And we are not going to get in a position where we let her severe, toxic problems ruin our lives again.

On to the funny: daughter called and said she has a problem with lots of tiny flies in her studio apartment. Dr. Google backed up my advice (actually a topic of past Whines) about building a non-toxic fly trap with vinegar, orange juice, or a mixture. Further interrogation revealed that she eats in her room, and hadn't taken out the trash for a really long time. (Cue Alice's Restaurant.)

And now, for the big AW: I've installed Firef0x, and am about to see if it will let me post to WW on the main computer! So far, it is a lot less glitchy than IE.

What's new with you?

Oy.

Sorry about the delay in awards. A mentally ill relative in a distant county got arrested, so I spent about 5 hours yesterday trying to find out what was going on and arranging for bail. Still don't know exactly what happened, but assume it is another sign that she is a complete freaking mess. Also, she wants to move to live right near us again. Oh. Joy.

Emily wins the Old Skool Award for this gem: "My cell phone battery indicator is woefully inadequate. It goes s..l..o..w..l..y from full to -1 bar, sits there for a while and then--bam--it's dead (like not turn on, dead). The phone seems fine and the battery itself seems fine. I just have to remember to charge it as soon as it loses one bar. I mourn the loss of visual indication."

KLee wins the coveted Elevated Risk of Mullet Award, for: "Sarah, I think I've found that ~15 pounds you lost. I will gladly pay to ship it back to you."

The Best Anti-Whine Award goes to Sarah: "Some unbloggable things are AW. I am pretty chipper."

Whining Works Award to Days, who complained of pain, and voila, the pain went away. Here's to a reduction in those summer kidlet meltdowns, too.

Liz wins the Solidarity Forever Award, for bringing donuts to the strikers.

Happy Birthday to Jenevieve, who wins the Dog's Best Friend Award for adopting a sweet older pup. Only to have her heart broken when she discovered the dog may be considerably sicker than she realized. Sending love, and some scritches around the ears. (Not your ears.)

Bucket List Award to Sue, who is going to see her favorite group in concert! In Nashville! And congratulations on the other good news!

Happy Baby Vibes to JenR and her wee one! Fingers crossed that all goes welll and smoothly.

Cluesticks to KLee's possibly former friend, for creating an ugly situation with KLee in the middle, then hanging up on her.

Passing the refreshing summer beverages, and wishing all a good weekend.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Welcome to this week's Whiner's Ball! Bring 'em on, the whines and anti-whines, big and small. Bonus points for vacation reports!

AW/W/AW: Daughter got an apartment for her fall internship in DC! And I set up flights, hotel, am perusing a guidebook -- getting her settled will double as a big deal trip for me, the chance to finally see the sights (and maybe see a couple internet friends)! Yay! I'm so excited that I'm just singing LA LA LA LA about the costs. But I got great rates on flights, and teh Smithsonians are free, and there's great metro.

W/AW: It was a lovely memorial for my son's friend. Got to hug a bunch of young people I know; and they all needed the hugs. So did I.

Work is a little crazy now. I'm compensating with some serious doses of netflix, which is probably not entirely healthy, but so what.

What's new up your way?

First Rule of Wednesday Whining: Never Apologize for Whining at Wednesday Whining.

Listen up, folks. I'm here to give it to you plain and simple. This is a place for dumping our grievances, be they small, large, funny, sad, overwhelming, petty, or overwhelmingly petty.

You got a sadness? Bring it here. You got an annoyance? Bring it here. You got a funny potty training story? Bring it here.

That is what this site was started for and that's what we have kept doing week after week for over four years.

Now, that said, I am sending out the Cluestick Posse to give a cluesticking upside the head of Sue's bossy older sister. Sue, we have all been in these battles with various loved ones in our lives, and we all have your back.

Semicolons for Everybody! Award to Esperanza.

Esperanza also gets the Sometimes Short Anti-whines Speak Volumes for: "AW: Looks like I'll get to go fetch [the glasses] *by myself* on Thursday." And a (sorry, not real) gift certificate for one of these, for the diaper bag.

Jen R wins Elevated Risk of Mullet this week for: "I left too late for breakfast this morning and drove past my drive-thru options (star$$ and mc-golden-arches). The granola bar and candy I had at my desk have left me tired, crabby, and feeling a bit ill. Lesson for me: when pregnant, eat decent breakfast."

Kathy A. wins Style this week with her haiku to Jen R.:
"breakfast, glorious
breakfast; yummers in the tum
make it all better. "

Hugs to Jen R, for having 24 days left of pregnancy (but only 10 work days!), and sending condo-selling thoughts. Hugs also to Kathy A's son, and to his friend's family. Hoping Sue's husband's sore is all better. Esperanza, I hope your day out getting the glasses was all you hoped it would be.

That's it for this week!

Head meet Desk

I came here looking to see if a new WW post had gone up and then realized that I'm hosting!!

Hi! I'm Liz and I'm a nincompoop. [Hi Liz!]

So on the homefront: unpacking continues apace; my netbook's new updated version of Windows 7 (Starter) isn't playing nice with my anti-virus software; and my son's DSi XL is mine for the week due to an interesting confluence of forces having to do with carelessness, excitement, and the near-ruin of a $25.00 purchase of something he'd been begging for. Fortunately, everything turned out okay, but the lesson is being learned.

How's by you? Whines welcome, big, small, and in-between. Extra points for style, and/or the interesting use of semi-colons.