Booooo!

Happy Halloween to all those celebrating! We seem to have some new kids on the block, so this year we might even get some trick-or-treaters.

Are you or yours rocking the costumes? Do tell!

Mixed W/AW on the work front: some things are moving right along, and others are festering a bit. Got more time for a big project, and my immediate response was to push that aside for a bit. Must. Keep. Going.

W: Have gotten myself on this committee. (What was I thinking?) And it is doing what committees do -- contriving ways to make people crazy. Sadly, the details are unbloggable, but some members of this committee have a past grievance about someone else. AW: I did not use the phrase "stuff it up your nose" in my response.

What's new in your world?

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, Pixies! There was lots of cake and I am feeling well feted, but I would like to request a special Cluestick Posse for the guy who asked how old I was, heard the number, then demanded to know when I am going to start a family (dude, I have a family – I just don’t have a kid yet. Human beings aren’t known for unassisted reproduction so Back. Off.).

I am posting these awards a little earlier than my usual, since I am headed to the (Western) Land of Mouse-themed Theme Parks for work tomorrow.

Liz gets the Postal Problem whine for the snafu caused by needing her mammo films from the mobile mammo unit, which apparently exists only in place you can’t pick things up. We hope that the follow up goes well, Liz, and whatever they saw was something harmless.

The Good Night’s Sleep Award to kathy a. to help her catch up after a night of cat snuggling and insomnia; to esperanza as she handles Baboo Tag Team Waking, and to the other Pixies in need of rest.

Many Good Wishes to amy as she deals with a childcare problem for poor Tater. We are all hoping things get better fast, so he is happier and you are happier and can like your job again.

Happy early birthday to Elizabeth – I wish I could come to the party too (but doubt you want to hold it in April, when I will be in your neighborhood next).

Sue, we hope you are feeling better as you get further from your concussive impact from the freezer door. That sleep / bark routine is a rough one.

May the unbloggables referenced around the edges of the last post resolve quickly and well (or at least quickly – I hate waiting for the other shoe).

The Cluestick Posse will be tracking down people displaying “arrogance and its comeuppance and not much learning from the situation,” childcare providers who don’t like children, and others who invoke Pixie Wrath.

Check back next week to join Host To Be Announced and the gang for our weekly party! See you then!

It's my party and I can whine if I want to!

It's my birthday party, so I can whine if I want to, whine if I want to! You would whine too if it happened tooooooo you....doo doo doo doo doo...

Whine: a big crazy work meeting was set for my birthday, so I get to spend at least eight hours of it in a conference room.

Antiwhine: I don't think I am important enough to get invited along for the Fancy Dinner for Important People that will eat the evening.

Whine: I don't have any plans besides work tomorrow (even though it's my birthday).

Antiwhine: I had a great weekend, including a small party, and my sister baked me a cake before driving home today. This birthday has been celebrated.

Whine: it's a round number birthday, so I am feeling old.

How about you, Pixies? What are you feeling this week?

All whines and antiwhines welcome.

Here is a virtual party hat for you. Cupcakes should be along any minute!

Awards! Cluesticks! If I Use Lots of Exclamation Points, It Will Be Exciting, Right?!?!!!

Happy Birthdays (you know, last week) to KLee and Neighbor Lady. Despite various levels of celebrating, the pixies join together in wishing you a wonderful year. And Happy Anniversary to Neighbor Lady & Neighbor Guy!


Style Award for Elizabeth's amazing prose that wrapped a whine within an antiwhine: "Starting to finally understand that my organization will never listen to my complaints of understaffing as long as I get the work done anyway."

Old Skool Award for Liz's litany of small misfortunes: salt in the coffee, tripping, and a headache. All that adds up to an award! Congratulations!

Elevated Risk of Mullet to KLee (and her dad) for "41. Eh--it's better than the Great Dirt Nap, I suppose." That is still cracking me up. Totally inappropriate to use in my professional capacity, but you can bet that ministers and funeral directors have all kinds of inappropriate stories to share in the hearse. This one's going on my list.

Quaking in My Boots Award to KLee for this sentence: "We have a barking phenomenon going around in my classroom." Stand strong, sister, stand strong. More quaking for Elizabeth's tummy rumbling and sore eye.

Cluesticks abound this week. Sue's colleagues who won't act like grown-ups; Liz's doctor's office, who seems to think she enjoys being put on hold and hung up on (surely there's a double penalty for ending a sentence with not one, but two, prepositions, but I can't figure out how to fix it); people who can't address envelopes to accommodate--you know--the 21st century; Sue's fireplacing headaches; "That Kid" who ruins it for the rest of us (well, nonviolent cluesticks for this one); people who organize conference calls without clear agendas; ultrasound techs with poker faces; and anyone else who messes with a whining pixie.

Good wishes for clear mammograms for Sue and Liz. Apologies to anyone I've missed. Tune in next week when redzils will host all your whines, large and small!

Fall-ing

Well, I think it's finally fall here. We are breaking out the long sleeves today, because the high is only going to be 78. Yes. Seriously. Long sleeves.

W: overworked with stuff I don't like.

AW: friend's husband is doing great, they are flying back home tomorrow.

W: she's out of the office the rest of the week anyway.

Whine of Obviousness: Sitting around on the internet all evening is not very inspiring nor motivating. Which then leads to dispiritedness over lack of accomplishments. Duh.

Any whining pixies out there to join me?

Good day, sunshine!

Whining works! We lost our gray, cold gloom! And Esperanza got RAIN, after this long, dry, fiery summer!

Old Skool Awards to: JenR, for a comment lost in the black hole of the internet; Sue, for a shaving accident; and Esperanza, for a lapse in the overall potty-training victory.

Elizabeth wins the Weekend? What Weekend? Award for a marathon of driving driving driving, fasting, and sorting things. With kids! In the middle of the single-parenting gig! Followed by a metro meltdown on the way to kid pickup! Oy. We all vote for you to have a day off to collapse and recuperate.

Laundry Fairies to JenR, Esperanza, and heck, everybody who could use one. Kudos to loved ones who play the role of the Laundry Fairy.

JenR wins the Emily Litella Award ("if it's not one thing, it's another") for a passel of woes, which she had to type one-handed due to the other arm being occupied by a tiny one. Most chilling are the rogue underwires -- two of them in one week! That's got to put a dent in one's ability to be a superhero at all times.

Hugs, gluten-free treats, a stress-free zone, and a Magic Wand to Sarah, who has something unbloggably stressful going on. And this thing that's making her lose weight, a product of the stress. The Cluestick Posse is happy to help; just give us the nod. 'Cause this isn't right.

Liz wins the Squashed Award, for ye olde mam. And Kudos to her employer for arranging this to happen at work, so as to avoid the Joy of Traffic.

Cluesticks to Aunt Flo, who keeps annoying the membership and showing up at inconvenient times.

Much love and warm thoughts for Sue, whose headache demon crawled back from banishment; Medical Anon, who has thrashed her way through the red tape to get a scan scheduled for next week; and Days, who started a clinical trial far from home this week.

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

Monday, monday...

Breaking out the whine and cheeze early. It's gloomy and damp and cold; I want to curl up with the cats; but noooo, instead I'm futzing around with a BIG project, and am so BEHIND....

No, I'm not procrastinating! This post demonstrates my awesome multi-tasking skills: reducing stress while carefully pondering what to write next, and whether I should go eat something to boost energy and concentration. See?

How are you multi-tasking this week?

Pie for all!

A Boatload of Pretzel Ms (the second M is optional) to JenR as she embarks on the craziness of family travel with family members too little to roll over, much less negotiate.

Happy ten year anniversary to Sue and her church (but not to the parishioners who forgot to celebrate it).

Best wishes to Sarah Squared and their minister, on the big day. I do love me some good weddings…

The Bandaid Award goes to Sweet for surviving two sticks and making it on to the growth chart for weight! Esperanza gets a bandaid too for her glamorous Clunk+Zit – ow!

The Good Parenting Award goes to kathy a. for supporting her grown up little one in solving her own problems, Esperanza for her “come to Jesus” with the fourth graders, and liz for teaching her small fry that bailing out of sex-ed is not the way to go. The Not-So-Good-Parenting Award goes to KLee’s twins’ mother – yikes!

The Flying Solo Award this week will be awarded to Elizabeth, for three weeks of solo parenting due to her partner’s work travel (complete with childcare late fees and the inevitable car issue).

Sympathy to Andy for his “Cryptic Metaphor Whining” – we hope whatever it is, it gets better soon.

Cluesticks to burned out light bulbs, MIL’s behaving in whine-worthy-ways, MSG pushers and deniers, sibling nastygrams (any nastygrams), spilled coffee, and parents who won’t believe their angels have the occasional demon-spawn moments. God Love ‘Em (since somebody has to) and Bless Their Hearts (in the true Southern sense), even.

Days wins the Ambivalence Award for “becoming a human guinea pig in NYC on a clinical trial - W? AW? I'll have to let you know.” All the Pixies will be rooting for you, Days, and you are welcome to whine or celebrate with us any time.

A Big Hug to amy, who is dealing with thyroid woes, childcare issues, and the craziness of Tot crying and money disappearing.

Have some pie, everybody, and please join us next week when the lovely kathy a. will be hosting!

Weather Whines for Winter

Hi Pixies!

I am swooping into this space, since nobody else claimed host privileges this week, to tell you it is snowing (snowing!) in my neck of the woods.

AW: I have new snow tires!

W: They are stored safely in the shed (I prefer them on the car).

W: It's slushy, wet, icy out there.

AW: We can all stop wondering when winter is going to get here.

What's the weather - inside or outside - like at your place?