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Monday, February 25, 2013

On your mark, get set....

Go!  What's the news in whines and anti-whines?

Don't forget the next Wednesday Book Club title, for 3/13/13 - Sandcastle Girls, by Chris Bohjalian.  Our charming host will be Esperanza.  (Don't worry, discussion is still open for What Alice Forgot!)

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Correction:  THE NEXT BOOK is Beekeeper's Apprentice, by Laurie R. King, on March 20, 2013.  The rest of the schedule has been switched around as well.

50 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dead mouse by the side of the fridge. Seems it's been there some time. #HousekeepingFail. #ewwww

Anonymous said...

Daughter is in psych hospital right now after threatening suicide yesterday. Her father plans on ditching all of us including Son with ADHD with major Daddy attachment to return to his Home State. Need Young Adult Son to pitch in and I'm not sure if he is going to do that. Mom wants to help but I don't know what I can realistically expect.

Like all the other crises we have faced the last year, my church family has rallied around. My minster/friend is going with me to see Daughter's case worker tomorrow. I know I can count on their help making sure Daughter has company and rides.

Miranda said...

Please no mention on the book of faces. I'm friends with most of you and I'm trying to preserve her privacy. --M--

kathy a. said...

What happens on WW stays on WW.

(((( Anonymous )))) I'm so very sorry about your daughter. How terribly frightening. Very glad your church friends are rallying round. Sending much love. xoxo

Also really sucks about the Dad person. Hugs to all the kids, too.

kathy a. said...

Also, dead mice are definitely award-worthy.

W/AW: SIL saga. I wrote a detailed letter about her history and functioning over time, in the hopes of getting a really thorough evaluation. (Goes without saying, she is a very unreliable source of info.) She has an appointment in a couple weeks at the big U teaching hospital.

Two friends who are mental health professionals reviewed the letter, and gave me helpful feedback. That was a lot to ask, but they were so generous and supportive.

Miranda said...

Thinking of you as you try to get help for the SILfH. I know too well about the unreliableness of the information provided by those with a mental illness.

esperanza said...

oh, Miranda. So sorry you're having to deal with so much right now. And sorry that you're not getting any help from the grownups.

Mouse by the side of the fridge is eek. And yuck.

Kathy a., hopefully your letter will be helpful.

Nighttime Potty Update: we are now 4 dry/3 wet. I'm counting it as a win. AND, she decided to put on her own shirt today.

AW: I made $130 at a consignment sale yesterday, selling the baby stuff.

W: selling the baby stuff means I'm no longer saving it for my brother and sister-in-law (of the multiple miscarriages). So, a bit sad-making.

kathy a. said...

Yay for increasing dryness! And self-dressing!

Esperanza, so sorry about the sadness. But I think it is to the good to circulate outgrown clothes; you have made another family or 2 happy right now. Plus, it's not like you would fail to gift the eventual baby to the moon and back. xoxo

Sue said...

(((Anonymous)))

So sorry, for everything.

No worries Miranda....what kathy a said re: WW - it stays here.

esperanza, so sorry for the sad part of selling the baby stuff. Yay for dry nights though!!

W: Classic complaint of Women of a Certain Age - very tired but cannot sleep. Ack.

AW: Warm weather! The snow is melting!

kathy a. said...

Yay! Snow melt!

OMG, Sue. I got all wound up last night, and accidentally read the next book until 2 a.m. Then I had the usual awakenings in the very short night. Bleah.

AW: am riveted by the next book.

Liz Miller said...

Sending so many hugs, I don't even know where to begin.

AW: Went to a terrific jobs fair today (Women in T3chn0l0gy).

W: My phone died. Bricked itself. Gonegonegone.

W: Phone people say it has water damage. This phone has never touched water. I don't know wtf happened to it.

AW: New phone arriving tomorrow (yay insurance)

W: $154 fee.

AW: Better than $450, I guess.

Liz Miller said...

And now my phone is working, of course.

Though it did that yesterday a bit, too. So I'm not trusting it.

Speaking of not trusting, I got a call from Wa$hingt0n Ga$ saying that I hadn't paid my bill, and I knew I'd set it up to automatically pay from my bank account. Well, turns out the bank's never received any bills from WG. So now I've just set it up to pay the regular amount regularly every month, bill or no bill.

kathy a. said...

Liz, sounds like a great job fair!

Oy, the phone. And the stoopid gas company.

esperanza said...

I've had a phone do that too, Liz, and it was due to water damage MONTHS earlier. It worked one call and not the next. Maddening.

W: kindergarten decision time for Sweet. We visited semi-local private school, and really liked it. Now my public school philosophy is in conflict with what might be best for my child. Argh. I will likely be awake with kathy a, and Sue tonight.

esperanza said...

Thinking on this some more, it's my *idea* of public school that is in conflict with private school. *Reality* of public school in this state is standardized tests, tests, and not enough funding. Hm.

kathy a. said...

yeah, the investment in public ed vs. what's best for my kids -- that was a conflict. you need to go what is best for your family. my kids spent a lot of time in private schools, for reasons of our own, but i strongly support public schools and want them to provide what every kid needs.

esperanza said...

Expect lots of whining from me on this topic. Still working on some assessments for Sweet at this point, but really hoping to get a decision made soon.

Sarah said...

Hugs to Anonymous. Wow, what a heavy set of events.

And dead mouse?? Wow, I'm sorry.

KathyA - I hope the letter helped you and helps your SILfH. In the past year, I have written so many pages of letters just for myself and I always learn something.

Liz - yay for the job fair. And boo for the phone. I hate the inconsistent phone. Hate it.

Esperanza - Good luck with the school issue. It's just hard, all the way round.

Sue - good luck with the sleep.

AW: I have an interview next Monday.
W: I have to be really good. Such pressure. Not a gimme. And the soon-to-be-ex has 2 friends who are connected to this company and I just don't know if that will be good or bad. Pros: they used to like me and if I get a job, it will be good for him... Cons: Mostly just a little paranoia on my part that people takes sides in divorces and who know what they think of me...

W: I am overwhelmed by work from my part time job and freelance job and some stuff around the house.

Liz Miller said...

(((Sarah))) Good luck on the job interview. I'm right there with you, and I've got all appendages crossed for the both of us.

(((Esperanza))) Send to private school (esp. kindergarten) guilt-free, and maybe help out an organization that's working to get more funding for public schools.

((Kathy A)) I'm glad you wrote the letter.

The phone died again. New phone arrived. Old phone is getting the boot.

Phone interview today. If it goes well, there will be an in-person maybe as soon as tomorrow.

Can I mumble the truth in y'alls' ears? I want my husband to get hired by someone before I do. He has the potential to earn far more than me, and I wanna go back to school and get my MSW and a law degree so that I can do divorce mediation. I do not have the soul of a computer programmer. And I greatly fear that if I get a job first, he'll stop looking and just go on free-lancing and working on his (admittedly fabulous) independent software program.

I don't want to have my happiness at the expense of his happiness, but I can't go back to school if I'm the sole steady bread-winner. And although I'm really good at what I do, I don't do it in my spare time, if you get me.

Liz Miller said...

Nonetheless, I'm going to try hard to kick ass at this interview.

kathy a. said...

Sarah and Liz -=- good luck with the interviews!

Here's hoping Liz's sweetie gets a job.

Sue said...

Sending good job interview vibes!

W: Tired.
W: Busy.

W: Bad combination!

kathy a. said...

It goes w/o saying that this is also the week I got slammed on time needed for the current Giant Task. Fireplacing universe. I mean....

Dear Universe, meet the turnip from which you cannot get more blood. Ya know, we're acting in good faith here. Give us a fireplacing break, already.

esperanza said...

Joining the tired and busy crew of turnips.

New whine: 99th cold of the season. Thanks *again* Sweet.

Sue said...

Go Team Turnip. Go have a nap! Yes, please.

W: Twisted my lower back getting out of the car. Ouchie.

Sorry about 99th cold. Gah!

Sarah said...

KathyA - wow, yes, turnip land here too.

And thank you for the well wishes. And Liz - I'll wish extra hard for your husband to find his first. Cause that sounds like a great career path and long-term, a great idea.

Sue - yes, naps are good.

Esperanza - oh no, not another cold. Just too tiring.

Liz Miller said...

Had a couple of promising interviews today. Wore my super-powerful red suit.

Need another super-powerful suit in a different colour in case I get a second interview, since my amazing blue suit has been overcome by my ever-growing rack-of-doom.

Sue said...

Yay Liz!

I'm imagining the red super-powerful suit with a glam cape.

Sarah said...

Yay Liz!! And I have a gray suit, but not super powerful. I have to look for that feeling next time.

kathy a. said...

Yay, Liz! Do you have a black jacket that works? Pretty much everything works with a black jacket and black shoes. (Black and blue is powerful; it would be good if you had a blouse similar in color to the blue skirt. I don't think women need to be all matchy on the jacket and the skirt/pants.)

kathy a. said...

Then again, "power" is really not a look I've ever pulled off. The big thing for a second interview -- aside from not wearing something totally distracting -- is to show your brains and talents. So, I stand by the black jacket wardrobe salvation.

esperanza said...

ARGH! Insurance transition NOT going smoothly. No ID cards. Can't register on website as member with any combination of numbers and names. Call and email to HR person, which is all I can do at this time of night. In the meantime, we're just not going to get sick or have a medical emergency. That's comforting, right?

kathy a. said...

/faint/ xoxox

Sarah said...

Oh Esperanza - how absolutely frustrating!

Liz Miller said...

(((Esperanza))). My suggestion is to try to make it clear to someone at the decision making level on this that YOUR problem is THEIR problem.

"Can I talk to your supervisor?" is a good sentence to have in your arsenal.

"I really don't want to have to be adversarial about this." is another.

Sue said...

Ugh esperanza, how awful. What Liz said - use your power voice and hand the problem over to them.

W: Sciatica. That explains the excruciating pain in my left hip, buttock, thigh and calf. Think of lightning, only instead of shooting across the sky, it is directed down your leg until it explodes in your foot.

Okay, the transformation is now complete. I have become my grandmother. She had terrible hip pain when I was growing up. I felt so badly for her. Now I know why she had that pained expression on her face so often.

Good thing this is a whining page. Today I am whining fiercely.

That is all.

Sarah said...

((Sue)) That sounds terrible. I hope medical care has improved since your grandmother suffered. All the best

W: I'm grumpy and whiny and I don't like it.

KathyA - love those sentences.

Liz Miller said...

((Sue))

Why, HELLO Aunt Flo! What an unexpected visit (again!). Weren't you here for a week just three weeks ago?

kathy a. said...

Esperanza -- hope today brings a fix.

Sue -- ouch! Hope you can find some relief.

This week has been so very icky. Unbloggable work stuff. Beloved's work is giving him unbloggable hassles. A person associated with SILfH is blowing my mind for unbloggable reasons. Then there is the associated MIL problem.

My good friend's wife's fireplacing cancer -- not good treatment options. She has access to the best care there is, but... It all really sucks.

In pathetic news of no consequence, I accidentally gained 10-15 lbs., and my TV show wasn't on last night. Blah blah blah. Wah wah wah.

All I want to do is wallow, but what I need to do is work the living heck out of a chunk of employment-related hideousness. Wah.

The only really good news is that if ever a week would tempt me to smoke, this is it. I'm 5 months in!

Sue said...

(((kathy a))) That is a lot to bear. High fives and "WooHoo!" for the five months of smoke-free living!! I've mentioned before that when hubby gave up smoking years ago, he started putting aside the money he would have spent in a month on smoking.

He has purchased a few computers and three televisions over the years with his non-smoking fund. It's remarkable how quickly the fund builds up and how the incentive of having "untethered money" becomes stronger than the wish to smoke.

You, kathy a, are a rock star.

kathy a. said...

I still need my special gum, so as not to go off on anyone very badly. Not a rock star. But it's something. :)

Anonymous said...

Yes, you are too a rock star!
--Neighbor Lady

Liz Miller said...

YOU ARE A NON-SMOKING ROCK STAR!!! WOOOHOOOOO!!!!

Liz Miller said...

(whispering softly so as not to jinx it)

I got the job I interviewed for yesterday morning.

kathy a. said...

WOOOO HOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Now Liz, she is a rock star!

Was there a second interview, or did you just wow them completely on the first?

Anonymous said...

Yay!
Wow--so impressed!!!!
The pixies are a truly awe-inspiring bunch!!!

:) Neighbor Lady

Sue said...

WooHoo!!!!!!! Yay Liz!!!!!!

Liz Miller said...

Met the recruiter at the WIT jobs fair Monday, phone screen with VP Wednesday, in person interview yesterday. Offer today. I am pretty psyched

kathy a. said...

Oh, that's great, Liz!

esperanza said...

Yay, Liz! And yay 5 months kathy a.!

Went up the chain to the big HR people. They were very perplexed. They had to enter us manually into the health insurance part's system. Where we won't be verifiable (covered, but not verifiable) for up to 48 hours. We will stay home and not get sick or injured, because Mama cannot deal with that kind of insurance tangle.

W: Federal jury duty "on call" starts Monday. I don't have time for this.