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Monday, June 3, 2013

A Better Week of Whining

Universe, we have some requests:
* lay off the tornadoes, please
* and the flooding too
* keep legit comments out of the spam filter. Blogger can't figure it out, so maybe you can take care of it.
* outlaw summer colds (or at least get a better name. How can it be a "cold" when it's hot outside?)
* chocolate ice cream needs to be calorie-free (magically, not with a bunch of unpronounceable ingredients)
* everyone needs a good job. If not this week, then next
* really, we could use a bit of good news this week

The Esperanza Household is off to the beach for a few days (pale skinned people at the beach. What could go wrong?). Part of us will return on Wednesday, while one poor soul has to stay for boring meetings. Fill us in on your whines, pixies.

55 comments:

kathy a. said...

Have fun at the beach!

Queen of West Procrastination said...

I co-sign all these requests.

Ah, pale-skinned people at the beach. My people. I'm passing the SPF Billion, and the big floppy hats.

Small whine: a patch of eczema is flaring up on Li'l E's upper back. Never fun. Hopefully the increased moisturizers help, because that last feeding was frustrating. (Any eczema on her back or tummy = lots of crying and arching away.)

AW: napping baby and a nice quiet lunch.

Second AW: My MIL is sewing a whole pile of adorable bonnets for Li'l E! We're hoping that bonnets are better for protecting her wee ears from the prairie wind. Bonnets! It's going to be all Little House in the Prairie in this place, without the racism and the fever 'n ague.

Anonymous said...

whine: after an evening of misunderstandings, a brief tantrum (not mine), and annoying-ness, we finally sat peaceful on the couch, when we heard a massive few clunks and smelled something rubbery burning/melting. Dishwasher has died. Undrained, unclean, and smelly. Can't decide if I can go to bed, or if something is in danger of slowly smoldering and catching fire. Have turned off the power switch to the dishwasher, but not sure this is enough. Repair on thursday, hopefully.
I know this is very much a first world problem, but the whine is really about the anxiety about our safety and whether I can safely go to sleep. ALso whether the rubbery fumes will be harmful.

Eye twitching.

Also, why oh why must we insist on strange, convoluted addition algorithms, for third graders for whom the regular algorithm was working fine?

Did I mention, eye twitching?

--Neighbor Lady

Sue said...

Yay for the beach and SPF Billion. I'd ask you to pass it this way, but it's still TOO DARN COLD here to sit outside without a few layers of clothing.

Seriously, a day when it's warmer outside than inside isn't too much to ask. I'm filled with weather ennui.

QWP for best word: ague.

NL - sorry about the dishwasher ugliness. And the twitch.

Liz said...

If I told you my whines you wouldn't believe me. Seriously, I don't believe it, and I'm living it.

The antiwhines are plentiful, tho, so there's that.

kathy a. said...

LIZ! You of all people are believable. Feel free to spill. xoxo

QWP -- bonnets! How sweet. Second the best word nomination.

NL -- Oy, I hate it when a major appliance stages a particularly spectacular exit. And when something yucky happens the very moment it looks like the tense time is settling down. Boo.

?? -- the book of faces is suddenly making me see other people's comments, even though I have adjusted settings for each and every one. Also, I'm getting posts from someone who de-friended me after I backed out of her book club, which is OK (both parts), but mysterious.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

(((Liz)))

NL, do you need a Pixie Posse to help with the dishes and the burnt-rubber-smell cleanup? (BTW, I get the eye twitches sometimes, and an ice pack helps. A nap, of course, but sometimes that's not an option.)

Li'l E woke up an hour earlier than usual, and then went back to sleep when it was too late for me to bother napping. (I don't nap well.) So, pass the caffeine please.

JenR said...

I have the kind of cold that makes chewing and talking very loud and everyone else's voices really quiet. Somehow whining voices still manage to be loud and grating, as usual.

Surgery #3 for what was supposed to be a "simple" fix on the little guy tomorrow.

House is still full of post-moving mess, and the yard is soggy so it is tough to send the boys outside to play. I'm envisioning a grading project with drains to dry it all out, but the neighbors don't remember water ever being a problem before. Hopefully they are right and it all dries out.

I'm struggling to find happy thoughts this week :-(

Queen of West Procrastination said...

So many hugs about surgery #3, and hoping that it finally is a simple fix. (((JenR)))

kathy a. said...

((( JenR ))) Fingers crossed on the surgery -- kids are resilient! And, could a decongestant maybe help the ears unplug?

Anonymous said...

(((jenR)))
--Neighbor Lady

Sue said...

(((((jenR))))

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Uh, odd side effect of starting Li'l E on solid foods: she sometimes wants to nurse after she eats (even though I also nurse her BEFORE that), and now I keep finding dried yams on my Remembering What It's All Abouts. Mildly uncomfortable.

Being a mom is really weird sometimes.

Liz Miller said...

Queen of West Procrastination for Mullet!!

kathy a. said...

seconding the mullet nomination!

last night's episode of the saga: SIL called repeatedly from the dementia unit, because she urgently needed to go to a hotel! right away!

things continue to be challenging. only good news is that the fireplacing ex seems to have backed the fireplace off.

my boy is 26 today. how is that even possible?

Sue said...

Agreed on the Mullet award!

Sorry about the late night calls kathy, but at least the ex has backed off.

Happy birthday to your boy!

W: Ugh. Yesterday and last evening were BRUTAL. Hello Migraine. Yep, I still detest you - you may leave.

AW: I tried something new. Along with my Imitr*x and otc ibupr*f#n I took an anti-histamine. It apparently helps some people with similar pain issues.

I slept like a baby! I'm not sure if the allergy meds helped the pain or just helped me sleep, but hey, who cares right?

W: Migraine hangover today - that feeling like you know you can function but you don't want to.

Anonymous said...

Whine of unbelievability (signed in anonymously just because, but y'all know who I am)

The head of a local group, who both shall remain nameless came out in the press a month ago to say that oops! three big jerks will be running unopposed in the general.

I called around, confirmed that they had nobody, and stepped up to run against one of the jerks, despite the fact that I don't really have time for this.

Suddenly! I hear that they actually DO have somebody to run against the jerk I'm gonna run against. YAY! Who is it? We can't tell you. You're not a member of the group. I can't drop out until this guy has filed, people. When's he filing? We don't know.

Fast forward three weeks. Guy still hasn't filed, head of group still won't tell me who it is. Another guy in one of the other districts with no candidate is emailing all and sundry saying that I shouldn't be running and I'm not a good dem. Yet another guy in the OTHER district with no candidate is calling everyone saying that I shouldn't be running and I'm not a good dem.

Meanwhile people IN the group have started to hear that they may have another person to run, and oh! Who is it? Head of group says, he hasn't filed yet, so I can't tell you.

Nominating event is at group's regular meeting TOMORROW. Guy still hasn't filed. No-one even knows his name (I found out from a friend of his...it rhymes with mine and is a synonym for place-holder).

This is all so fireplacing stupid. If he'd gone public three weeks ago, I'd have withdrawn my name to avoid all this drama.

Instead they have a stealth candidate. When were they going to reveal his name? November 6th?


All of that is being offset by the immense support I've been getting from people who are sick and tired of all the bullshit. At last count, I had at least 20 people strongly on my side. 7 strongly against. Lots of people in between who are confused and unhappy.

And I still don't have time for any of this.

Liz said...

(((Sue)))

kathy a. said...

((( Sue ))) Yay for banishing the demon at least for the night! Might a smaller dose do the trick w/o the hangover?

Anonymous Candidate -- well, one of you is not running anonymously. That is a fireplacingly weird political story. I'm sorry, but trashing you while not revealing the somebody else who they want to run? Severely weird. And stupid.

Sue said...

Serious weirdness Anon!!

kathy a - I wondered about that too. The type of allergy med that I took was in gel cap form. I may need to find a brand that is in tablet form so I can break it in half.

W: Oh the joys of being a woman in this job! After what I thought was a good discussion with a parishioner today, she left my office saying "I liked your hair better when it was longer."

Shoot. Me. Now.

Anonymous said...

Sue--
Maybe she felt she had connected with you on SUCH a deep level that she felt comfortable making (completely inappropriate and weirdly personal) style comments?
Maybe it just speaks well to how you put people at ease.....

:) Neighbor Lady

p.s. I've never met you in person, but I am certain that your hairstyle is simply beautiful!

Sue said...

NL - you may be right. I don't know, it just feels so odd. I also wonder if this person would make a similar comment to a male clergy person. Whatever - it is what it is, I suppose.

kathy - the other thing about migraine hangover is that it seems to happen with or without sleep-inducing meds. It's sort of like "leftover" pain (I'm not sure how else to describe it).

Still, it isn't helped by having residual sleepy meds demanding either more coffee or more sleep.

Liz said...

Sue, what the fireplace?

Also, your hair is perfect.

esperanza said...

Thanks for keeping the whining going, pixies. I will comment more later, but here is the pale-skinned people beach report.

Sweet wins Most Sunburned Parts, despite wearing her cowgirl hat. Seriously, it was adorable, and Country Cousin Goes to the Beach all at the same time.

Mr E wins Most Whining for Sunburn (and possibly most square inches sunburned, because, well, he's bigger than the rest of us).

Esperanza wins Sunburn Not as Bad as Last Time. And WTF, sunscreen, why don't you work? The one we used is the only one that doesn't give Sweet a rash but it clearly doesn't work.

And Mini wins Least Sunburn AND Least Sleep. Sigh. Someday she will sleep away from home, right?

Anonymous said...

Esperanza, she will one day sleep away from home!
And, I am still eagerly awaiting the mythical phenomenon of how tweens and teens love to sleep late. Why are our kids the only ones who didn't get the memo??? Probably because it wouldn't annoy me at all.

Sue--Oh, don't get me wrong, I think those comments were totally obnoxious. Just trying to give you a lens that makes you look like the rockin' awesome clergy-woman you are!

:) Neighbor Lady

late breaking whine of grossness....went to lovely local store that always has great stuff. In the deli part, the guy licked his thumb before getting our wax paper (you know, to help separate it). But ewww. Dude, I do not want your spit on my turkey.

kathy a. said...

Sue,I'm hoping the parishioner was kicking herself the instant she was out the door. One might hear such a thing from a sister and forgive it for the sake of peace on earth, but it's out of line otherwise.

The sunburn ceremony! Esperanza, Mini will one day sleep.

NL, yours will one day sleep later. Much later, with bonus up-to-all-hours.

Nominate deli guy for the Food-Borne Illness Vector award.

esperanza said...

No legitimate comments in the spam filter. Hooray!

Sue, the only time I've heard inappropriate comments on a male pastor's appearance were when he had changed the status of facial hair. Grew a new beard/mustache/goatee, or shaved off an existing one.

JenR, update on little guy when you have a chance? I will speak to the Universe about children and surgeries. Hugs to you, and him.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

A cluestick posse for Anon, and a shudder for NL.

W: Okay. I love our pediatrician. He's kind and attentive, and tirelessly advocates for his patients. But he's also a touch alarmist and inexperienced. He's the one, when we were in the hospital, who was first concerned about Li'l E's head, and referred her to the neurosurgeon (which we, thankfully, no longer need). But now we have a neurosurgeon and the physical therapist (who does all of the city's referrals for baby helmets) both saying that E's head is in the normal range, and that her head shape will even out, but the pediatrician is still concerned! I gather that E is the first patient of his who has one side of the forehead sticking out further than the other (but not severely, according to the PT). Yesterday he was REALLY emphatic about how we need to be vigilant about head positioning and stuff, and was all "If one eye ends up out more than the other, it can lead to vision problems and even blindness!"

So: alarmist. And I think disappointed that the physical therapist has said that intervention isn't needed for reshaping. (She is having us making sure that E doesn't spend too much time on her right side, but she says that E's fine, and it's "nice to deal with a normal baby." And she's been the one dealing with abnormal head shapes for decades! She also thinks our pediatrician is just nervous and inexperienced.)

So, yeah. I'm trying to keep all the positive prognoses in mind, but I'm finding myself getting a little more nervous when I see her lay on her right side. "But you could go bliiiiiind!"

kathy a. said...

Yes, JenR -- fingers crossed!

Oh, QWP. You're probably right about the ped being inexperienced with this particular thing. The assessments of the neurosurgeon and PT are definitely more relevant and reassuring!

I'm guessing the ped is being super-cautious, not wanting you to forget this happened, just in case. Next visit, you could bring up the "alarmist" tone of this conversation -- not in an accusatory way, but to get a better understanding. It could be that the doc came across stronger than intended. Could be that the doc is very comfortable with "looks fine; let's just keep an eye on it" for rashes and teething and growth patterns, but not so much for the less usual stuff.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

JenR, we're awaiting the news! Thinking of you guys!

Kathy A: I'm certain that's the case. He's very reassuring and "let's just keep an eye on it" about everything else, but her unusual head shape freaks him out. He probably was seeming more alarmist because I was less nervous about it, this time. I think it was more of a "Now, don't just stop being vigilant because she doesn't need surgery," and decided to tell me the risks of if her head shape were to become extreme.

JenR said...

So sorry I didn't update yesterday... It's for. Good reason, I promise. the surgery went so well that he didn't need a catheter or sutures - the tissue they removed turned out to be scar tissue and barely bled. He was energetic and happy all day after we got home, and I just didn't get a chance to sit down :-).

kathy a. said...

Esperanza, daughter got sunburned in the city that Twain described thusly: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in..." Hey, she got off early and the sun came out. We discovered a pint of aloe with lidocaine, from the last time. That's what the E family needs. ;)

Tonight is the family dinner out to celebrate adult son's birthday. I thought this was going to be grubby after work, but apparently he's going home to shower first. Score! We're also delinquent in delivering a housewarming present for him and his fabulous girlfriend, but my favorite artsy store came through with a lovely wooden bowl. You can't be an official grownup without a nice bowl.

JenR said...

Oh wow, I should edit before I post. Please forgive the crazy auto-correct madness up there.

kathy a. said...

Yay, JenR!

esperanza said...

That's great, JenR! Thanks for checking back in.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Thanks for the update, JenR! Very good news, and I'm so glad that it went well.

Anti-whines: nice quiet evening at home, with a baby who put herself to sleep easily. I'm so relieved, because her father is away for the evening, and I'm exhausted after my friend's kids (2 and 3 1/2, and hyperactive) tore apart my house. Very eye opening in terms of what baby proofing has to happen here soon!

Queen of West Procrastination said...

A little (Twitter) birdie tells me that congratulations are in order for Liz! Huzzah!

Sue said...

Yay JenR!!!!

Hooray for a quiet evening QWP!

Enjoy the birthday dinner kathy a!

Yay Liz!!!!

Liz Miller said...

Thanks!!

And huzzah for sleeping babies and easy procedures!!

kathy a. said...

Go, Liz!

Miranda said...

WTG, Liz! Woo hoo!

Work Albatross nearly off my back. Woo hoo!

Sue said...

Yay Miranda!

Big AW: I'm outside on the patio - wearing sunscreen!! It is a sunny day and I'm working at home.

Eeeeeeeee!!!!!

kathy a. said...

Yay, Miranda!

Oooooh, Sue got sunshine!

kathy a. said...

W: SIL sinkhole. AW: we're lurching along, stuff's getting crossed off, she's setting down some, blah. But W: the only steadily predictable thing is that some other piece of craptasticness will happen next. Forms; legal proceedings; crazy person; her ex; her stuff; the financial mess that will eventually get sorted; all the wtf. I need to get my shit together on my real life and my work. (This is just a rant.)

AW: very nice evening with our son and his fabulous girlfriend! It is the funniest and greatest thing, when son and his dad are together -- they are just soooo much alike, in a lot of ways.

kathy a. said...

AW: there is nothing as fine as a good old friend, when something unbloggable happens that makes you both say "oh my holy fireplacing gouda! can you believe THIS???"

Queen of West Procrastination said...

So many hugs for Kathy A. Such a hard situation.

And hooray for Miranda!

I have the same awesome weather as Sue, and am sitting in the backyard, wearing a giant floppy hat. I could make out with this baby monitor, if it wouldn't be so uncomfortable and potentially damaging to the electronics.

Related AW: Li'l E loves the outdoors now, and her allergies are no longer acting up outside! And so I hope it as just the infernal snow mold, and not pollen as well.

esperanza said...

I had no idea that such a thing as "snow mold," infernal or otherwise, existed. WW: all about the education.

Sue said...

Yay for baby monitors and floppy hats!!

Yes, snow mold - welcome to Canada in the spring.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Yeah, snow mold isn't an issue unless you live somewhere where the snow stays FOREVER. And so, since we just had the longest and worst fireplacing winter in recorded history, the snow mold was so bad that people who've never reacted before were reacting this year during the Very Long Melt. Itchy eyes for everyone!

kathy a. said...

Snow mold. That could be an addition to the lexicon. We should have a contest for usages. :)

Don't be jealous, but I've been tasked to buy my SIL new underwear. She wants more, likes h@nes cotton; totally do-able.

Liz Miller said...

Kathy A. is AWESOME.

esperanza said...

kathy a, that made me LOL. The breaking point between my SiL and former (step)MiL, was when MiL asked to BORROW SiL's underwear. Seriously. So, your task could be considerably yuckier. Or, as Mini would say, "ree-dicky-lus"

Miranda said...

esperanza, I feel like you and I totally have a lot in common with respect to extended families.

kathy a, continued hugs on the SIL drama while also still getting your own stuff done. I mean, you had a full life before the drama hit you and your Beloved pretty hard and it is not unreasonable to want to get that stuff done too.

Old Skewl Whine: I am out of coffee beans and have to go brave people and parking lots to obtain some.

Liz Miller said...

Y'all, Kathy donated to my campaign. Y'all, I didn't even ask. Y'all, Kathy is a rock star.

kathy a. said...

There is a lot of badness in the world. As we all are fortunate to know, Liz is a ray of sunshine and good sense; she'll be so great for her constituents! And besides, I am extremely grateful for her generous friendship.

Miranda for old skool, definitely. There is nothing so sad as running out of coffee beans.