OK, maybe this means we're humming and bopping in our office chairs, or dancing a baboo through the kitchen, or locking the door so nobody sees it -- but everybody is encouraged to cut loose a little this week, in celebration of summertime! Song suggestions welcome! No earworms, please.
W/AW: This project is so behind. I have to finish it, but think it is time to move in a different career direction after this. I've been devoted for so long, so changing course seemed like a really hard decision until all of a sudden, it isn't so much. (Details unbloggable.)
Stupid report: Yesterday, I remembered to buy the
paper towels, and then I left them in the bottom of the shopping cart
when I loaded the car.
Wildlife report: Cute deer behind the back fence! Their ears are marvels, swiveling to and fro to pick up sounds in the vicinity.
What's the tune on your dance floor?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book club! Remarkable Creatures, by Tracey Chevelier, hosted by Miranda.
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About Wednesday Whining
Wednesday Whining is a weekly blog with rotating hosts. Whines and Anti-Whines, both big and small, are welcome! Our purposes are mutual support and sharing a few laughs along the way.
The Wednesday Whining Community is diverse, and strives to be safe, welcoming, and supportive. To this end, comments that are personally abusive or otherwise disparaging [regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation] will be deleted by moderators, along with spam and self-promotion.
The Wednesday Whining Community is diverse, and strives to be safe, welcoming, and supportive. To this end, comments that are personally abusive or otherwise disparaging [regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation] will be deleted by moderators, along with spam and self-promotion.
FAQ
Q: When does Wednesday Whining appear?
A: The Whiner's Ball commences no later than Tuesday, and ends when Awards are given (usually Thursday in theory, but definitely before Monday).
Q: Awards? Really?
A: Yes, really. Traditional awards include Style [music, poetry, etc.], Old Skool [piddly little whines], and Elevated Risk of Mullet [funniest line in a whine], but other hand-crafted awards may be granted at the host's discretion, and nominations from commenters are encouraged.
Q: Can I whine about someone who just does not "get it"?
A: The Cluestick Posse is on hand for persons in need.
Q: Is there a mascot?
A: Ralph is the mascot.
Q: Are there other traditions I should know about?
A: The passing of virtual refreshments is appreciated.
Q: How did this all get started anyhow?
A: Phantom Scribbler was our muse and host for two years.
Q: What was the first prize ever awarded?
A: The Playdough Violin
A: The Whiner's Ball commences no later than Tuesday, and ends when Awards are given (usually Thursday in theory, but definitely before Monday).
Q: Awards? Really?
A: Yes, really. Traditional awards include Style [music, poetry, etc.], Old Skool [piddly little whines], and Elevated Risk of Mullet [funniest line in a whine], but other hand-crafted awards may be granted at the host's discretion, and nominations from commenters are encouraged.
Q: Can I whine about someone who just does not "get it"?
A: The Cluestick Posse is on hand for persons in need.
Q: Is there a mascot?
A: Ralph is the mascot.
Q: Are there other traditions I should know about?
A: The passing of virtual refreshments is appreciated.
Q: How did this all get started anyhow?
A: Phantom Scribbler was our muse and host for two years.
Q: What was the first prize ever awarded?
A: The Playdough Violin
72 comments:
I guess a lot of people watched the Tony awards. I kind of watch award show photos the next day, which reminds me of a question: what is with actresses posing for butt shots?
If I can keep folks from stealing my team, I should be done with my Work Albatross this week.
I started it back in 2011. I am 3 jobs later into it. It's almost embarrassing but I remind myself that normally people have help but I'm doing it solo with a crushing other workload so really it shows that I I have moves like a rock star.
Or something.
Rock Star!
*Shimmies around the living room* Li'l E and my dance music has been ABBA's "Voulez-Vous" lately, because the "Aha!" part makes for good peek-a-boo.
*Cheers for Miranda* You do have moves like a rock star! You're so close to being done!
Big AW: I just found out that our baby-related gov't $ is coming soon, and we're getting six months worth of lump sum back pay. Thankful that this country has support for families with kids, even if we don't get those awesome Finnish baby boxes. (My sister is ready to write letters to her Member of Parliament and MLA to demand Finnish baby boxes for Canada).
The Finnish baby box just makes so much sense. So does government baby $.
I'd rather have the money than the box. Just saying.
Swimming lessons start tonight. Both Baboos apprehensive, to the point of tears. Fortifying myself with lots of caffeine and deep breaths.
Swimming lessons! Yay! I probably started in utero, but with actual swimming lessons, maybe age 2. And I took all of the Red Cross swimming classes by the time I was 12, including junior lifesaving.
So. Kiddie swim lessons are all about getting comfortable with the water. Because water is fun! And I have seen photos of the baboos reveling in water -- sprinklers are different, yes, but being in water is really fun, too. (Feeling the buoyancy is magic.) And they will be Totally Safe. xoxo
Baboos in swimming lessons! It'll be okay, and they'll end up enjoying it! (I used to be to scared to put my face in the water, to the point that I had to repeat the toddler swimming program, but now I love being in the water!)
Whine: there is a mouse. In my house.
Yikes, mouse in house! You want to find the entry point and block it.
Back to the baboo swim lessons -- I think holding onto the sides and kicking are early parts of the program. Who doesn't like kicking up a bunch of water?
eek, mouse in house!
Whining works. They were fine. They both like to swim/be in the water. I think they were just nervous about the teachers, me not being in the pool with them, etc. It was fine. Two kids were in tears, but they were not the Baboos.
Go! Baboos! (doing a little happy dance over here!)
Yay baboos!
Boo, mouse in house!
AW: I was so very proud of my Neighbor Boy tonight. At baseball in pouring rain (I know!) he was pitching. And it wasn't going well. He's nine, so they pitch the whole inning. Kids on his team kept shouting advice, which wasn't awful, but he kept walking kids. He told me later the ball was SO slippery. One kid on his team shouted that they wanted a new pitcher. On the sidelines we gasped. But he just kept on trying his best.
So proud.
Then, he caught a pop fly in the next inning.
When game finally called for pouring rain in second inning, he was the first to line up to say good game to the other team, and only 2 of his team-mates joined him. I like those 2 kids. Not so happy with some of the other teammates tonight.
But so very very proud of my little guy.
Thank you for permitting the parental kvelling.
-Neighbor Lady
aw, go Neighbor Boy! And his parents, who raised him right.
Neighbor Boy is a world-class athlete. Even in the rain. xoxo
Go, Neighbour Boy and Baboos! It's a brave athletic night for everyone. (Even E decided to stop worrying and love the baby swing at the playground.)
The child is sound asleep, but the grating songs from her fireplacing electronic toys (all unsolicted hand-me-downs, but all beloved, of course) remain firmly stuck in my head.
oh, you have to hide the batteries for electronic toys. in my opinion. this is why they get passed on. in my opinion.
kathy a, you toy-passer-onner, you. Yeah, I said it.
i donated them to goodwill, not to people i know. just sayin'.
hmm. that doesn't make me look much better, does it?
Rock Star Miranda - Yay!!!!
QWP - love the baby-dancing! And yes, I also love the fed support for families. Go Canada! Now if we could only arrange for the "extras" they have in France such as housekeeping and laundry help.... :)
esperanza - hooray for swimming Baboos,
NL - Eeeeeekkk!!!! for mouse in the house. Ew. Yay for Neighbor Boy! Kvelling always welcome here...
I'm having flashbacks to a two hour flight sitting near a child with a wind-up toy that played "It's a Small World."
Two. Hours.
*shudders*
I am shuddering with you. That song. It is not one you want on repeat.
An Evening with Dr. Google: A One Act Play
Hm. I wonder why the pediatrician said that E's head shape could lead to vision problems while the physical therapist said it's no big deal.
*Searches the exact term used by the PT*
*Finds reputable resources aimed at specialists, including an excellent journal article stating that there is no scientific evidence that this affects vision*
What a relief! And this article explains the variety of appointments, and all the exercises we've had to do! How informative.
Hm. I wonder what kind of people claim that vision IS affected.
*Adds "vision" to original search terms*
*Finds less-reputable sources, many of which are trying to sell you something. Also find anecdotal accounts that presume their children's vision issues are connected to head shape*
Hm. How do I KNOW that my baby has peripheral vision? How can you tell? I mean, it seems like she notices everything, to the point of needing to be nursed in a dim room when she's over-excited, but how do you KNOW?
Why do all signs point to the ped being wrong, and the PT being right, and yet ready any anecdata makes me feel paranoid again?
The moral of the story: Dr. Google and anecdata are bad news, my friends.
you should definitely re-gift all electronic toys to the ped's office. in my opinion. sneak one in every time you visit!
Ha! I love it. (But would never be able to do it, because Mr. Q is really the one over-using the electronic toys. He loves those stupid things. He'll also play a CD on repeat for months in the car. That is one man who does not get annoyed. I do not understand.)
QWP: stay away from Dr. Google. It's a rule.
Dr. Go*gle - is not our friend. Ever.
Just sayin'....
well -- QWP was exercising good g00gle judgment: she found the reassuring scholarly article; and distinguished the garbage (product promotion; the rants of non-doctors who fear causation where none exists). the trick is recognizing garbage and then running the other way, quick, before it gets its sharp little claws in your brain and freaks you the fireplace out.
True. It's hard to "un-see" the stuff that freaks one out.
AW: I started the day feeling overwhelmed and entirely inadequate to the tasks of the week. It really is a doozy.
Then I started putting my monthly report together for this week's board meeting. I keep a daily log of calls/meetings/work - pretty much everything work-related is logged.
Holy Mother of Pearl!! May was an insanely busy month. I did a remarkable amount of work and, in hindsight, held up well.
Now I feel like I'm "enough" - I will get through this week just fine.
Sue, you are always enough.
Sue, you absolutely are enough. And you are going to rock this week.
AW: friends who now live on Baffin Island (!) are in town, and this afternoon our babies are going to meet for the first time.
Sue, you shouldn't need written proof of your wonderful awesomeness, but there it is! ;)
Yay, baby meetup! And parent meetup!
AW: Vacation tomorrow!
W: Mr. Spock got a last-minute work assignment. He's a free-lancer. It's $3000 for one day's work. MM and I are vacationing on our own.
yay, vacation! and, the money's good, too.
Hooray for Mr. Spock. Trying to be happy and not compare his one-day check with my one-day check. For lo, that is depressing.
at some level, the SIL saga is death by a thousand pecks. this time, the city of her foreclosed house sent a threatening notice about delinquent utility charges and how they are *cutting her off.* which is really freaking great, seeing how [a] she hasn't lived there in over 2 months, and [b] the current owner has apparently continued to use the utilities as they fluffed and fixed for resale.
yes, another informative "get lost" letter is already drafted. i did not specifically mention "blood" or "turnips," but that adage is certainly implied.
~~~~~
yeah, normal people would just notify the utilities when they left. SIL kept arguing that she was going back there, so she wouldn't let anyone else mess with the services. nor would the services shut things down without the consent of a person who is mentally incompetent. the court order we hope for might come through in july.
fortunately, SIL's credit was shredded years ago, so there's really nothing left to lose on that front.
Sue, you are awesome-ness itself every month, not only when you have written data! Just sayin'!
For the record, it was QWP with the mouse--I was just reacting in sympathy, for we have been there (and hopefully, are not currently, or at least I have not found evidence --admittedly, I purposely do not look for it).
Liz--sorry you are vacationing with MM alone, but yay for the free lance.
:)Neighbor Lady
(((((kathy a.)))))
your fortitude in this saga is truly awe-inspiring.
--neighbor lady
i'm not sure that "fortitude" is the right word, once one falls down the rabbit hole and into Wonderland, where things are so peculiar!
Yay Liz for vacation and Mr. Spock's work!
NL - sorry about the mousie confusion.
((((kathy a)))) Great. Big. Hugs.
And chocolate. By the truck load.
Yeah, I am also the recipient of a (sort of) last minute freelance assignment. Not so lucrative as Mr. Spock's. Local preacher is still on vocal rest, for another week. So this is week #3 in my filling in for her. She feels fine, just carries a Magnadoodle with her everywhere she goes.
So fireplacing tired. I counted up (which I really shouldn't do), and in the past 22 days, I've had one day off from Baboos. So...Mr. E is taking them while I'm at a Presbytery (that's for Sue's benefit, so she can commiserate appropriately) meeting. Not exactly a vacation, but I had been planning to take them with me, which definitely does not make a vacation.
kathy a, I think fortitude is a good word.
And tonight's dinner surprise is: fried rice! Filling, delicious, uses many leftover bits and pieces. This version is completely non-kosher (pork, shrimp -- and also bok choy, edamame, corn, onion, garlic, dashes of sauce), but the beauty of fried rice is that it can be done in different ways.
Magnadoodle? Seriously? Hmm. But yay for work! And a day off!
MS earns a lot per hour. Alas, the hours are not clustered.
Esperanza, yay for freelancing! More comments tomorrow from vacation.
It's freelancing week here at WW!! Yay!!
esperanza, I'm not sure that Presbytery ever qualifies as a day off, but it is clearly easier sans Baboos. Do you folks have a quiet room at Presbytery meetings? Might be a nice place to catch a few minutes of esperanza-time.
I am sitting in bed reading, and I am hungry. The kitchen is directly below me, and I feel too lazy to get up and walk down there.
JenR, that is a good Old Skool Whine.
AW-ish: E handled the Meeting of the Babies reasonably well, and freaked out the least of the three of them. (They were all a little off today. Everyone was teething, including the 18 month old!)
True AW: Tomorrow, my mom and I are going to make a giant quantity of strawberry-rhubarb pies (or strhrewbarby pies, I insist on calling them) for our upcoming church camp. A whole day of baking, while my dad and my sister watch E. This is my idea of heaven.
Small W: I suspect that Mom and I will butt heads regarding the proper method of pie making. At least I brought her around to the idea of making pies without canned fillings.
W: I left $20 of expensive frozen gluten free, dairy free meals in the trunk all night.
AW: I figured out that gluten makes me really sick and dairy makes me pretty sick.
W: Who has the time to deal with all of this?
AW: I feel so much better when I am off dairy and wheat. My energy is better, my digestion is less, um, vigorous, and my pain is much lower.
JenR for Old Skool for sure! Been there...
QWP - yes please, I would love some of that pie at day's end. :)
Miranda - yay for discovering dietary sensitivities, but I totally get the "I don't have time to be sensitive to stuff" issue.
And boo for food in the trunk of the car. Can any of it be saved, maybe for dinner tonight?
AW: New computer which is actually a netbook, courtesy of my impressive tax return. Most of this year's return went into savings but I wanted a more portable computer that doesn't require a team of sherpas to take anywhere. Now my office laptop can be a permanent fixture.
Oh, Miranda. Glad you figured out the gluten and dairy thing, but much sympathy on leaving the frozen goodies in the car.
This must be "forget your purchases" week, because I bought a big package of teh correct (select-a-size) paper towels, and left them in the bottom of the grocery basket.
Yay for a new computer!
QWP -- good luck with the pie-making! Yum! How many pies are we talking?
Eight for camp, and then we'll keep baking until the filling runs out. And it's turning out beautifully! The first six are in the oven, and they smell amazing.
BTW, we're making this recipe for the filling (omitting the oats and turbinado sugar, because we're not doing a crumble top). Highly recommend: the filling itself is GF, dairy-free, corn-free, egg-free (if you omit the egg wash), soy-free and vegan. I'm going to make a everything-free + vegan pie later this week, to take along (we have a lot of special diets, as you get in a large crowd).
8 pies plus extras = prize worthy!
I was proud of myself for finally finishing a couple of performance review that were late, and then the salary increases were rejected because I forgot to sign the paper forms (submitted electronically). [hangs head in shame]
Jen needs pie. STAT!
Two more summary documents (of the 2-4 page variety) and then two more work product documents (gads, I hate my PDF writer software but the base documents are all done except for the one I sign and it will take me only 15 minutes per document to compile. There were four of these (similar, interrelated) thingies to complete) and I can hang a MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner on the Work Albatross. There are lots of little post-Mission Accomplished items to do but they aren't onerous except for the Hurt Feelings Memos that also have to be written.
I have also started doing some work for New Job. It will be different. New Boss (for totally selfish reasons related to Current Boss) really wants me to work from home as much as possible. This will be good for my home life this summer.
*Sends pie to Jen* I hope you don't mind that it boiled over on the top!
You guys, I didn't even bake pies in my own house today (did that at my parents' house, with its glorious AC), and yet it is deadly hot in here tonight. And way cooler outside. And all the windows and doors are wide open. (Or as wide open as they can be, since awnings keep the living room windows from opening more than a crack). It's only 21C (70F) outside right now but 27C/80F inside. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO THIS SUMMER?
I sure hope the house cools down overnight, because I definitely am making a pear-maple-ginger pie first thing tomorrow morning. (I'm on a roll, and we have to bring a dessert to a school staff year-end party tomorrow.)
GO, MIRANDA! Yay!
Sending fans to QWP, stat! The house will heat up more if things are closed up during the day. Is there a way to get more windows open for circulation? (We have no AC, but our house heats up the same way. I count on the evening cool and fans to get it down to a decent temp, because omfg, there are still hot flashes in play...)
QWP: When it is cooler outside than inside, put a fan (a box fan if you have one) sitting in the open window, blowing air into the house. This will draw in the cooler air from outside. If it's not humid, and you're feeling science-experimenty, then you can hang a damp towel in front of the fan for an old fashioned air conditioner.
And Hooray Miranda!
We've been doing all the fans in the window stuff now (have them all forcing a cross-breeze through this house, since our place just doesn't do airflow). (Well, it did have a bit more cross-breeze last summer, when the baby room wasn't occupied and we could leave both of its windows wide open and uncovered, and leave the door wide open. It was our primary way of cooling the house.)
I'm still back on "pear-maple-ginger pie" - I'll need a moment....
*drool*
JenR - sorry for the work woes. Pie will help.
Yay Miranda!! Celebratory pie for you!!
QWP - when I was a kid, my mom used to keep all the curtains drawn on hot days. She was convinced that the shade in the house cooled things off. I don't actually remember if it worked, but along with fans it may help.
Sue: We've had the best luck with open windows and fans during the night, and then closing everything up and covering the shades once it gets hotter outside than inside. At least it's coolish outside today, and so I can keep the windows open and the fans going while I bake.
Pies for everyone! This one seems amazing. This recipe: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pear_ginger_maple_pie/
QWP (henceforth to be known as The Pie Queen) -- if you can turn on sprinklers outside late afternoon / early evening, that also cools the air outside and boosts the fabulousness of the fans. [You're not supposed to water mid-day, because that's not good for the plant life.]
Kathy A, that idea is brilliant! We can only water every other day during the summer here (in the early mornings and evenings), but I will be doing exactly that.
I gratefully accept the title as Pie Queen. (This pear-maple-ginger pie turned out so beautifully that I keep going back to the kitchen to look at it. I also took the baby, to show her the pie. She tried to steal it.)
QWP--just printed that recipe. Looks AWESOME!
Thanks!
--Neighbor Lady
yeah, i think i need to bake this pie for father's day, because my beloved will swoon. but i pretty much need to bake it that morning, or else he will eat it ahead of time.
I finally got around to the Slings and Arrows dvd set that my sister gave me -- a Canadian production -- and thumbs up! Probably everybody else knows this already. Funny, and also for the English majors and theater persons, your thin knowledge of Hamlet will be employed.
in the Not a Good Sign Department: I'm already plotting which parts of the meeting to disappear from and already planning to decline any and all supper invitations. Esperanza time is coming, none too soon. Meeting starts tomorrow.
Esperanza time! Yay!
Esperanza time! Good. I've done this at conferences. And Kathy A: huzzah, Slings and Arrows! It has pretty nearly every one of my favourite Canadian actors, too. The AV Club just went through the series and did lovely reviews of the episodes, and then an interview with the show's producers.
AW: Both Li'l E and the pear pie were a smash hit tonight. We went to Mr. Q's staff year-end party, and the baby didn't freak out in the crowded house and the noise.
W: Mr. Q's going camping with the graduating class this weekend, and he and Li'l E will be apart for three days! And I'm taking her to the family farming community up north for my cousin's grad. So very nervous about all of this. (Five and a half hours on the road, without Li'l E's Beloved Daddy.)
Queen With Pies: you will get through this! Also, I assume you're taking pie, so everyone will love you. And, everyone will also love lil'E, obviously. Car songs are good for trips!
Awards tomorrow. Keep going!
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