No snow day today, so MM is back to school and I'm back to the office. What's shaking in your neck of the woods?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edited to add: this thread will stay open the week of 2/5. Keep whining! [k.a.]
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191 comments:
W: I was super sick yesterday! Considering that my stomach was just upset for a day, I suspect food poisoning or something connected to allergies or my other health issues.
AW: I'm better now! And we missed church, I stayed in my pyjamas all day, and Mr. Q took care of E and cleaned all day. If I'm going to become spectacularly sick for a day, I'm glad it happened on the weekend.
AW/W: Well, yesterday's sickness forced me into a place where I couldn't nurse E at all for the whole day (for the past week, if been only nursing her once a day, first thing in the morning), and we both handled it. I think she might be weaned onto a bottle now? Bittersweet.
Hope the transition back from the Deep Snowy Freeze goes well.
Glad you are feeling better, QWP!
The Big Thing is a week from tomorrow; the practice thing is tomorrow. I'm wildly bouncing between definitely feeling ready and freaking the heck out.
Bonus clothing, hair, makeup, and weight anxiety -- none of which I normally think are worry-worthy. Huh.
Deep breaths. Deeeeeeep breaths. You're going to rock this.
Small growth under my left eye has suddenly gotten bigger. And crusty. Seeing the doctor Wednesday.
Oh, Liz. It is probably one of those nothings, but good to get it checked.
definitely good to see the doctor, Liz.
Sorry for all the bonus anxiety, kathy a. It will all be well.
QWP, nursing while barfing is *horrible* But I understand the mixed feelings...
AW: Baboo birthday parties over till October.
W: said Baboos slept poorly the whole time grandma was here. I am beat.
Glad you're seeing a doctor, and hoping that it's nothing, Liz. And I'm sorry that you have to deal with the discomfort of the growth!
kathy a: you're going to be awesome. And it's entirely natural to worry about all the details, when you have the Big Thing coming up. Deep breaths.
Esperanza: you know I have sympathy on the lack of sleep front. Sending some extra sleep pixie dust for you and the Baboos, now that Grandma is gone.
AW: my mom came and picked up E for the afternoon, so that I can get some work done! I'm really thankful that I didn't have to haul the kid and all her stuff, while I'm still regaining my strength.
W: headache. Tired. Hard to work, but I'm days away from my first deadline, and I need to double the length of this chapter!
AW: You guys! Right now, Li'l E is taking a nap in the playpen at my parents' house! She did it! She's napping without my help! My mom deserves some serious awards today.
Hooray, Lil E! Hooray QWP's mom! Hooray for good napping!
Woot! She can do it!
Yay E!!! Hope you're feeling better soon QWP.
Liz, I'm glad you're getting that checked out.
Extending the deep breathing kathy. You've got this!
Yay for Baboo birthdays and for having the parties done for another year.
AW: day off today. I had a small mountain of errands to run but opted not to do any of them. The Work Overwhelm put all the tasks into perspective.
W: the Work Overwhelm.
Esperanza, congrats on completing all the Baboo parties!
Sue, good on pushing the nagging tasks to a day other than your day off.
Domestic W: I told beloved that there's the thing tomorrow, and tonight is leftover night. And he said, "good thing I cooked that stew last night, ha ha," but then he remembered that he just bought the ingredients and that I ended up cooking it. Hmph. He.so.owes.me. ;)
Extremely petty whine: I am involved in two plays with my local theater company. I'm co-directing one show, and in it. The other show is a musical, which one of my favorite things. The director called me to say she'd given me a "major part", but when it all shakes out,mi am little more than a soprano place holder. Only in ensemble songs, no solos of my own. I get to sing an occasional line by myself, but only in ensemble numbers. This is nowhere near a "major part."
I guess the last show was my time to shine. (I had the lead role.). Rationally, I know I can't be front and center every show. But,mice been told all my life what a beautiful singing voice I had, and now I'm not feeling it.
I know...l I know. I'm a whiny, narcissicistic bitch. I'm an actor. Enough said.
Good luck to all who are facing adverse weather.
Kathy a., you will do great with your Big Thing, I know it! You totally got this!
Liz, keep us posted on that growth!
Hooray for napping babies, and for days off. Boo to Work Overwhelm!
I'm going to go sit in the corner of shame now.
KLee
No need for the corner of shame KLee!!! You have a gift to share and it's frustrating to be held back, even a little. Maybe it will be okay given how busy you will be directing the other production???
W: Blah blah...fireplacing cold...blah blah...
It's fireplacing "cold" here too, though not by Middle Earth Canada standards.
Whine all the petty/small/whiny whines you want, KLee, that's what we're here for.
W: The only things on my To Do List are things I don't want to do.
I totally understand that whine, KLee. Especially as you'd be probably fine with what you got if the director had said up front, "I'm giving you a smaller part than I normally would since you're directing that other show." Or, "I'm giving you this part, which needs a strong singer, but it's not as prominant as your last part because X"
I agree with Liz: if the director hadn't called it a "major role," I'm sure you wouldn't be feeling so disappointed right now!
AW: our temperature is rising again, and it's going to stay moderate (for this time of year) for the rest of the week! (The high today will be 3F, which is above the monthly average temperature.) Take heart, all you pixies who keep getting our weather.
I think that's where my major dissatisfaction comes in -- the fact that she calls it a "major part" when it isn't. I would understand if she wanted to reduce my role because of the other show, or even since I had the major role in the last show, but don't shine me on. Don't give me crap and try to tell me it's diamonds.
Our stupid school system has me ready to blow a gasket! We got a robo-call last night around 5:30 to tell us that school today would dismiss 90 minutes early, and that classes for Wednesday were cancelled. When we arrive at work this morning, we're told staff have to stay until our regular quitting time, or take it as a personal day. Why is it so crucial to get kids home before the bad weather, but staff have to suck it up and suffer?
Then the capper comes -- they are either going to dock us a day's pay, or we can use a personal day for that. We only get *3* freaking personal days a year! I've already used 2 of mine on Offspring's college visit! I was planning to use my last one on the day before my show for set construction! So much for that! He'll, I'm still taking that day off!
Stupid fireplacing school system!
KLee
Dear GOD. That sucks.
Oh, KLee, that is cr@ptastic.
I'm so sorry.
Liz, good thoughts for your dr visit.
Kathy a., you are going to rock it!!!!!!!!!!
QWP, glad you're feeling better!
Hugs to all the pixies with tired little ones, and/or in frigid weather....
W: Neighbor boy was home Friday with a really really sore throat and headache. (classic strep for him) But, his rapid strep test was negative. Dr said throat wasn't even very red. And, then....I think he didn't send in the long culture, even though he said he would. Neighbor boy still super sore throat sat, slightly better sunday, horrible monday, and again today--got 2/3 of way to school and felt so awful he and Neighbor Guy turned back.. Dr. won't see him again, and didn't return calls yesterday. Finally finally today at 4:30, "preliminary" long strep test (from FRIDAY people!! I'm a cell biologist by trade--it doesn't take that long!!!!) are negative.....but, still.......
Now what? I could go to a clinic but then pay over a hundred dollars for another rapid test???
I am steamed.
Hubby off work 2 days now.. I was off friday and may have to take part of tomorrow....
hubby was on business trip all weekend.
School is making me really really really grumpy.
Can you tell I'm irritable?!?!
arg.
--Neighbor Lady
p.s. sorry for the whininess.....I know, I know,,,but still feels indulgent somehow, but thanks for listening.
You work for the school system too, right? That is terrible! (And I feel you with the lack of personal days: Mr. Q gets two, plus one family day, and officially he's supposed to use those instead of sick days if his kid gets sick.)
AW: Li'l E has been discharged from her physical therapy program, because she made so much progress since her last visit! Her (former!) physical therapist encouraged us to keep up with the neck stretches and positioning for the next six months, so that E comes to the place where it's not easier for her to over-turn to the right instead of to the left, but she now has full range of motion in both directions, she holds her head straight, and she's very strong. No more specialists! (Well, except for the pediatrician.)
W: that headache has become a sinus headache, in the spot where I always get sinusitis. What is up with my body this week?
NL, we're not worried about whining! It's why we're here. And that's terrible that the dr. won't see him again and is so slow with the tests! I hope Neighbour Boy is feeling better soon.
Yay, L'il E!!!!
Yes, I work for a public school system (but not the same one as KLee...) :)
Hubby doesn't work for school system.
Sorry about the headache! arg! Hope it feels better soon!
--Neighbor Lady
Yay, L'il E!!!!
Yes, I work for a public school system (but not the same one as KLee...) :)
Hubby doesn't work for school system.
Sorry about the headache! arg! Hope it feels better soon!
--Neighbor Lady
Ah! I meant to ask KLee that, but I took so long writing my comment that it looks like I asked NL.
Klee, that stinks. How can they decide a day is cancelled, then make you take a personal day?? (if I understood that correctly.)
Friends, the practice did not rock, at all. But it was helpful, and I have several great suggestions.
NL, how frustrating! I hope that NB is feeling better soon.
Go, lil E! QWP, hope your headache is better.
Kathy a., I've heard it's always a good sign for the performance when the dress rehearsal is rough.....
Don't know where I heard that but I think we should just go with it!!! It'll turn out great, I know!
-NL
Kathy a., I've heard it's always a good sign for the performance when the dress rehearsal is rough.....
Don't know where I heard that but I think we should just go with it!!! It'll turn out great, I know!
-NL
I think that's a theater tradition. But I definitely have some tinkering to do this next week. Bleah.
Kathy - what NL said! You will be great!
KLee, that is awful! Can they do that? Cancel due to weather and then force you to use a personal day? Can you appeal that through your union?
NL, sooooo frustrating! Argh. I hope NB is feeling better soon.
QWP - I'm so happy about E's graduation from physio. Hope your headache passes ASAP.
W: evening meeting tonight. That's icky most nights, but worse when the wind is howling and it's still -40 out there. Gah.
Kathy: we're rooting for you, and the presentation!
W: my sinus headache is spreading, and Mr. Q came home and announced that he suddenly started feeling sick this afternoon. We're just doing everything to survive until E's asleep, and then we're going to crash.
AW: I can take cold medicine! For the first time in two years! This weaning business has some serious benefits.
QWP, may the nyquil be with you! But I hope everyone is better swiftly.
Sue, negative 40 and night meetings are always winners with me. Especially negative 40. I mean, this is something I literally cannot imagine.
I will not be great; but that's ok. I will just give it my best, and that's what I can do. But I have a lot more ammo for prep now.
Heck, 40 and a night meeting is a winner with me. I did that tonight.
KLee, that is teh stupid. I know our teachers have to come in at normal time, even if school is delayed for weather. I'm suspicious our school district has the same policy as yours.
QWP, germs begone! And yay for drugs.
W: Sweet is prone to motion sickness, especially when the car is warm. It was cold this afternoon on the way to OT. I had on a wool, full length coat, a scarf, a sweater and was not too warm in the car. She was wearing only her regular clothes. I was wrong. Bark, a minor bark, but still. So then I turned the a/c to blow cold outside air and added gloves to my ensemble. Pixies, 5 hours later, I am still cold.
Oof. Car bark and winter time a/c? A definite winner, in my books.
AW: She is really the world's tidiest barker, QWP. And she knows to give me some warning:
Sweet: Mommy, my tummy hurts.
Me: Are you going to throw up
Sweet: YES!
Me: (pulls over, looks frantically for bark bowl among the ~ahem~ detritus of the back seat).
esperanza - you win just for having a bark bowl in the car.
Well, I come from a long line of car barkers, including myself.
I'm with Sue. Good system, Esperanza!
"Tidy barker" -- now my head is working on lyrics for Elton John's "tiny dancer."
Hold it closer, Tidy Barker.
Hold the bowl out on the highway...
kathy - LOL!!!!!
I nominate kathy for Mullet AND Style on that one!
That's amazing. I'm going to have "Tidy Barker" going through my head all day now.
W: Mr. Q and I have to miss seeing my cousin, who is in town for the day, because we're too sick.
AW: my sister is going to pick up E this afternoon, to get her out of our hair for a few hours, and so that Cousin A can have a chance to play with her.
W/AW: okay, I am ENDLESSLY GLAD that E does not have what we have, so far (it is awful, and I keep praying that it skips her). But energetic child + tired and sick parents = challenging.
I love this conversation so much.
AW: My eye thingy is not cancer or anything that will blind me or kill me or need to be removed with scalpels or nitrogen.
W: It is, basically, face dandruff. Hormonal, stressy thing.
Great news, Liz! I mean, it doesn't sound very fun, but I'll take a little thing over a big thing any day. Did they give you something to relieve the symptoms?
Scrip for steroid cream, and instructions to wash my face with dandruff shampoo 2x a week.
Yeah. Good times.
Apparently it's yeasty, but when I gave him a look about putting steroids on yeast, he said, "I know, yeast tends to get worse with steroids, but this is different, and I swear we never treat it like a yeast infection, but always like an allergy thing."
I'm glad that it wasn't anything major, Liz, but it sounds like a pretty big annoyance. I hope the steroids and all that help clear it up quickly.
Facial dandruff and car bark: it's been an eventful week.
Oh, you are an informed medical consumer! But this advice sounds reasonable under the circumstances. Steroid cream can really take down an inflammation. And the shampoo can go a long way on flakiness/irritation -- but my guess is it's too rough to use daily on the face.
I have something like that, Liz. I have just used OTC hydrocortisone. I had deduced it was stressy, but not hormonal. I will keep an eye on that too. Glad it was relatively minor.
One of my sibs has been more or less estranged for over a decade. Complicated story; much badness. Anyway, she is flying up because she is excited about the Big Thing; and she has been really encouraging and said a lot of complimentary things. And apologized for some badness.
The Big Thing is in a city 1.5 hours away from me. And, I just took a leap of faith and decided to stay overnight after, so the sib and I can have dinner and visit. My beloved is good with that, too, because he thinks maybe it will be positive. (Even though that means he'll drive up and back without me; I'm traveling there with members of the Big Thing team.)
Kathy, that's awesome.
Esperanza, WOOT! Sisterhood!
That's really nice, Kathy a! I hope your trip, and your Big Thing, as well as your time with your sister go well.
W: my usual "ARGH, UNHELPFUL ADVICE" whine. I tried to look up stuff about weaning on a Major Trusted Medical Site, because I wanted to figure out how to avoid plugged ducts/mastitis while the Remembering What They're All Abouts dry out. I gradually reduced the number of feedings down to one per day, before cutting them out entirely, and yet I'm still dealing with uncomfortable enforcement.
The advice I found was so unhelpful. All stuff I already did (gradually reduce!) and stuff that just didn't happen. It was all about letting your child wean herself, saying that they'll naturally become less interested in nursing once they have solid food. But solid food made her MORE interested in feeding! Before she started on solids, I used to have to fight her to focus on feeding. After having solid food, she became super attached to me and to nursing.
Well, I got her weaned anyway (by forming a bond between her and her bottle, honestly, and that's also apparently wrong, but I digress), but now I need to figure out how to get myself through this! All the weaning advice contradicts the mastitis-prevention advice (which focuses on nursing).
Urgh. I'm uncomfortable, and my milk supply seems to continue without any assistance.
If I recall, self-expression can take down the pressure after weaning; but not too much, you don't want to keep stimulating it. So sorry, QWP. Don't let the harshing on bottles get to you. Whatever works is true here, too.
I was wondering if a bit if expressing would help. I'm so worried that everything in doing continues to stimulate my milk supply! Thanks, Kathy.
Maybe expressing just a bit to relieve the discomfort. My SiL used the raw cabbage leaves in the bra trick (google it), but it was a bit weird for me.
W: Mini got a play doh set for her birthday--a cake and ice cream maker something. It is too complicated for me to figure out. Great distress arose. It is put away for a day when we are not all three tired. This was not a popular decision.
I totally second raw cabbage leaves in the bra. When painfully engorged, it is heavenly. Put them in the fridge first....
Don't know why it helps exactly, but I swear it does.
--Neighbor Lady
p.s but your relationship with cabbage may never be quite the same again! :)
W?: So, finally got Neighbor Boy to school for 2 hours today, after being seen by the doctor who admitted the first strep test was all messed up. Now they are sending out the second, which will hopefully be fine. But they are saying his throat is not very red.
W: also, found out "problem behavior" is now listed on his "conditions" page of his history, due to us asking advice from our pediatrician. Makes me worry they'll interpret that as other than it is, and assume he's making stuff up. He doesn't do that.
W. (major ) also found out today from talking to him that he now hates school. so very many complaints, and not many friends.
very sad.
--Neighbor Lady
((( NL ))) Oh. oh oh oh.
WTF about "problem behavior", due to asking the ped?????? The Posse, it will ride for this.
I am so sorry about NB having a rough time at school. So glad that he is saying something about it! Although what he says may not be totally illuminating, at least you know that beast is lurking. I did not find out until long after the fact that my boy was being bullied; and I have no advice about how to rush that kind of revelation, but it is good he is talking. And perhaps there are other activities or things that can help shore him up? xoxo
(((NL)))
QWP, I'm here to tell you that I've only just! last! year! stopped leaking enough daily to stain my bras.
MM weaned over 11 years ago.
No. I'm not kidding.
So, no advice on the drying up, but I'm guessing you'll be able to say when it's over, "Hey! At least it didn't take 10 years!"
My mind is boggling that Liz still leaked milk for 10 years (!) post-weaning. I guess this is the part where I should be heartily glad that my milk gave out after 6 months with Offspring.
Yes, my school system sucks big weiners, but looking at everyone else's school system, it seems I am not alone.
So, so sorry that the Big Thing did not rock, but optimistically hopeful about the meeting with the estranged sib. Here's to hoping new paths are forged, and the past is left far behind!
NL -- I am taking a course in bullying right now. If I learn anything helpful, I will pass it on. So far, the message I'm getting is for the bullied to speak up. Nothing gets better if it's not known there is a problem. Faced with some pretty scary statistics about bullying, and the extent to which it happens. Sending good thoughts your (and Neighbor Boy's) way. I was bullied from grade school into college, and still face it occasionally. I wish I would have spoken out more. Maybe it would have slowed down the whole hate train.
Liz, glad your eye thingy isn't anything more worry-making. Sorry that it's scaly and bothersome, but SO GLAD it wasn't anything worse.
Got the letter today from Offspring's Dream School. They are offering her $35K a year in grants and scholarships. That is an AMAZING amount of money, but it still leaves us holding the bag for $10K a year. Have no earthly idea where we'll get it, but I sure hope we find somewhere. I CANNOT let her down.
KLee
KLee, Yay! Eeek!
The total package will include loan offers, I think -- do not under any circumstances take a bank loan if you can possibly get a federally-insured student loan through the school.
But first I think you want to accept those grants! And then, talk to financial aid about what is workable for you and spouse; do they have more ideas? Campus jobs might also help; and help offspring feel responsibility. (Plus, good on resume.) xoxo
KLee, $35k/year is AMAZING!! So, so proud of her and you. And I think kathy a's advice is on target.
Oh wow, KLee! $35k/year is amazing! Kathy a is wise about seeing what you can do about federal student loans.
Liz: ten years?!?! What on earth? That also puts my nine months of Post - C-section bleeding into perspective.
(((NL))) And I'm saddling up the posse, both for the ped and for anyone keeping Nb from having a positive school experience.
Raw cabbage in the bra. I learn more here than anywhere else on the Internet, ever.
AW: My lovely wife has completed the entire series of Dawson's Creek. In its place is repeated viewings of Pitch Perfect, which is one awesome hilarious movie with cool a cappella music. Yes, I love a cappella music, and yes, I also sang in a mostly a cappella group with a stupid name when I was in college. We were the TestosterTones.
W: Remember a few weeks back when a pipe burst at work, causing us to work without heat or places to hold our activities for a week? TWO pipes burst this week, along with something that started spitting sparks everywhere. The second pipe took out all of our backup locations. So, in order to do any activities, I have to load up approximately 35 patients and staff into a 15 passenger van and drive them to another building.
AW: On the other hand, I find that other building to be much nicer, even when mine has working piping.
AW: I have a new patient on my unit. My unit is his fourth since his admission, and everyone I've talked to said he won't do anything and he just doesn't care. He's opened up a lot in 2 weeks. I'm getting more response from him than everyone else has gotten put together. I am probably at least the third best Rehabilitation Therapist ever.
We're here to serve, Andy.
I can't help but do the math, and it seems difficult to fit 35 people in a 15 passenger van. Impressive.
Good for you for connecting with the new patient. Sometimes it just takes a different approach, I guess.
Go, Andy! You deserves some prizes for the broken pipes alone, but packing everyone into the van is pretty funny. And making a connection with this patient is awesome.
Yay, Andy! So glad you are able to make the connection with that person. It makes all the rest of it worth it, doesn't it? There's nothing better than knowing you are making someone's life better. Thankful for you and the work you are doing!
KLee! Yay!!!! What great news!
--Neighbor Lady
p.s. re Pitch Perfect--the cup song is oddly addictive, and challenging to do. I find I can't do it AND sing at the same time. Also, TestosterTones? If I had been drinking coffee it would have come out my nose.
I think I am mainly connecting by being a young(ish) male who enjoys exercise and sarcasm, rather than any actual effort on my part. Still, today for the first time in over a year, he expressed desire to get his GED and willingness to work with me daily on it, so I guess that's something.
If only I had the magic powers to cram everyone into the van at once. Instead, I have to make 3 trips, deciding which combinations of patients and staff I can leave on one side that won't result in massive problems. The system is not entirely unlike that old riddle about the boatman who has to transport a wolf, a rabbit, and a bin of carrots across a river without anything getting eaten.
agree, NL, on teststertones.
Andy, that's a gift. And you're making a difference! Progress is progress (even if sometimes it feels more like the hokey pokey, or something).
Liz, I'm glad the diagnosis was someething so workable and without slicing or nitrogen.
kathy a - I hope the visit with your sister goes really well!! And of course the Big Thing too!!
QWP - I can only echo the wisdom already stated about cabbage leaves. Whatever Works!
KLee - Yay!!!!!
NL - one of my sons was bullied for three years before he spoke up. I'm glad NB didn't wait that long. Posse on the way for mean bullies!!
Andy - *snort* the TestosterTones! Love it. Sorry about the pipes, but hooray for the progress with your new client. WooHoo!
Whine: ugh. A very long night in the ER with hubby. Yes, again. This time it took a bit longer because they had to call in reinforcements (ie specialist). Total time roughly 7 hours, but worth it as hubby is feeling SO much better after a procedure from heck that I won't explain out of respect for Andy, who has the same parts involved. Seriously, even the ER doc cringed.
I want this weekend to be like the Groundhog day movie, but only the last part where everything works out and everyone's happy. Alas, circumstances are such that this scenario is unlikely. It promises to be wild ride...
AW: My life is never dull.
(((Sue and Hubby))) I'm glad that Hubby is feeling better now, but oh my goodness: procedure from heck?! And seven hours in the ER? I hope you both have time to rest today, after all that.
Andy definitely deserves awards for moving all the patients, continuing under all those circumstances, and then getting through to the new patient!
W: we're still sick, and Mr. Q insisted on going to work, because today would be a difficult one for a sub to cover.
AW: he had declared that, regardless of how he's actually feeling tomorrow, he is definitely taking a sick day.
W: The Chapter That Won't Die is due tomorrow, and it's still too short by half. I NEED to get it finished, and my whole face is in pain.
AW: my parents are picking up Li'l E after her morning nap, and taking her for the rest of the day.
Sue, I'm so sorry you and hubs had such a long (and I'm guessing painful) ER adventure. Glad he is better and home! Good luck with the wild weekend.
QWP, sending productivity vibes! Glad your parents can help out. Is Mr. Q promising a day off to help you finish?
W: have these specific tasks to do, and pieces of them are tangling me up. And really I want to do *anything* else. And I keep waking up at 4:30-5, now with bonus panic. grumble grumble.
Whine that nobody will care about: I'm pretty ticked, because Patch ("hyper-local news") laid off basically everybody yesterday. One local journalist started my town's Patch, and it was great -- so naturally they moved him to another nearby city. We got nothing but generic trash edited by a non-local for a year, and then they hired this energetic journalism grad who was really into local reporting. That was maybe a couple weeks ago, and they both got fired yesterday. Which ticks me off. My town never makes the bigger news outlets unless the rare unspeakable event happens. Grumble.
Fireplace. I hadn't heard, so I emailed my friend who was the editor of our local Patch. Email bounced, so I'm guessing he was one of the ones axed. That sucks.
Since nobody's supervising our Patch and the other local ones, nobody's censoring the notes about how this sucks, and the fired editors are great.
Here is the NYT article about Patch: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/business/media/aols-struggling-patch-unit-has-more-layoffs.html?_r=1
Here is a blog piece, including a link to the audio "you're fired" conference call: http://jimromenesko.com/2014/01/29/hale-global-lays-off-patch-employees/
Oh Sue, that sounds unpleasant, to say the least. "Procedure" and delicate parts is not a good combination. Hope things are calmer than you expect this weekend.
This is just a day when not enough real work will happen. It just is. I promise my subconscious is working on things.
AW: daughter has another interview today! I'm prepping her (ha!) for what she might encounter as receptionist for an endoscopy clinic. Woo! It would actually be a fine job for now; literally steps from the BART station, and her dad works a couple blocks away. Also, it's a job!
YAY Kathy's daughter!
Talked to friend from Patch. He hated working there, never got enough resources to actually report on things. He's happy with his severance. Now he gets to work on a book.
Yeah, Patch has always been shoestring, but it just blasted past shoestring into oblivion. Good there is a severance.
Early report is: interview went really well! (Been there before, but fingers firmly crossed.)
(((sue and hubby))))
((((QWP and hubby)))
W: frustrating day at school. may have made a mistake and kind of vented to the principal while asking advice. not sure it was smart. hope it wasn't really really dumb.
W/AW? not sure that NB is being bullied....doesn't sound like it.....just sounds like there are not very many kids he relates to there. (he was, in kindergarten, but I don't think so now) Did I mention he now has a pink streak in his hair (which I happen to think looks awesome and we all love!), loves math, plays 3 musical instruments....and is very very sweet temperamented (until only lately at home). Yeah, not a lot of common ground except with a few kids. anyway, we'll see......he was at school today and has only (!) had one meltdown since coming home....
--Neighbor Lady
Fingers crossed for your daughter's interview kathy!
Fingers crossed for NB. Whatever, it sounds like a tough patch.
Thanks, Kathy!
Fingers crossed for your daughter here too!
--NL
Oh, NB, I guess it doesn't help to tell you that everyone will think you are AWESOME in college, huh? Sorry he's having trouble.
Yay for good interviews.
AW: Sweet's teacher (who I think is in the dark about Sweet's history and age) says, "She's doing great! I think she's ready for kindergarten!" Yay.
W: Ugh. Multiple meltdowns this morning, over such egregious errors as: expecting her to eat breakfast and use a non-customary milk cup. Yesterday afternoon was no better. Going to the potty seemed to help, as did actually eating the fireplacing breakfast. Sigh. It was not a pretty morning here.
((esperanza))
--NL
((esperanza))
--NL
Esperanza, it's a pretty good thing we all do mornings at home instead of out there in public. xoxo
Seriously. Who invented mornings, anyway?
Nomination for Mullet -- Esperanza.
Mornings are definitely for chumps, I'm telling you. (((esperanza)))
Yeah, NB definitely sounds like someone who will be well received when he gets older. It's hard to hear that now, of course. (Except that it did make a difference to me, when I was in grade 7 and really struggling with the girls in my grade, my teacher sat me down and said, "Soon you'll be at the big high school. You'll be join activities and make like - minded friends, and you'll never have to talk to any of these people again, if you don't want to." It helped me, and turned out to be true.)
AW: at least E had a good day, even though Mr. Q and I felt awful. For the first time ever, she was super cooperative with my mother for naptime, and had her proper afternoon nap at my parents' house. Such a weight off my shoulders. All she needs is a bottle of warm milk, her bunny, and a rocking chair. (My parents moved their wooden rocking chair into the room where E sleeps!)
W: my faaaaaaace. It huuuuuurts. It's haaaaaard to wooooork. (How's that for whining?)
People, the steroid cream is working. THE STEROID CREAM IS WORKING!!
QWP, that is an excellent whine.
Yay for the cream! It's like magic, no?
QWP, that's the kind of style and passion we like to see around here. ;)
(((NL))) - sorry about the rough time NB is having.
esperanza - agreed about the whole Morning Thing. Ugh. I hope the rest of the day is better.
QWP - most excellent whineage. So sorry about you and Mr. Q feeling so awful.
I'm so glad the cream is working Liz!! Yay!!
NB has a lot going for him! As time goes by, he will definitely find more people who appreciate who he is and what he does.
One thing I remember from first year of college is discovering that all these cool, talented, smart, funny people felt like they didn't fit in, when they were in high school and middle school. Even the people who outwardly conformed and "passed" as the big people on campus!
I think part of it is that kids tend to be insecure, and thus more brutal, judgmental, petty, etc. And maybe rigid -- not very open to the breadth of wonderfulness in other people. Or to re-evaluating how they might have pigeon-holed someone. Or to new experiences that don't necessarily fall into the "everyone knows this is cool" category.
So, for NB and everyone -- here is a memory of Pete Seeger.
And for NL and everyone, here is something about how teachers can keep an eye out for kids who might fall through the cracks socially. But I read it more broadly -- that we all can keep our eyes out for others, look for opportunities to support and protect them, look to set up new connections.
Thank you so much, Kathy a!!! I absolutely love the one about the teacher! Brought tears to my eyes. I will share the one about Pete Seeger with NB.
--NL
I just want there to be 100 comments. So now there are.
Ha! I just came here to do the same thing. So, now there are 101.
W: You guys, the fire alarm went off in our building during supper yesterday, and we had to bundle up the baby, grab the most necessary things (with the spectre of a recent fatal apartment fire in our memories), and go hang out in our running car (below -30C windchills!) while the firefighters came. And we were all sick!
AW: false alarm. Thankful everyone and everything is safe. And I got to know my next door neighbour and her little two year old son, as we invited them to come and sit in our car with us. (Her husband had their car, and wasn't back from work yet.)
AW: Mr. Q took Li'l E to his parents' house for the WHOLE DAY, so that I can write!
QWP -- glad it was only a false alarm, but that's terrible! Not only scary, but the brutal cold could be deadly.
Yay for grandparents!
W: my beloved has gone to his sister's storage unit to clear more things out and bring them home. He plans to put some appliance or another *in our bedroom*. I know he is tired of paying the storage fees for things she will never use again, but we are totally going in the wrong direction on the goal of reducing household clutter.
Keep whining! Awards later today!
It's a miracle! Whining works! The rental van did not come back in time, so he gave up on moving more of SIL's stuff to our overstuffed house.
QWP - I'm glad everything was okay - what a terrible scare, especially in those temperatures.
kathy a - thank goodness for the late rental van return. If the goal is to sell the appliances, is there a way for the new owner to pick up at the storage unit instead of your place?
Well, that would be the smart thing to do. I am fine paying the rental until we have time to figure this out. But it is not time for a marital spat, so I'm glad the rental van didn't show.
Do we have a "Saturday Night Venting About Problems You Could Never Talk To People You Know In Real Life Because It Would Get Extremely Awkward Very Quickly" blog around here too? I may be in need of one of those.
Wait, isn't that what this is? I think you can feel free to vent here on Saturday nights, too!!
:)
Neighbor Lady
ps because, really, many of these whines would be awkward in real life....that's one reason I love this place
I think that's in our charter, Andy.
kathy a, I want to know how one schedules marital spats.
Go ahead Andy!! Awards may not arrive after all, son's bday activities have delayed things
Feel free, Andy. Even if only an award thread is open, you can whine any time.
Esperanza, I meant I can choose to push "you need to get rid of your sister's stuff" now or later. The whole crazy-sister-world-of-mess makes him very tense, and he barks when he's tense. I'm strung rather tightly myself, what with Big Thing. So, later it is.
Liz, happy birthday to MM!
No awards needed. Life comes first! Thanks for hosting.
Yeah, I kind of love it when the conversation just keeps going til the next week. I miss the thread on the days right before Wednesday, because I definitely still feel whiny those days.....
:)Neighbor Lady
Happy Birthday MM!
--NL
Thank you for dispensation on awards, let's just keep going, and I'll try to get some up on Thursday!!!
Not even a whine, actually, just a weird situation I'm not sure how to handle at the moment. Kelli (my wife) told me yesterday that she thinks we should have an open marriage. The backstory: I told her from the start that I'm not so much a firm believer in monogamy, which has always made her and pretty much anyone else I've ever said that to uneasy, but she said she wouldn't be able to deal with that and I told her I could be monogamous, sure, no problem, just wasn't the default setting.
So, the brief history of Andy's Marital Problems goes like this: I do not have a very high sex drive, she does, this leads to her having feelings of inadequacy on top of her low self-esteem and panic disorder symptoms, leading to her having a nervous breakdown of sorts and cheating on me a couple times, but we get back together and patch things up except the whole episode, combined with some day-to-day lapses in judgment on her part and a major depressive episode that lasted a year over which she didn't do anything at all and I took care of her 100% left me feeling like I have a dependent instead of a partner, and dependents are simply not sexy. This has effectively killed whatever chemistry we had left.
So, after another year of a barely there sex life, I guess she feels she can't take this anymore, but wants to stay married to me, which I understand because I feel completely the same way. The only hang up is that she has always maintained she wouldn't be comfortable with this and I'm not sure how it will affect her, especially since if I become interested in other women it will feel like I am sexually rejecting her for others, which isn't a million miles from the truth.
Throughout the whole conversation, I have Admiral Ackbar yelling "It's a trap!" into one ear, while in the other ear I hear this exchange from Arrested Development:
Tobias: You know, Lindsay, as a therapist, I have advised... a number of couples to explore an open relationship where the couple remains emotionally committed but free to explore extramarital encounters.
Lindsay: Well, did it work for those people?
Tobias: No, it never does. I mean, these people somehow delude themselves into thinking it might, but... but it might work for us.
Basically, I think I am going to not do anything, which is easy since I do not know of anyone who wants to have sex with me at the moment, and see if she follows through with this. If she does and it helps her out, great. If not, then we go back to how we are now, which is not the greatest but workable, I figure.
(((Andy)))
I suggest couples counseling. Open marriages almost never work. And it sounds to me like she's really not in a good place to try it, even if it were something both of you wanted.
((( Andy )))
(((Andy))) I second Liz's suggestion for couples counselling. With your specific history together, with the lost trust and the cheating, an open marriage is more likely to harm than to help. We're here for support, Andy.
Couples counseling sounds like a good idea. The whole situation sounds pretty stressful at present.
Ack! Big thing tomorrow! panic panic, fret fret. I dislike the period of dreadful anticipation before something happens (that could go badly). I need to pretend/remember it is like other things I've done, in some ways.
((Andy))
((kathy a))
W: remember "I want to be your friend" woman? She is the wife of hubby's colleague at the church. She is expecting a baby in early May. I had this thought today that someone (ugh, me) should do a baby shower, since they're new and she (clearly) doesn't have many friends yet. I had resolved to do so, and asked at the church office, where I found out...
AW: someone is already organizing one! All I'll have to do is pitch in.
Such a good AW, Esperanza!
(((((Andy))))))
Kathy - the pixies have your back. Picture all of us sitting in the gallery with signs that say "kathy rocks!"
esperanza - awesome AW!
Andy, I do know of successfully poly relationships but I also know of some really dreadful ones (kind of like most "normal" marriages too). The one rule that is nearly universally acknowledged is: Do not open up a troubled relationship.
Some great resources on how to do polyamory safely and ethically are here: http://www.morethantwo.com/polytips.html The whole web site is good with respect to boundaries and communication between partners. If you ever want to chat offline, I think my email is in my profile.
Really want to third (or fifth) the suggestion to seek counseling. This does not sound like a healthy relationship right now. Lots of hugs. xoxoxo
(((Andy)))
(((Kathy a.))))) You can do it!!!!!
W: tantrums worsening,but only happen at home. don't know how to help. want to cry.
that was me, above
--NL
oh, NL--this is NB, right? Though it helps little, that means that home is the place he feels safe enough to let it all out. Hugs for the mama.
(((NL))) That's so rough, NL.
W: we're all sick with bad colds, now. My chapter is a few days late now, and I'm trying not to freak out about what this means for my prospects for finishing the whole thing.
AW: at least, with her being tired and sick, E hasn't been waking up before 6am?
(((NL))) I hope things settle for you and NB really soon.
QWP - ugh - writing is hard work, even more so when one's head is full of bad cold Goo. Bleh. Here's hoping for a fast recovery!
QWP, sorry you're still (again?) sick. When you have to add a ? to your AW, it's not a very good sign!
Mr E is sick. Either he is a bad patient, or I am a bad nurse, or both.
((( NL )))
Kathy a.--how did the big thing go????
Have been thinking about you all day!
--NL
Thanks everyone for all the hugs!!
Big Thing is over! And it went OK, really -- much much better than I feared. whew. There is something going on with the Big People that we didn't anticipate, and that's an interesting development.
Nice dinner with my sister; we're staying over in this town tonight, and I plan to collapse pretty soon. Unless I get this second win.
A lot of sickness going around. Get better, everyone. There's also been an outbreak of something on my unit. This all happens the week after all that chemically altered non-melting snow fell. Coincidence? I think not. I blame Obamacare.
Personally, my marital weirdness continues to trump pretty much all other concerns. But rather than rehash all that, can I whine about my newest dog? He's half housebroken. He sits up and tells you when he needs to go out, and then stops on the way to the door to pee on some piece of furniture.
Andy -- that there sounds like a "mostly outdoor and in the garage unless closely supervised" dog. ymmv. A lot of more into-it dog owners would recommend training -- which in this case might consist of you running along with a pad or something to catch the pee before things get really exciting.
Andy, you have done a good deed for the day: reinforced my no-puppy commitment. The other three members of the family gang up on me regularly. Good thing it's not a democracy. Thank you for your support. (And your first paragraph made me snort out loud).
W: teh fireplacing cancer. You may remember my little buddy Waylon? Age 3 when he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, will be 6 in May. He's been undergoing different treatments all along, and the disease has been responding to treatment (which is not usually the case with this particular cancer). He has tolerated everything pretty well up to this point. There are still remnants of cancer, and it is aggressive enough that the doctors are not comfortable leaving it alone even for a few weeks without treatment. So, he's off to St Jude's in TN for a super aggressive antibody therapy (that's the best explanation I can muster) probably starting next week. They've warned his parents that it will make him very sick and he will not even feel like keeping up with schoolwork. He and mom will be going; twin sister and dad will be staying. Sucks.
Yay, Kathy a. Glad your Big Thing went well!
AW!!!!! Snow Day!!!!!!!!!!
Thank goodness.
Was up at 4:30 and they hadn't called school off. But, no snow either so was afraid they wouldn't. But they did, and now 4 hours later we have almost 5 inches already and more coming. So so so glad I am home with my own not-so-wee-ones, rather than ending up getting stuck overnight at school .
:)
oh, ok I do have one old-school whine. my hands are chapped, and the skin on the top of my thumb right near the nail split a bit. it's only painful if I touch anything.
Neighbor Lady
Oh, Esperanza. That poor kid. Thinking of him and his family.
Ouchie, NL!
Yay kathy a!!!!!!! I'm glad The Big Thing is over for now. I hope you had a great evening with your sister. You deserve an Epic Nap/Hibernation after all this.
Sorry about the puppy pee Andy. I have no advice - around here we just have litter box duty.
(((esperanza))) fireplacing cancer. Thinking of the boy and his family. How awful.
Yay for a snow day NL!! I wish!!! We have had a metric butt load of snow this year, but alas, no snow days. Sigh.
W: I'm off to conduct the first of two funeral services this week. It's about -30C this morning. By the time we get to the cemetery, it might be as warm as -25. There is no place colder in winter or warmer in summer than a cemetery.
AW: That part of the day is very brief. Five minutes, tops.
um...I've always wondered...can they actually dig a hole to bury the casket when the ground is frozen?
And I forgot to say YAY, kathy a, for accomplished Big Things.
Esperanza: they sure can. It's hard to dig by hand, but mechanical diggers have no trouble. In fact, even though it's been extremely cold this week, construction crews are still digging foundations for houses in my neighbourhood. The real trouble is for the poor people working (and attending burial services) outside!
And so many hugs about your little friend. Fireplacing cancer indeed.
Kathy a: Hooray for being done with Big Thing!
My watch somehow was 20 minutes behind today -- fortunately not yesterday!! So, I missed my train home. Have time to kill in a st@rb00ks.
Daughter had another interview yesterday, and yay!
Health whine for myself. Small bump in the roof of my mouth since before Thanksgiving. Hurt initially, but then was just a bump. Showed it to the dentist a few weeks ago. He said come back in a month and we'll look at it again. Now it's a weird bump with something sharpish inside it. Splinter like? cartilage? what the heck? You should not google that, by the way. Appointment in two weeks. If the dentist doesn't know what it is, he's sending me to the oral surgeon, which gives me insurance anxiety more than anything else.
Eeeps, Esperanza! But a sharp thing is not a good thing; and maybe it will be covered. Oral surgeon offices are VERY good at finding the insurance, so ask what they think.
yeah, I was hoping to avoid an oral surgeon all together, but this sharp thing needs to go. (My dental insurance has a $1000 LIFETIME maximum. Can that be right? It seems ridiculous).
((esperanza))) about both the fireplacing cancer, and the mouth owie. A $1000 lifetime maximum??? Maybe that is the most YOU have to pay and then the rest is covered??
Here's hoping....
--Neighbor Lady
((esperanza))) about both the fireplacing cancer, and the mouth owie. A $1000 lifetime maximum??? Maybe that is the most YOU have to pay and then the rest is covered??
Here's hoping....
--Neighbor Lady
Esperanza -- it could be that this is considered a medical procedure, not dental. Oral surgeons are not there to do tooth cleaning or cavity filling. My last couple oral surgery visits (doesn't that sound jolly?) were for these black things in my mouth, which turned out to be harmless age spots but in any event were covered by my medical insurance. Just sayin', ask.
Or to be more clear -- this isn't a tooth extraction, either. Your MD might reasonably refer you to an oral surgeon for this exact problem. It's just that dentists more often look at stuff in the mouth. Medical insurance plans have protocols about these kinds of things, and it would be good to find out.
yeah. I thought of that too. there don't seem to be any oral surgeons in my medical insurance network, though (completely separate company from dental insurance. I know.) I will find out before I actually have to go see one, for sure.
I have a theory...we'll see if I'm right....as a youngster, I had an orthodontic torture device (er, appliance) called a rapid palate expander. It stretched my upper palate, and cartilage filled in the gaps. Just as pleasant as it sounds. I'm wondering if it is related to the current issue.
OK, so here's an AW. Long tortured backstory about one of my sisters becoming a horrible bitch [many occasions over many years and events], and me scooting the hell away from that. And blah blah, but she has reached out and apologized for some stuff, and she came to my Big Thing, was a big booster, and we had dinner and stayed over in a hotel. And, it was good.
YAYYYYYY, Kathy a.!!!!!!!
I love your AW.
I had a recent reconciling of sorts with my sister too, on a dreaded visit that turned out to be one of the best experiences ever. She was great with my kids, we had a great time, and now email and keep in touch. So nice. So very happy for you.
:)
Neighbor Lady
I've been thinking about you and your sister, Kathy. I'm glad it went well.
Teen Daughter turns 16 on Sunday! She wants to celebrate by having friends stay the weekend and invite them to the soup kitchen to volunteer with church on Sunday.
I feel a bit like Miranda's Home for Fostered Teens.
My job continues to annoy but I think that I am being taken more seriously based on some things going on. My team is starting to come around (seriously, this team was assembled by deciding who didn't fit elsewhere) and that means I may only have to take action against maybe one.
The church committee from heck (CCfH) continues to live up to its name. I understand the CCfH will be restructured in the future but the real issue is the membership composition this year. I have honestly spent a ridiculous amount of time dealing with the situation and I have decided to simply ignore most of the emails. The governing council/minister can take care of things at this point. The matter is not life or death and I have reached out to those I feel have been affected. They all understand what is going on and my day job is to deal with dysfunction - it can't be my volunteer world too.
I have found myself thinking about the aging process and what to do when it starts to affect cognitive abilities during all of this.
Retreat is still unplanned. It's not making life easy on me since I am the liaison between the state youth board and the congregation (despite not being a formal member of either the youth board or the youth ministry program!) Someone else is supposed to handle food which is already hitting snags. My mental choice for this was not selected and I may see if she would want to help out because I need to know something is going to be done well.
Family Member with Legal Issues has a trial date for next month. The pretrial was Tuesday.
Parent teacher conferences last night for Teen Daughter were a hoot. Despite her lackluster grades, she is being recruited for quiz bowl, newspaper, marketing club, and business professionals club. Her teachers all love what makes her unique and special. I love her teachers and want to make sure she does more academic enrichments to round out her activities. I'm working with her school counselor, too. They are all so invested in making her school world the best place it can be for her. What a difference from last year.
I find myself dating semi-seriously again. He and I have a few compatibility issues but the good far outweighs bad at this point. The biggest issue is the fact I am religious and he is anti-religious. I am not fazed by this but I know it is a huge deal for him. We will see. There are so many other things that work well between us.
NL - I hope things calm down. My youngest is 12 and it is a hard age. It gets better.
esperanza - I hope the mouth fix is easy and painless. Or as easy and painless as these things go.
esperanza, sorry about the mouth ouchie! Ouch!
Yaaaaay kathy - so glad about your visit with your sister. It sounds like it was a wonderful reunion.
NL - I'm glad you've reconnected with your sister too! Yay!!!
Oh Miranda, what a lot you have on your plate. I applaud your daughter's teachers for recognizing her gifts, and your daughter for planning the Best Sleepovers Ever.
On the church front - Gah!!! Church dysfunction is unlike any other in that it is all cloaked in a heavy coat of Nice. Sometimes the only thing to do is walk away from a particular Dysfunction Vortex until it has run its course.
W/AW: I was right about the cemetery. The full force of the deep-freeze and wind hit us quickly, so I skipped a few readings, said the words of commendation, quick prayer and we were back in our warm vehicles in record time. I'm guessing we were under 5 minutes. :)
Sue: I'm sure everyone who was at the burial thanks you for keeping it under five minutes, at those temperatures. The day of my grandmother's funeral (six years ago) was about -40, and none of us wish we had had more time to linger at the graveside that day.
Miranda: I'm seriously impressed with your daughter's birthday plans. And I think that you're wise to keep a bit of distance from the church dysfunction vortex.
esperanza: ouch! I hope that both your mouth issues and the insurance are worked out easily.
Kathy a: I'm so glad. I've been thinking about you, with your Big Thing and your time with your sister.
AW: I'm SO CLOSE to being finished this chapter. Please, Li'l E, nap well today, because your mother is nearly a week past her deadline.
W: Thursday is normally the day when my parents help with E, but my mom is hesitant about taking E outside, since she's still sick, and doesn't really want to have another day where she's away from her own home. So, I suspect I'll only have naptimes for writing time today.
Guilt: I feel like I'm approaching E's cold more in terms of how it's inconvenient that she's sick when I'm busy.
Wow, Miranda! A plateful indeed. Your daughter's birthday plans are AWESOME! And it is wonderful she is being recognized and encouraged.
Crossing fingers about family member in legal trouble, and sending hugs -- know that is nerve-wracking and upsetting and worrisome and etc. all at the same time. xoxo
Sue -- good call on making the cemetery visit small and mighty and quick.
QWP -- crossing fingers for naptime -- you're almost there! All I can say about the guilt is that everybody with kids has been there; but your baby will know you love her even when sometimes you need to do something besides devoting full attention to her, every single second.
AW: Daughter appears to be beginning as manager of a small pet supply store in a cute upscale town, in a couple weeks! Woo hoo!!! She loves pets! This is a friendly town, very pet-friendly, and we know people there! It is nearby! The owner was talking about getting her ideas for marketing, etc., which is exciting. YAY!
Kathy a: !!! Hooray for Daughter! I know that this is a really big deal for you guys, and that she's had such a rough time with the job market. Management! The owner respecting her ideas! That's lovely.
AW: my Mom called up and said that she was on her way over to help, even though I didn't ask her to help today. I'm holed up in my bedroom, with headphones in, and am preparing to do one last big push to finish. (I'm about a page and a half away from this thing being long enough!)
Go QWP, go!!!!
Yay, Kathy a. for daughter's job!!!!!! Hooray!!!!!!!
W:: Met with my mentor today who confirmed I am behind by about two weeks.....hope I get all the curriculum in by the end of the year. When your mentor says she's stressed for you, it's probably not good.....
sigh.
AW: my mentor is awesome, though, so I guesss I probably needed to hear some of the things she said
--Neighbor Lady
Oh, NL, Mr. Q has been there. It's a really common problem when you're starting off. You can get them caught up, and I'm rooting for you!
AW: 31 pages long, and it's basically all written! Now I just need to insert some quotes and proofread.
W: E didn't nap at all this afternoon, and now she's a frantic whirlwind.
Yay QWP!!!
Yay kathy's daughter!!! Wow, but that has been a long haul.
NL, it'll be fine.
QWP, we have a frantic whirlwind-er when she's tired too. Grit teeth and put her in bed is the best I can manage, usually.
W: Sweet has treated me like pook all day today, and been charming to all other adults in her life. Hi, teenager who is only 6.
W: Done with winter. Just done.
Everybody's kid is worse for them than they are for the entire rest of the universe. It's a rule, or something.
QWP, you're there!
NL, you're almost there! It is so great you have this mentor -- I'm sure you heard a lot of encouragement and tips, along with the blast of "here's where things are."
Before college, I think that ALL of my teachers were in this rush the last part of the school year. Like, US history would get fast and cursory from the beginning of WWII onward; never got to the last chapters of math books; planned reading would disappear from English classes. You still have a few months to work with, so you can hit the high points at least!
I need to keep a notebook handy while I read through the comments so I can congratulate/commiserate more efficiently.
Kudos for the short outside service, Sue!
Congrats on avoiding Church Drama and for semi-serious dating, Miranda!
Keep writing, QWP!
Get feeling better, Esperanza!
Congrats on sister reconciliations, offspring employment, and Big Thing accomplishments, Kathy A!
Exclamation marks all around!
W: Had a long talk with Kelli last night. She thinks our marriage has run its course. The last few years have been a roller coaster at best, but I never really lost hope that it would get fixed. I think 'devastated' might be the proper descriptor for my mood over the last 24 hours. So, hooray for antidepressants.
((( Andy ))) Oh, my friend. That's terrible. xoxox
Oh, Andy. I'm so sorry. A clear answer, but not what you were hoping for. Hugs. So sad.
((((Andy)))) I'm so very sorry.
--NL
Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, Andy. ((((Andy)))) We're here to support you.
(((Andy)))
((((Andy))) I'm so very sorry.
W: Too busy to check in much at WW!!
AW: Thank you Liz for keeping last week's whine going this week. I was supposed to host this week and would have done a woeful job of it.
I will do a better catch-up after the weekend, which includes another memorial service tomorrow, a sermon and Annual meeting on Sunday, and heaven knows what else.
Sue, hope the weekend goes smoothly, and things settle down next week!
Diva report: we got an assorted case of fancy wet food. The cats hate the seafood types. AW: donation bin.
A classic Sweet whine: yesterday, I got griped out good about not fixing waffles for breakfast. She says she requested them; I don't know if she did or not, I was kinda sleep-walking. I made her eat what I fixed. Today, I make waffles. Gripes and refuses to eat them because it's not what she wanted. Gonna be a long day around here.
Oh, my! Would it work to offer a couple choices the night before, and stick with the choice? (Like picking and laying out the outfit the night before, to cut down on morning angst?)
I was going to say we never did anything as fancy as waffles on a weekday, but then I remembered daughter's waffle phase, when we always kept a box of toaster waffles in the freezer. [whatever works.]
oh, she gave in and ate them eventually. And they are not fancy. Waffles I make ahead of time in a big batch, then keep in the freezer. Heat them in the toaster.
Go, Mama! xoxo
Yay Daughter A and her new job. Extra cheers to Kathy A and her Beloved for surviving. It sounds like a fabulous opportunity. Huzzah!
((Andy))
So...I am going to be in Mordor the entire work week before the retreat. Someone please clone me.
Oh my, that sounds busy, Miranda!
AW: The Chapter has been submitted! I hardly know what to do with myself. (So far, I'm laying on the couch, and then tomorrow I pick up and start working on the next chapter, which is due in three weeks!)
Doing the happy dance, QWP!
Best snow day message evah.
That is an awesome message.
Roller-coaster day. I was told I'm being laid off in a week, but then earned a reprieve through the power of my mad proof-reading skillz. I will be using my talents to make all the myriad documents consistent with one another in style and content. This will take at least a month.
Moral of the story: my job security was based on my serious discussions at work about the serial comma, whether or not to put two spaces after a period, and the ridiculousness of typos on posters for literacy fairs.
omg, liz. that's -- a lot for one day. glad you are not laid off after all!
That is bizarre, Liz. But does this mean you're out of a job when you finish the editing task? Maybe it could take a loooooonnng time. Sorry for such a stressful day.
Yay QWP!!!! WooHoo!!
Miranda, a clone would be good. That's going to be busy.
Liz - saved by the serial comma!!! I'm glad you got a reprieve, but that's a lot to process emotionally.
W: I desperately need a sermon. I looked back to the one I preached on the same text three years ago. Don't like it. Now I have to decide which will take more time - patching something together from the old one, or hurting my brain trying to come up with something new. Until then, I'm doing laundry, petting the cat, checking the interwebs and generally wasting time until the funeral this afternoon.
AW: Next week I get a stat holiday for Family Day!
It always takes more time for me to rework an old one, and leads to more dissatisfactory results. YMMV.
Yay for holidays.
I found a compromise. I took the (few) gems from the old one and then leaned heavily into the highlights from a report issued this week by the national church. We have our Annual meeting after worship, so it fits.
I'm almost done. Only a few more translations to do. From the Greek? From the Hebrew? NO. From the absurd Church-Speak in the report.
Seriously, this was in there - "out of mundane spaces to ground change in the transformative spaces of connection with God."
Can I hear a "WTF?" please?
WTF. Amen. That there is seriously impenetrable language.
Excellent compromise. I'm a fan of plucking gems to illustrate.
Another Big Thing just popped up for next month -- it's like whack-a-mole! But I'm not the point person this time, and this is a Big Thing that I spent a lot of time on and know a lot about. So, I can be part of the loyal prep team. Yay!
I am uncompromisingly pro-serial comma (which I always called the Oxford comma), pro-two spaces after a period (I know this is supposedly outdated, but I tried both ways and found two reads easier for me), and anti-typos on literacy fair posters. Did I pass the test?
Thumbs up, Andy!
For the record, I agree with Andy.
:) NL
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