Welcome, 2016! So long, old year.

What else is new at your house?

Slower Than Christmas Whining

I have it on good authority that Christmas will never come; alternatively, it will take forever to get here.

If you are a whining pixie that does not celebrate Christmas, I'm the tiniest bit jealous right now.

What are your whines? Bring 'em! Large or small, complex or simple, we'll take them all!

The long long list of things not yet done....

Catching up on sleep and becoming human after all the excitement of last week!

However, partial list of sad behind-ness for upcoming festivities:

• No cards out yet.
• No menu, nevermind shopping.
• Not much done on stockings, which I adore and do every year.
• No tree.  No decorations, except giant ornaments my husband hung in the front yard.
• Must line up junk person to haul off some of the excess furniture, so there is room for our own furniture and a tree.  Then must move furniture we're keeping.
•  No presents yet.  Only plan small ones, but still. 
•  No cleaning extravaganza yet. 

 Well, hey.  There are still 10 days, right?

Sending protective anti-illness brainwaves to all!

What's going on in your neighborhood?

Lazy Monday Whining

Good Morning Pixies,

It's a quiet day around here. There are roughly ten gazillion things I could be doing today, but I need a day off more than I need to ___________ (insert holiday/cleaning activity here).

What's up with you???

It's Beginning to Look a Lot....Gloomy

Yuck, pixies. The weather here is dreary and drizzly and blech. Yes, we are spoiled. I'm not going to tell you the "cold" temperature that we are suffering.

A bit of Family Togetherness Overload Syndrome from Thanksgiving. When we arrived home Saturday, we all retreated to our respective corners for introvert time.

Mr. E is returning to the Big D on Thursday. Friday would have been his nephew's 15th birthday, and the family is gathering to eat pizza at nephew's favorite place and support nephew's dad/Mr. E's brother.

So, we are taking any and all ideas for fun in the midst of gloomy/missing Daddy. I have my eye on our town's Christmas festival on Saturday. And I discovered a cardboard build-your-own-nativity in a box the other night, so we may do that. We also could make the annual gingerbread cookies, though it's a little early.

Thanksgiving (U.S.)

This is the start of the festive holiday "overload" season!  We'll be open 24/7 for all of your whining and anti-whining needs!

Featured this week:
*  Recipe sharing welcome!
*  Stupid pet tricks!
*  Stupid people tricks!
*  Things I'm thankful for.

We're going to the kinda-in-laws again, a big semi-chaotic feast.  I'll be taking along veggies and dip, a savory sweet potato gratin (this time w/o sausage, since son's GF no longer eats meat), and because the gratin will only have a pint or so of heavy cream, chocolate mousse for a dessert.  One year there were 3 pumpkin pies, so I'm going bold with chocolate.

This morning, I'm finishing 3 chunks of work.  Two are done!  As you can see, it is already break time, because the last piece is so boring complex and important.  It could change the entire way this problem is viewed, or (more likely) simply stun the reader into a deep lethargy.

Fortunately, I have substantial help from my office assistant, Minerva, who is sitting atop the filing cabinet so as to keep a close watch on any shenanigans that other animals might try outside the window.  It's a thankless job, but somebody has to do it.

What's up with you?

From the trenches...

Send your reports!  The whines and anti-whines, the big, the small, the silly, the icky.

Today is my beloved's birthday!  Once again, he will be older than me for the next 7 months.  We're going to dinner for 2 at a nice place; will do a larger dinner another time, when more of the family can come.  Our son remembered to call, but he forgot the date and called yesterday, which is probably just as well since he has night school after work today.  Daughter is off today, and baking cookies.  There is a giant basket of gourmet treats, which he can feast on at leisure. 

AW:  I mis-remembered the date something is due, and it's next week!  Still stuff to get done before then, but it feels like a gift.

Family:  My aunt is a genealogy freak -- I mean, she recently discovered that a woman from the House of David married some ancestor in the 700's, so we have all heard that we are actually part Jewish.  My aunt's youngest son lives near me, and we carpooled yesterday to the distant party for his older brother.  He thought the cousin whose funeral is this week (he recalls this cousin not at all) was some kind of uncle; did not know that his mom's mom and cousin Jim's mom were sisters.  Conclusion:  the family telegraph operates weirdly.

And how's by you?

Whine Central

It's been a tough couple of weeks here in Pixie-ville.  Our posses are tired from chasing after jerks and mean people. We ache for one another at the losses our beloved pixies are experiencing. So, dear Universe, enough already!!!

Here at Chez Sue, I've come to the end of my study leave week and will have my next non-preaching Sunday in late February. The very thought of it is exhausting. I'm not sure why that feels so overwhelming - it's the same every year - but tonight it's very big and looming. *sigh*

AW: My sister is coming to visit next weekend. Plans are in place from Thursday night to Monday morning.

W: The thing is, of all the four sisters, I'm the only one still working....so, there's that. Still, it will be great to see her when I can. (wow, that's whiny)

What's new in your world???

All the news that's fit to print!

ELECTION:  The fabulous Doorbell Queen, our own LIZ, is nearing this week's election.  Sending powerful good-luck and get-out-the-vote vibes from around the intertubes!!  Passing the chocolate; chilling the champagne.

WEATHER:  It rained all night, the first real rain of the season (which started in July)!  This amount of rain might be meh news elsewhere, but we sure need it.

WILDLIFE:  Due to the rain, The Man dressed in office clothes instead of his usual bicycling clothes (dry weather means he rides to work), and the dog was so confused that she just decided to wait on the bed for his imminent return.   Minerva the cat is going to the vet today!  She's the one we can catch, and daughter is taking her.  It's probably no biggie, a lump that doesn't seem to bother her -- but she hasn't met our vet since she was adopted.

What's the report from your neighborhood?

Bok bok bok

Feral chicks

It's still Monday morning early afternoon here, and today is pecking me to death already!   Apparently, there is a blue light special on work-related emotional breakdowns (not mine, this time), two for the price of one.  On the other hand, I got some tedious but informative work done this weekend, which feels very virtuous.

Food news:  The new Thai place is good!  And very nearby!  This restaurant space has had a few loser years since the Mexican place closed -- the last incarnation was (I think) Chinese, but they kept the curtains closed and didn't post a menu; and the restaurant before that was all tofu.  And I have no real objection to tofu, except that never in my life have I thought, "Oh, I'm just dying for some tofu!"

Wildlife news:  My cat Polly, a feral rescue foster kitten who never became social enough for adoption, has not allowed anyone to pet her in the last 8 years.  She slept by my feet last night.  And in a true breakthrough, she put her little head by my leg; and then she let me pet her with my foot!  She even turned her head so my foot could rub the other side!  I know, this sounds underwhelming, but trust me, it is HUGE. 

Weather report:  Dry dry dry dry.  Rain expected Wednesday, then dry dry dry.  They keep promising us this El Nino, but one day does not a drought cure.  Hugs to our Texas contingent, because lately, they've gotten rather more than is useful.  

Political news:  GO, LIZ!  

What's the news up your way?

Aloha was so last week....

Back to the grindstone this week.  Pretty soon now.  Any minute.  I swear!

To our Canadian Pixies, may the voting go your way today.  There is a certain amount of jealousy that y'all are at the end of the campaign season, whereas the Pixies to the south are expected to endure another entire fireplacing year of breathless daily updates and urgent pleas regarding the big national election.

Meanwhile, GO LIZ!  I'm more and more convinced of the importance of state and local offices -- people often ignore them, but that's really where changes and improvements begin.  (And not paying attention is how we end up with whiffle-ball-for-brains candidates in high state and national offices.)

Back on the home front, our daughter did a splendid job of keeping the ship running.  The pets were a little miffed that their personal humans went missing, but all is forgiven.

Hugs to those dealing with sorrow, sickness, sadness, etc.

What's new with you?

Stuck at Home Whining

While *some* pixies (ahem, kathy a) are out enjoying a fabulous vacation, the rest of us are here at home, doing the same-old, same-old.

I got griped out this morning for throwing away a very valuable zip-top plastic bag, as well as for expecting a certain Baboo to consume her breakfast and get ready for school.

What are your whines, pixies?

Aloha!

Not leaving until Sunday.  So much to do this week -- like some albatross projects!

What's happening with you?

Apparently something happened to the Moon

Thanks to the Book of Faces, I've seen the fancy shmancy Moon. Last night though - not so much. Clouds, rain, fog...we had all of those, but no moon. I'll just have to get a night pass from the lovely senior village I'll be living in when it comes around again. :)

AW: Hubby's favourite cousin arrives in town tomorrow for a visit. We haven't seen her for several years, so we have lots to catch up on. We're both really looking forward to a few family dinners this week!

What's new with you?

Big, Small, Plus and Minus; Vent Right Here and Clear Your Sinus!

Am in an unreasonably cheerful mood today!  Maybe because I'm skipping a training thing (optional, anyway), and we survived the hottest day evah yesterday, and some events have persuaded me of the good and generous hearts of the universe.

Wildlife news:  [1] Anxious family members reported that Polly the cat had a bloody nose, but it turned out the other cat had swiped near her nose; [2] racoon pawprints in our garage, where the beast attended to washing up in the dog's water dish.  The pawprints are pretty darned funny, Polly's fine, and the cats have made up.

New dryer, all hooked up!  Garage marginally neater after all the moving stuff around.  Old dryer is sitting around making the side yard look like a junk yard for now, but the local recycling center will take it next weekend.  Yay!

On the menu:  Pasta salad with lots of veggies, bits of mozzarella, light oil/vinegar dressing, olives.  For some reason, I neglected to make this favorite all summer.  Cooking this morning, before it gets hot again.  (Less hot, I am told, than yesterday.)

Forecast:  They keep promising us an El Nino with lots of rain, but apparently no time soon.  There's yet another big fire near where my aunt used to live.  Enough, already.

Albatrossi:  Think this will be a quiet and possibly productive day, since everybody else is at the training that I'm ditching.

What's going on with you?

Whines, Whines, We Got Your Whines

It's the fourth week of school here. Both Baboos have sniffles but are well enough to go to school. I have some projects to work on, as well as the regular duties to keep the household running.

Whines: the state of the world.

How's it going for you?

September rolls around again

So, I guess most people are in back to school mode, others not. 

I accidentally went to the convenience store before noon, and even though the sign says "3 students at a time," there was about half a classroom in there, and that's a lot of energy for a small space.

All kinds of unbloggable things going on over here.  Sigh.  But the cats are cute, and the weather is on its way to cooling off.

How 'bout you?

It's Back-to-School TIme!

It's a Back-to-School Haiku!

The house is quiet
A disaster area
Baboos back at three

I have very little whining, because it is absolutely glorious to have time to my introvert self. What about you, pixies?

Waiting for the cable guy... And now, bonus week!

Pretty exciting morning -- the cable person is coming to check the wires, because I'm still having a small problem with the internet going out for a few minutes at a time (which I actually should have gotten checked out a few months ago).  Unlike certain appliance repair people, there is a 2 hour window instead of "sometime between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m."

Later, taking a sample to the vet.   Please do not be too jealous of the glamorous life.

What's happening with you?

Hot. It's Hot. It's Really Hot.

Well, there you have it. No shocker; it's August. But it's hot out there.

Baboos are at L3g0 Camp (yes, it's a thing) every morning this week, so that should help my mood considerably.

What are the whines from you, pixies? Spill the beans. And send some ice cubes.

Havin' a heat wave...

We usually don't get too hot here, but yesterday got hot.  No a/c.  The house barely cooled over the entire night.

On the up side, one giant albatross is almost finished!  Two more bits, then my editor can have at it.  This is making me happy!

What's new with you?

It's Summertime and the Whining is Easy!

Good morning pixies!

How is everyone doing on this summer morning? Thanks kathy for hosting for two weeks!

I've got hot coffee and fresh fruit to share this morning. It's my day off and it will be a quiet one. We've got some rain coming in from the west and I've got a good book to read, so that pretty much sums up the day for me.

What's happening with you?

Hippo birdie, Happy 4th, and then some...

I'm not particularly fond of big to-do's about birthdays, being well past 21 -- so my wish for today is that I not have to cook.  And I'm assurred that will happen!   Filling the dishwasher is probably still on me.  But my theory is also that a little random indulgence during the birthday week is not amiss.  

Today, some good professional news of a not-bloggable nature -- yay!  And, progress on the albatross.  Lovely, perfect weather.

Saturday, my town has its annual July 4 celebration and international music festival, and games, and booths from all causes, and arts and crafts, and food from everyplace.  This is one reason I seriously love our little town. 

What's happening up your way?

It's raining. Because, barbeque.

Good morning Pixies!

Yup, we're planning to bbq some burgers tonight. Cue the rain. Not a huge whine, however, because both MIL and FIL are feeling well enough to come to our place for a meal. That is wonderful!

What's up with you?

Hurricane Whining Party

OK, perhaps I exaggerate. It's just a "tropical wave," with an 80% chance of developing into a tropical storm. Headed right for our waterlogged state. Just an inch of rain yesterday triggered flash flood and river flood warnings, if that tells you how wet things are already. Sigh.

School does not start for another two months plus a week. But who's counting? Oh right. Me.

For Albatross #2, I have to give a report at a big meeting on Friday, as to why we are suspending our work. I do not anticipate this will be received well. (AW) My fellow albatross wranglers are an immense help in crafting what I will say.

How's the weather where you are? Kathy a, I wish I could send this tropical storm your way.

Whine away, pixies!

Operation Cat-lift

This morning, I finally got our cat Spot into the carrier and off to the vet.  He was VERY VERY UNHAPPY, but so terrified in the vet office that he was compliant with all the horrible nasty things going on there.  On arrival home, he hissed and immediately went into hiding, refusing to fall for that opening of the cat food can trick.  Nobody is trustworthy any more.

Long gloves for rose gardening, nicely coated with cat fur from petting sessions -- that was the ticket.

The vet thinks he has hyperthyroidism, because he eats everything in sight and begs for more, but is all skin and bones now, somewhere under 6 lbs.  We'll get the results tomorrow.  If the vet's right, he'll need thyroid meds.

That's our big adventure.  What's yours?

Low-frill bargain whining

Welcome to the weekly festivities!  Hope y'all have recovered from weekend fun, flooding, chunky meetings, and whatever else has been going on.

I ended up wasting most of the weekend, which was lovely except for I should have gotten more work done.  Back in the albatross saddle this week!

The entire last week has mostly been gloomy and chilly.  No rain.  Only a tiny bit of sun, a couple afternoons.  We're supposed to have overnight fog that burns off in the morning, this time of year -- e.g., perfect weather -- but the weather fairies are having some difficulty finding the rhythm.

My son's birthday is friday; he'll be off at a wedding in a distant part of the state.  (As a member of the wedding party!)  I find it impossible to believe he'll be 28.  That day is so clear in my memory.  A c-section was scheduled for the next week because of his position, but I started having a lot of contractions -- and I was in court trying to finish up one last case before my leave, and the judge kept calling everybody else's cases, which gave me a lot of opportunity to time contractions.  Finally my dear colleague (who was also seriously pregnant at the time) waddled on up to the bench and said, "Judge, if you don't call Kathy's case, you are going to witness the miracle of life right here in your courtroom."  That got him moving...  ;)

Come tell your stories of joy and woe!

I have "The Internet is Boring When Americans Have a Holiday" Blues

Anyone else out there? I'm half awake (5:35am wake up! Uff dah), but I'm here for some whining. So bring out your serious whines, your Old Skool whines, your anti-whines, and everything in between! It'll help keep me awake until bedtime.

Happy Birthday to Me Whining

That's right, my birthday is Wednesday, just in time for whining. (Who am I kidding, I whine all the time). Someone asked me yesterday if I was about 30. Sure....we'll go for that.

Blub. Blub. Blub. We have been drenched with rain, which is overall good. But 4 inches in 1.5 hours in the middle of the night, when the ground is already saturated is not so good. Streets and homes flooded in town. Expecting "minor" river flooding, though that was before this latest storm. People are really mad that the school district didn't delay school for a bit this morning. Lots of teachers not able to make it on time this morning, buses having a hard time getting through, etc.

And. My major whine is that Mini's Monday/Wednesday preschool is already out for the year. The Tuesday/Thursday preschool has only this week. Leaving a little too much Mama-Mini time until kindergarten is out *next* Friday. Sigh.

How's it for you, pixies?

Albatrossi, you're the one.

You make my typing time less than fun.
Albatrossi, I'll finish you up with glee!

Albatrossi, boy oh boyz,
When you squeeze me, I make noise.
Albatrossi, you are awfully mean to me.

~~~~~~~~
Yes, I'm stealing Esperanza's general theme.  It's that kind of week, no original thoughts percolating.

How 'bout with you?

Albatross #2 Whining: Return of Mr. Pompous Know-it-All

Well, the title really says it all. Committee member from Albatross #2 wants to invite Mr. PKiA to present his findings to us. Sigh. Mr. PKiA's schedule isn't meshing with our meeting, so we may have to schedule an additional meeting to accommodate him. I'm super thrilled about this.

I'm trying to use my last few weeks of freedom well. I'm kind of dreading summer (sorry, Neighbor Lady and KLee and other teaching types).

How's the whining going for you?

May Day, on its Way

I have no idea how that happened, 4 months gone by already in this new year!

AW/W:  Good trip with my beloved, although planning a weekend around a genocide makes for some emotional burden.  We saw baby geese, little yellow fluffy ones, and lots of them!  And a solar-powered Earth Day celebration, which was pretty festive despite the rain delay.  My husband was asking an awful lot of questions of somebody who converted his regular car to batteries; one can only hope he isn't preparing to begin a new hobby....  ;)

Pet report:  Spot the cat shall henceforth be known as Spot The Incorrigible.   He has never been much of an athlete, and until recently was quite shy; but today he got up on the counter (first time) and was attempting to eat some snack mix.  Last night, the dog got into a box of baked goods that my husband meant to take to the office today.  We actually do feed them appropriate food, and plenty of it!  Maybe they were upset that most of the staff just disappeared for a couple days?

Know the Pixies have things going on.  Do share.

Scotland, and other brave things

Sue is either headed for or has arrived in Scotland!  Hope the trip is wonderful.

Due to the press of stuff, I might be an inattentive host, and an award ceremony is uncertain.  But feel free to circulate the W's and AW's, and nominate others as appropriate.  :)

AW:  Polly, the very shyest of cats, a cat who does not permit humans to pet her, a cat so secretive that many people think she does not really exist -- Polly decided to try curling up with her lifelong fellow rescue cat, Spot, even though he was sleeping at the human's feet!!!  Over 7.5 years, my friends, for this amazing breakthrough. 

What's the news with youse?

Tax week, and other issues of modern life

U.S. taxes due on Wednesday.  Never a joyful event, except mine are in and I like some of what my money buys for the greater good.  Schools!  Infrastructure!  Stuff to help families!  Research!  I'm pretty sure there is some for puppies and rainbows, but none for unicorns.

Y'all can comment respectfully on political news if you want.  There is a lot of that, and all I want to say is GO, LIZ!  And I'm passing the popcorn, because it looks like there will be quite the show during the never-freakin-ending primary season; at least in some sectors.

Wildlife report:  cat on my desk, wanting my sandwich.

What's up with you?

Half Hearted Awards Show

Allergy medicine awards to all the sneezing, sniffling, itching Pixies.

A footstool and comfy chair to all still recovering from post-holiday meal preparation.

A good night's sleep to all still recovering from post-holiday traveling.

Hugs to KLee for working her way through an untenable work situation.

Hugs to kathy a for Teh Sad, and waiting hopefully for help from the doctor.

The posse will be gathering all the Pompous Know-It-Alls and subjecting them to silly internet "repost this or else" memes all day long.

Hooray for days off, sweet daughters, visits with grandma, cows, and kittens.

Great Yellow Clouds of Pollen Whining

For real, pixies, you can *see* the pollen in the air. Oak trees the culprit, switching over to pecan. Blech. Also, the humidity.

I have very little in the way of brain waves or thoughts that are completely formed this morning, so I'm just going to put this here so we can all whine together.

Quick Awards

We're heading North right now, and I don't know how much longer I'll be getting reliable days coverage, so: awards and hugs for everyone! Please, take some of my toddler's Easter chocolate!

New Week of Whining: Everyone's Conspiring Against Me

Pixies, I think my husband and toddler were conspiring against me last night. Here's how the night went down:

10:30: Mr. Q and I went to sleep.
2am: E shouts, "Mommy! All done!" Wha? (Silence after that. Of course it took me a bit to fall back to sleep.)
3:30: E shouts "Mom! Oh no!" She goes back to sleep. I start worrying that she's going to wake up for good at 5am.
3:30-4:18: Mr. Q, still recovering from last week's cold, snores loudly, while I try to sleep, still worried that E will awake again soon.
4:18: I try to check the time and drop my Kleenex box. Mr. Q wakes up. I make him blow his nose. We both fall asleep.
5:20: Mr. Q accidentally rolls on top of me, waking me up. He heads to the couch to get the last 40 minutes of sleep, to let me get a little more sleep.
6:30: E wakes up for good.

All the caffeine, please.

How are you all, this week?

Prizes!

Passing the chocolate, a nice cheese platter, ponies, unicorns, butterflies, rainbows, and beverages of choice!

Apologies for no real prizes this week, but y'all are the greatest.

Anybody up for an orphan tupperware exchange?  I seem to have about zero lids that fit any plastic storage container in this whole cabinet.  And we thought the sock gremlins were bad...

xoxo

Whole new week

Sorry for the lack of awards last week.  The plague held on through most of the weekend.  And this week's moderation will be light, but may as well get the show on the road!

AW:  Feeling better today.

AW: Doctor visit re longer-term issues was reassuring, and I came home with a bag of meds for allergies, keeping the lungs clear, and rosacea; plus info on what to do for my lower back (which I'm told is arthritis).  Plus two immunizations and a set of labs.  Etc.  BP is good.

W:  Ever so behind in the land of albatrossi.

AW:  Taking 2 days off anyway, to run off and celebrate the anniversary this week.

AW:  It rained last night!  The cats were all excited when they heard the strange noise, so they embarked on a lot of craziness -- wild cat galloping stampede; competitive tablecloth wrestling; meow at mama so she pets you. 

How are you?

Gripe-a-palooza

Taxes.  Currently sorting a million pieces of paper, and I haven't even gotten to all the little wadded up receipts printed in ink that fades by tax time.  Yipee! 

Further adventures of SIL:  we got a call from the hospital yesterday, something about her shoulder, they wanted us to pick her up.  We live a good hour and a half from there.  Nobody at the care home had told us about her latest fall, or that she was going to the hospital.   The discharge nurse couldn't tell us anything.  AW:  She's ok, fell again and the shoulder she broke a few weeks back was hurting.   And the director at her place called to apologize for the lapses in contact.

Wildlife report:  Spot the Brave has gotten insanely loud in his pleas for canned food, right now, he's starving to death, no don't give it to the other cats too, mine mine mine all mine.  Minerva the weirdo-brain remains devoted to shredding a box of papers under my office table, and she also figured out how to open the closet, leading her to tear up a bag of stuff I should have thrown out already.  (Old holiday card envelopes -- why?)

What's new in your neck of the woods?

ETA:  Happy St. Paddy's!

Tired Awards

I'm wrapped in a blanket, and listening to an exhausted toddler fight her nap, and so this is going to be a brief one.

The Fashion Award goes to Liz, who updated her clothes and hair this week!

We breathe a Sigh of Relief (mostly) with KLee, who had a scare this week.

I'm sending even warmer weather to a Sue, who is being inundated with sunny vacation pictures.

Cheers for Kathy a's  daughter, who received a well-deserved raise this week (and fingers crossed for full-time, stable employment).

And I award the "The 'Break' Part of the Name 'Spring Break' is Mostly Ironic" Award to esperanza, who has had a hairy week with the kids.

Bring us all your time-change whines

I suspected that some of you may have gotten an hour less sleep last night, and that Wednesday night need to start early this week.

(And I won't even mention the fact that I live in one of those rare places in North America where the clocks don't change. After a long, cold winter, it's the first morning of the year where I wake up and think, "I'm so relieved that I moved back to this frozen wasteland.")  

So bring us your tiredness, and also your regular whines: your albatrossi, your needs for a posse, your Old Skool whines, and your anti-whines too. How are you, friend? 

Awards

First, have some nice yakitori, and GS thin mints.  Also, it appears some of us have a few extra books to share, so pass 'em around.

Liz wins the It's Due When? Award for dealing with a school project not remembered until the end of the weekend.  And Liz is also our resident Fashionista for getting someone to mercilessly cull the clothing herd, and make suggestions.

The Delegating is Good Award goes to Esperanza, who got actual volunteers to help with albatrossi!  Esperanza also wins the coveted Elevated Risk of Mullet Award for her visualization suggestion, for when one meets with icky people and has to act nice.

Queen of West Procrastination wins the Rosie the Riveter "We Can Do It" Award for a successful rearrangement of furniture, including a bookcase.

The Triangulation Stinks Award goes to Sue, who got trapped in a web of sneakiness.

Gary (aka Dr. Corndog) wins the Welcome Back Award!  We missed ya.

The Thespian Award goes to KLee, for another successful production.

Cluesticks to deserving parties, including but not limited to trianulators, powers that be who won't decide if somebody else has to move, school personnel who call a snow day when the nearest ice is 90 miles away,  everybody spreading germs, and whoever is in charge of the weather.

Hugs to QWP and anyone else who has suffered a recent loss.   

Much love to little Waylon. 

Whole new week!

Off to a fine start.  Liz reports a snow day today, featuring Mean Mama Makes MM Write Thank You Notes.

We have a cat-related rebellion.  The guilty party tossed away the small rug by her favorite box, peed directly on the wood floor, and left a few tootsie rolls, too.   Gah.

Last night was a lot of fun -- my cousin invited us and a few others out for sushi to celebrate his birthday!   There's a good sushi place nearby with a private room, which is perfect.

Weirdly, though, cousin's step-father-in-law loudly demanded separate checks, completely overruling the birthday boy, who wanted to treat his near and dear.  At 46 and your own party, you just don't expect somebody else to start bossing everyone.

What's going on in your neighborhood?

Whines to Amuse Canadians

W: It's coooold here. Almost freezing. I had to find my gloves this morning.

W: It's supposed to be spring already. Even the trees think so. Flowers and buds are appearing.

W: (not here, but a good percentage of the state): it's icy. We can't go anywhere.

What about you, pixies? Weather whines? Illness whines? (If you don't have any, our household has plenty to spare). Old Skool? Albatross whines? Let us hear them all.

Greetings from my hibernation bunker

It's so very cold here that other making soup, I'm not leaving my warn cocoon on the sofa. Then I feel guilty because I have a lot of priviledges that allow me to do so.

Mostly I'm pretty satisfied with things since I had a day off and several big whines saw some resolution in the last two weeks. I inherited a feed of an albatross at work but I like the people helping resove it so even that is only mildly whiny.

What's new with all of you?

Awards! You're All My Galentines (and Guylentine?)!

While tomorrow may be the more famous holiday, I'm awfully fond of February 13th, dubbed by Leslie Knope as "Galentine's Day." It's an excellent day for celebrating  food and friendship. Now, we aren't all gals here, and we aren't able to share breakfast with one another, but I celebrate all of you today, and this little community of People from the Internet, who drop in to share their tales of woe. 

Three Cheers for KLee's daughter, who won an endowment scholarship this week! (And we're glad your hip is starting to feel better KLee. Let your doctor know about that, hey?)

I declare a Much-Needed Break for Kathy a.,  who was dealing with drama on both the SIL and work albatross fronts. A hearty cluesticking to the nursing home, which went from wooing to kicking out SIL in a record-breaking twenty-four hours. 

A Medal of Bravery for esperanza's Sweet, who braved strep, a SHOT, and an ear infection, all in one week. (And a big medal for Sweet's mama, who had a sick and miserable child at home for several days.) 

A Snow Day for Sue (or even better: how about some warm days?). 

New Running Shoes for Andy, who is all healed up and able to run again! (And hey universe: thanks for the confidence boost of female attention for Andy. Now, how about some attention from someone more appropriate?) 

A Giant Bucket of Antiseptic, followed by high-quality hand cream, for Neighbour Lady. Schools are disgusting.  

And many, many hugs for Liz. What a week you've had, beginning with a memorial for a friend, and ending with a cousin heading in for surgery. Fireplace cancer. 

I share my big pile of egg carton crafts with all of you, and thanks for bearing with your rookie host this week! 

Rookie Host Whining

Hey there! This is your friendly neighbourhood Queen of West Procrastination, and I'll be your host this week. So, bear with me if I'm slower than usual at the regular programming.

The whines in this household are of the Classic Toddler variety: we had a fun weekend, but too little sleep and too many disruptions to the regular routine, and now the household toddler is sad that Fun Daddy is back at work today. This all means that I'm posting from my phone, buried under a clingy child. The weekend's fun activities mean that the house needs cleaning, but right now E will only allow either colouring on the floor together, or cuddling on the couch while watching Elmo.

But! She's clothed and she didn't fight clothes much! Last week's Toddler Clothing Boycott may be over!

That is this week's dispatch from Classic Toddler World. How are things in your world?

Awards!

And, now -- on to the (mostly) late awards!  Sorry that it took me so long, but I am a sloth, and I only move in super slo-mo lately.

First, I want to say that I, and the rest of the WW community, are praying for Waylon.  Cancer is horrible enough, even without striking the young.  I dream for the day when cancer is a thing of the past.  Our thoughts are with Waylon and his family.

Sending prayers out also to kathy a's SIL, who is (hopefully) recovering from surgery.  I was also not aware that anesthesia was problematic for people with dementia.  Good to know, but I hope the hospital found some sort of plan that allowed her some semblance of comfort.  It's bad enough dealing with the dementia without pain on top of that.  Sending kathy big hugs as well for all the unbloggables/ assorted albatrossi in her life.

QWP definitely gets some sort of "Mama With Staying Power" award for the daily fight to put clothes on her little one.  I remember some grumbling and an occasional mini-meltdown, but nothing like what you describe here, QWP.  I would actually check in to see if you could televise this battle of the wills -- I mean, if WRESTLING can get good ratings, this surely could!  Plus this has the added attraction of being actually REAL, where wrestling?  Not so much.... I did enjoy all the costuming ideas, though!  (Probably what made me think of wrestling in the first place.  :)

Many hugs go out to Liz, who lost a friend to the fireplacing cancer.  There are no words.  So sorry.

Miranda and her diagnosis of IBS get a "Soothing and Gentle" award.  So sorry to hear that you are facing the challenge, and hope that you can get some food in you that won't activate any triggers, but here -- have a Mullet Award for "Can't find my sports bra, so I can't go to the gym"!  That will be my excuse from now on!

Esperanza gets the "1 + 1 + 1 + 1" whine for all her little whiny whines -- they all add up in the end, no matter how small and insignificant they might seem at the time.  We feel you, we really do.

Honorable Mentions to those who are fighting the insomnia fight; the "Blue in a Red State" feeling with friends over political/social issues; people who contribute highly inappropriate gifts to showers; the tired Tooth Fairy; companies monkeying around with their supplements; Big Brother looking over your shoulder (and infecting your computer); "cute" poop (there is no such thing!); snow; nail polish; and showers so large that you can host a party in them.

Thank you to all for participating this week!  Next week, our host will be one of our newest hosts, QWP!  Welcome to the Dark Side, and looking forward to it!  :)

The Super Bowl of Whining!

Here we are, Pixies!  Today's game play promises to be intense!  We have several veterans players who've been looking sharp all season long, but never underestimate the come-from-behind whining from our newer players.  It looks to be a great match-up, so let's get on down to the field where the action is going on!
(Not that I'm actually watching the Stupid Bowl, but you get the general drift.)

Awards! Caffeine for Everybody Edition!

The theme for this week seemed to be lack of sleep with bonus racing heart awakenings. Sending love and a visit from the sandman for you all. Does anyone remember a children's book about a magic cap that had hands to go over the ears to keep bad dreams from getting in your head? Just me? Nevermind then.

Hugs to KLee, who should have gotten that job. Cluestick posse going out to the people who asked you to apply and then changed their minds about what they were hiring for. I hope a future opportunity opens up soon. And everyone agrees you need to see an accountant re: scholarship stuff.

Hugs also to Esperanza who has the themed whine and who survived a weekend with three funerals and visiting family. As Sue said, "...just no".

Hugs also to Jenevieve who has the themed whine plus bonus illness plus no paid sick leave. That's just gotta change.

And also to QWP who is dealing with the themed whine plus bonus epic toddler meltdowns.

Sue ALSO has the themed whine and wins mullet this week for two items:

• "Apparently the theme was 'Eeyore Does Church' because we're all dying."  and
• "I am so over being told that my full church and healthy Sunday School is in hospice care. It's not. "

And Kathy is also suffering from the themed whine, bonus unbloggable stuff, SIL stuff, and an albatross.

NL's world is LITERALLY falling apart: house, car, you name it. Sending the fix-it fairies, STAT.

And last, but not least, Miranda gets the style award for the word picture "judge mental". Everyone is sending love to you, hon. You can join my family anytime. We're mental, but we won't judge you.

I hope I didn't miss anyone!

Tune in next week when our host will be KLee!!

Wednesday is Sunday this week

Putting up the thread early this week, because it's clear that it's needed, what with KLee's news, kathy's albatross, and the male-imposed policy of free-range dogs at the WithCats household.

Ice storm hitting us tonight has caused the cancellation of a speaking opportunity for me in the morning. Which is okay.

Do It Yourself Awards!

Passing the refreshments!   Chocolate, of course; mac/cheese; green thai curry; and a little bit of heart's desire.

Your humble host is deep in albatross panic at the moment, so if you are so moved, please suggest more detailed awards in the comments, and we'll get right on that!

Meanwhile, hugs and rest to the afflicted.  Kudos to the brave, funny, strong, generous, and kind.   Cluesticks to the jerks and bullies.  May we all be spared horrible meetings, any sort of medical emergencies, and the soul-pecking of annoying things we cannot control.  And may we all have people who step up in time of need (but not, like, in a way that gets you pulled over by the police). 

New week

Welcome!

I've been feeling under the weather, and it seems like it's been forever now, and today feels worse.   Ugh.  Hoping Miranda is feeling better soon, and anyone else inflicted with The Thing.

The brilliant dog drowned her sorrows yesterday (at Daddy leaving w/o her) by eating all the cat food in both bowls.  Pandemonium ensued.  The Dog Man has taken her for a ramble today, by way of making up.  (Although that doesn't do a huge amount for the residents who dealt with the grand theft and a swift correction of behavior.)

AW:  Sunbeams today, and a cheerful cat rolling in them!

What's up with you?

Chocolate, cake, hugs, cluesticks

Apologies for these rushed and low-content awards.  Things got nuts.

But this was quite a week, and so we are passing the chocolate, all the cake you want, and hugs to everyone.

Those miscreants -- you know who they are -- will be visited by the Cluestick Posse.

Come one, come all!

Thanks to the lovely host of last week's show, Esperanza!

Let the whining and anti-whining begin. 

Last Minute Whining

I know the post isn't last-minute; rather, the whining is about last-minute decisions.

Mr. E and I had kicked around the idea of us hosting dinner tonight for the Personnel Committee and the newly-hired Youth Director. But, you see, the final final interview and decision wasn't till yesterday. So we wouldn't want to be hosting a celebratory dinner for something that wasn't happening after all. Decision put off.

9:00 last night, he texts me to say, yes let's do supper. For 15. Okey dokey. Commence Esperanza's mind racing madly, trying to figure out what to cook and how to make it all happen with Baboo assistance today.

This morning, I ask how certain the 15 number is. He says, "oh maybe plan on 20 instead."

You know what this means: paper plates, Mr. E has to clean, and he owes me a dinner out.

What's going on with you?

(Embedded in that above whine is that the Baboos don't start back to school till tomorrow. We are all thoroughly sick of each other's company. Wah)