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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Woe is chocolate.

I am here to whine, this week.

The details are not that interesting, but I am having a lot of food intolerances right now, and it looks like I might be allergic to chocolate. I love chocolate. I eat it every day.... well, I did. Now I'm eating only lamb, rice, and pears (an elimination diet) for a couple of weeks, and my boyfriend is bravely eating all the good stuff in the cupboards and refrigerator to protect me from it. I am so underwhelmed by this, and the possibility that I may never get to eat chocolate again, that it is not even funny.

What's your story this week, pixies? Anyone need my chocolate stash?

42 comments:

Liz Miller said...

No chocolate???

You win the whines this week.

kathy a. said...

oh, NO!

esperanza said...

Redzils, that is terrible. You do win. Even the possibility horrifies me.

I am so glad to see the whining up already, because I have one. The previously mentioned moving possibility has just this morning become a certainty. It will necessitate me quitting my job and moving away from the Baboo's contingent of doctors. Sigh. Other than that, it's not a bad move--good for the hubby, professionally, nice place to live, better than many alternatives.

If any of you know me on FB or in real life, keep your mouths shut for the time being. Thanks.

Madeleine said...

Oooh. Elimination diet. What fun! NOT. I hope at least the unpleasant symptoms are easing up, redzils (whatever they were).

Also, esperanza, moving. What fun! NOT. Still, in your field (similar to the academic life in the limited location choices, I gather) "better than many alternatives" is probably a good thing.

As for me...

Anti-whine: I work for the kind of organization that finds stimulus funding stimulating.

Whine: They don't just hand it over. You have to compete for it, and everyone and her dog is going to try, so our budget department suggests we all get our writing done a week or two early to beat the rush. Yes, that's likely. NOT.

Anti-whine: Yesterday a select group of colleagues voted on My Love's big academic decision and said YES! Woo-hoo. Sushi and celebration.

Whine: Until the head dude adds a check mark, it is not officially official, and that could be several months, so My Love refuses to relax completely. (See also: Two weeks left of semester.)

Anti-whine: Unlike some institutions, this one doesn't seem to be the kind where the head dude overrides decisions very often. So it is nearly certain. But not quite certain enough for My Love's (lack of) sanity.

Anonymous said...

Life without chocolate is a life not worth living.

I've spent the last two weeks fighting the establishment because at heart I'm still a radical hippie. What can I say, once a hippie, always a hippie. Local Housing Authority is as crooked as a moving snake. With the same vicious personality. I hate them and I want to bring them down!

Then I will move on to health insurance which is required by law in this state, but screws you any way they can.

It is freezing here and although I have crocuses coming up, they will not open because it is too cold.

Cat pee report remains stable; Worthless Pet continues to pee in corner of dining room, I continue to clean it up. It's the dance of the cat pee. Maybe they'll do it on Dancing with the Stars.

My trolls are very acting and picking apart everything I write on my blog. Someone asked me if they hurt me. Of course it hurts. When people say horrible things about you and your family, wouldn't it hurt? Dumb question!

Kids are both OK for once, although daughter is being home yet another cold. I'll kill her yet!

We are broker than broke this month and I spent almost nothing on food, so hearing that an old friend spent $3000 on food and incidentals last month and is patting herself on the back for her economy just about tore my heart out.

No work at all right now. Come to my blog and buy stuff. I need the clicks!

Liz Miller said...

Esperanza, a comment I wrote before got lost!

Ask Baboo's current doctors if they have any professional contacts in New Place even if not in the same discipline. It'll help get a head-start on continuity of care for the Baboo.

Also, if you're moving near me, let me know!

Margalit, I'm sorry.

Madeleine, woot on your husband's good news!

Anonymous said...

Any and all potential whines in my life are eclipsed by this anti-whine:
my daughter's surgery was a success. She recovered in lightning speed and she's eating new foods with excitement. My favorite quote from today: "I want [My Little] Pony fruit snacks! I'm not afraid to eat them anymore!"

If there is a small whine to be found, it would just be that the stress of the whole event made my milk supply vanish, but I spoke to my lactation consultant*, who put me on supplements to bring my milk back. It's working.

*She's my hero. She discovered my daughter's tongue tie, and my son's, and it appears that fixing their tongues is making a marked improvement in their lives. I'm getting teary-eyed just thinking about it.

Madeleine said...

amy, that's magic! I'm so happy for you all.

Anonymous said...

Redzils,

Is it at all possible that you are lactose intolerant, instead of chocolate-allergic? I ask only because I can't tolerate milk chocolate, but some kinds of dark chocolate (without milk, or with only trace amounts) work fine.

BTW, have also heard of (and experienced) cross over effects between being lactose intolerant and not tolerating the fructose in certain fruits, etc.
Just a thought. (btw pears are also ok for me, but some other fruits are not...)

Just hoping for your sake....and for your chocolate consumption!

:)
Neighbor Lady

kathy a. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
kathy a. said...

esperanza -- moving always gets my vote.

congratulations to madeleine's love! and a big hooray for amy's daughter!

my daughter is home for spring break! we hardly see her, though, as she is practicing nocturnalism. [lifetime personal best for yesterday's performance, in which she emerged to start the day at 4 p.m.]

W: had to see the accountant.
AW: he is a nice guy. and, he has an excellent office cat.

AW: tomorrow is our 25th wedding anniversary! we plan a nice romantic dinner out.

W: tomorrow starts with a gyn checkup. which totally does not seem fair.

Liz Miller said...

Happy Anniversary, Kathy A.!!!

Sorry about the checkup, though.

Anonymous said...

No Chocolate? hope it is all an evil misunderstanding, Redzils.

Congrats to Madeleine's husband and happy anniversary to Kathy A and yay for Amy!

whine: the baby had pink eye
antiwhine: _had_ all better now
whine: I have a double ear infection.
antwhine: antibiotics without having to beg
whine: if my son and the baby aren't better by Monday (cold started in our house 3/8.) we are going to the pediatrician. I will beg.

Anonymous said...

i spoke a little too soon.
cue inconsolable teething baby in 3, 2, 1...

but, my now super-adventurous eating daughter decided she wanted "warm" milk (i.e., room temp, not cold) before bed. this, from the child who has always wanted things cold, for fear of hot.

this week, my life's theme song is courtesy bob marley:
every little thing/
is gonna be all right.

Anonymous said...

hugs to everybody who's sick, dealing with doctors, etc. last week's stint at the hospital has me grateful to be healthy.

for esperanza, moving and leaving docs you trust is a pain. i hope it ends up a good move for your family.

esperanza said...

Perhaps I too spoke a little too soon. We are still moving, I will still have to quit my job. But, we think we can just change Baboo's pediatrician, and keep the specialists (who she doesn't see very frequently any more). It will be more of a road trip than now, but the other semi-nearby big city is just as far and would mean changing the doctors. Sorry, Liz, that means it's nowhere near you.

Expect further moving-related whines until well into June. Sorry about that. I'll be tired of them, too.

Woo hoo for Madeleine's love's good news, and amy's good news (except that teething thing). Sympathies for all the other whiners.

Sue said...

I'll have to catch up on whines later pixies - but redzils - not chocolate! How inconceivable! How unjust! *shakes fist at universe*

Whine: Ice storm for second day in a row. Is this winter EVER going to end?

Miranda said...

I'm with Liz, Redzils. No chocolate means you win this week. I really hope that this is a temporary condition and that your system balances back out.

Happy Anniversary, Kathy A! Hope the doctor appointment goes very quickly.

Hooray for Amy's daughter and Madeleine's Love!!!

Boo on Esperanza's upcoming move and Sarah at Ratatat's family's illnesses.

Whine: Off to take Daughter to ped's office because she has a fever and a sore throat. Strep is going around these here parts. She is so miserable.

Anti-whine: I work for a family friendly employer (who also finds the stimulus stimulating so I hear you on that whine Madeleine) who is letting me deduct hours worked from home from any sick leave I request.

BroccoliEater said...

Yay to Madeleine's news! My husband has what sounds like a similar decision in progress, though his is federal, not university based.

Antiwhine: We got a new car! (08 Taurus X, to get 6-passenger seating)

Whine: Husband left in it today to drive 9 hours to visit his mom.

Antiwhine: she's out of the hospital

Whine: Tomorrow he gets to go to the doctor with her to get the results of the biopsy they did of the tumors in her stomach.

We know there are several tumors in her stomach. The doctor clearly began prepping DH and his brother for the possibility of inoperability. They were told they were clearly metastases from somewhere else.

I've seen a lot of cancer in my life. When I hear "suddenly insulin-dependent diabetic," and "Metastases," and "free fluid collecting in the abdomen," the thoughts I have are not good. They're well past whining territory and into howling territory.

Anti-whine: Turns out my aunt is the head of the lab processing the biopsies. Sometimes its nice to have the Hellmouth working for me.

Sue said...

esperanza - bummer about the move, but good news about the specialist.

kathy a. - happy 25th! sorry about the gyn appt today though. I hate that crunchy paper. *shudders* (I mostly hate it because I always sweat on it - um, ick.)

Margalit - I'll join you in the cat pee whine. Our big boy has been peeing in his bed, which we've had to put in the laundry/storage room at night because he started out this new trend by peeing on our bed. ugh. He has everything he needs in his "special room" - food, litter boxes, bed ets. - so why on earth would he pee on his own bed???? Argh.

Amy - Yay for successful surgeries!!

Pixie hugs for all with sick kids or sick selves. 'Tis the season.......

Whine: I seem to remember a shiny warm globe that once shone in the sky. Haven't seen it for so long I forget what it looks like. Wah.

Anti-whine: I'm going to Arizona after Easter.

Whine: Easter can't come soon enough. Really. Let's just get this over with, 'kay? I know that attitude really sucks among we minister-types, but it is what it is. The whole season is like a freakin' marathon.

Whine: I'm still supposed to be on 30 hours a week. Riiiiiggggght.

Anonymous said...

Sara, I'm so sorry. Thinking good thoughts for you.

Redzils - no chocolate is just WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG. Hoping Neighbor Lady's suggestion of non-lactose-containing chocolate might work.

YAY for Amy's daughter's surgery, Amy's awesome lactation consultant, and Madeleine's Love!

Booooooo for illnesses of all kinds, moving away from jobs and docs (though glad the specialists can stay, Esperanza), and winter lasting too long.

Madeleine said...

Thanks, everyone, for the congratulations.

Sara, I'm so sorry the medical situation is looking that bad. I hope your husband's trip goes as smoothly as it can.

esperanza, thank heavens for small mercies, hunh?

kathy a. said...

oh, sara -- i'm so sorry. thinking of you and your family. xoxo

sending sue some sunshine, stat!

votes for the whines of cat pee; certain fluids never go out of style.

in further whineage: high blood pressure. "have you been under any stress?" she asks, before remembering, "oh, you're always under stress" due to the unbloggable work. sooo, now i've got meds and some other suggestions, followup in a few weeks.

the crabbiness-inducing part of this development is that [a] certain family members may decide to be compliance police, which [b] makes me oppositional, even if [c] they have a point.

Liz Miller said...

Kathy A., if the bp level changed suddenly, check to make sure the bp cuff was the proper size. Just found out that's an issue for a lot of people.

Anonymous said...

New whine: I woke up with pink eye today.
Antiwhine: First! at the urgent care clinic this morning meant I had relieving drops by 9am

Whine/antiwhine: despite the minor plague on my house, this is not my worst birthday or even doctor-visiting birthday. I'll eat lots of cake in all of the Pixies honor tonight.

kathy a. said...

happy birthday, sarah at ratatat! glad you got the drops of wonder, pronto, and hope the rest of the day is celebration!

thanks, liz -- they did the BP twice, different machines and different people. i'm afraid i just have not been paying attention for a good while, and this crept up on me.

Madeleine said...

A vote for Sarah for being First!

kathy a., sorry to hear you got medical news on your big anniversary. I hope you are now ready to relax and enjoy that dinner.

Anonymous said...

Kathy A - hope the BP and the stress go down.

Anonymous said...

happy birthday, Sara, and glad it's not too bad despite the most unwelcome pinkeye!

Sue said...

Happy Birthday Sarah!!!! I hope the pink-eye plague goes away Mcsoon. At least pink is a nice colour????

Kathy a. - sorry to hear about the bp thing. Deep breathes, the right meds, and cluesticks for stoopid work situations - that ought to sort it.

Miranda said...

Anti-whine: Not strep!!

Whine: She's still miserable.

Anti-whine: She has lots of popsicles, cold diet pop, soup, and ibuprofen to get her through this.

Sue, I wish those darned dirty fireplacing insurance fireplacers would let you recuperate on your schedule rather than theirs.

kathy a. said...

nominate miranda for the bill-the-cat turnaround award, for no strep! also, a lot of popsicles for the duration.

esperanza said...

Sorry to hear about the sickly ones.

Addendum to moving whine: we now have a limbo situation. We know we are moving. But we can't say anything to anyone (oops--except whining pixies, apparently) until a week from Sunday. I am not good at this. I am a crappy liar, and I don't have a poker face. I will spend next week avoiding people, so I don't have to lie.

Sweet Baboo's comment? "wub wub wub." (This is a major breakthrough, in the pronunciation of B!)

Liz Miller said...

Sarah, sorry 'bout the pink-eye. Happy Birthday! And *gulp* I don't want to hear what the worst one was.

JenR said...

ssoooo ssooo tired. Baby boy up and crying 5 times last night, one of them Three.Hours.Long. I am tired, and I may just fall asleep at my desk. I have no idea what was bothering him. I sang, rocked, walked, fed, even tried to distract him with TV... everything I could think of (tylenol! orajel! teething tablets! - not all at once). I don't know why I tried TV - he won't even watch it during the day for more than a few seconds. I think he finally just collapsed from exhaustion. And then he was fine this morning.

JenR said...

Sorry - meant to say that no chocolate wins. Poor redzils! I will eat a girl scout cookie for breakfast in sympathy. (Empathy? I can't remember anymore.)

esperanza said...

JenR, that's a bad night.

I completely forgot to whine that, as of this week, the freezer stash of breastmilk is all gone. :(

kathy a. said...

hugs to everyone, especially JenR.

since the door is still open, i'm back with a fat late-breaking fireplacing whine. y'all have heard me pining for menopause and cursing the hot flashes. unfortunately, i'm not there yet, so yesterday i got a new Rx for a diaphragm, because i am so not going to take chances. the pharmacy told me to come back today, because they had to order it.

so -- i was shopping for vitamins and the old-lady pill box that i now need. took my blood pressure, and today it was MUCH better! and then i found out that the fireplacing manufacturer has discontinued my diaphragm. wtf? and i didn't hear this yesterday, why??? my head is kind of exploding with the idea of shopping for a new BC method, just as i'm trying to figure out how to be an old lady with a pill box and HBP. these people are on my hit list.

trader joe's, however, has a lot of low sodium choices, if anyone else is interested.

KLee said...

Hugs to all the pixies out there. I just noticed that the WW was still open, so I figured I would pop in for my two cents worth.

I'm in trouble at school. AGAIN. This time, it was a parent who yelled her head off at me in the cafeteria in front of EVERYBODY, and refused to let me explain or apologize. She even admitted that she was in a bad mood, and even told the admins that. Yet, I still got my hand smacked.

I'm just marking time until my Spring Break, which I DESPERATELY need, despite just having taken a trip to Baltimore.

redzils said...

I'm glad the whining being open is a good thing! Awards later tonight - I haven't forgotten the Pixie Party!

Liz Miller said...

Oh my goodness, KLee. What is with the parents of your students and their desperate need for cluesticking?

Madeleine said...

kathy a., that is just so wrong. Did I whine to you guys the time I went to pick up a new set of pills and they were on backorder? Like, the factory ran out. The lovely pharmacist called all their other branches and found me a few packs, which tided me over. But WTF??!!?? is right.

If you are looking to patch together some decent alternatives, one part of the equation could be these little films of spermicide that you fold up. The name escapes me at the moment. They come in handy for stop-gap additive approaches.