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Sunday, June 7, 2009

Pushme - Pullyou

Maybe I'm dating myself, but what the fireplace -- do you remember the fantastic animal from the Dr. Doolittle books? [Don't tell me about the movie/s; I vaguely remember the books, which I borrowed one after another from the public library.]

On the one hand, there is work pressure enough to choke a horse, and that's what I'll be doing the next few days, and my excuse for posting early. On the other hand, next weekend is a big reunion of my class at a fairly small college, and so right now, I'm all caught up in some party prep and reaching out, hoping that I'll see some great friends even though our everyday lives have rather drifted.... On the third hand, my delicate blind cat's digestive system went to hell again, so home life this weekend involves poop removal and the baby food diet [rice cereal with jarred chicken], which in turn involves locking The Duke of Earl in the bathroom and instituting feeding times, so Earl can't eat the dry food and the rest don't eat his special diet, all of which is wildly unpopular with the resident felines.

What's the whining and anti-whining with you?

23 comments:

kathy a. said...

If I sound mean to cats, please keep in mind that I do not deal well with even regular poop, despite years of experience. Which is probably some kind of personal failing, and yes, it is a miracle my kids survived to adulthood.

Anonymous said...

Hi kathy a.,
Don't worry, we all have our things we can't deal with. For me it's vomit. Just can't. Even with kids, it hasn't improved. The universe is trying to tell me something, though, I think, because lately, almost every television show I watch has someone throwing up in it at some point. Even ones you would never expect. Had it happen on reality shows, and comedies, and dramas, and even a cartoon!!!!
It's almost laughable now. Almost.
--Neighbor Lady

Madeleine said...

In an airport. Nuff said.

kathy a. said...

some anti-whines:
[1] neighbor with too many burstingly ripe strawberries brought us 2 baskets;
[2] nice dinner with son and his lovely girlfriend;
[3] we've got a family picnic going for july!

Anonymous said...

Old skool whine about people who think it's all about them.

Just went to field day at daughter's school, sitting outside on a blanket with Neighbor Boy, when a mom walks up with two kids, obviously not well, and says, "Well, here's 'Fever1' and 'Fever2'." (not talking to me, just overheard.) Turns out the kids have fevers, coughing, etc (around here, likely flu as it is rampant), and so can't "officially" come to school, but they didn't want to miss field day and being with their friends, so she brought them anyway to "cheer on their friends".

Arggg. So many little siblings etc around to cheer on their healthy sibs, now exposed. Gee, when Neighbor Boy had the flu a couple weeks ago, we were told "don't take him places for seven days" and it was sucky but we didn't. I guess if he had just said, "But Mom, I really *want* to," that would have made it ok!?!

Sorry--pet peeve.

And, I'm trying desperately not to be exposed to anything, as I am flying to visit my mom on Thursday who just had (minor) heart surgery.

Thanks for letting me vent!

--Neighbor Lady

Sue said...

Vent away NL - that's what the pixie party is here for.

kathy a. - we have our own cat poop issues here too, but they are better now than they have been for several months. Our little boy cat Ouzo is doing much better at getting to the box on time (I could set that to music, couldn't I?)

*Just get me to the box on time* lalalalala

Whine: I forgot, completely forgot, a coffee date with one of my best friends yesterday. Completely forgot. She graciously wrote me an email today asking if SHE had the date wrong. Why? Because I NEVER forget stuff like that.

I am a slug.

I left a message on her voicemail, but haven't heard back. I don't blame her. I feel so awful about it. If I were her, I wouldn't call me either.

kathy a. said...

Neighbor Lady -- gah! Cluesticks to the Germ People! Good wishes for your mom, too; in my book, any heart surgery is a big fat deal.

Sue, you are stylin'! Now I'll be humming the tune all day, thanks a LOT...

We all forget things every so often; I'm sure things will get patched up.

Elizabeth said...

Whine: still wiped from whirlwind trip to west coast, jet lag, etc.

Anti-whine: boys were really well behaved.

Liz Miller said...

Can't seem to stop chewing on my fireplacing fingers.

Dangnab it!

Can, however, enthusiastically recommend UP.

Can also breathe sigh of relief. Primaries are over and, while my first choice for Gov didn't win, my second choice did, and he was a close second choice for me.

Very happy that my first choice for Lt. Gov won handily. Go Jody!

Elizabeth said...

Liz, I wound up voting for the people you had endorsed, but I'm also quite content with the results. And I'm psyched about Kaye Kory.

Sarah at ratatat said...

Kathy - hope the reunion goes well and the cats are less troublesome :) I am allergic to everything with fur (and feathers too) and my kids are trying to find the pet that we could still cuddle with. But honestly, poo just grosses me out. And adding an animal to clean up. Well, they might not realize it, but they're losing the pet fight.

Sue - I hate forgetting things. She'll forgive you.

Neighbor Lady - that's awful. What are people thinking?

Whine: I was good and signed up to help with the last day of school fun at my my daughter's school. And they assigned me dodgeball! Is there no justice, fairness or love in the universe? Have I ruined my karma? Who plays dodgeball? I hate this game. I am not a big fan of playground games and sort of assumed that there would be an indoor part. Or a general helper part. I have been hoping for rain all morning - then I get pictionary, a game I like.

Is the phrase grinning your teeth and bear it? Or gritting? I'll be doing that for the next 3 hours.

Madeleine said...

Sarah, grit grit grit.

I don't like pets, either. We got fish, but they aren't cuddly, so now my daughter wants a dog. Sorry, no. No way am I taking on that kind of workload for anything that doesn't call me "Mama."

kathy a. said...

i've got nobody but myself to blame for the cats, since i adore the quirky little furballs! so long as there aren't digestive upsets.

apologies for being extra-whiney this week. remember how we were just talking about sibling button-pushing last week? yeah. and i feel crappy whining, too, because it involves my difficult sister who has cancer. she is doing pretty well, got through chemo and came to the family wedding, had a great time. back when she was diagnosed, she made very clear that i was *not* to talk with her about the cancer -- my aunt says she considers me a downer because some of my friends have had "bad outcomes." so, i don't want to stress her, that's what i did.

anyway, i set up a family picnic for this summer because daughter will be away for a year, and i invited all kinds of family, everyone i had an email for. my sister said she'll still be in radiation and might not be able to make it since it's a 15 hour drive round trip. ok.

then came the high drama paragraph about fighting for her life, and her chances of survival, and she's not going to miss a single treatment, and how it is likely all over if the cancer comes back because it's so aggressive, etc. i don't know what to make of that, but it kind of sounds like "how dare you plan a picnic." it's also scary as hell.

usually, these late-night email blasts [she tends to get wasted and shoot off zingers while disinhibited] go only to me [or some other target person] -- this time, she copied every single relative i had invited, including the younger ones and distant ones that we don't know so well. i'm pretty sure she hit "reply all" by accident -- the content is not at all her public front about the cancer. sigh.

Liz Miller said...

Remind me why I'm here, again? I mean, at work?

I think it has something to do w/ money, but it's a piss-poor motivator today.

purple_kangaroo said...

Still coughing. A lot. Dr. said I'd probably be coughing for another 3 weeks. Knowing me, it may be twice or thrice that.

And, I think I cracked or bruised a rib from all the coughing. Very painful. Which really makes me wish I could stop coughing already.

Sue said...

(((kathy a.))) you have every reason to be whiny this week.

Funny Liz - I've been asking myself that question all week. Why AM I working - oh right, mortgage, car...

I am (apparently) on holidays - last week and this week. Today my secretary emailed to ask me where I was - she didn't know I was on fireplacing holidays. It's on her calendar, it was announced two weeks ago in church (and she was there) and SHE WROTE IN THE CHURCH BULLETIN.

Fireplace.

She then went on to give me not one, not two, but THREE pieces of work that HAD to be dealt with today. On my f-ing holidays.

Note to self: Next time, leave town.

These have been the worst bloody holidays ever. Why do I even bother trying? I've had calls and emails for two entire weeks from people who say "I know you're on vacation, but...."

Sometimes this job sucks.

Rant over.

KLee said...

W: I'm in a bad bad BAD situation at work. It hasn't been very much fun for several weeks. Tensions are high, and with only 2 days of school left, we're all testy and short tempered. But, most of the bad bad BAD situation makes me look bad to everyone else, even if that isn't actually the facts.

A/W: Got accepted back to school, so that mitigates some of the bad bad BAD stuff. I'm excited about it. It will allow me to mark off one of those things on my major "To Do" life lists.

W: Was supposed to have a scholarship to cover cost of tuition for Summer Term at said school, only to find a bill for almost 3K (that I seriously DON'T have) in the mail today. Uh.....guys?!? Hello?

A/W: If I am still going to school, it'll get my mom off my back. Plus, President Obama is urging people to further their education in times of economic crisis, so it's almost like I'm *helping!*

W: Am still sick. Not as sick as I was about a month ago, thank God. But, still sick. And, apparently, I now have high cholesterol, too. Thanks for that! Sickness involved almost accidentally overdosing on migraine drugs the other day, and a cyst on my neck that will have to be cut out at some point. Trying to save the day surgery for after school is done so I don't have to work or move during the recovery process.

A/W: At least I DIDN'T overdose, though I had double vision and serious nausea. And, I gotta figure that every day I'm not taking the Great Dirt Nap is a good day. So, yeah -- I'll count being alive among the anti-whines these days.

kathy a. said...

omg KLee! xoxo

and hugs to sue and PK and liz and everyone. what a week.

well, i decided to change the date of the family picnic to a weekend that won't conflict with anyone's schedules so far as i know, got the reservation changed with the park service, wrote the NEW DATE email -- and found out that my main email has cut me off because they think i sent over 1000 emails in the last day. so, just shoot me now.

Sue said...

OMG kathy a and KLee - what a week this has been.

History-making pixie party folks. I'm just sayin'....sometimes things just suck all over.

Sarah at ratatat said...

Wow Kathy, many hugs. Sister drama, oh my! Lots of sympathy. And whine away - that's what we're here for. I admire your ability to pull together a big family picnic. Too daunting too me :)

Klee - hope things get better in summer. Sounds like you have a lot going on.

Working vacations, oh no, Sue! Maybe a trip somewhere without cell phone coverage.

P_K, get well soon.

On the whine front, dodgeball mostly sucked.

A new whine: the baby has pink eye again. I am not going to catch it this time.

Anti-whine: my daughter's last day of school. Summer's here!

amy said...

NL, I just got back from my daughter's dress rehearsal for her dance class, and I swear - if you hadn't posted that so early in the Whining, I'd have thought you were there tonight, too.

Sue, What a drag about the forgotten friend date! I know I hate it when I do that, but try to be gentle with yourself. You've got enough on your plate, what with all the work you have to do on your vacation. [eyeroll]

Sarah's got two noteworthy gems: the first, dodgeball (srsly?!), and the second, "the baby has pink eye again. I am not going to catch it this time."

Kathy, I don't think the Morton Salt Award even comes close to honoring the crap you've been dealt this week. You need chocolate, or maybe some tequila and limes to go with all the salt.

KLee, I hope whatever Ick is going on lets up soon. Truly. It's bad enough that there's Ick; it's worse that people are getting the wrong idea.

amy said...

W: we seem to be caught in an all mommy all the time phase here. the baby will only nap for 30 minutes at a time (tops), two or three times a day, and only if glued to a human body, preferably mine. my daughter is up my butt constantly, nearly literally some days as well, because she walks so closely behind me that if i change pace or direction, we collide. [sigh] plus, it's the end of the school year (she graduated preschool today!), she just had her birthday, and we have dance recital tomorrow night. while i won't say that my husband is not helpful (he DEFINITELY is), i will say that much of the burden with this stuff falls on me. blech.

oh my. i just dozed off while typing this. i'd better hurry up and go to bed in case the baby decides tonight is a "cuddle me all night" night.

it's only fair i update you all on my ugly, scary situation from last week. the very short of it is that i don't know what the resolution is. i'm still waiting from the chair or the dean for an update.

the not-as-short is that i confronted the student and presented him with a letter telling him which behaviors are unacceptable and that he has to meet with the dean before he can return to my class. my chair (love him!) wants him removed, period. no warning. given the scary stuff he's said, i am not opposed. except for that thing where i don't want him to be pissed at me. i asked public safety to patrol the hall when i did this, and the sergeant did. the student was apologetic and matter-of-factly told me what had been troubling him that led him to be verbally abusive to my in-class tutor. he did not get defensive or agitated, and that is very good.

oh dear. falling asleep. will post this without proofreading. hugs to all who need it this week, and there are a lot of us!

Liz Miller said...

((KLee)) I hope that everything gets resolved satisfactorily

((PK)) be gentle with yourself

((Sue)) And Sue, I'm sending an extra one.

Astoundingly varied list of whines this week.