* That Stop Sign? Just because you are right on the fireplacing bumper of the car that stopped before you doesn't mean you get to speed on through as soon as they get going.Edited to add: don't get me started on those people on the freeways -- the speed demons who think tailgating plus swift unsignaled lane changes and rude gestures make them King of the Road, especially if they are also conducting personal care and/or yelling at their brokers and/or significant others on the cell phone. These are a few reasons why I love public transit.
* Turn Signals. Use them. Srsly.
* Pedestrians: We love you! Don't break our hearts by dashing out from behind a parked car. Don't amble down the middle of the street when there is a sidewalk.
* Speeding by a preschool? Today's your lucky day, since the motorcycle cop was there to deliver a message. HA!
* Double-parked delivery trucks when there is curb space available: I do not favor violence, but sometimes I dream of citizen complaints via paintball [if that wouldn't make me crash while trying to change lanes].
What's whiney and anti-whiney by you this week?
43 comments:
Our Chamber of Commerce has renamed an insurance lobbyist to our Health Council. And, in fact, she lobbied vs. the mandated insurance coverage talked about in the video I posted last week.
So I'm spending the evening at Public Input to shout about it to the BOS and make sure that there's more than one vote against confirming her.
I KNOW there will be at least one vote against her.
liz, you are doing the work of angels if you are arguing against an insurance lobbiest.
Second the whine about pedestrians. I'm all for stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks, but when they walk out between cars (esp. when a crosswalk is available just 10 feet down the street) to cross *against* the light--arrgh!
My whine of the bodily fluids--I have a runny nose and it's sore and it hurts when I blow it. (I have a feeling that will be a theme this winter)
My laundry whine--I got a new washer/dryer this summer (that's an antiwhine) and the new washer is much larger than the old one. The whine? I haven't quite gotten into a new laundry rhythm. I used to do laundry on certain days of the week. Now I could still do that (doing less than full loads), but it wouldn't take full advantage of the water saving/time saving features of the new washer.
I'm experimenting with different schedules but nothing feels quite *right*. And laundry used to be the one thing I could count on:-)
Tried to make pad thai (again!) tonight, and it came out disgusting (again!!!). I have tried to make this so many times, and each time it is just awful. I even tried a bottled "pad thai sauce" this time, since all the other times whatever fish sauce I used was so bad. You would think I would just give up, but I love good pad thai so much that I keep trying. Pad thai is my achilles heel.
To make matters worse, I had the whole pot of inedible pad thai rice noodles to clean up after my husband made the kids bagels and cream cheese for dinner, and I casually asked him if he thought I could dispose of it down the garbage disposal. He thought probably, so I tried it. Am now on the list for emergency plumbing tomorrow morning.
OK, pad thai...you win! I throw in the towel on you!!
Bah!!
--Neighbor Lady
when all you want is pad thai, and you end up with a plumbing emergency -- well, that is just so wrong. good to see you, neighbor lady, but not, you know, just because of these circumstances.
I shall also echo the sentiments about pedestrians crossing between parked cars. That's how I almost killed John Travolta.
As for the boneheads to try to cross at somewhere OTHER than the crosswalk -- I don't recommend that you try that in my burg.... Our town recently instituted a rather stiff penalty for jaywalking: $208 dollars! That's more expensive than most speeding tickets! Ouch!
It rained like a son-of-a-gun today. All day. More on this in a second....
Two years ago, local voters pushed through a special option sales tax, one of the main reasons being that our school was one of the ones on the list for refurbishment and a new wing. (Which we've been waiting for forever, BTW) The measure passed, and nothing at our school has been done. I found out recently that the general thinking is that our school was REMOVED from the list. Not confirmed, but that's the information I hear.
As one of those "needs work done" schools, we have these dilapidated walkways that lead out to our "trailer park" half of the campus. Today, in the torrential rain, I think I might have stayed drier had I walked in the rain, as opposed to being under the rickety, drippy walkways we have now. And, things aren't going to get any better if we're no longer slated for the improvements we voted in.
KLee, check the wording on the ballot when the special tax was voted on. You may be able to sue for the money if they worded it that your school was to be a recipient (or if they pointed to a list your school was on at the time).
klee, taking money away from schools is an item on my cluestick list. you teachers and students are already doing too much with too little.
Emily, I hear you on the new laundry machines throwing off the system. It's nice to rely on your system and not have to think so darn much, ya know?
An antiwhine of epic proportions that simply cannot wait till Wednesday: the Sweet Baboo can blow her own nose. For real. She is barely two years old. I couldn't blow my nose until at least 5. But, she's done it, upon my request, at least 3 times now, with...um...verifiable results. Does this mean my snot-sucking time and energy can be freed up for Mini Baboo???
woooot! woo hoo hooo, yay! go, sweet baboo! and yes, esperanza, you can feel at ease with diverting snot energy to mini-baboo. in my opinion.
Yea Sweet Baboo! I always thought that being able to blow one's own nose was a noteworthy accomplishment that is virtually ignored. I think it's great and unlike most milestones (like crawling and walking) it actually makes life easier for Momma! (Wiping one's own bottom is another such milestone).
People always brag about gross motor development, but I think these, more subtle, milestones should be equally noteworthy!
Citizen Complaint by Paintball - LOVE it. When do we start?
Liz - thank you for kicking some insurance company butt. Put in an extra boot in the insurance buttocks for me.
NL - bummer about the pad thai. I stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. Too many hot and sharp things in there. Hubby likes to cook, thanks be. Last week I burned my finger just taking something out of the microwave. Bad things happen in that room. Bad, I tell ya.
Yay Sweet Baboo - so smart, and so progressive on the bodily fluids front. She is one smart baboo.
KLee - just let me know where to aim the cluestick...
Emily - sorry about the sore nose - that's always teh Ick. And the laundry quandry - that's harsh too.
Fashion Police Whine: Where is Tim Gunn at 7:30 in the morning when I haven't had any sleep and I cannot for the life of me decide what to wear to work. I ended up today in classic chocolate brown trousers with a lovely fushia top. Couldn't decided between the sweater or the blazer, so I went with the cardigan. It too is chocolate brown. I feel like Mr. Rogers. Only prettier.
emily, hope your laundry situation gets sorted out!
sue, since i mostly work at home and no longer shuttle kids in the morning, my wardrobe choices don't measure up well. i'm still in my jammies, as a matter of fact....
Insurance lobbyist got nominated. Now we have advocates send beaucoup d'emails to BOS members and go to public input on the 19th and keep making noise.
The BOS member who nominated her is gonna be so sorry.
liz! that's appalling!
Hugs to all pixies. We are off to an incredible start this week.
Me? A tree fell on my internet. Don't know when it will be gone. Can't schedule internet fix-it appointment till I know. Currently camped at Starbucks for a couple of hours of quality time with teh intertubes. Supposed to be working.
So I will just say briefly that it's great that the Sweet Baboo learned to blow her nose while she is still in the complaint phase . . . I thought it would be great when SG learned to blow her own nose, except all it brought me is years of saying "please go blow your nose. Yes you do. Yes you do. I can hear you sniffling, please go blow your nose. Yes you do. Yes you do."
On the upside, this morning she requested sudafed because she knew she was stuffy.
tree: get off madeleine's internet!
i did something to my arm. thought maybe i pulled a muscle when i was wrestling boxes a few weeks ago, but it still hurts, and now i'm suspecting ligaments. it would be really stupid for the least sports-worthy person on the planet to have a sports-like injury. "oh, don't mind the sling; i just have a little touch of banker's box elbow."
Hee hee, banker's box elbow.
Amy, I'm not sure I know this "compliant" phase of which you speak. I assume when you tell a small person, "come here so I can change your diaper," and she runs in the opposite direction, that behavior is not compliant? Compliance was a short phase around here, if at all. Blowing your nose? Now that's just good fun.
I believe I forgot to mention the accompanying giggles, with the opposite direction running.
AW: The tree will be leaving tomorrow.
W: The cable guy won't be here until Friday.
AW: The local unlocked wifi network that wasn't working earlier today is working again!
AW: The birthday party for Tater went well, except for the part where I was still underneath mounds of cleaning the morning of. Stressful.
AW: My mom came over early and helped clean up my kitchen, and we managed to get it all done in time for people to show up.
AW: Remember the tickets for the concert I had lost and then found? I didn't mention this, but I had 2 extra tickets, and I found someone to buy them. Thank goodness, because the show is Thursday.
W: Pixies, where are the tickets?
yay, about giggles, wifi, and tater's party!
amy, i think your whine illustrates the dangers of housekeeping under stress. is there someplace you and/or mom stashed the stuff that was in the kitchen?
oops, I was responding to Madeleine's comment, clearly. Something has happened to my brain. I think its initials are M.B.
Amy, last time I was looking for something, the Sweet Baboo had put it in the cabinet, in the colander. Perhaps you could look there?
I love Madeleine's trifecta AW/W - well done, good style, spirited really, crisp, with a slight aftertaste of wifi....
Amy, when anything is lost in our hats it is usually with the winter hats and mitts.
Whine: Morning. That is all.
Anti-whine: Sister arriving today with her two boys. She is doing much better this week and is beginning to make peace with the end of her marriage. Sad, but definitely less hysterical and more rational.
Whine: It would still be wrong for me to tell her he's a rat bastard who should consider himself fortunate to have even known her, right? Cause I do have a phone and would dearly love to call and tell him that. But I shall not. (inside thoughts, Sue. Inside thoughts....)
Whine: Hubby's wheelchair has a flat tire. It's a front tire, so it's not as simple as just replacing the tube. It needs some other work too.
Anti-whine: The wheelchair fixing people should be here any minute to drop off a loaner for the day while they take his away to fix it.
Meanwhile, I'm off to work. Did I mention that it's morning?
That should read "lost in our HOUSE"
I told you it was morning. I should not be asked to be sentient at this ungodly hour.
sooo -- we were talking with daughter last night, and she mentions that her U just billed her for a big-ass sum of money. and that turned out to be because she *did not get the student loan* we were counting on.
why not? she evidently does not check her email much, on account of she talks to friends via facebook, so who needs email? the financial aid office helpfully informed me that students who had not accepted their financial aid packages as of a few weeks ago were CANCELLED. they can't tell me anything else or let me fix it until she sends them a consent form.
AW: it's not too late, the package can be reinstated just as soon as they get that form.
Holy carp kathy a!!!! I hope it all gets sorted quickly. How stressful!
yes, there was some hyperventilation around the old homestead last night, even though we knew it had to be some stupid glitch.
along the lines of emily's comment, that blowing one's nose is an under-rated developmental milestone -- this will be valuable, as daughter will learn to pay attention to official emails, and also figure out how to send an international fax.
W: Hem of my right pants-leg came undone.
AW: It waited until I was back home from board meeting to do it.
And I echo that Holy Carp!
Sidelined today by an awful migraine. Could not see properly this morning upon awakening, or even aim for the toilet when the inevitable upchucking started. So, had to clean the bathroom floor with my brain threatening to jump out of my eye sockets, and manipulate the telephone enough to call in to work.
I feel terribly guilty because that leaves the other teacher alone with three very high-maintenance kids. At this point, I shouldn't have missed work, but I would not have been able to function, much less DRIVE there to be a warm body present.
Ugh. I HATE migraines.
(((( KLee )))) don't feel guilty. feel better! xoxo
Oh, KLee! Sending cold wet washcloths and good drugs your way.
AW: Here two weeks in a row!
W: Matt's bday yesterday. Wanted to give him an awesome party, but couldn't pull it together. Had pizza, beer, and cheesecake instead.
AW: Hosea is so cute. Seriously, it's criminal.
W: He's also so, so two. Seriously.
Anyone want some leftover chocolate cheesecake? Yum!
Whine: Branch fell on our car this morning.
Whine: Dad got into a minor car accident. He's fine, but I'm not sure he should be driving.
Whine: Mom had swollen legs this morning. Visiting nurse wasn't too worried, but they've got a call in to the transplant team.
Whine: Have to go to driving class tonight to show my remorse about getting ticket or something.
Antiwhine: transplant coordinator not worried either.
Oh KLee - I sooooo know how that is, when you miss the terlet and end up cleaning up barf when your head is ready to esplode. It's just wrong. I wish there were migraine angels who just arrived to take care of all that when we need them.
Jen - I'll have some cheesecake! Thanks!
Elizabeth - sorry about the various car/driving troubles. And I hope your Mom continues well.
Anti-whine: Awesome workout after an uber-stressful workday. It helps. A bit.
Whine: A bit. My head hurts, but nothing like KLee's and nothing like it used to before my first injection treatments a year ago. But bleh anyway, because I LIKED having no pain. Carp.
I say we make a rule: sick people should not have to clean up their own puke. Nor should anyone have to clean up anyone else's puke. Puke should henceforth be self-cleaning. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Hugs to all who experience migraines. I get them, occasionally, and I agree with Sue--bleh!
kathy a. your daughter has learned a Valuable Life Lesson (tm). I'm glad it will all work out.
Hope Sue's husband's wheelchair problem is fixed pronto.
Neighbor Lady--did the plumber come?
Elizabeth--it's encouraging that nobody is particularly worried about your mom's symptom.
Liz--how nice of your pants to wait for a suitable moment to need mending!
Esperanza should get some sort of genius award for self-cleaning puke.
Finally, can I request a cluestick for the person who parked, blocking the drive up mailbox, so s/he (presumably) could run into the post office? I actually sat and waited for a minute (because why would someone park blocking the drive up mailbox, unless they were going to be gone <30 seconds, but after waiting two minutes, I parked and walked to the mailbox.
There are so many shades of whining ad antiwhining this past week that i'll never cover them all here. But lets start with Friday when I went to the doctor's and was put in the hospital on an emergency basis. My blood pressure was 80/63 and I almost died. I was damn close to that white light. What happened was that I got so dangerously diuresed from Lasix that my electrolytes went off the wall. No potassium, no magnesius, blood sugars close to 600, uable to walk and almost comotose.
Spent a lot of time getting all the numbers back in 'normal' ranges, but I'm now in 2 types of insulin on really high doses.
One night I was having such leg pains they gave me atavan. HUGE mistake. My muscles relaxed so much that I peed in the bed 5 times during the night. Yes, FIVE TIMES.
Meanwhile the last 24 hours in the hospital I had a roomate that could have been on St Elsewhere. Total dementia, furiously paraoid, spent all night going through all her bags (yes, she was a real live bag lady), threatened to walk out 3 times and finally booked it despite being told she would die if she left. A whole bunch of crazy that had the entire floor up in arms with her screaming and crying. In the middle of the night I heard her rustling thru a baq and taking pills of her own. Best part? She NEVER went to the bathroom the entire 24 hours she was there. Crazeeee.
Got home tonight and found that daughter's new boyfriend had spent the entire time I was gone at our house, my son had copied down my credit card # and has now charged close to $700 on the card that I totally can't lose. Court on Friday ad I'm having him arrested.
Cats peed all over house while I was gone, but the kids actually did some decent cleaning. Not great, but acceptable.
Oh Margalit.. I don't know what to say except that I'm so very glad you are home after that nightmare. Please take care of you. The highest blood glucose my diabetic hubby ever had was 36 (or 360 my your measurements) and at that point, the nurses told him he should have been comatose. I can't even imagine 600. How awful for you!
Esperanza - I'll second that vote on self-cleaning pukeage.
Speaking of votes/seconds etc., I must not linger.
Breakfast Fireplacing Meeting starts in 25 minutes. There is no hell, by the way, anywhere else. It's right here on earth, and it serves up eggs.
Mullet for Sue for that last line.
I'm sorry, pixies, that I didn't check right back in about the tickets. You will NEVER BELIEVE where I found them, but I will tell you anyway.
I found them in the Trivial Pursuit box. No kidding.
Here's how it happened: Two friends who wanted to pay me for their tickets came over, and they brought with them the 80s Trivial Pursuit because (get this) it's too hard. They are just a bit too young*.
So, while we talked and laughed, we opened the game and read questions and "ha-ha-ha, we're so old! ha ha!" and I packed the game up. With the tickets inside, underneath the game board.
WTF, pixies? WTF?
I found the tickets a couple of hours after I posted here (again), and my husband is still perplexed about why I would even think to look there. Because, my dear, it just made sense to look there since that was the last time I remembered having the envelope in my hands.
FWIW, the tickets are now clipped to my fridge, and I have told two people, plus pixies.
Who lets me be the adult, anyway?
*So sweet, really. They were so conflicted about giving it to me, apologizing up and down if I was offended, but they didn't want to see the game go to waste. Ha!
Amy, that is totally something I would do. Which is why all things like tickets go straight onto the fridge in our house.
Sue for mullet.
Elizabeth, let me know if you need a ride anywhere.
awards a while later -- feel free to continue whining!
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