How's it going, pixies?
Liz's Big Day is this week. Break a leg, Liz! You've got the whining pixies behind you!
In the First World Whines division, I am shopping for a new laptop. I am currently using one that used to be Mr. E's, approximately 4? 5? years old. It is enormous and heavy, the trackpad doesn't work (an unfortunate encounter with my own glass of milk) and I want something new. My budget does not allow for Apples. The other options are overwhelming, and underwhelming, all at the same time. Wah.
Share your whines and antiwhines, the highs and lows of your week. And we'll be on pins and needles to hear Liz's victory speech!
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Unsolicited advice ... I have an H P Elitebook Folio for work and I like it. Not cheap, but not Apple-price either. You could narrow your choices by picking something light and with a high screen resolution (the high screen resolution helps make the smaller screen of an ultrabook easier to deal with)
I got my Dell desktop from Micro Center for cheap. I don't know if they exist near you, but I'm happy with mine.
And thank you for the good wishes!
Go, Liz!
I also have an HP something laptop, which is fine -- they are much lighter nowadays, and at home I plug in a regular mouse (much easier than the stupid trackpad). But isn't HP getting out of the hardware business? Anyway -- shop around! Prices can vary dramatically for similar features, and sales are common as vendors phase out models to bring in the new.
W/AW: Daughter didn't get the animal shelter job. She didn't even get a courtesy interview at my old office. Many sads. But she has a second interview tomorrow at a consulting firm!
W: Please think good thoughts for my cousin, whose adult son is having a psychiatric emergency in a city some hundreds of miles away.
Oh Kathy, sending good thoughts to your daughter and your cousins.
AW: They're keeping my cousin's son in the hospital until they have a bed in a treatment facility. Which is really a relief! She was very good about collecting current info and passing it to the doctors, along with her son's history and family history. That stuff is gold to doctors, when a crisis happens.
Oh, Kathy a, so many hugs.
W: Blustery, snowy day here.
AW: E has been napping like a champion today.
W: I don't know if she was tired from the weekend, or is coming down with something, but a post-morning-nap-and-afternoon play date turned into being lunch only, because E was so cranky that she had to go back to bed after lunch.
W: Mr. Q is gone all evening for three straight days, and so that pay date was my little bit of time of having someone around. I appreciate the time alone, but I'm also a bit lonely today.
QWP -- when a girl needs a nap, she needs a nap. ;)
Maybe you can sneak out or a friend can sneak in during the 3 days? It is hard to feel so isolated. xoxo
AW: Daughter helped me with a very important stocking stuffer expedition, because we needed to go do something. Hoo, are the stockings going to be stuffed! Also, she found a present for her dad, I found one for the fab aunt, she found a suit pattern at the fabric store, and we saw kitties for adoption. And got lunch. And we bought so much at the lovely deli that we got a free baguette! And also, it was a good time to drop a donation by PP. All in all, an excellent expedition.
Yeah, it's too early to be wound up in the holidays yet. I needed a cover story.
Go Liz!!!!
esperanza, I've got an asus zen book and I love it. I got it über cheap b/c it was old stock, but the reg price is not in Apple territory. Good luck!
kathy a - so sorry to hear about your cousin's son. I'm glad he is in a safe place. Fingers crossed for your daighter's interview amd hooray for stocking stuffers. Impressive!
QWP, yay for naps! Sorry about the lonely. :(
W: rainy day. I normally would not mind a day that invites me to curl up with a good book, but the low pressure is squeezing my brain this time. Ouch.
AW: day off, so I spent the day on the couch watching Harry Potter with hubby.
I wrote a really vulnerable, difficult blog post and someone reposted the link connecting it to a different profile in a context which I hadn't planned to share it.
Oh, and also in a context in which the person one of the stories in the post was about would likely see it.
Not that I minded them sharing the link . . . obviously what's on the internet is public. But they didn't have to say it was written by otherusername that I use on a different forum, KWIM.
Oh, PK! You can take it down. You have these boundaries for a reason. Other people should respect that. xoxoxo
Also, cluesticks to the re-poster.
I don't want to take the post down. I may ask the other person to take my other username out of their post.
I don't think I really have many people left reading my blog anyway, because I have posted so little the last few years, but I did post the link to the post in a couple of selected places and I want to leave the post up because it's important to me that those people be able to read and hopefully understand it. Although a lot of people's responses focused on one particular story in the post that was just an illustration, not supposed to be the main point, LOL.
Serious cluesticks for the re-poster.
AW: I love my 10-year-old goddaughter. She asked if she could come over and help me with E sometime this week. She's coming over after school on Wednesday, and I'm keeping her until after E goes to bed. I love this kid so much.
Big YAY for the sweet god-daughter, QWP!
wow, things are hopping over here.
I'll respond more fully later, but QWP: I am convinced that a 10 year old neighbor/goddaughter/cousin/friend is the universe's best gift to a mama. Old enough to take a bit of responsibility, as long as adults are nearby. Completely mutually entertaining with baby/toddler/preschooler.
Esperanza, I agree so strongly. 10 years old is a really good age.
PK, I posted at the same time as your lay couple of posts, but I've had good results with asking people to edit their post to take out the identifier, and replace it with the big pseudonym. Some people don't really think about the fact that others want more privacy than they do.
It's also really good for the neighbor/goddaughter/cousin/friend, who gets to feel accomplished and tres popular while maybe also learning a thing or two. And probably that kid's parents are grateful, too. A village, it is.
QWP, yes! Asking the person to replace the identifier is a great solution.
Thanks for the computer advice, everyone. I have finally convinced Mr E to quit telling me what I want (for reals, we've been married 16 years, he should know that by now), so now I have to decide. :)
Good thoughts for your cousin, kathy a...so scary. And good thoughts for daughter's job search. It must get discouraging.
p_k, I read your post (you're on my feed reader, so it just comes to me). I get why you wouldn't want it connected, so I think asking for a pseudonym is a reasonable request.
Re: shopping: I just read a post by...um...somebody...today suggesting that getting your shopping all done by Thanksgiving is the best way to enjoy all the other parts of the holidays. It was pretty convincing, since I dislike shopping. Getting it over with is pretty appealing.
Sue, hope the brain squeeze stops soon.
W: this time change. Mini has actually adapted a bit better, but was a tired out holy terror by tonight. Sweet has been getting up at 5:30 (corresponding to her usual 6:30). Ugh.
Oh my goodness, Esperanza: 5:30? I am so thankful I moved to a place they doesn't change the clocks BEFORE we had the baby. I can't even imagine what E would do with that.
Esperanza, I basically hate the people who have not only lists but have bought everything by thanksgiving. On the other hand, it's way better to have some things at hand before things get really crazy.
well, then if I accomplish it, I won't tell you :) MANY of the gifts we give are homemade, and I can assure you they will not be finished ahead of time. (The baked goods would be yucky, huh?). It's just that Christmas is absolutely bonkers at our two-preacher household, and it would be nice to be able to slow it down just a bit by getting the shopping done ahead. We'll see.
Cluesticks at the ready for the re-poster PK!
QWP - your god-daughter is so delightful to offer her help. Yup, 10 is a good age.
Esperanza, the 5:30 is tough.
W: early start here tomorrow as hubby is having a scope of his bladder in the morning. He's pretty nervous. Poor guy.
I saw that article too esperanza and it makes some sense.
W: another blog post I saw today that accuses anyone who is doing the 30 days of gratitude of "bragbooking" Really? For heaven's sake, interwebs, just let me have this without skewering me! I am not bragging. I'm grasping kind of desperately after something - anything - to be grateful for in the midst of a truly sucky time. Given the alternative is to post daily "MS sucks" updates, I don't really see the crime here.
End of rant. Sorry,
Prayers for calm for hubby (and you), Sue.
I saw a comment on that second post you reference that suggested that "between the lines" of peoples' gratitude posts were the real stories. Which is another way of saying what you just said. Every time I post something congratulatory about Sweet, it's with the knowledge that it has not come easily to her. And yet I remain grateful; the alternative is untenable for me.
oops, got a bit preachy there. Sorry.
That was not too preachy.
And I'm not reading the gratitude posts AT ALL as bragging. Just recognizing the good, sometimes amidst considerable hardships. Sometimes ya gotta reach for the AW, you know?
Not preachy at all - thanks.
AW: brain squeeze didn't last too long today. Just an echo of it left tonight. Yay !
Sue -- hugs to you and hubby. Hope all goes as easily as possible tomorrow. And glad the headache demon laid off. xoxo
I dropped the person a note. They edited it to take out the tag.
The post is on my PPP blog; I don't mind people here reading it, of course. ((esperanza))
Oh, good, PK, glad that worked out. How's baby?
Glad that worked out, PK!
W: the place where daughter has a 2d interview? It's a scam. Their "management training" consists of door to door sales.
well, crap, kathy a. That stinks.
AW: the glorious internet, which brought me to "Entry Level Job Scams Blog" when I g00gled the company name, trying to find out more about them.
Baby seems to be doing great. I've been having a lot of contractions, but that's pretty normal for me in the third trimester.
I'm getting quite uncomfortable with this kid jammed up between my pelvis and ribs like a crowbar (I'm carrying small, but that means she's really jammed back in there where my organs are supposed to be, as opposed to sticking out front). And when she moves, there's nothing cute or gentle about it.
5 weeks from EDD and no name picked out yet, either. :)
Kathy A, I'm glad you figured out it was a scam, though!
Very close, PK! Yay!
I was just suspicious about this stupid company. This confirms, pretty solidly. Makes me so angry! Daughter is going to be crushed.
Oh no, Kathy a! I'm glad that you figured it that it's a scam, but that is so frustrating for your daughter.
PK: it's getting so close! I was in the same place a year ago, and I hope that peanut is letting you get any sleep, because that crowding is really uncomfortable.
Glad that worked out PK. And it's close to baby time! Yay!
kathy a - I'm glad you discovered the scam before it went any further, but I'm sad for your daughter.
AW: hubby's scope is done. The doc was super nice. He's new in town - so new that hubby was his first patient!
W: It was a tough morning for hubby. Really tough.
((( Sue ))) (((( hubby )))) xoxo
Liz is not here; she's busy. But sending winning thoughts her way!!!
Definitely sending winning thoughts for Liz. Go Liz!!!!!!
((Sue & hubby))
As it turns out, daughter found a new listing for a GREAT museum job -- and she has background that meshes well with the focus of this museum. Take that, job scammers!
((((sue and hubby)))
good luck to your daughter for the museum job, kathy a.
Hugs to all you awesome pixies!!!
:)
Neighbor Lady
How are you holding up, Neighbor Lady? Can you make it to Thanksgiving Break?
And how's NG?
I'm trying to track down updates about Liz's votes. So far, I've only found the gov race in her state. Thinking about you, Liz!
Kathy a, also thinking good-museum-job thoughts for your daughter.
(((Sue and Hubby)))
W: Day 2 of three straight days of Mr. Q not being able to come home until after E's bedtime. Today, she made up for her day of tons of sleep by only napping a tiny bit. Such short naps. I got nothing done, and we were both beside ourselves at supper. She's asleep now, and I still feel like I can hear her crying.
Not my best day of parenting.
AW: My mom stopped by for about twenty minutes today, between appointments. E was ecstatic. She leapt into my arms when I told her that "Grandma's here," so that I could take her to the elevator to greet Grandma. They read books, and E took Grandma waking all over the apartment, holding her hand. And she called her "Gra-gra"!
W: she then spent the evening mad at me, and crying for "Gra-gra."
Oh, QWP. I know.
Lil E's language explosion is fun to watch, even from afar, though.
Oh, QWP. There, there. It was lovely of your mom to come over! It is sadly a fact that if someone is overtired and cranky, they somehow know it is safe to unload on parents.
Stoopid election board is being stooped. I'm going to bed pretty sure I lost, but not really knowing. Still, we did really well
Hugs to sue and qwp
(((((Liz)))) You did more than well - you were and are AMAZING!!!!!
Sleep well, love. Ya done good.
Liz,we love you! Hope you can get some rest tonight.
And, obviously, cluesticks to stoopid election boards everywhere.
Yep. It is awfully close, Liz. You ran a very good, very energetic campaign. Fingers still crossed, because they have not reported on the absentees and provisional ballots yet.
A non-election whine:
W: Mr E is sick (or...maybe not, but that's beside the point, and this is my whine, not his) so I am spending the night on the living room couch. The living room has a vaulted ceiling. Above the vaulted ceiling are shingles, and above the shingles are a good many overhanging live oak tree branches (yes, they need trimming). Acorns fall from live oak branches this time of year. They make a loud thunk when they fall, and then I can hear each one roll down the roof and a small smack when it hits the back patio. This is not conducive to sleeping.
esperanza--I'm aiming for Veteran's Day myself. :)
It's very challenging--it's 5:12 here and I tossed and turned all night because I have a challenging lesson today that I'm not sure the kids will get. And, I also dreamed about it when I supposedly was asleep.
Arg.
But, had nice feedback from a superior two days ago which I desperately needed, and it gave me the boost to get through the week.
I know I will make it through the year, but some days I really don't see how....
NG is doing ok--she got the notice yesterday of what she has to do to make up for not going to the retreat, and she is not liking it--involves going to three services (we would do that anyway), and two social events )that's the part she doesn't want to do, hence why she didn't want to go on the retreat). and other stuff. sigh.
She's not close to lots of kids there--finds it cliquey, which it sometimes is--which is probably why I am also not close to many of those kids' parents, so I totally get it. Oh well, we'll see how it shakes out.
Meanwhile, they have assigned service projects, and she is the only girl in a group of guys going to work with some folks involved in the Special Olympics for floor hockey. The floor hockey special olympics group is all men too, so she's a little nervous, but willing to give it a try. (Leader of the service group is a woman, though) So proud of her.
Off to find ways to teach today's lesson better, since I can't seem to find sleep.....
Sorry--I think this sounded very whiny today.
QWP--you are an awesome parent, even on tough days! And, love the language emerging!
Liz--awesome job on all things election related (whether you win or lose in the end, you are our hero.)
((Sue))
:)Neighbor Lady
p.s Extra special hugs to esperanza and Kathy a.--thanks for checking in on me!!!
((Neighbor Lady))
((Neighbor Girl))
((Liz))
You can do it NL!!! We are your pixie cheering squad (however, I will not wear a short skirt - pompoms yes, but not the skirt)
(((NG)))
esperanza, sorry about the acorns. Where are those squirrels when you need them???
We lost, but outdid all expectations! I have decided to be thrilled with the outcome. I made the point, shone a light on his votes, and I don't have to worry about serving!!!
Liz, you are amazing. You fought SUCH a close race, and with so much resistance.
Hugs for Neighbour Lady and NG.
W: Day 3 of Mr. Q being gone in the evening. E's been pretty restless and clingy today, but she's napping (AW). Before that, she got so frantic that she just ran back and forth between the looming room and her bedroom for a while, until her legs gave out while she was at her bookcase, and she gave herself an impressive shiner. Cut and bruise.
AW: I reiterate: even though it took a lot of work to get her to sleep, she's napping!
AW: grape-flavored painkillers for babies, especially the kind that come with a syringe instead of an eyedropper. So helpful when one has a baby with a swollen eye, who is having trouble falling asleep.
Liz I am so proud of you and the work you got started. xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Old Skewl Whine: my phone died last night. I don't know how to live without my beloved eye phone. I am such a texting/messaging addict. :P
Esperanza -- we used to get pine cones on the roof -- THUNK!
Go, Neighbor Lady! Sorry about the restless night and challenges of this first year teaching. Pretty much everything feels like a bold experiment, no? When you're dreaming about it, it means you are really invested and trying hard -- and that's good for your students, even if it's an imposition on the valuable sleep time.
Oh, my, about NG. Those sure are some consequences -- although they sound manageable, and the Special Olympics project sounds awesome!
I'm actually a fan of reasonable consequences, especially when they come from someone other than parents. These are not punitive consequences -- they are all about responsibility to her community, right? I totally sympathize about cliquey girls and their poison. The all-boy project might be just the ticket...
Liz, ya done us proud!
Oh, Sue for mullet -- for the short skirt. ;)
QWP: syringes are SO MUCH better than the eyedroppers. We learned that in the NICU and haven't looked back. Much more accurate and easier to sneak back in the back of their mouths. Our pharmacy gives them out with liquid prescriptions, and I save them for others.
Liz, we are so proud of all you have accomplished in the campaign. You are a rock star!!!!!
Yay for syringes. They are also the only way to give a cat liquid medicine. Even then half of it ends up on your shirt. :)
AW: Listening to Christmas music while I prepare Advent material for worship. falalalalala.....:)
Sorry about your phone Miranda. :(
W: After I finally got her to sleep, E pooked herself awake after only half an hour.
AW: my parents just came over and took E to their house for the next few hours, so that I can finally get some work done.
W: electricity bill in a place with an electric hot water heater. Only a few more months, and then we'll be living in an energy star-rated house, with only one utility bill.
The dead phone is tres old skool.
Nominate QWP's parents for kudos!
QWP's parents are gems. I'm sure they have their moments, but wow, they are Grandparents Of The Day, for sure.
In the Old Skool department:
W: went to the grocery store yesterday. For the sake of our budget and management of my time, I try to only go once a week. However. I forgot two items, essential to go with a few other (perishable) items. So, back this morning.
W: I had *almost* completed the transaction, while holding the coupon in my hand the whole time.
AW: cashier did some computer magic and I got to use it after all.
AW: cashier and bagger and I had a good giggle about how it sure seemed like Monday.
A young relative of mine, about 4 years old, has been having some worrisome symptoms and going through all sorts of medical testing trying to figure out what is going on. So far everything has come back negative.
The mom just posted that doctors are telling them with all the other possibilities they've looked at eliminated, the most likely possibility at this point appears to be a br@in cyst or tum0r. The child goes under general anesth. for testing later this week.
I can imagine the fear and worry this family is going through right now. Please pray or send positive thoughts or whatever you do for the child and family.
Thinking of your friend and their family. May everything turn out okay.
Oh, PK. Many good thoughts. That is so scary.
General anesthesia does NOT by itself mean that this is really bad. They just can't ask a 4 year old to hold still enough for some of the most accurate tests. Sending lots of love. xoxo
Yeah, he has already been under general for some other testing, but it's still scary. I just can't think of much that would be scarier to hear as a parent than the phrase "br@in tum0r". :(
That is true -- very scary, even if it's just a possible. xoxo
Thinking about your relative's son PK. So scary.
esperanza - I've done that!!
Hooray for QWP's parental units!!!
Prayers for PK's relatives.
And, W: yeah, the lesson tanked.
Oh well, it's a process.....
--Neighbor Lady
Also,
W: Picked daughter up from school today practically in tears because some punk kid has been going around telling people she is ugly, and they feel the need to remind her of what he is saying.
Also, Neighbor Boy has some kid at his after school program who has been telling him he's fat and chubby, and basically giving him a hard time, but is perfect when the teacher is around. (But I think the teacher knows what kind of kid he is).
Sigh.
Neighbor Girl is currently at Special Olympics floor hockey--hoping it goes really well and she's excited by it.... I know she was excited to hang with the other boys in her group who (hopefully) don't engage in the same kind of middle school drama.
--Neighbor Lady
NL -- well, maybe it kinda tanked; and maybe kids will remember the lesson anyway. Also, any one class session isn't the whole package.
I'm saddling up with cluesticks for the meanie kids. Sheesh.
Grrrr....meanie kids are so....awful! Cluesticks!
I'm not sure if it's a fair comparison, but the sermons that I think have tanked are the ones that people tell me they enjoyed. Every. Time.
You just never know what might "stick" with people.
Argh. Cluesticks for meanie kids and their parents.
HUGE AW: Neighbor Girl just got home, and had a FANTASTIC time working with adults with special needs playing floor hockey.
She was so excited and smiley, and really enjoyed the group of boys she went with too! Maybe she is finding her place.....
So proud of her, and so relieved it went well!!!!!
Yay!!
--Neighbor Lady
ps thanks for the cluestick brigade
Go, Neighbor Girl!
Go go Neighbour Girl! I'm so glad that it went well. And I very much can sympathise with lessons tanking. It's a process, and even the most seasoned teachers have off days where the kids just won't get it.
Thinking of pk's friends. That is so terrifying, especially with someone so young.
AW: just had an evening getting help from a helpful 10-year-old. She cleaned my living room while I was putting the baby to bed, people. She more than earned her $10 and ice cream. <3 10 year olds.
Go Neighbor Girl (from a girl who was always friends with lots of boys. SO much easier to get along with)! So happy she had a great time.
W: Gave in and asked my dad for computer advice. Brain overload.
Yay for 10-year-old helpers and friends that are boys! My 12-year-old's best friends at school are boys, too.
And yay for computer magic, helpful parental magic, syringes and several other things that I was going to say but forgot.
My campaign manager is being courted by big campaigns because we exceeded expectations so wildly!
Go NG!!! WooHoo!
Wow - that is wonderful Liz!! Congrats to your campaign manager!
Liz, that's great! It was an excellent campaign.
What the fireplace? The day after we tell Cooch etal to take their bats and balls and go home, Lindsay Graham introduces a 20 week abortion ban in the House.
NO WAY.
Liz, it won't pass. In the very rare instances where someone seeks abortion past 20 weeks, there are serious medical reasons for doing so. I do wish he's stop trotting out ridiculous show ponies, but that's probably not happening today.
Also, this kind of thing is why I needed to go by my local PP and drop them a check.
W: Preschool #1 and Preschool #2 (of very few brown kids fame) have very different ethoses (ethosi?). Exhibit A: K was "Star Student" this week. As far as I know, it means her mommy makes a poster with her pictures on it, which hangs in the common room. The Baboos brought home "gifts" from K today. OK...silly...but OK. The gifts were a little cup of marshmallows. What the fireplace? *Someone* has too much time on her hands. Just saying.
Oh, that needs to be nipped in the bud, Esperanza. I'm all good with schools that recognize each kid individually -- also OK with the K/1st "all about me" poster project [with the kids making the poster]. But mom making a poster and giving gift bags on a non-birthday occasion? No no no no. No gloating. No competition. No extra freaking treats, and no setting up the expectation that everybody's mama will do this.
Have no fear, *everybody's* mama will NOT do this. I also didn't give Halloween treat bags. I will do something for Christmas, probably. K is less than 2 yrs old, so mama had to do her poster.
100 comments this week! Wow!
Wait a minute: K is in preschool before the age of 2? Is this a thing now? And yeah: sending treats home for all the kids is so not a precedent to be set.
Go, Liz's campaign manager!
This really is a busy week with the whining!
AW: Mr. Q is home this evening, and we're approaching a long weekend (one that involves no travel or major functions, fur the first time since the school year began). Bliss.
yeah, they have an 18 mo class. It's only 2 days/week, 8:30 to 2:30. I wouldn't have done it...but K is the baby of the family, her next oldest sibling is only 13 mo older than she is. So...I can't even imagine. I am sure I would need a break, too.
Wow! The youngest here is three. We do two years of preschool (optional), with ages 3 and 4, and I still hear people here grumble that 3 seems too young. (Of course, I live in a county where a large percentage of moms get a year of mat leave, and so that changes cultural expectations drastically.) I'm learning new things today!
Wait: when you say "preschool" you don't mean daycare, right? Mr. Q wanted me to clarify that.
It's preschool, in that there is a curriculum of sorts.
Both of the Baboos started going (2 days a week only) at age 2. For two reasons: mama needed a break and there were no helpful relatives nearby; and they really needed some exposure to peers (socially, I mean, though we did get exposed to lots of germs, too).
Okay! That makes sense. I imagine we'll see that here eventually as well. Right now, everyone's still fighting each other about whether full-day kindergarten is a good idea.
AW: E is responding well to my "give me whatever you put in your mouth, and if it's something you're not supposed to eat, I'll give you a Ch33rio, and if it's something edible, I'll give it back" training. It meant that she didn't swallow a button today!
W: shag carpet hides so many treasures like that. And I can't get her NOT to put everything she finds in her mouth.
Many hugs for Liz, who had her grandmother's funeral today. What a week you just had.
((( Liz )))
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